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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I did really enjoy this generational story of two sisters and their lives, starting from girlhood through their entire adult lives. I think the thing that kept me from liking it more, and enjoying it more, is the way that everything ended up wrapped in a nice little bow in the end for the wild child Beth and Jo just 'missed everything.' She did get to reunite with her one true love after her life was nearly ended, but my heart aches at stories of women giving their entire lives for others, sacrificing everything and then oh they die in the end anyway. Was Jo happy? Maybe. Did she get some shit deals in her life? Definitely. Did she get to live her life or write her novel or be who she thought she might be, No. But she tried. Which fuck that, I'm tired of being the one who 'tries' all the time. Dammit. I want to be the one who accidentally starts a mega business with my jam creations.
This book follows two sisters from the 1950s to the present as they navigate a changing world. I didn't particularly favor either sister, but I found myself connecting to them both in different ways.
I've read most of Jennifer Weiner's books; some I like better than others. This one ranks fairly high. It's the third book I've read this year that dealt with estranged sisters and with how one traumatic childhood event can shape your entire life. It was also very timely in that it dealt with protests and feminism and racial issues and homosexuality and, and, and...
Sweeping and thoughtful, this is the tale of two sisters throughout their entire lives, starting in the 1950s. It's a story of family, sisterhood, and the way our relationships shape us. But it's also a larger story of gender in America and the changing expectations of women in the home and the workplace. The narrative style is quiet and introspective in a way that allows you to make your own judgments about the characters' choices and motivations. This is such a smart approach to the changing tides of feminism. You can't predict where Bethie and Jo's stories are headed, but they'll stick with you for a long time.
I loved this book! I read it for my book club job since it was last months pick. I know this book was not everyones favorite since it had so many controversial tops going on at once but I did not mind that one bit. I found that I related to so many of these characters being as I am both gay and I have quite a few issues with my own mother. So much of this book was dark but it was very relatable and as messy and none stop as it was it felt so much like real life.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Jennifer Weiner and I truly do not want to eviscerate anything she had taken the time to write, so I will try my best not to do that. We as women are expected to 1. do everything and 2. Be everything. I expected to get that from this book, and I did not. The delivery was not just poor; it was non-existent. I know that I am in the minority and I have no problem with that. This is simply my opinion. The book spans decades focusing on two sisters who are as different as night and day. The one you expect to be married with kids and the one you expect to be a free spirit seem to trade places. This book tells their journey from being true to themselves, one becoming mixed up with drugs and the other choosing not to live her truth and conform to societies standards of who she should be. Now, if the book had been told like that, it would’ve been fine, but it wasn’t. There were so many layers, layers that were painfully drawn out. A novel needs to be tightly pulled together and this was not. It told a slow churning story that should’ve left a bigger impact than it did. I’m really disappointed because I expected so much more and I’m sad because..... it took forever to read this book and it was for nothing.
One of the best books I have read all year! This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. I had never read any books by this author but I will be reading her other ones soon. This story was so compelling and the characters were richly detailed. I can't recommend this book enough!