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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
A relatively quick read, I liked the flip-flopping between Bennett and his guests, though I was not expecting such harrowing experiences for each of his guests (physical abuse, violence, mental disorders, deep relationship issues, drugs) and in a way, weighing down the female characters with these terrible experiences while Bennett just loafs by, "figuring it out" as a middle-aged man feels too uneven, especially coming from a female author. Bennett's overall arc worked for me, but I wish the women AirBed guests in the book had had more positive storylines of their own.
funny
slow-paced
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It took me a bit to come around to Bennett as he’s a bit of a curmudgeon in the making initially! The book reads like a British Rom-Com with deeper depths that a movie would portray. (I could easily see Hugh Grant as our artist/Super Host!) The book covers three guests that stay in Bennett’s house over a year. Each guest point of view and their back story is provided as well as Bennett’s. By the time we got to the end, I couldn’t put the book down and was so thoroughly invested in Bennett and the third guest! A thoroughly enjoyable book!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Two years ago Bennett Driscoll knew who he was: a famous painter whose artwork might have become dated but he was going to make a comeback. Now he’s divorced, barely able to keep up with the house and has become a host for Air B&B in order to make money, while living off the reviews he gets. He’s stagnant, wanting to create art and move on from his ex wife but struggling to do so. Alongside Bennett’s desire to move on from the first phase of his life, is an inside look at each of his guests. Bennet begins moving on with his life, meeting a barmaid named Claire and changing his daily habits. A parallel look into the lives of each of his guests, almost reading like short stories (although the characters do interact) looks into the lives of women dealing with issues like rape, OCD and domestic violence. I really liked this book. While I wanted more insight into Alicia and Olivia (the first two guests) lives after they left the B&B, I thought the fact the reader was only allowed a snippet into their lives to be intriguing, though slightly voyeuristic, especially because there were such tragic events happening to them. I think what I enjoyed the most about this book was how Bennett doesn’t give into his grief or anger. While he might have stayed stagnant for a few years, he started adapting to his circumstances and trying new things. I found that to be a very admirable quality and one I hope to develop for myself.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No