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alyssajcori's review against another edition
3.0
This was both a fun and somewhat somber read. We follow a woman back and forth in time between the start of her career as an ad writer in the 1930s for Macy's and well into her retirement. It all takes place in NYC and you get to learn about the pressures and challenges of being a career driven person, a wife, a mother, a person with mental illness, and a friend.
I loved the main character's personality and the dialog was very fun. I gave 3 stars because, while I enjoyed the story, it does not stand out to me as a "must read."
I loved the main character's personality and the dialog was very fun. I gave 3 stars because, while I enjoyed the story, it does not stand out to me as a "must read."
kathleenguthriewoods's review against another edition
5.0
Charming, thoughtful. Wonderful characters. Like taking a walk with an older friend and hearing all the greatest stories of her life. Loved it!
vankelly's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
angelamichelle's review against another edition
3.0
This book has a great premise--formerly pioneering ad woman and it girl, now lonely and in her mid-eighties walks through NYC reminiscing and encountering people--but it disappoints.
- Didn't ever seem to really penetrate past the clever veneer the character wields. The voice was always too polished, too presented. I never actually felt I saw the real Lillian Boxfish.
- Way too much tell (in that distancing cleverness) and not much show.
- A big deal is made of her queen-of-Manhattan youth and her tragic middle age. But it never at all illuminates how one became the other, and that I think would have been an interesting story.
- Seems to confuse route across town with plot arc.
- Didn't ever seem to really penetrate past the clever veneer the character wields. The voice was always too polished, too presented. I never actually felt I saw the real Lillian Boxfish.
- Way too much tell (in that distancing cleverness) and not much show.
- A big deal is made of her queen-of-Manhattan youth and her tragic middle age. But it never at all illuminates how one became the other, and that I think would have been an interesting story.
- Seems to confuse route across town with plot arc.
colleengeedrumm's review against another edition
5.0
They can run all they want. They'll be rejected and exhausted.
But upon reflection I am inclined to file them in the drawer labeled good problems.
Now I must do my best impression of a track star.
Oh, if you want the last word that much, you can have it.
If I am in a place with that many pigeons, then it is probably urban enough for me to want to live there and be satisfied with the quantity of urbanity.
Steam from the subway grates: shiny ghosts
In order not to bother or be bothered by ghosts, you just act like you're one of them.
When life seems gray
And short of fizz
It seems that way
Because it is.
But upon reflection I am inclined to file them in the drawer labeled good problems.
Now I must do my best impression of a track star.
Oh, if you want the last word that much, you can have it.
If I am in a place with that many pigeons, then it is probably urban enough for me to want to live there and be satisfied with the quantity of urbanity.
Steam from the subway grates: shiny ghosts
In order not to bother or be bothered by ghosts, you just act like you're one of them.
When life seems gray
And short of fizz
It seems that way
Because it is.
babybirdnoco's review against another edition
4.0
I'm obsessed with listening to stories older generations have to share. As times change and culture changes it great to hear stories of an old person who has adopted to the current times but experienced something much different than I. Reading this book felt like I was sitting on a park bench with someones grandma listening to her life story. It's a story of the kind of old woman I want to be so still has her full independence and worked a career she loved!
danileighta's review against another edition
5.0
Read this book. Better yet, listen to this book being read by Xe Sands. The writing is so smart that the story doesn't even really matter, but the story is excellent, as well. Without giving too much away, Lillian does, in fact, take a walk, on New Year's Eve of 1985. She is born in 1899, however, and the history of who she is is told in smart flashbacks. The narrator is in her 80's and lets us know early on in the book that her memory is not what it once was and, sure enough, we will hear some repetition throughout the book. It is done artfully, though, and does not insist upon itself; you might even miss it if you aren't paying attention. This book might be especially interesting to those who are dealing with aging and divorce, but it is written in a way that 30-somethings will find relatable. In fact, the author is 30-something. At the end of the audiobook, you can listen to an interview with the author.
I work in several libraries and everyone who has read or listened to this book has fallen in love. So give it a shot!
I work in several libraries and everyone who has read or listened to this book has fallen in love. So give it a shot!
amiablebookworm's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
dianerc's review against another edition
4.0
Really loved this book - listened to it on audiobook and love, love, loved it.