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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
medium-paced
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
A book I only picked up because it was popular and I had put it on my TBR long ago. I ended up really enjoying the storytelling and the writing style. I felt invested in the characters.
Mostly listened to the audiobook- Meryl Streep is obviously great but it’s a little hard to follow the time jumps in the audio format
Not a super memorable plot but I liked how it all came together
Not a super memorable plot but I liked how it all came together
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed this very much. My friend has been pestering me to read it for months, and I finally got around to it. Just sort of a cozy family tale. At its core, it is a story about the past (a mother recounting an earlier part of her life to her daughters, all in their 20s and 2 of the 3 home from college during the pandemic), and parts of that past are sad, but because of the structure, you know everything eventually turns out all right. Meryl Streep was a really excellent choice of narrator and did a great job.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Had to read this for book club, and it's just not my kind of book... While I often enjoy reading books that take place in different narrative timelines, the way this one was written just didn't flow in my opinion, and I failed to truly connect with any of the characters or their concerns. The result was that I often felt bored and like I had to push through to finish this. I'm sure there are others out there who would like (even love) reading this, but I wasn't one of them.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love Meryl Streeps narration of this book. Reminding me of The Awakening by Kate Chopin, this novel follows the vivid life of a mother in a multifaceted manner. She is more than a mom and yet that’s all she seems to return to. It comes naturally to her as she shares the many stories of her youth with her daughters under the shade of their family orchard. Her daughters are the ones to remind her of her life before they were born, before she became a mother. I believe this reminder of personhood and sense of independence is important to remember while navigating motherhood. I enjoy reading books that show or encourage this practice of self reflection and discovery in mothers. Specifically because mothers are often given the label that will confine them to the heat of the kitchen sink, chill of the grocery stores, stickiness of the baby’s skin and the aptitude to listen to men in their lives. When a character breaks out of this confinement and follows their singular path once again it is refreshing. They allow themselves to walk alone for a little. I think that’s one of gifts mothers can give back to themselves. This book did a wonderful job carrying a story within a story highlighting the personhood of a brilliant talented mother, as she was and as she is.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced