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beastreader's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the tone of the story from the...location to the theme. I was feeling the vibes of the Mark Twain aspect. In fact, I liked it so much that I could not wait to see how this story would all play out. Yet, it kind of became apparent that this would not be the case for me. Despite liking the tone of the story, it suffered from the lack of character emotions that I was missing. In my case I hard trouble connecting to the characters. When this happens it makes for difficult reading. While, I tried to let this slide hoping that this would improve, it didn't. I could not finish reading this book. I might give it a second chance in the future.
debi_g's review against another edition
4.0
"If you try to better yourself, you're acting like you're too good for the folks who raised you. If you stay and don't, you're a loser who never even tried" (16).
If I had to sum this book up in one word, it would be "cycles." The realistically repetitious loops of toxic friendships, romances, and family interactions comprise this novel, along with the interwoven spirals that accompany poverty and the working class: limited options, bad decisions, dependencies, arrests, injuries, acts of self-sabatoge, and lapses in employment. The main character tries to break free from numerous cycles, yet enables, accompanies, and engages in them repeatedly.
Melissa Scholes Young has accurately and vividly captures the flood of 1993 and the ensuing years in the northeastern Missouri region. Fashions, pastimes, and priorities all ring true. I lived an hour south of Hannibal for 17 years (and my NorCal soul never belonged).
While Laura is a useful "everywoman" filter for the story, she's a bit blank for my liking and I don't see why she puts up with Rose's shenanigans. In fact, this novel often reminded me of the students I had in that small town. They had a sense of being stuck, a feeling that options did not exist, or that they'd be better off spending their lives talking big about what could have been than to make a attempt and fail. I've seen 4.0 students too aware of their small pond to make the leap toward higher education. I've seen intentional pregnancies forever anchor young lives to bad relationships and limited geographies. One sad sophomore once wrote that her biggest regret was choosing the friends she'd become stuck with, and the reputation by association. This girl felt that by high school it was too late to make any changes and she simply had to accept that she'd forever be pulled and pushed by the tides of her friends' magnetic actions. It's like an equity joke how the metaphorical prison of low expectations, readily available drugs, and the reckless behavior borne of oppression condemns as many scattered, rural kids' futures as it does those held captive by urban decay.
There's no way to smoothly transition from that digression to this final quibble with an otherwise compelling novel: although it's true to local patterns of speech and errors in writing, I wish the author had not chosen to pepper the dialogue with "of" instead of "have." Characters consistently say they "could of" and "should of" when they mean they "would've," and it grates (perhaps intentionally).
If I had to sum this book up in one word, it would be "cycles." The realistically repetitious loops of toxic friendships, romances, and family interactions comprise this novel, along with the interwoven spirals that accompany poverty and the working class: limited options, bad decisions, dependencies, arrests, injuries, acts of self-sabatoge, and lapses in employment. The main character tries to break free from numerous cycles, yet enables, accompanies, and engages in them repeatedly.
Melissa Scholes Young has accurately and vividly captures the flood of 1993 and the ensuing years in the northeastern Missouri region. Fashions, pastimes, and priorities all ring true. I lived an hour south of Hannibal for 17 years (and my NorCal soul never belonged).
While Laura is a useful "everywoman" filter for the story, she's a bit blank for my liking and I don't see why she puts up with Rose's shenanigans. In fact, this novel often reminded me of the students I had in that small town. They had a sense of being stuck, a feeling that options did not exist, or that they'd be better off spending their lives talking big about what could have been than to make a attempt and fail. I've seen 4.0 students too aware of their small pond to make the leap toward higher education. I've seen intentional pregnancies forever anchor young lives to bad relationships and limited geographies. One sad sophomore once wrote that her biggest regret was choosing the friends she'd become stuck with, and the reputation by association. This girl felt that by high school it was too late to make any changes and she simply had to accept that she'd forever be pulled and pushed by the tides of her friends' magnetic actions. It's like an equity joke how the metaphorical prison of low expectations, readily available drugs, and the reckless behavior borne of oppression condemns as many scattered, rural kids' futures as it does those held captive by urban decay.
There's no way to smoothly transition from that digression to this final quibble with an otherwise compelling novel: although it's true to local patterns of speech and errors in writing, I wish the author had not chosen to pepper the dialogue with "of" instead of "have." Characters consistently say they "could of" and "should of" when they mean they "would've," and it grates (perhaps intentionally).
astronomeys's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A book with a secret agenda about accepting the flaws we see in others because we chose them to be part of our family; it's just as much about accepting that we change and the places we come from change when we leave. Haunting realism to each character that keeps you turning the page while also wondering who on Earth raised these people, and still you want the best for them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Alcohol
Most characters socially drink beer regularly throughout the story, a couple have alcoholism. Another character is described physically as looking like he injects hard drugs andregferk's review against another edition
4.0
I read this for Book Riot's 2020 Read Harder Challenge Task #5: a book about a natural disaster.
jbraith's review
5.0
Flood explores the homecoming of Laura Brooks, who returns to her family and friends in Hannibal, MO after a decade away once life throws her some curveballs. She is forced to grapple with big decisions in her own life while also navigating the intense trials and tribulations of those she holds dear. This book is packed with emotion and is so effectively written – no word is wasted in helping to set the scene and to allow the reader to feel what Laura experiences. These were some of the most accessible yet compellingly complex characters I’ve encountered recently. I loved Flood deeply and would wholeheartedly recommend it, especially to readers who enjoyed stories dealing with family drama like Ann Patchett’s Commonwealth, and books by Celeste Ng or Elizabeth Strout, to name a few.
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