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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
Goes into detail about a character with disordered eating and notes methods used, thought processes etc.
After I got used to the fast paced story telling and learned the characters’ names I was hooked. Messy and fast paced, as life can be sometimes.
This is a really long book! I found it a bit slow at the start and found it hard to get into, but it really picks up about half way.
It follows an extended Irish family and all their family drama. There are a lot of characters and it takes a while to remember all of them, but you do eventually get the hang of it. I would describe it as a modern day soap opera.
There are some beautiful settings described, and you really feel like you get to know the characters.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the eGalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It follows an extended Irish family and all their family drama. There are a lot of characters and it takes a while to remember all of them, but you do eventually get the hang of it. I would describe it as a modern day soap opera.
There are some beautiful settings described, and you really feel like you get to know the characters.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the eGalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I did really enjoy this read. I found it addictive because of Keyes fine way of, mostly, conjuring up familiar, nuanced "characters" we can recognise by their actions and behaviour. The alpha female, the young arty one, the obvious philanderer etc. This plays out with good humour and black humour amidst the endless family gatherings, sprinkled with sherbet-like underlying grievances.
,
Whilst the large family relationships duck and dive towards a chaotic denouement, the separate crises did feel rather contrived as they played out simultaneously against the novel's timeline.
What I most love about Keyes is her constant interrogation of big, close Irish families. The semblance of sharing and togetherness with its unchanging dynamic. Yet, bubbling under the surface, nobody (not even the loud, gutsy feminist women who seem to share everything) really face the big stuff of life - the behind closed door truths
,
Whilst the large family relationships duck and dive towards a chaotic denouement, the separate crises did feel rather contrived as they played out simultaneously against the novel's timeline.
What I most love about Keyes is her constant interrogation of big, close Irish families. The semblance of sharing and togetherness with its unchanging dynamic. Yet, bubbling under the surface, nobody (not even the loud, gutsy feminist women who seem to share everything) really face the big stuff of life - the behind closed door truths
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Vomit
Moderate: Sexual content
Brownie of the year award? Indulgent, non-nutritious, family drama. I had to give this book five stars because it was everything I expected it to be.
The book is very plot development heavy and character development light. I felt like Keyes had a story to tell and to do it efficiently she just said - okay you know who these tropey one dimensional characters are, so instead of wasting time on them, lets jump right into the things that happen to them and the story itself. I was fine with this because this style of book was what I had been wanting to read over the weekend. However, if you are looking for a book with a little more substance and depth I wouldn’t recommend this one. It feels like gossip and reads like a TV show.
The characters only exist to facilitate the plot. The development of any character felt sudden or forced but I was willing participant for the sake of this story. The omniscient narrator alternating between different character perspectives worked well and kept the tone succinct. The plot was not necessarily complex but it does weave itself around the characters in an interesting way. It was a well planned and satisfying narrative.
I thought a lot about this book and the characters in between reading sessions and I was always excited to sit down with it. I was hooked from the first chapter and didn’t hesitate buying it when the preview ended (Kobo Ereader). The book itself is quite long but I was so immersed that I breezed right through. It was light, fun, and felt indulgent with very little nutritional properties - the ultimate brownie read.
I do have to note that I hated every character. They are all terrible in their own ways, whether purposefully or not, but it didn't stop me from loving this story.
When I finished reading it, I couldn’t help but wonder, is this the Anna Karenina of brownie books?
This review wasn't my best and brightest, but neither was this book.
The book is very plot development heavy and character development light. I felt like Keyes had a story to tell and to do it efficiently she just said - okay you know who these tropey one dimensional characters are, so instead of wasting time on them, lets jump right into the things that happen to them and the story itself. I was fine with this because this style of book was what I had been wanting to read over the weekend. However, if you are looking for a book with a little more substance and depth I wouldn’t recommend this one. It feels like gossip and reads like a TV show.
The characters only exist to facilitate the plot. The development of any character felt sudden or forced but I was willing participant for the sake of this story. The omniscient narrator alternating between different character perspectives worked well and kept the tone succinct. The plot was not necessarily complex but it does weave itself around the characters in an interesting way. It was a well planned and satisfying narrative.
I thought a lot about this book and the characters in between reading sessions and I was always excited to sit down with it. I was hooked from the first chapter and didn’t hesitate buying it when the preview ended (Kobo Ereader). The book itself is quite long but I was so immersed that I breezed right through. It was light, fun, and felt indulgent with very little nutritional properties - the ultimate brownie read.
I do have to note that I hated every character. They are all terrible in their own ways, whether purposefully or not, but it didn't stop me from loving this story.
When I finished reading it, I couldn’t help but wonder, is this the Anna Karenina of brownie books?
This review wasn't my best and brightest, but neither was this book.