Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Picked for 12/08 bookclub - It was pretty awful! Hardly anyone in bookclub could finish and those of us who did, hated it. It was too jumpy for me. Within the same paragraph you were flashingback and in current time. Very confusing and the characters were all over the place. If you like a neatly tied up ending, there is one, but getting there is a real struggle.
Tyler, a minister and recent widow in a small American town is struggling with his silent daughter, his unhappy congregation, his meddling mother, and the actions of his housekeeper. The characters are all perfectly drawn, but Tyler somehow isn't a strong enough character to carry all this action, and Strout has chosen not to focus on the stories of the other characters like she does in later novels. Also it was all tied up too neatly at the end. Recommended but not her best.
A beautiful novel, that is pure Strout. I think her style works even better in later novels, but this one is Gilead meets Olive Kitteredge.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maybe 2.5 because the prose was good and it sort of captured the challenges of pastoring. But I disliked almost every character except for Carol Meadows. The women were caricatures. There was a random use of the n-word that was never dealt with. Big reveals were dropped into the text but not resolved in any way. Most people seemed to have any capacity for empathy until disaster struck.
Everyone was quite earnest in this one and the only tart Olive-like voices were in pain, so I missed that part of her writing, but the jumping between perspectives and the depiction of the overwhelming nature of grief was her in top form. I could do with less grieving in fiction generally but I understand how it usefully throws all of the character's psychological doors open for narrative purposes.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
After a slow start, I really enjoyed this audio book. It is somewhat similar to Olive Kitteridge, the other book I've read by Elizabeth Strout. Also, like Olive Kitteridge, Abide with Me is set in a small New England town. The protagonist, Tyler Caskey, is the town's minister, a widower with two young daughters. Catherine is about five years old, deeply affected by her mother's death. The town is full of well-drawn characters, including Catherine's teacher, the school psychologist, Tyler's mother, Connie Hatch, the housekeeper and various parishioners. There is a lot going on, so much sadness and sameness. This novel gave me a lot to think about, particularly about giving and receiving love, and the ending provided hope. It was a lovely book to listen to in my car.