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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Rounded up from 3.5. Slow at times but enjoyable in the end.
Complex, confusing family that made for a complex, sometimes confusing book
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was the story of a dysfunctional family and the women that propped it up. I felt a lot of empathy for Marley, but also a lot of irritation for her situation. And this didn’t feel like much of a western Pennsylvania book. Unlike Shiner, her previous book, this didn’t have a strong sense of place or time to me. It did give a vivid window into roofing as a business.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Honestly, wow. I got this one as my BOTM back in January but put it off because I wanted to read it in the summer and I’m glad I did. Mercury was the perfect reflective summertime book.
I fell in love with all three boys —which was decidedly not the point of the book at all, but alas — and felt each of their sorrows like they were my own. Of course, I also loved Marley — her desire to do well by her people without running herself into the ground in the process speaks so clearly of womanhood in patriarchy.
I did feel like the ideas in this book were maybe a little over repeated by the end, but overall, what a lovely little book with flawed but loveable characters and that small-town vibe that I love in a warm weather read.
I fell in love with all three boys —which was decidedly not the point of the book at all, but alas — and felt each of their sorrows like they were my own. Of course, I also loved Marley — her desire to do well by her people without running herself into the ground in the process speaks so clearly of womanhood in patriarchy.
I did feel like the ideas in this book were maybe a little over repeated by the end, but overall, what a lovely little book with flawed but loveable characters and that small-town vibe that I love in a warm weather read.
This was a book I didn't know I needed. It was a story about love and loss and growing up and the toll that generational malfunction leaves on successors. Beautiful, yet absolutely heartwrenching.
I quickly got wrapped up in the story of Marley and the Joseph family. The story started with the three Joseph boys and Marley as teens and journeyed through the significant parts of their individual lives. My heart literally rode the ups and downs of heartache and heartbreak and back with Marley and Waylon's marriage. Baylor's desire to be loved, but being scared to love, was heart-wrenching. Shay's love for everyone around him but himself literally left a hole in my soul. And Elise, married to a man that didn't know how to love, only how to manipulate... seriously, my heart can't take anymore.
I quickly got wrapped up in the story of Marley and the Joseph family. The story started with the three Joseph boys and Marley as teens and journeyed through the significant parts of their individual lives. My heart literally rode the ups and downs of heartache and heartbreak and back with Marley and Waylon's marriage. Baylor's desire to be loved, but being scared to love, was heart-wrenching. Shay's love for everyone around him but himself literally left a hole in my soul. And Elise, married to a man that didn't know how to love, only how to manipulate... seriously, my heart can't take anymore.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
I rounded my rating up from 4.5 stars. had marked it down because it took me a while to get interested in the story. It moved very slowly at first, and I didn’t really like any of the characters. I also prefer books without the “F” word.
However, I kept reading and I after the story got going I really enjoyed it. I never did really like the people involved, but their feelings were written in a manner that I could relate to. I liked the way the author let us see the same scenes through the eyes of different characters. It made their various actions seem less black and white.
There was great character growth in the last half, and many insightful comments. There were also a few twists and surprises, even near the end of the story.
After the first 50-60 pages I thought I would be rating it only three stars, but the last half makes it a book I would definitely recommend.
However, I kept reading and I after the story got going I really enjoyed it. I never did really like the people involved, but their feelings were written in a manner that I could relate to. I liked the way the author let us see the same scenes through the eyes of different characters. It made their various actions seem less black and white.
There was great character growth in the last half, and many insightful comments. There were also a few twists and surprises, even near the end of the story.
After the first 50-60 pages I thought I would be rating it only three stars, but the last half makes it a book I would definitely recommend.
emotional
reflective
tense
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:
Yes