You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.5 stars
I picked this book up from the "new" section at the library and it was amazing, but g-d bless the poor marketing sod who had to write the blurb. This is almost a short story collection, as Porter reels through about 60 years of American history, mainly in Georgia and New York, but also hitting LA, Portsmouth, NH, Memphis, TN, various locations in and around Vietnam, and Berlin, Germany with an equally wild but densely connected cast of characters. Every single one of them feels like a full person who's entire life story is just over the next page even if they only show up the once. That's a quality that I've come across in a couple books I've read lately (Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters and Drag King Dreams by Leslie Feinberg come to mind) and it's something that I'm increasingly falling in love with as an aspect of someone's writing. I found out after the fact that the author is a playwright and honestly, it doesn't surprise me at all, because the number of characters in this book is a playwright's dream, and any one of them would hold up on stage. I'd absolutely pick up any further books Porter publishes on the strength of this one.
I picked this book up from the "new" section at the library and it was amazing, but g-d bless the poor marketing sod who had to write the blurb. This is almost a short story collection, as Porter reels through about 60 years of American history, mainly in Georgia and New York, but also hitting LA, Portsmouth, NH, Memphis, TN, various locations in and around Vietnam, and Berlin, Germany with an equally wild but densely connected cast of characters. Every single one of them feels like a full person who's entire life story is just over the next page even if they only show up the once. That's a quality that I've come across in a couple books I've read lately (Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters and Drag King Dreams by Leslie Feinberg come to mind) and it's something that I'm increasingly falling in love with as an aspect of someone's writing. I found out after the fact that the author is a playwright and honestly, it doesn't surprise me at all, because the number of characters in this book is a playwright's dream, and any one of them would hold up on stage. I'd absolutely pick up any further books Porter publishes on the strength of this one.
This book will take you on a whirlwind of a ride. A LOT to keep up with but I found it entertaining nonetheless. The story’s of these characters intertwine and cover an expansive period of time (from the 1950s to 2010). Lots of twists and turns throughout.
A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating for me. One you’ll definitely have to pay attention to keep up!
A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating for me. One you’ll definitely have to pay attention to keep up!
3.5
I really enjoyed all the different characters and their stories and how they wove together. The writing was lovely and I would happily read more of Porter!
I did find some of the characters hard to remember/track and, due to the amount of characters, I had a hard time seeing how they all connected (especially with the different time periods, too).
I really enjoyed all the different characters and their stories and how they wove together. The writing was lovely and I would happily read more of Porter!
I did find some of the characters hard to remember/track and, due to the amount of characters, I had a hard time seeing how they all connected (especially with the different time periods, too).
To many characters to follow in the first half of the book. However the second half of this book was a breeze and makes you think through family dynamics.
adventurous
medium-paced
i really liked her writing style and the characters however it got super confusing who was related to who and how. maybe that’s just me. but i think perhaps a family tree rather than the play style text at the beginning. i will definitely be looking for more books of hers though!
A recent book love. The Travelers by @reginamporter reminded me of the making of a tapestry, a tapestry that isn't completed and maybe never will be. Different stories and different lives intersect and come close, not always direct contact but each little piece here is part of the beautiful whole.
I enjoyed that this was a multi-generational story. I thought it was a little hard to follow due to so many characters and having to keep up with who's who, but the message of this book is very important: History impacts each of us very differently and we have to be able to tell our stories and respect each other's lived experiences. Only then can we truly be an accepting society.