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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
An interesting look at how the people in our lives interact with one another and how they stand on their own. While it took some time to figure out how characters connected (and there were A LOT) of characters, I’m left feeling sad, amazed and beguiled by the stories they told. Non-linear and told over the time span of 60 years, I recommend if you’re looking to dig deep on characters full of emotion.
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-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
The long list of characters at the beginning of this book intimidated me, and I definitely forgot how some of the characters were related to others at certain points in this novel. But overall the characters are complex and easy to empathize with. I particularly loved Eloise’s narrative as she tries to follow her career passions and live openly as a black queer woman in the 50s and 60s. Though I’m getting really tired of the American-centric view of the Vietnam War.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A large and varied cast of characters cross into and out of each other’s lives across decades. While each is interesting, IMO none were developed enough to sustain the reader. I almost seasoned this book at many pints but persisted to see if the whole would find together in ways that made sense to me. It did not. YMMV.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book but the writing was hard to follow. The details matter and so it is best to read it all at once before you can forget things, but unfortunately the pace of the story is too slow for that to be enjoyable. While the characters and their interlocking stories are interesting, I found the middle to be a bit of a slog and I was happy to leave the story behind.
Other than it taking me a bit (and often going back to the beginning) to recall each character and their relation to the others, this was beautiful. I laughed a couple of times, but mostly just really enjoyed the writing and unfolding of everyone's life.
emotional
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book took some time to get into, but I loved how the story unfolded. While there was not necessarily one central plot, I enjoyed the way Porter used vignettes to tell the story of this giant web of family and friends.
The writing style was hard to follow and I just could not get into the story.