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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
What a fantastic story! I am so surprised to read all of the negative reviews here. I thought the novel was beautifully written, and I enjoyed every last word of it. It took some time to get through, but Morris held my attention for two weeks with her wonderful, in depth characters and story telling. All of the characters are tragically despondent and intricately entwined with each another, all of them constantly moving away from one another only to come to a full circle in the end.
The story focuses on a single mother and her drunk ex-husband, the con man she brings into her home, her three children and their friends and classmates; Joey Selden the popcorn man, Sonny, Blue Mooney, Renie and Helen. These characters were just some of the stories that swirled through the narrative.
All in all, Songs in Ordinary Time was a brilliant read, and it joins a short list of books that I reread on a regular basis.
The story focuses on a single mother and her drunk ex-husband, the con man she brings into her home, her three children and their friends and classmates; Joey Selden the popcorn man, Sonny, Blue Mooney, Renie and Helen. These characters were just some of the stories that swirled through the narrative.
All in all, Songs in Ordinary Time was a brilliant read, and it joins a short list of books that I reread on a regular basis.
This HUGE book (800pp) follows the lives of a dozen or so people in a small CT town. The central family is the Fermoyles, made up of Marie - separated from Sam - and their three kids. She gets tied-up with Omar, a shady salesman. Sam learns his sister will not inherit, yet she is in charge of the trust until their mother inherits. Sub-plot abound and everyone seems to be headed for disaster on each page. In the end, you don't know what will become of any of them (except more of the same?) as they all seem to be repeating their mistakes.
This reads like a totally dysfunctional Peyton Place. No one is completely good (realistic), but that leaves the reader with no one to root for. Alice's affair with Father Gannon. makes no sense, and the abrupt ending is equally confusing. Otto should go to jail - for murder, fraud, something, yet never does. You are left wondering whether there is any point in living a moral life because no one who is "sinning" in this town ever gets theirs. Even Renie, a loser and pervert, eons up with a better job! Only Marie seems to have no relief.
Too long - might be TV fodder some day...
This reads like a totally dysfunctional Peyton Place. No one is completely good (realistic), but that leaves the reader with no one to root for. Alice's affair with Father Gannon. makes no sense, and the abrupt ending is equally confusing. Otto should go to jail - for murder, fraud, something, yet never does. You are left wondering whether there is any point in living a moral life because no one who is "sinning" in this town ever gets theirs. Even Renie, a loser and pervert, eons up with a better job! Only Marie seems to have no relief.
Too long - might be TV fodder some day...
A much quicker and easier read than the 740 pages would lead one to believe. An amazing amount of writing skill displayed by the interweaving of dozens of characters without confusing or overwhelming the reader. The only reason this didn't make four stars is that it is a book that left me feeling quite hopeless - this is not a book for anyone who wants a concrete and/or happy ending. Definitely a great book club discussion book.
I love a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng book and at 700+ pages, this was great. There was time to flesh out all the characters, time for sideline plots to come to fruition. I even dreamed about the Fermoyles one night! A really good read, with carefully and accurately drawn characters.
**In reading other people's reviews, I see that many gave up near the beginning of the book or complained about subplots - the subplots to me are part of the point of the story, the interwoven nature of small towns and the inescapability of poverty and reputation for the people who stay in them.
**In reading other people's reviews, I see that many gave up near the beginning of the book or complained about subplots - the subplots to me are part of the point of the story, the interwoven nature of small towns and the inescapability of poverty and reputation for the people who stay in them.
I usually don't count DNFs toward my goal, but I slogged through three hundred some pages waiting for it to get better and I feel I deserve it. It's odd in a way. The writing is fantastic, beautiful to read, and exactly my jam. This kind of prose will go far with me. The characters were well fleshed out and believable. There was a solid foundation for the ensemble slice of life that it was.
It just I hated everyone. It's just it's unrelenting misery where no one is happy and everyone hates everyone else because of various reasons. It's petty and irritating and there is no light at the end of the tunnel because even trains don't bother to come around. It's not that I'm against downer endings or books. There's a place even for misery. But when everyone is a shit heel or a doormat (or both) it's just too much-- and 700 pages of too much.
I'd recommend it only to see how you'd like it. In this instance the DNF was just a sort of purely personal thing. It's just not worth my time and attention. (Especially these days)
It just I hated everyone. It's just it's unrelenting misery where no one is happy and everyone hates everyone else because of various reasons. It's petty and irritating and there is no light at the end of the tunnel because even trains don't bother to come around. It's not that I'm against downer endings or books. There's a place even for misery. But when everyone is a shit heel or a doormat (or both) it's just too much-- and 700 pages of too much.
I'd recommend it only to see how you'd like it. In this instance the DNF was just a sort of purely personal thing. It's just not worth my time and attention. (Especially these days)
I hated it. This book turned me off of Oprah picks forever.
Very skillfully rendered, if not enjoyable in the least.
Not only was this book unbelievably boring, but it was painfully long as well. Several hours of my life wasted that I will never get back!!!!