Scan barcode
kktaylor11's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Last year I read Barkskins by Annie Proulx and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. When I first picked up Greenwood I thought it was the same book -- then realized it's a very similar idea (multi-generational epic length story tied to ecology and trees) but a different book so I thought I'd give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised.
While Christie is clearly writing in the same branch (tree humor...lol) as Proulx, he writes an entirely different story, which was refreshing. As for the story itself - I'd say 90% of it is very good...10% of it is forced and frustrating.
The story starts with Jake, living in a futuristic world where a blight (the withering) has killed off nearly all the trees in the world. Jake works in a "tree cathedral" where people come to visit the few remaining trees, and a visitor with a mystery about her past opens the door to the rest of the book. (Spoliers to follow!) The story that unfolds is fantastic. I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the "tree ring" metaphor -- structurally the story travels from Jake to her parents to her grandparents to her great grandparents and then back out again, "almost like rings on a tree!" However - it's not as clunky as at sounds. Christie is more a weaver than a woodsman, captivatingly transitioning from one time period to the previous and back again with finesse and gentle elegance. There are no hard stop chapter changes, a new character is introduced, gradually becomes central, and then slowly eases out of focus. When I first realized what was happening I was frustrated because I wanted the story that had been introduced with Jake, but by the end I was actually sorry to see the historical aspect fade away.
As for the story itself, Jake's story ended up being the biggest weakness. In the beginning I was hooked - I wanted to know how the drama of the sick trees and the question of her future would be solved. In the end, however, they weren't, and to me that was the biggest problem with this book. Christie took a cheap exit -- he left the trees sick and dying, left the money on the table, and left Jake with no future and randomly added a completely unnecessary child. It felt like he got bored and just decided to ditch things. All the items that he had carried in the book through decades -- the records, the tools, the journal - in a few pages it was just "oh well, they're all in the dump now." It felt like a heavy handed "now I'm going to end with an ecological message about how children are the future and we have to save the trees" when the book itself had so elegantly made clear the importance of trees throughout. In short - I loved everything about the book except the ending.
So what DID I love? Everett!! What a fantastic character! Christie really built him in such a three dimensional manner -- from scary, off-putting and negative to beloved. I might even have cried when Liam found Everett's coffin. OK, I might have cried a lot. Ironically, I also loved the character of Harris Greenwood - not as a person, but as such a well rounded, complete character! Watching Harris evolve over his lifetime was the epitome of a dynamic character, and not always in good ways. His brokenness, his intensity, his fear...it was all so powerful. I didn't love Harris, but I loved his character. I DID love Liam. I didn't like him at first, but I grew to love him, which just emphasizes how talented Christie is -- to create a character and pull us along the journey with Harris of coming to know and care for him. Lomax seemed a typical "bad-guy" and the "maybe it's my baby" part seemed forced and disconnected. Here's this guy who is so proud of being a father to seven children and the long suffering husband with his home and family and he's a "good guy" but apparently he's also sleeping with Euphemia? It doesn't fit with who he is painted to be. If he's a cheater who is sleeping around and then telling his lover (Euphemia) she has to give up the baby then it's not such a "fall from grace" for him to start the Opium trip. His character would be fine and effective - even sympathetic - if that twist was removed. It just felt cheap. I didn't love Liam 2 -- I wanted his character to be MORE fleshed out, but it felt like Liam 2's story is where Christie started to get bored and want to wrap things up too fast. Crawling from the house to the van and then back to the house was a little too much...It wasn't realistic first (if you have a spine severed that severely? Not likely.) and secondly it wasn't necessary. He could have done the same reflection lying on the floor without the back and forth dragging. It just felt forced...and I wanted to know more about him. We heard about his addiction, but his memories actually had nothing to do with it (aside from his detox with his mother.) How did he struggle? Also - no explanation of WHY he didn't answer Meena or every interact with his child? He loved her so much he almost lost it, but when she has his child he just totally ignores her? Doesn't seem realistic. Again - Christie seemed to be speeding up toward the end of the book. And then there's Jake. At the beginning I was really interested. Like I said above, I was actually frustrated when the book started going back in time because as it started I really wanted to focus on the future issues and how to solve the sick trees she's spotted. As soon as the Lomax hints started being dropped I got frustrated. It was too obviously a way to spin the end of the story. Take that out, let her claim her inheritance, and save the patch of trees. Or get rid of the "cathedral" and live on the island by herself. Better yet, let her BE pregnant and have the baby and live in Cabin 12 and emphasize the healing power of nature and why it has to be saved for the next generation -- that would make SO much more sense than her just picking a random child from a dump on the last pages of the book. The story is about family and continuity even when it's not expected or desired...but not just "hey, let me buy you dinner" while walking away from what the whole story has centered on. Honestly, Greenwood Island is the central spot in the story and at the end she just walks away from it into the dust and the retching and imminent death. So what was the whole point?
In the end, my assessment is this: Christie is a phenomenal historical fiction writer, but his post-apocalyptic writing leaves room for improvement. In my rating this one is good enough I'll keep it, think about it, and recommend it to friends -- but I don't think it will last for generations. 4 Stars.
While Christie is clearly writing in the same branch (tree humor...lol) as Proulx, he writes an entirely different story, which was refreshing. As for the story itself - I'd say 90% of it is very good...10% of it is forced and frustrating.
The story starts with Jake, living in a futuristic world where a blight (the withering) has killed off nearly all the trees in the world. Jake works in a "tree cathedral" where people come to visit the few remaining trees, and a visitor with a mystery about her past opens the door to the rest of the book. (Spoliers to follow!) The story that unfolds is fantastic. I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the "tree ring" metaphor -- structurally the story travels from Jake to her parents to her grandparents to her great grandparents and then back out again, "almost like rings on a tree!" However - it's not as clunky as at sounds. Christie is more a weaver than a woodsman, captivatingly transitioning from one time period to the previous and back again with finesse and gentle elegance. There are no hard stop chapter changes, a new character is introduced, gradually becomes central, and then slowly eases out of focus. When I first realized what was happening I was frustrated because I wanted the story that had been introduced with Jake, but by the end I was actually sorry to see the historical aspect fade away.
So what DID I love? Everett!! What a fantastic character! Christie really built him in such a three dimensional manner -- from scary, off-putting and negative to beloved. I might even have cried when Liam found Everett's coffin. OK, I might have cried a lot. Ironically, I also loved the character of Harris Greenwood - not as a person, but as such a well rounded, complete character! Watching Harris evolve over his lifetime was the epitome of a dynamic character, and not always in good ways. His brokenness, his intensity, his fear...it was all so powerful. I didn't love Harris, but I loved his character. I DID love Liam. I didn't like him at first, but I grew to love him, which just emphasizes how talented Christie is -- to create a character and pull us along the journey with Harris of coming to know and care for him. Lomax seemed a typical "bad-guy" and the "maybe it's my baby" part seemed forced and disconnected. Here's this guy who is so proud of being a father to seven children and the long suffering husband with his home and family and he's a "good guy" but apparently he's also sleeping with Euphemia? It doesn't fit with who he is painted to be. If he's a cheater who is sleeping around and then telling his lover (Euphemia) she has to give up the baby then it's not such a "fall from grace" for him to start the Opium trip. His character would be fine and effective - even sympathetic - if that twist was removed. It just felt cheap. I didn't love Liam 2 -- I wanted his character to be MORE fleshed out, but it felt like Liam 2's story is where Christie started to get bored and want to wrap things up too fast. Crawling from the house to the van and then back to the house was a little too much...It wasn't realistic first (if you have a spine severed that severely? Not likely.) and secondly it wasn't necessary. He could have done the same reflection lying on the floor without the back and forth dragging. It just felt forced...and I wanted to know more about him. We heard about his addiction, but his memories actually had nothing to do with it (aside from his detox with his mother.) How did he struggle? Also - no explanation of WHY he didn't answer Meena or every interact with his child? He loved her so much he almost lost it, but when she has his child he just totally ignores her? Doesn't seem realistic. Again - Christie seemed to be speeding up toward the end of the book. And then there's Jake. At the beginning I was really interested. Like I said above, I was actually frustrated when the book started going back in time because as it started I really wanted to focus on the future issues and how to solve the sick trees she's spotted. As soon as the Lomax hints started being dropped I got frustrated. It was too obviously a way to spin the end of the story. Take that out, let her claim her inheritance, and save the patch of trees. Or get rid of the "cathedral" and live on the island by herself. Better yet, let her BE pregnant and have the baby and live in Cabin 12 and emphasize the healing power of nature and why it has to be saved for the next generation -- that would make SO much more sense than her just picking a random child from a dump on the last pages of the book. The story is about family and continuity even when it's not expected or desired...but not just "hey, let me buy you dinner" while walking away from what the whole story has centered on. Honestly, Greenwood Island is the central spot in the story and at the end she just walks away from it into the dust and the retching and imminent death. So what was the whole point?
In the end, my assessment is this: Christie is a phenomenal historical fiction writer, but his post-apocalyptic writing leaves room for improvement. In my rating this one is good enough I'll keep it, think about it, and recommend it to friends -- but I don't think it will last for generations. 4 Stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Mental illness, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: War and Infertility
More...