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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
The life of an ordinary woman is told beautifully. I was never bored, despite the lack of excitement, and the ending really made me feel genuinely sad and lonely even though you know it's coming the whole way through.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
1995 Pulitzer winner. Great storytelling and intriguing style and prose.
3.5 stars overall and I loved certain parts of the book. Very interesting and well written
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The life of Daisy Goodwill, from before her birth to after her death is told with both sincerity and irony. A woman who lived a simple life is made grand and mysterious through gaps in the narrative and lapses of narrative omniscience. I was a times bored and at others emotionally involved. I got a little teary during Daisy's Illness and Decline, thinking of my own grandmother's final month in palliative care.
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The most in depth, honest human character study I’ve ever read. Follow a woman from the story of her parents through her death. Nothing happens? But the writing is beautiful and Daisy has been embedded into my heart as a loved family member. Based on the impact of this character, I fully expect to becomes confused about her reality or not in years to come
Indiana limestone, Tudor Hall, stone quarries near Bloomington - something so familiar about these details that drew me in to the story. The author is, in turn, brisk and contemplative, funny and profound. The clunky attempts and misses of love and sexuality are heartbreaking but life goes on, until it doesn’t. Pulitzer Prize winner of 1995 - I can see why.
I read this book in 2022. It's a classic and I thought I would like it so much more. The main character was born in 1905, close to the time my great grandmother was born. Carol Shields is a great writer, and she writes more descriptively than my attention span allows in my 50s. Shield's is both elegant and eloquent with description, and I still found myself skimming at points to move forward in the story. And it's possible I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't recently read excellent women by Barbara Pym.