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emotional
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is my first read from Dani Shapiro, and while I've heard great things on her other works, it may be the only one I pick up.
Pulled right from the synopsis, I would like to examine the following, a "riveting, deeply felt novel that examines the ties that bind families together."
I do not think Shapiro was successful in sharing the how exactly the secrets from one night shattered lives and bound a families together. The idea and the writing had a lot of potential, but it all fell flat for me.
Each story line and character felt unfinished and underdeveloped. There was no real examination of the ties that bound Ben, Theo, Mimi, and Sarah together, it was just jumbled timeline jumps.
We don't know what drove Theo to go off on his own or what drove Sarah in her actions in her marriage. We found out more about Waldo and his love for constellations and Waldo's dad than the all of the first characters we were introduced to.
Nothing was riveting (completely engrossing; compelling.), nothing. While this was a quick read, there was nothing that made me feel engrossed in the plot or with the characters. Shapiro spent more time developing the Shenkman family and not enough time developing the Wilfs, whom we were supposed to be examining.
Things that would've helped my reading experience:
- at least one chapter from Misty's POV
- less time with Waldo, more time with Theo and Sarah
-expansion on the why behind some actions from Theo, Sarah, and Ben
- more time spent with Mimi before her diagnosis
and who is Misty Zimmerman?
Well that's a secret Dani Shapiro will never tell.
xoxo, you know you love me
Mal
Pulled right from the synopsis, I would like to examine the following, a "riveting, deeply felt novel that examines the ties that bind families together."
I do not think Shapiro was successful in sharing the how exactly the secrets from one night shattered lives and bound a families together. The idea and the writing had a lot of potential, but it all fell flat for me.
Each story line and character felt unfinished and underdeveloped. There was no real examination of the ties that bound Ben, Theo, Mimi, and Sarah together, it was just jumbled timeline jumps.
We don't know what drove Theo to go off on his own or what drove Sarah in her actions in her marriage. We found out more about Waldo and his love for constellations and Waldo's dad than the all of the first characters we were introduced to.
Nothing was riveting (completely engrossing; compelling.), nothing. While this was a quick read, there was nothing that made me feel engrossed in the plot or with the characters. Shapiro spent more time developing the Shenkman family and not enough time developing the Wilfs, whom we were supposed to be examining.
Things that would've helped my reading experience:
- at least one chapter from Misty's POV
- less time with Waldo, more time with Theo and Sarah
-expansion on the why behind some actions from Theo, Sarah, and Ben
- more time spent with Mimi before her diagnosis
and who is Misty Zimmerman?
Well that's a secret Dani Shapiro will never tell.
xoxo, you know you love me
Mal
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcoholism
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Grief, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Dani Shapiro is an amazing writer! Signal Fires is very beautiful and heart shattering. We follow two families, the Wilfs and the Shenkmans, from 1985 through 2020. Awful events happen to each of the families and as an avid reader would expect, everything is connected. At 222 pages, this book packs a punch, but certain characters’ stories felt a bit rushed. My only complaint is that I wanted more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Beautifully written, non-chronological timeline, fleshed out lovable characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Minor: Death of parent
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Medical content, Medical trauma