Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book, especially the depiction of how Detroit has changed in recent years, but this was a bit wandering and slow-moving at times. Still, enjoyable and real.
This was a great book! The characters are all vividly crafted, and Flournoy manages to make the Turner house and Detroit into characters in their own right.
I stopped about halfway through. Too many characters, including past and present versions.
I enjoyed the story of a Detroit family with 13 adult siblings from the 1940s to the housing crisis of 2008, finalist for the National Book Award. The city is a character. Flournoy portrays the siblings and their relationships in a way that isn't overwhelming, considering the number of them. Not all siblings get equal time, with the youngest, Lelah, a 40 year old gambling addict, getting the fullest development. The writing is tight and perfect. One thing that struck me is how well Flournoy writes physical descriptions of characters. Somewhere along my long reading history I decided that it's a no-no to give very much detail about faces and bodies, but here it allowed me to fully envision the physicality of each character.
emotional
reflective
medium-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
This was a book selection for my college book club but it was difficult to keep all the storylines straight with 14 siblings in one family. Luckily, the book only focused on a select few of them but I realized that if I did not read this over a short period time, I would be thoroughly confused. I enjoyed this book because it took place in Detroit. I have not read many books that take place in the Midwest. It follows the story of a house and the eldest being haunted by a ghost. However the real focus is the family dynamics and the struggles of the adult children as they maneuver around life.
Large family saga set in Detroit. Having grown up there, this was very compelling for me.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed much of the prose when I first started reading I wanted to highlight and circle everything. However the story overall just didn’t come together like I hoped. Decent read. Read for Strong Sense of Place Bookclub