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handrelchik's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
hatrireads's review against another edition
5.0
Layers of stories here. Interconnected. Read my book blog for a review....http://wordsplusideas.blogspot.com
bookishblond's review against another edition
5.0
Somehow, this book just became one of my favorites. I bought it while browsing at the bookstore last month. Its beauty is so subtle and pure. I know I'll be thinking about this story (and crying over it) for a while.
midwinteraz's review against another edition
2.0
Another book with lovely prose, meandering timelines, and dispassionate characters who never fully come to life. Glad to have this one off the TBR stack and on its way to a new home.
mpoper's review against another edition
Walbert develops the story with creativity. Her writing style was unique compared to what I have read in the past. You won't be disappointed by this one.
snowmaiden's review against another edition
5.0
This is a little puzzle box of a book. At first we don't even know who's narrating, but we gradually begin to understand that this is a mother telling the story of her life to her daughter. As often happens with these long monologues we hear from older relatives, the narrative isn't linear at all, and the stories that seem so normal and placid on the surface eventually reveal their true emotion and gravity. Besides admiring the crystalline nature of the prose, I was especially intrigued when I realized that the narrator, Ellen, is exactly the same age as my mother. Just like my mother, a fellow member of the "silent generation," Ellen struggles with expressing herself and seems to feel she must hold her emotions at arm’s length. This book is exactly like the kinds of stories my mother used to tell me, and only now after her death have I come to learn some of the deep truths behind the stories. Walbert has gotten it exactly right.
bookthia's review against another edition
4.0
There were things I liked a lot about this book. There is no denying that the author is gifted with her use of language. I enjoyed the story, if only for its prose. The main character, Ellen, tells her story in the first person. As her tale unwinds, you learn how frequently in her life she does not say what she thinks, she does not do what she wishes. Soon, you are reading a tale about a life not lived -- a fate determined by fear, reticence, complacency, resignation. How different might her life have been had she had the courage to tell people she loved them, or to take risks, or to offer an opinion. She wasn't an unlikeable person. In fact, I expect that many readers could relate to some of her choices to hold back -- her fears of public opinion, her desire to blend in and not draw attention. But she is an example of these traits to an rxtreme. And it costs her dearly. And yet, she is so mild, that she doesn't seem capable of outrage, or anger, or even sadness. All of that emotion is left to the reader. And I wanted to shout it to her. But it wouldn't have done any good, even if she could hear me.
A very good, if emotionally frustrating, story.
A very good, if emotionally frustrating, story.
kait_unicorn's review against another edition
4.0
Charming, beautifully written, poetic prose. Excellent tension throughout.
lindseycrouch's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not really sure what to say about this one. I liked it just fine. But when I finished I just said, "huh." It does some interesting things with the narration and the themes are good, but it's such a quiet book. Most of the book I had no idea where the story was going or if it was going anywhere. And it got there eventually, but I dunno. I'll have to think about this book more.