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davidb71's review
5.0
I thought this was terrific. It's subtle and understated, but at the same time - for me anyway - it's extraordinarily powerful. I love the characters here, the setting, the shifting dynamics between the characters. It's painful and beautiful, occasionally funny. Most of all, I found it wise - I find Mary Lawson such a wise writer. She writes human beings so well, explores subtleties of character and relationships with a keen eye and penetrating insight.
I found this a very moving story. If I have a slight caveat, I did occasionally find the constant time jumps a little detrimental to the momentum of the story - but this might say more about me than the book. The protagonist of the novel is a woman called Kate, and in the 'present day' of the novel she's a twenty-something academic. But the bulk of the novel is set during the year she was eight-years-old, and her life with her three siblings following their parents' death in a car accident. But there are also chapters that fill in some history of the area where they live and the other families that live there - somewhat confusingly these were relayed to Kate when she was a teenager helping out an elderly neighbour with gardening. So we have adult Kate, eight-year-old Kate, teenaged Kate, and we have the stories of Kate's family history and neighbouring families' histories going back to the first settlers around the Crow Lake area. I could, in the earlier stages of the novel, feel like I was being pulled all over the place. But the thing is, this is all brilliant stuff - I just kept itching to get back back to the main narrative, and the book's momentum could feel a little stop/start.
But this is really a minor quibble for me - and really it might be a silly one, because really the structure of the book is quite brilliant. I think the frustration I felt was more to do with my impatience rather than a failing of the book.
Where this book came alive for me was in the latter stages. The way this story developed totally subverted my expectations, and I found the way this story ended - and the point that Kate arrived at - to be so profoundly moving and wise and clever that I was utterly blown away by it. I thought it was beautiful, in the best possible way. It elevated the whole novel for me, and it went from being a book that I liked quite a lot, to becoming one that I absolutely loved.
I found this a very moving story. If I have a slight caveat, I did occasionally find the constant time jumps a little detrimental to the momentum of the story - but this might say more about me than the book. The protagonist of the novel is a woman called Kate, and in the 'present day' of the novel she's a twenty-something academic. But the bulk of the novel is set during the year she was eight-years-old, and her life with her three siblings following their parents' death in a car accident. But there are also chapters that fill in some history of the area where they live and the other families that live there - somewhat confusingly these were relayed to Kate when she was a teenager helping out an elderly neighbour with gardening. So we have adult Kate, eight-year-old Kate, teenaged Kate, and we have the stories of Kate's family history and neighbouring families' histories going back to the first settlers around the Crow Lake area. I could, in the earlier stages of the novel, feel like I was being pulled all over the place. But the thing is, this is all brilliant stuff - I just kept itching to get back back to the main narrative, and the book's momentum could feel a little stop/start.
But this is really a minor quibble for me - and really it might be a silly one, because really the structure of the book is quite brilliant. I think the frustration I felt was more to do with my impatience rather than a failing of the book.
Where this book came alive for me was in the latter stages. The way this story developed totally subverted my expectations, and I found the way this story ended - and the point that Kate arrived at - to be so profoundly moving and wise and clever that I was utterly blown away by it. I thought it was beautiful, in the best possible way. It elevated the whole novel for me, and it went from being a book that I liked quite a lot, to becoming one that I absolutely loved.
leannecoppola's review against another edition
4.0
I read Mary Lawson because I liked the cover in the library and it ended up being a great book. Both books are great. Not much happens in them but I loved them. I like the farm life story line as well as some love story.
book99's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
A moving tale of family drama, personal tragedy, misinterpretation and miscommunication. It's not a "happy" ending, but a hopeful one. Great book club discussion!
jwold's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
elliebee54's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
angelamichelle's review
3.0
Not as tragic as the jacket blurbs suggest or as the first half or so of the book foreshadows. The ending seemed to wrap up a little too pat. A family of two teenage son and two younger daughters whose parents die suddenly; the decisions the siblings make for themselves and each other thereafter.
beccai223's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0