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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
This was a book July 2012 Book Club selection. It was not one of my favorites. 99.9% (literally!) of the book covers a single day. I found parts of it slow and and sometimes confusing. I didn't really connect to any of the characters as much as I would like.
This book was not nearly as complex as Bel Canto, but I still enjoyed it a lot. Great read if you have lived in Boston/Cambridge.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
Debated giving it 4 stars. It's an easy read, and the writing is very good. The characters are somewhat artificial feeling though.
I enjoyed this book! It is hard to believe that story occurred over a 24 hour time frame. Some much happened during those 24 hours and we learned a lot about the back story. It is a good story about family relationships and how family members are loyal to one another. Doyle loved his adopted son's and want the best for them even if it wasn't what they wanted. I think he did come around after the story ends and let them follow their dreams instead of his.
If I think about it too much bout it doesn't seem likely that the hospital didn't figure out that Tennessee was not who she said she was. The real Tennessee had passed away many years earlier and they should have found that out. The story takes place in Boston not the middle of no where and Doyle was the former mayor. Despite this I did enjoy the story,
If I think about it too much bout it doesn't seem likely that the hospital didn't figure out that Tennessee was not who she said she was. The real Tennessee had passed away many years earlier and they should have found that out. The story takes place in Boston not the middle of no where and Doyle was the former mayor. Despite this I did enjoy the story,
Beautiful story and beautifully written. The characters are so well developed and the story unfolds nicely. The message I heard was “We are all connected in some way.” Very enjoyable. Would make a great movie, too.
It may have been the topic, but this may be my favorite of Patchett's so far. Loved it.
I quite enjoyed this thought-provoking book, especially this passage:
"Bernadette would have been proud of the job Doyle had done with Teddy and Tip, but she never would have accepted his relationship with Sullivan. Whenever they were together, he could hear her, pressing him to show more kindness, pressing for sympathy. Even the wreck Sullivan had made of his life would not have dissuaded his mother from her love. At thirty-three he was still the baby she had held in her arms. That was one of the many things Doyle had found so admirable about his wife: her ability to look at their children and see them at every age. She managed to hang on to every bit of love she had ever felt for them, while Doyle could only see the person they were at that exact moment in time. He didn't have to wonder if Bernadette might have changed if she had lived, if time would have worn her down to a lesser state of unconditional love. He knew it would never have happened."
How's that for food for thought? Something to aspire to for me. I too often see people, and my life, as they are at this exact moment in time.
"Bernadette would have been proud of the job Doyle had done with Teddy and Tip, but she never would have accepted his relationship with Sullivan. Whenever they were together, he could hear her, pressing him to show more kindness, pressing for sympathy. Even the wreck Sullivan had made of his life would not have dissuaded his mother from her love. At thirty-three he was still the baby she had held in her arms. That was one of the many things Doyle had found so admirable about his wife: her ability to look at their children and see them at every age. She managed to hang on to every bit of love she had ever felt for them, while Doyle could only see the person they were at that exact moment in time. He didn't have to wonder if Bernadette might have changed if she had lived, if time would have worn her down to a lesser state of unconditional love. He knew it would never have happened."
How's that for food for thought? Something to aspire to for me. I too often see people, and my life, as they are at this exact moment in time.
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
The central tenant of the massive snow storm with cold as an interior battle is intriguing. Family loyalty, self determination, class and race features prominently.