Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
The writing was lovely, but the plot was too neat and tidy and the characters somehow off.
I have to preface this review by saying that I loved Ann Patchett's Bel Canto so I may just be a big fan of her particular style of writing. With that said, I loved this book. The characters were interesting and the story was developed and complicated (but not annoyingly so). I really enjoyed that most of the book takes place in a period of 24 hours; it really increases the urgency and drama of the plot. I also respected that I couldn't predict all of the events that happened, not all of them good, but it made me want to know what was going to happen next. A fantastic read!
The pacing of the story was odd but she created characters and a setting that stuck with me even after I finished the book.
I thought this book was just okay. I expected a big pay-off in the end, but it turned out to be what we call a "quiet" book. Usually, there's nothing wrong with that, but with RUN, it didn't feel like anything actually happened. The author raised some interesting questions about what it would be like to learn that everything you thought you knew was a lie, but I don't think she followed through completely. I never really got a sense of any of the characters (in fact, I had a hard time remembering which was Tip and which Teddy), and the only one who seemed to show any true depth was Sullivan, and his emotional scars weren't fully explored, in my opinion. I also found the omniscient point of view to be very disorienting. I think the story could have been more powerful had the reader been in the mind of one character at a time rather than hopping from one character's thoughts and feelings to another's in the same scene.
No one tells a family story like Ann Patchett.
That being said, one of her strong suits is telling a story from different periods of time, and this story felt too static for her. Told over 24 hours, she tells the story of two families intertwined after a car accident, and she explores what it means to be family.
What I liked most was how critical each character felt to the overall theme and storyline, and how she brought the story full circle in such a short amount of pages without it feeling rushed at all. They each brought their own secrets and strengths, and displayed the different roles we play within a modern family. I liked how Patchett touched on social and class issues that were integral to the story, but I wish she explored it more which would’ve only felt natural had she told the story over a greater span of time.
That being said, one of her strong suits is telling a story from different periods of time, and this story felt too static for her. Told over 24 hours, she tells the story of two families intertwined after a car accident, and she explores what it means to be family.
What I liked most was how critical each character felt to the overall theme and storyline, and how she brought the story full circle in such a short amount of pages without it feeling rushed at all. They each brought their own secrets and strengths, and displayed the different roles we play within a modern family. I liked how Patchett touched on social and class issues that were integral to the story, but I wish she explored it more which would’ve only felt natural had she told the story over a greater span of time.
Nicely written but somewhat rudderless IMO. I had a hard time finishing it but I did enjoy it. Not as good as Belcanto because it wasnt clear what it was doing and not a good climax and resolution.
I loved the momentum of this book, the way the plot lines intersect and diverge.
I really enjoyed The Dutch House and so had high hopes for Run. I think having read two books of hers now that people either really like or really don’t like Patchett’s writing. The ratings on Goodreads for Run in particular are very varied! I’m definitely in the “like” camp but I suspect Run is not her best work.
The book was largely set over 24 hours in a freezing New England winter. Brothers Tip and Teddy are the adopted sons of Bernadette and Doyle who is the former mayor of Boston. Bernadette has passed away and Doyle has raised the boys alongside his older son Sullivan. Crucially Tip and Teddy are black while the rest of the family are white. One night as Doyle, Tip and Teddy are leaving an event there is a terrible accident on the icy roads and the family becomes entwined with a stranger and her young daughter.
There are a series of plot twists which are uncovered quietly and calmly and are definitely unexpected. This made the book very readable and I was invested in the story strange though it was!
The snow plays a crucial role throughout the book. You can really feel the cold and the snow seemed to be symbolising “white” in contrast to the “black” of Tip and Teddy and their biological family. However quite improbably race is rarely noted as an issue presumably because the boys have been wholly subsumed into a privileged white family.
There is a focus on families and mothers and the themes of adoption and nature vs nuture are there but in many ways the book treats it all quite superficially. In fact I felt like most of the characters were just presented as good people and not particularly complex but that made the characterisation a little flat.
Overall I found this enjoyable but not ground-breaking work.
The book was largely set over 24 hours in a freezing New England winter. Brothers Tip and Teddy are the adopted sons of Bernadette and Doyle who is the former mayor of Boston. Bernadette has passed away and Doyle has raised the boys alongside his older son Sullivan. Crucially Tip and Teddy are black while the rest of the family are white. One night as Doyle, Tip and Teddy are leaving an event there is a terrible accident on the icy roads and the family becomes entwined with a stranger and her young daughter.
There are a series of plot twists which are uncovered quietly and calmly and are definitely unexpected. This made the book very readable and I was invested in the story strange though it was!
The snow plays a crucial role throughout the book. You can really feel the cold and the snow seemed to be symbolising “white” in contrast to the “black” of Tip and Teddy and their biological family. However quite improbably race is rarely noted as an issue presumably because the boys have been wholly subsumed into a privileged white family.
There is a focus on families and mothers and the themes of adoption and nature vs nuture are there but in many ways the book treats it all quite superficially. In fact I felt like most of the characters were just presented as good people and not particularly complex but that made the characterisation a little flat.
Overall I found this enjoyable but not ground-breaking work.