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lunaseassecondaccount 's review for:
Adult Onset
by Ann-Marie MacDonald
This was one of those books that I picked up for one reason or another and I can't remember how it got into my pile of books from the library. Even when I started reading it, I struggled to figure out why I had decided to hire this book out, and I was beginning to think it was a mistake and I'd picked up someone else's book by accident.
And then I kept reading it. And I kept reading it and I kept reading it, and I couldn't put it down. I was hooked and I can't figure out why. This book really isn't the type of book I normally read- maybe it's because I'm older, maybe it's because I've really gotten into this super-in-depth-look-into-everyday-life thing recently, I don't know. But I could have easily read it in a day or two if I'd allowed myself. There's been a series of not-so-good reviews on this novel, and they've all compared MacDonald's work to this one, so I think I might need to hunt them down.
I have a lot of thoughts on this book, and I'm not sure where to begin. A general feeling I had about this book is that so much is secondary- and so much is important. I really got the impression that MR and her mother's lives are so parallel. What MR is going through with Maggie is more or less what Dolly went through with her at the same age. That's what I was left with- and that maybe MR has a better support system than Dolly did, and that will help her prevent the same mistakes. There's a real sense of frustration on each page, and while her behaviour at parts isn't excusable, it's understandable.
The whole time I was reading this book, I was wondering just what had happened to MR, and this is what keeps pushing the plot forward. We all want to know- that's why we keep reading. I do want to praise MacDonald for refusing to give in and tell us, in a Hollywood-style ending (and they all live happily ever after yay), but at the same time, leaving it so murky is frustrating. Dolly kept grabbing her, Maureen dangled her over the balcony- but wait, was it her father? Who knows! Dad just seems guilty all the time, so maybe he was an active participant. Or was he just a passive member, and the guilt gnaws at him for not helping more. And how does Andy-Patrick fit into all of this? I probably would have been annoyed with a clear-cut ending, but this deliberately muddled mess of memories does irritate me, just because I want to know more.
I also would have liked to have known more about Dolly. She clearly has a lot going on in her life, and we only just get a tiny taste, that makes MR's lack of resolution just as bitter.
But I loved this so much, and now I can't stop raving about it. I just wish there had been a slightly clearer ending.
And then I kept reading it. And I kept reading it and I kept reading it, and I couldn't put it down. I was hooked and I can't figure out why. This book really isn't the type of book I normally read- maybe it's because I'm older, maybe it's because I've really gotten into this super-in-depth-look-into-everyday-life thing recently, I don't know. But I could have easily read it in a day or two if I'd allowed myself. There's been a series of not-so-good reviews on this novel, and they've all compared MacDonald's work to this one, so I think I might need to hunt them down.
I have a lot of thoughts on this book, and I'm not sure where to begin. A general feeling I had about this book is that so much is secondary- and so much is important. I really got the impression that MR and her mother's lives are so parallel. What MR is going through with Maggie is more or less what Dolly went through with her at the same age. That's what I was left with- and that maybe MR has a better support system than Dolly did, and that will help her prevent the same mistakes. There's a real sense of frustration on each page, and while her behaviour at parts isn't excusable, it's understandable.
The whole time I was reading this book, I was wondering just what had happened to MR, and this is what keeps pushing the plot forward. We all want to know- that's why we keep reading. I do want to praise MacDonald for refusing to give in and tell us, in a Hollywood-style ending (and they all live happily ever after yay), but at the same time, leaving it so murky is frustrating. Dolly kept grabbing her, Maureen dangled her over the balcony- but wait, was it her father? Who knows! Dad just seems guilty all the time, so maybe he was an active participant. Or was he just a passive member, and the guilt gnaws at him for not helping more. And how does Andy-Patrick fit into all of this? I probably would have been annoyed with a clear-cut ending, but this deliberately muddled mess of memories does irritate me, just because I want to know more.
I also would have liked to have known more about Dolly. She clearly has a lot going on in her life, and we only just get a tiny taste, that makes MR's lack of resolution just as bitter.
But I loved this so much, and now I can't stop raving about it. I just wish there had been a slightly clearer ending.