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A review by saraanneb3
The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall
4.0
I sat on my review of this for a bit because I really dithered between four and five stars. The writing is beautiful and the plot interesting and moves along, and the characters well developed and nuanced.
But I ended up deciding on four stars because I can’t separate my own experience of the church, in which I grew up and in which I now work, from this author’s idealized version; and because the fundamental relationship the book claims to be based on, James and Charles, really isn’t there, they barely have any relationship, and hardly any conversations. So, with much internal debating, (and a lot of analysis of my personal reaction to the book, a reaction which both intrigued and alarmed me), I’m settling on 4 stars
But I ended up deciding on four stars because I can’t separate my own experience of the church, in which I grew up and in which I now work, from this author’s idealized version; and because the fundamental relationship the book claims to be based on, James and Charles, really isn’t there, they barely have any relationship, and hardly any conversations. So, with much internal debating, (and a lot of analysis of my personal reaction to the book, a reaction which both intrigued and alarmed me), I’m settling on 4 stars