A review by lolajoan
This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This takes almost a century of family history and distills it into vivid chunks that are easily digested. The writing is clear and lyrical, and the characters are sympathetic even when they're not being likable. There are parts where it gets rambly with paragraph-long sentences, but I'm pretty sure it's on purpose to reflect the current pov of that section. It reflects on family, country, religion, death, etc. without being overly preachy or saccharine.