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A review by reflectiverambling_nalana
The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Both unexpectedly finding themselves anywhere other than they planned to be and now roommates, Lia finds herself spending more time with her Grandmother than she had anticipated. Fresh from returning to her parents home after leaving the architecture design firm she had been working for she has a fair amount of free time on her hands. Minnie, her grandmother, has just lost her home in a fire. Lia agrees to record her grandmother's biography from her childhood in Japan to her marriage to a GI after WW2 and immigration to the U.S. As the project brings them together, blossoming into one that is unplanned, Lia finds herself not only with a new bond and appreciation for the woman but starts to work through the events that led her to where she was.
"The Turtle House" is a sneaky novel. The banter Minnie upholds to her family in general but as well with her snappy remarks to Lia make this book to have a rather light overtone. At its core though are a series of heartbreaking traumas and courage in two different variations from both. It is absolutely crushing to hear some of these things. Listening to Minnie talk about her childhood, her options, and her marriage took me right back to stories a good friend of mine in college had about her grandmother. It made my heart ache for both the character and the person as from what my friend conveyed there were commonalities in the personalities of their spouses. The book also has tense and frustrating commentary about education and high end job positions where so much can be overlooked for the love of money or reputation.
More and more we're seeing books that explore the parent-child relationship. Having a grandchild and grandparent united by and in some ways in rebellion of the generation in-between makes this duo special even before their growing bond. It helps that in some ways their personalities have so many echos. Though I dare say that Minnie is more of a spitfire than most of us can ever think to be!
Impactful yet endearing, I am so happy this wasn't just the somber exploration I had anticipated.
"The Turtle House" is a sneaky novel. The banter Minnie upholds to her family in general but as well with her snappy remarks to Lia make this book to have a rather light overtone. At its core though are a series of heartbreaking traumas and courage in two different variations from both. It is absolutely crushing to hear some of these things. Listening to Minnie talk about her childhood, her options, and her marriage took me right back to stories a good friend of mine in college had about her grandmother. It made my heart ache for both the character and the person as from what my friend conveyed there were commonalities in the personalities of their spouses. The book also has tense and frustrating commentary about education and high end job positions where so much can be overlooked for the love of money or reputation.
More and more we're seeing books that explore the parent-child relationship. Having a grandchild and grandparent united by and in some ways in rebellion of the generation in-between makes this duo special even before their growing bond. It helps that in some ways their personalities have so many echos. Though I dare say that Minnie is more of a spitfire than most of us can ever think to be!
Impactful yet endearing, I am so happy this wasn't just the somber exploration I had anticipated.