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A review by gwenby
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley
3.0
It took me 7 months to read this book (a book club selection). I’d pick it up, read 5 pages, think about “Lady and the Tramp,” put it down, go about my business, and read a different book.
About a decade ago I quit forcing myself to finish every book I’d started. I haven’t regretted that. I kept at this one, though, because of how much a dear friend liked it. There had to be something I was missing. We’re generally in sync when it comes to books. “The second half is better,” she said. I dallied on.
Toward the end of Chapter 15, p. 225 (of 265) to be exact, I found the magic. Thereafter, I was hooked. In those last 40 pages the characters became vibrant, the setting brilliant. Those last 40 pages get ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. The first 225 are a ⭐️. Ergo the ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - the ending is enough to counterbalance the rest. Yes, it was worth it.
About a decade ago I quit forcing myself to finish every book I’d started. I haven’t regretted that. I kept at this one, though, because of how much a dear friend liked it. There had to be something I was missing. We’re generally in sync when it comes to books. “The second half is better,” she said. I dallied on.
Toward the end of Chapter 15, p. 225 (of 265) to be exact, I found the magic. Thereafter, I was hooked. In those last 40 pages the characters became vibrant, the setting brilliant. Those last 40 pages get ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. The first 225 are a ⭐️. Ergo the ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - the ending is enough to counterbalance the rest. Yes, it was worth it.