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A review by nglofile
Bowlaway by Elizabeth McCracken
4.0
3.5 stars. I didn't love this as much as I'd hoped, but I liked it more than I realized.
The first chapter, especially the opening scene, is perfection. Oddball and wonderful, queuing up for a ride that I had no idea where it might go, the discovery of Bertha Truitt in a cemetery by Joe and Leviticus was a tease for which I was all in. The vignettes of the town characters - and they are indeed characters - were tantalizing because among the rife eccentricities there are undercurrents of melancholy. Several reviewers have invoked the word quirky, which isn't wrong per se, but to me that conveys a lightness that isn't quite accurate. One reader referenced a Pushing Daisies feel, which is absolutely my candy, and I might add a nod to Stars Hollow, but neither is a perfect reference point. The world of Bowlaway is entirely its own.
The most common descriptor I note in reader reviews is sprawling, but the writing is so sharp and fearless that I cannot echo that a lack of focus is the issue. McCracken may be strolling through streets and homes and years, but she knows her path. The wry tone telegraphs that every step is intentional.
By far the candlepin bowling establishment as centerpiece for the town held greatest fascination, with angles both for those who created and ran it as well as those who make it their own. This is what tempts me to return.
audiobook note: In many respects, the legendary Kate Reading is the ideal choice for narration. She is adept at conveying the golden combination of gentility and moxie that equally evokes both historical era and independence of spirit. The pacing was sometimes more languid than I might have wished, but that likely reveals more about my state of mind than the work itself.
The first chapter, especially the opening scene, is perfection. Oddball and wonderful, queuing up for a ride that I had no idea where it might go, the discovery of Bertha Truitt in a cemetery by Joe and Leviticus was a tease for which I was all in. The vignettes of the town characters - and they are indeed characters - were tantalizing because among the rife eccentricities there are undercurrents of melancholy. Several reviewers have invoked the word quirky, which isn't wrong per se, but to me that conveys a lightness that isn't quite accurate. One reader referenced a Pushing Daisies feel, which is absolutely my candy, and I might add a nod to Stars Hollow, but neither is a perfect reference point. The world of Bowlaway is entirely its own.
The most common descriptor I note in reader reviews is sprawling, but the writing is so sharp and fearless that I cannot echo that a lack of focus is the issue. McCracken may be strolling through streets and homes and years, but she knows her path. The wry tone telegraphs that every step is intentional.
By far the candlepin bowling establishment as centerpiece for the town held greatest fascination, with angles both for those who created and ran it as well as those who make it their own. This is what tempts me to return.
audiobook note: In many respects, the legendary Kate Reading is the ideal choice for narration. She is adept at conveying the golden combination of gentility and moxie that equally evokes both historical era and independence of spirit. The pacing was sometimes more languid than I might have wished, but that likely reveals more about my state of mind than the work itself.