A review by rown99
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I don't think I loved this book as much as other people. It wasn't all bad, but something about this book just didn't do it for me.
First, the characters generally fell a bit flat, what little development Sam and Sadie made still wasn't enough for me to like them. I would've liked to see their relationship develop (doesn't even have to be romantic) instead of 20+ years of on-again/off-again friendship.  Sadie specifically annoyed me, she was so hypocritical. Sam was not a great person but at least he was consistent. Marx was so boring, he had no real character except "perfect and everyone loves him even his exes". I didn't even care when he died. Also Dov was obviously abusive and I felt like that was just glossed over. I don't think the book was condoning his treatment of Sadie, but it was also not condemned. He continued to be a part of Sadie's life, which just feels like a weird message by the author.
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Overall, I think the first half of the book is compelling, the second half is a bit of a slog. The premise was there but I feel like the author bit off more than she could chew with this one. Generally her prose is good but at times felt overly intellectual and out of place, please Zevin put down the thesaurus. 
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