A review by acciodogs
The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski

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

2.5

For a short novel, there’s a lot of characters to keep track of…Between Esther’s family, the funeral ladies (and their daughters), and Cooper’s perspective and family, I had to stop way too many times to get my mind straight. 

I didn’t hate the story, but I didn’t love (and don’t remember the blurb mentioning) the religious theming or constant Catholicism references throughout. 

The story felt rushed, though I can’t say I’d love to spend more time with any of these characters.
So much talk about Esther being scammed…with little closure that felt satisfying. 
A lot of it felt preachy and privileged, but also like they were trying to be your cool aunt with how much drinking was in this story. If the sun was up, they were drinking beers. I did however appreciate the Hamm’s name drop. 

I loved the small town feel, the community aspect, the funeral ladies cook book and the lake setting. I just think this book would do with a better description, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if it had.
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