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melissatrew 's review for:
Marrying the Ketchups
by Jennifer Close
Marrying the Ketchups offers a peek into everyday life for an ensemble cast of siblings and cousins, who are connected both by blood and their shared stake in Sullivan’s, a family restaurant in Chicago. More character-driven than plot-driven, the novel emphasizes the characters’ past experiences and relationships, rather than offering any real progression to the present-day narrative.
This one reminded me of [b:Good Company|54798430|Good Company|Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607962006l/54798430._SY75_.jpg|86182738], [b:Morningside Heights|48822627|Morningside Heights|Joshua Henkin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575345638l/48822627._SX50_.jpg|74205743], or [b:The Paper Palace|55994372|The Paper Palace|Miranda Cowley Heller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607320833l/55994372._SY75_.jpg|75853893] - a snapshot story about ordinary people and their ordinary lives. This one stands out from the crowd a little bit, due to its heavy political themes and anti-Trump sentiments (so intense at times that it becomes unnecessarily melodramatic!), but beyond that, it’s pretty much standard women’s-fiction fare: someone mourning a breakup, someone dealing with infidelity in their marriage, someone giving up on the NYC performing arts scene and moving back home.
If a friend asked me to describe what I thought of this book, I’d probably shrug and say “Eh.” I guess I never really connected with all of the midlife crises, the infidelity, the “I-can’t-get-my-shit-together” lifestyles from people who are supposed to be grown adults, or the fresh & gutwrenching panic over an election of a candidate whose entire term is now in the rearview mirror.
The book wasn’t horrible, and some of the characters were likeable at times. The author’s writing style was fine. But nothing about the story felt super important or necessary—it just felt like something that’s already been done before. 2.5 stars rounded down, because when I finally finished reading, I actually said “ugh FINALLY” out loud.
This one reminded me of [b:Good Company|54798430|Good Company|Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607962006l/54798430._SY75_.jpg|86182738], [b:Morningside Heights|48822627|Morningside Heights|Joshua Henkin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575345638l/48822627._SX50_.jpg|74205743], or [b:The Paper Palace|55994372|The Paper Palace|Miranda Cowley Heller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607320833l/55994372._SY75_.jpg|75853893] - a snapshot story about ordinary people and their ordinary lives. This one stands out from the crowd a little bit, due to its heavy political themes and anti-Trump sentiments (so intense at times that it becomes unnecessarily melodramatic!), but beyond that, it’s pretty much standard women’s-fiction fare: someone mourning a breakup, someone dealing with infidelity in their marriage, someone giving up on the NYC performing arts scene and moving back home.
If a friend asked me to describe what I thought of this book, I’d probably shrug and say “Eh.” I guess I never really connected with all of the midlife crises, the infidelity, the “I-can’t-get-my-shit-together” lifestyles from people who are supposed to be grown adults, or the fresh & gutwrenching panic over an election of a candidate whose entire term is now in the rearview mirror.
The book wasn’t horrible, and some of the characters were likeable at times. The author’s writing style was fine. But nothing about the story felt super important or necessary—it just felt like something that’s already been done before. 2.5 stars rounded down, because when I finally finished reading, I actually said “ugh FINALLY” out loud.