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A review by actuallyjusthanne
The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
READ 2 (December 5, 2024)-
This is another book I read when I was a teenager, and loved. The Story Mistake covers a series of anecdotes that happen to the Melendy family over the course of a year. I remember reading this book fairly close to when my family moved when I was a child, so this book stuck tightly to me.
It's always such a grounding experience reading a book, and realizing that the corners that hold up the story are some of the corners that hold up your soul. Reading parts of this book felt like coming home, and it was so familiar despite my having forgotten most of what happened in this book. Looking at my last review, it looks like I read it 5 years ago, and then 5 years ago before that, so this may well be an every-5-years reread, which I would not be mad at.
At the heart of it, this is a very basic concept for a book: slice of life anecdotes of a family and the notable moments that they had over the course of the year. And yet, that's what makes this book so cozy and comfortable: it's just a regular family living a regular life, and it's messy and funny and human, and things happen that you don't expect, and things work out better than you could ever imagined, and it's all just . . . life.
My favorite part about this book by far is the writing style: it is so nostalgic and cozy, and it makes you feel like you're part of the family, learning about life along side them.
My favorite parts of this book: reading the chapter about Christmas and their preparations for it, as it is almost Christmas, Rush exploring the new property and building a tree house (which is particularly nostalgic for me because of when I read this book for the first time), and the whole recurring theme with the crocodile.
With this book being published in 1942, there are some less-than politically correct metaphors and descriptions in some parts of this book, but really, they were so few and far between that I am not super pressed about it. There are things that happen in this book that could never happen in this day and age (a 14 year old going on radio? insane), and there are some mentions of the war happening, but the writing makes the story feel so familiar and warm. It is wild to me that 13 years old seemed so incredibly old in that day, and that one could simply roll up to a perfect stranger's house to ask for help, but at the same time, these time capsules of history are what preserve humanity.
I will love this series forever, and I am so excited to read the rest of it!
READ 1 (July 29, 2019)-
i will love this book forever
the vague nostalgia
the hominess
and the writing style
there is next to no chance I will ever get tired of it
also haven't read this in like 5 years and i forgot how much i adored this series
now to read the rest of it
This is another book I read when I was a teenager, and loved. The Story Mistake covers a series of anecdotes that happen to the Melendy family over the course of a year. I remember reading this book fairly close to when my family moved when I was a child, so this book stuck tightly to me.
It's always such a grounding experience reading a book, and realizing that the corners that hold up the story are some of the corners that hold up your soul. Reading parts of this book felt like coming home, and it was so familiar despite my having forgotten most of what happened in this book. Looking at my last review, it looks like I read it 5 years ago, and then 5 years ago before that, so this may well be an every-5-years reread, which I would not be mad at.
At the heart of it, this is a very basic concept for a book: slice of life anecdotes of a family and the notable moments that they had over the course of the year. And yet, that's what makes this book so cozy and comfortable: it's just a regular family living a regular life, and it's messy and funny and human, and things happen that you don't expect, and things work out better than you could ever imagined, and it's all just . . . life.
My favorite part about this book by far is the writing style: it is so nostalgic and cozy, and it makes you feel like you're part of the family, learning about life along side them.
My favorite parts of this book: reading the chapter about Christmas and their preparations for it, as it is almost Christmas, Rush exploring the new property and building a tree house (which is particularly nostalgic for me because of when I read this book for the first time), and the whole recurring theme with the crocodile.
With this book being published in 1942, there are some less-than politically correct metaphors and descriptions in some parts of this book, but really, they were so few and far between that I am not super pressed about it. There are things that happen in this book that could never happen in this day and age (a 14 year old going on radio? insane), and there are some mentions of the war happening, but the writing makes the story feel so familiar and warm. It is wild to me that 13 years old seemed so incredibly old in that day, and that one could simply roll up to a perfect stranger's house to ask for help, but at the same time, these time capsules of history are what preserve humanity.
I will love this series forever, and I am so excited to read the rest of it!
READ 1 (July 29, 2019)-
i will love this book forever
the vague nostalgia
the hominess
and the writing style
there is next to no chance I will ever get tired of it
also haven't read this in like 5 years and i forgot how much i adored this series
now to read the rest of it