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*Thank you to the publisher and to Goodreads for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
Sam is a 53 year old woman who, in the midst of mid-life turmoil, impulse-buys a charming Craftsman fixer-upper home in Syracuse. This will be the antidote to her unfulfilling relationship with her husband, her unwanted distance from her teen daughter, her anxiety over her aging mother's health, and her worries about the political and economic climate of our times. The house symbolizes a new start, but one that cannot escape the ties to the past.
I could relate easily to Sam, as someone of about the same age going through some of the same things. I also found Ally, the daughter, and Lily, Sam's mother, very believable (although I do wish more of the book was devoted to Lily). And much of the book is a love letter to Syracuse, a city that doesn't get much love. The history & architecture is lovingly detailed.
There was a lot of unnecessary musing, and some classist and borderline misogynistic portrayals of interactions with other women. I guess readers are supposed to give this a pass because Sam's character recognizes her own privilege and harsh judgements of other women, but it's difficult to read. Issues of privilege (like Sam's being financially supported by her husband after they separate, while she buys a house and works part-time at a nonprofit) are raised but not resolved. In fact, little is resolved by the end.
I rate this four stars for the examination of midlife, the Syracuse details, and some beautiful passages, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea.
Sam is a 53 year old woman who, in the midst of mid-life turmoil, impulse-buys a charming Craftsman fixer-upper home in Syracuse. This will be the antidote to her unfulfilling relationship with her husband, her unwanted distance from her teen daughter, her anxiety over her aging mother's health, and her worries about the political and economic climate of our times. The house symbolizes a new start, but one that cannot escape the ties to the past.
I could relate easily to Sam, as someone of about the same age going through some of the same things. I also found Ally, the daughter, and Lily, Sam's mother, very believable (although I do wish more of the book was devoted to Lily). And much of the book is a love letter to Syracuse, a city that doesn't get much love. The history & architecture is lovingly detailed.
There was a lot of unnecessary musing, and some classist and borderline misogynistic portrayals of interactions with other women. I guess readers are supposed to give this a pass because Sam's character recognizes her own privilege and harsh judgements of other women, but it's difficult to read. Issues of privilege (like Sam's being financially supported by her husband after they separate, while she buys a house and works part-time at a nonprofit) are raised but not resolved. In fact, little is resolved by the end.
I rate this four stars for the examination of midlife, the Syracuse details, and some beautiful passages, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea.