A review by tienno22
Pearl: A Novel by Mary Gordon

tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Mary Gordon plays with some interest themes of life, mistakes, regrets, and most prominently: guilt and forgiveness. Pearl explores some profound and beautiful themes and concepts regarding forgiveness and mistakes. However, the writing is just so unbelievably frustrating! It’s overly detailed and complicated. There’s a lot of subplots and sideline stories (side quests lol) that are completely irrelevant to the overall plot. 

While the concepts were great, the execution and storytelling was chaotic and messy at best.