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A review by w_r
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
3.0
I liked this book well enough - parts of it were bittersweet and poignant, clever and funny - but other parts of it were a little annoying. I get only getting together every handful of years, but the fact that most of them didn't really even SPEAK to each other in-between seems unreasonable to me. Surely they would have a group chat with an unhinged name at some point during these years, but no. Instead they meet up once every 5-10 years and spend half the trip fighting. They seem less like BFFs and more like they are just trauma-bonded over Craig.
Additionally, I'm a little tired of extreme wealth as a trope. I get that it makes writing easier, but it's hard to focus on the more relatable parts of the story when every trip the take at the drop of a hat seems so out of reach for so many - like sure, this can be done in a hometown mexican restaurant every few years as well, but instead they're booking last-minute skydiving trips and blowing thousand$$ on flowers, and it kind of took me out of the story.
The Jordans kept me reading, and they have my heart.
Additionally, I'm a little tired of extreme wealth as a trope. I get that it makes writing easier, but it's hard to focus on the more relatable parts of the story when every trip the take at the drop of a hat seems so out of reach for so many - like sure, this can be done in a hometown mexican restaurant every few years as well, but instead they're booking last-minute skydiving trips and blowing thousand$$ on flowers, and it kind of took me out of the story.
The Jordans kept me reading, and they have my heart.