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lilibetbombshell 's review for:
Our Little World
by Karen Winn
I had a bit of a hard time reading this book, but it’s not because it’s not a good book. It’s actually quite good. It’s just that I get restless easily, and this is the kind of book that’s more about the characters and their emotions than events. Actually, change that: this book is more about how a single event affects the characters, their emotions, and their relationships over the course of what seems like a lifetime to the main character and narrator, but what, in reality, is just a little over a year. Books like this take quite a bit longer for me to read than other books because they seem to sit quite still in a way, lingering in its own thoughts in a way I never do, and then I get distracted for a while before I remember to come back to the book.
So it’s not a fast read. Not at all. But it’s a worthy and good read.
I’d like to say I’ve got a good grasp on what to write for this review, but I don’t. Since it’s literary fiction and I don’t really identify with the main character in any way it’s not like I can tap into that. I guess here’s what I think I can say:
Sometimes things happen when we’re young and in our formative years that affect us and our decisions for the rest of our lives. It can skew our decisions, perspective, emotions, and relationships in innumerable ways for the rest of our lives. And Karen Winn does an amazing job in not only writing with sincerity and compassion how those ripple in the pond play out, but she doesn’t leave anyone out, either. I think her decision to set this story in a sleepy little town and to concentrate the story even further on one small suburban neighborhood was very wise, because it allowed her to concentrate all her energy and talent on ensuring that same sincerity and compassion was extended to every character involved in the story. Some authors might have felt compelled to add more to the story to make it a little funnier or a little more dramatic or to add more romance, but Winn made a decision to stick with what she had and it paid off. To add anything more to this story would have taken away from it.
My only sincere complaint was the epilogue. I didn’t think it was needed, at all. I would’ve rather the book been left alone, as it was, sans epilogue. If you go to read this book, maybe try reading the book and stopping at the end and then waiting a while before you read the epilogue. Sit with the story for a while before you go read the epilogue. Savor the story for what it is before reading it. I recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.
So it’s not a fast read. Not at all. But it’s a worthy and good read.
I’d like to say I’ve got a good grasp on what to write for this review, but I don’t. Since it’s literary fiction and I don’t really identify with the main character in any way it’s not like I can tap into that. I guess here’s what I think I can say:
Sometimes things happen when we’re young and in our formative years that affect us and our decisions for the rest of our lives. It can skew our decisions, perspective, emotions, and relationships in innumerable ways for the rest of our lives. And Karen Winn does an amazing job in not only writing with sincerity and compassion how those ripple in the pond play out, but she doesn’t leave anyone out, either. I think her decision to set this story in a sleepy little town and to concentrate the story even further on one small suburban neighborhood was very wise, because it allowed her to concentrate all her energy and talent on ensuring that same sincerity and compassion was extended to every character involved in the story. Some authors might have felt compelled to add more to the story to make it a little funnier or a little more dramatic or to add more romance, but Winn made a decision to stick with what she had and it paid off. To add anything more to this story would have taken away from it.
My only sincere complaint was the epilogue. I didn’t think it was needed, at all. I would’ve rather the book been left alone, as it was, sans epilogue. If you go to read this book, maybe try reading the book and stopping at the end and then waiting a while before you read the epilogue. Sit with the story for a while before you go read the epilogue. Savor the story for what it is before reading it. I recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.