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A review by orangejenny
The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas
3.0
Mixed feelings about this one, but it mostly won me over in the end. This was a defensive read, as I already have plenty of thoughts and feelings around women's childbearing decisions, and I did find a fair amount to nitpick. Despite the length, both character development and plot are thin in places. Martin is just a stick figure - which may be the point, but that leaves unanswered the question of why Joan so readily drops her work for his sake - her unhappy childhood? I wish there had been more exploration of Joan's character, why she gives up so easily over and over. In the early years, she has a baby, yes, but also a full-time nanny/housekeeper and no responsibilities. In the later years, she can't write because
That's quite a bit of "bad." The good? The interspersed stories are fun diversions. I don't typically like novels that include excerpts from a character's writing (The World According to Garp; Tony and Susan), but in this case the "inner" works were fairly concise, had varied subjects, and gave more insight into Joan's character than most of the narration did. The writing is decent. The length is a strength - I don't think I'd have come around to any positive feelings if the book had stopped after 300 pages, and can't think of any significant sections that I'd have been cut.
She doesn't exhibit much awareness of India, but then, once the babies came, she didn't seem especially aware of America outside of the boundaries of her home, either.
Can't decide whether or not I'd recommend this one, but I'm still thinking about it a few days later, will likely keep an eye on what the author does next.
Spoiler
her teenage son needs her constantly hovering over him? The plot for those years was painfully weak: Eric is some kind of vague "computer genius" which translates into him successfully running a company, as a teenager, for seven years, and investors are willing to pour in millions yet don't insist on having any kind of adult oversight? That's not how tech startups go. Back to Joan, she treats her work so cavalierly, abandoning her finished novel for seven years, that I was a little surprised she cared so much when it was stolen.That's quite a bit of "bad." The good? The interspersed stories are fun diversions. I don't typically like novels that include excerpts from a character's writing (The World According to Garp; Tony and Susan), but in this case the "inner" works were fairly concise, had varied subjects, and gave more insight into Joan's character than most of the narration did. The writing is decent. The length is a strength - I don't think I'd have come around to any positive feelings if the book had stopped after 300 pages, and can't think of any significant sections that I'd have been cut.
Spoiler
Joan's time in India is handled relatively well - I initially cringed at that plot line, anticipating that this wealthy, insulated woman will make a fool of herself, but she mostly just overtips and keeps to herself.She doesn't exhibit much awareness of India, but then, once the babies came, she didn't seem especially aware of America outside of the boundaries of her home, either.
Can't decide whether or not I'd recommend this one, but I'm still thinking about it a few days later, will likely keep an eye on what the author does next.