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A review by minastacked
Right After the Weather by Carol Anshaw
2.0
Carol Anshaw really has her way with words. The novel is fantastically written and the style is beautiful and eloquent. Unfortunately, I can’t say I enjoyed the novel.
The main issue I have with this book is that not much happens in it. The plot is practically non-existent and the characters don’t develop much either. The assault mentioned in the blurb happens only after 150 pages, which is the very middle of the book. Everything before that seems like a never-ending back-story. In addition, even after the assault, things stay pretty much the same.
Moreover, I don’t like that there are several subplots in the beginning (mostly related to Maureen and her sister, as well as Cate’s ex-husband) that are never resolved. These characters almost disappear at some point.
Also, neither the characters nor the story itself managed to draw me in. If this wasn’t an ARC, I would have DNF-ed it a while ago.
Not all is bad, though. As I’ve said, Carol Anshaw really knows how to write. The style is probably what kept me going. Also, there are a couple of interesting characters. Cate, for example, is an extremely unlikeable protagonist. Still, she’s very realistic and written with a lot of depth. My favourites were Neale and her son Joe — I loved reading about them.
However, the most interesting part of the novel is related to the theatre. Cate is a set designer, and we get to see the whole process of setting up a play. Moreover, there are plenty of interesting characters that show up in these scenes, such as actors, directors, and playwrights.
Also, I loved the short, but intense, moments with Nathan and Irene. It’s a shame we don’t get to know them better.
All in all, I think Carol Anshaw is a good writer. However, I think Right After the Weather is not a book for everyone and I’m probably not the target audience. Still, I’ll give some of her other books a try.
See the original review here: https://stacked-reviews.com/right-after-the-weather-review/
The main issue I have with this book is that not much happens in it. The plot is practically non-existent and the characters don’t develop much either. The assault mentioned in the blurb happens only after 150 pages, which is the very middle of the book. Everything before that seems like a never-ending back-story. In addition, even after the assault, things stay pretty much the same.
Moreover, I don’t like that there are several subplots in the beginning (mostly related to Maureen and her sister, as well as Cate’s ex-husband) that are never resolved. These characters almost disappear at some point.
Also, neither the characters nor the story itself managed to draw me in. If this wasn’t an ARC, I would have DNF-ed it a while ago.
Not all is bad, though. As I’ve said, Carol Anshaw really knows how to write. The style is probably what kept me going. Also, there are a couple of interesting characters. Cate, for example, is an extremely unlikeable protagonist. Still, she’s very realistic and written with a lot of depth. My favourites were Neale and her son Joe — I loved reading about them.
However, the most interesting part of the novel is related to the theatre. Cate is a set designer, and we get to see the whole process of setting up a play. Moreover, there are plenty of interesting characters that show up in these scenes, such as actors, directors, and playwrights.
Also, I loved the short, but intense, moments with Nathan and Irene. It’s a shame we don’t get to know them better.
All in all, I think Carol Anshaw is a good writer. However, I think Right After the Weather is not a book for everyone and I’m probably not the target audience. Still, I’ll give some of her other books a try.
See the original review here: https://stacked-reviews.com/right-after-the-weather-review/