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crlpedigo 's review for:
The Cactus
by Sarah Haywood
Some shrews aren’t worth taming. I could not connect with the character. Her misanthropic tendencies, probably were meant to make her quirky, but made her rather unsympathetic for the majority of the book. While some of her observations were humorous, most were petty and tedious to read. It is hard to get behind a character whose early defining trait is “call the manager”.
I think the idea that pregnancy and impending motherhood softening her was not done realistically. She only becomes less rigid late in the novel. Thought she is written as a logical character, her early predictions and notions of parenting are at odds with that. From denying financial help to her failed misadventure in babysitting, her journey just seems underdeveloped.
She reads so unpleasant that it was hard to understand how she gained a love interest and a friend. What little warmth she exhibits is so vastly overcast by her poor personality. Early on there are times that she seems overly cruel in her interactions and thoughts on others. Throughout the story you get more background on her childhood and a glimpse at the trauma, but she isn’t given enough time to confront or process them. What should have been character defining moment, felt more like excuses for her behavior.
The other characters were generally one note. This problem was especially frustrating with the love interest and the brother. I know so little about him other than the fact that he gardens and is relatively good looking and is surprisingly tolerant of assholes. The brother is just kind of a dick throughout the book. I do think some of his early actions were questionably bad, he definitely made the right call with the teacher and he seemed to bear the brunt of the blame for some minor infractions.
Despite the flaws in characterization, the writing style was nice and it made for a quick read. I did like the characters of Jane and her “aunt”. Both were more interesting versions of motherhood that the lead and there small arches were overall more interesting.
I think the idea that pregnancy and impending motherhood softening her was not done realistically. She only becomes less rigid late in the novel. Thought she is written as a logical character, her early predictions and notions of parenting are at odds with that. From denying financial help to her failed misadventure in babysitting, her journey just seems underdeveloped.
She reads so unpleasant that it was hard to understand how she gained a love interest and a friend. What little warmth she exhibits is so vastly overcast by her poor personality. Early on there are times that she seems overly cruel in her interactions and thoughts on others. Throughout the story you get more background on her childhood and a glimpse at the trauma, but she isn’t given enough time to confront or process them. What should have been character defining moment, felt more like excuses for her behavior.
The other characters were generally one note. This problem was especially frustrating with the love interest and the brother. I know so little about him other than the fact that he gardens and is relatively good looking and is surprisingly tolerant of assholes. The brother is just kind of a dick throughout the book. I do think some of his early actions were questionably bad, he definitely made the right call with the teacher and he seemed to bear the brunt of the blame for some minor infractions.
Despite the flaws in characterization, the writing style was nice and it made for a quick read. I did like the characters of Jane and her “aunt”. Both were more interesting versions of motherhood that the lead and there small arches were overall more interesting.