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A review by hashtag_alison
After the Divorce by Grazia Deledda
3.0
This novel is an interesting mix between juicy scandal and cautionary tale. While the details of the story seem a little overwrought now, I can see how it would have housewives in a tizzy back when it was published. However the constant religious overtones pull it out of daytime soap territory in a way that I personally found somewhat mismatched.
What it succeeds in best is being a readable and compelling portrait of its time, like a character study of a decade. That's not usually something I can hold an interest in (maybe because those are usually about the 70s for some reason?) but this was an interesting, quick read despite its heavy subject and scope.
What it doesn't succeed at so much is building relatable characters. They all feel a little exaggerated and cartoonish and would seem more at home in some form of satire than in such a serious story. Because of this (and the constant self-flagellation (see religious overtones)) it was hard for me to feel strongly for anyone. Every time something happens they jump into these big dramatic "woe is me" monologues and it's like Okay, you got enough feelings about this for both of us.
In conclusion, while I didn't enjoy it in the way one wants to enjoy a juicy book about a controversial divorce, or a book with compelling story and characters, I do feel like I learned something and in the end I'm glad a read it, I feel like I expanded my horizons by doing so.
That sounds a little harsher than I intended. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm on the positive side of ambivalent about this book. Like, it's more something you'd be forced to read in a Lit class, but it's one of the ones you wouldn't mind having to read.
I like that better. That's my summary.
What it succeeds in best is being a readable and compelling portrait of its time, like a character study of a decade. That's not usually something I can hold an interest in (maybe because those are usually about the 70s for some reason?) but this was an interesting, quick read despite its heavy subject and scope.
What it doesn't succeed at so much is building relatable characters. They all feel a little exaggerated and cartoonish and would seem more at home in some form of satire than in such a serious story. Because of this (and the constant self-flagellation (see religious overtones)) it was hard for me to feel strongly for anyone. Every time something happens they jump into these big dramatic "woe is me" monologues and it's like Okay, you got enough feelings about this for both of us.
In conclusion, while I didn't enjoy it in the way one wants to enjoy a juicy book about a controversial divorce, or a book with compelling story and characters, I do feel like I learned something and in the end I'm glad a read it, I feel like I expanded my horizons by doing so.
That sounds a little harsher than I intended. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm on the positive side of ambivalent about this book. Like, it's more something you'd be forced to read in a Lit class, but it's one of the ones you wouldn't mind having to read.
I like that better. That's my summary.