Reviews
Winner of the National Book Award: A Novel of Fame, Honor, and Really Bad Weather by Jincy Willett
lbb00ks's review against another edition
Interesting in story and form. I think I was expecting something more humorous, and may have taken this story of abuse and twin sisters a bit too seriously for my own reading good. Would like to try another by this author.
thewalrus11's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mirage811's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed a lot of it, especially because the main character is a librarian. Parts of it hit a bit too close too home though. It's really painful to see someone you are close to put themselves through hell for no good reason.
sbunyan's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book a lot in the beginning. The story of two very different twins was enthralling. And though the author continued the excellent style of writing and wove a compelling tale, by the end I just wasn't crazy about any of the characters.
liseplease's review against another edition
2.0
I dunno. I really enjoyed the narrator, and the prose was pleasant. But much like that stupid cliche, I just wasn't that into it. Am I missing something?
scorpstar77's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I picked this book up on sort of a whim, on recommendation from a book-a-day calendar given to me by a friend a few years ago. I was totally addicted once I started on it - I found it nearly impossible to put down. Our narrator is Dorcas Mather, fraternal twin of the story's other heroine, Abigail Mather. Abigail is currently in prison pending her trial for murdering her husband (he quite deserved it, we learn), and has in the meantime worked with an old acquaintance to write an expose of her life leading up to and including the abusive relationship and murder. We learn the whole story through Dorcas as she sits in the library where she's the head librarian and read the book cover-to-cover under the pretense of cataloging it (it's a new addition to the library), while she slowly gets drunk and rides out a hurricane. The story is darkly funny, and also a little tragic (though not necessarily for the reasons you'd think). It also strikes pretty true, because Willett spends time on developing her characters, flaws and assets and quirks and all. And so they seem real (she even has a moment in the story when Dorcas goes on a rant about how impossible it is for a novelist to create characters out of thin air who are just as real and crazy and unknowable as people in the real world, and yet the novelists who can do it are the only ones worth reading - hear hear!). I enjoyed the undertones of book-wormedness, and the crazy sister dynamic, and the just the pure fun of it.
rachelleahdorn's review against another edition
2.0
Four quotes on the front cover say this was funny. It was not.
kebojo's review against another edition
4.0
I was attracted to this book because it's set in Rhode Island (where my family owns a home) and narrated by a librarian (I'm training to be one). Although the book starts out as a bit of a [b:slow burn|2956|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|Mark Twain|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1161831948s/2956.jpg|1835605], it quickly turns into a page-turner. One of those books that draws you in with its weirdo characters, chilling turns of events, and unusual style and pace.