yobitwins's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
kneessa's review against another edition
2015 Book challenge - a book at the bottom of your to-read
list
list
k8iedid's review against another edition
I love the idea of intergenerational stories, but they are so hard to execute. (or they are so hard for me to do in audiobook?) Right when things are getting good, you get shuttled off to another character in a completely different setting. And for me, for this book, (with multiple characters with the same name!) it was too disorienting.
bobby_cav's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
katehardy's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
mpoper's review against another edition
4.0
After reading Gardens of Kyoto and now this I have fallen in love this writer's literature. Can not wait to read her other novels.
sonboninsc's review against another edition
3.0
Somewhat confusing as all the women had very similar names. I was constantly flipping to the family tree and to the table of contents to figure out who was who and when. It kept me interested enough to finish it. I generally like stories that span generations. I'm not sure I would necessarily recommend this as a good read though.
mollyfischfriedman's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the concept of this book - tracing a family's history through the women in the family. I also appreciated the different voices that the author was able to create for each woman. However, because each chapter was a snapshot into the life of one of the characters, sometimes it felt as though there were details that I was missing to really understand what was going on. Also, each character was flawed in particular ways, which while interesting and perhaps true to life, was not necessarily what I anticipated when I picked up the book. That being said, the book picked up after about the halfway point, and I did enjoy reading it.
vanessammc's review against another edition
3.0
Strong, powerful story, not necessarily groundbreaking in its depiction of dissatisfied women with communication issues who made decisions in their lives that later left them longing for something (which to different characters could include career/success, freedom for artistic expression, meaningful relationships/partnerships, education, stronger family bonds, parental figures, answers to life's questions...) I selected three stars because I liked that there is lots to discuss about these characters, yet in the end, it doesn't hold much hope or promise.