versmonesprit's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
0.25
This is a story that requires perseverance. The first half made me want to cry in frustration due to how utterly boring and rambly it was. It got less bad in the second half, and only became alright in the last few pages. I don’t know the author enough to know whether the racism is her own, or just fictional, but I found it added nothing but another layer of antipathy to the story. I wish Porter had done what she did at the very end, through the entire story: the real dynamics of an age gap marriage, how it’s perceived, how it affects the younger partner… And again, without the racism, the main character could have been one that I’d feel tenderness for. In the end this persuaded me not to get a longer book by Porter, so I’d say I wouldn’t recommend this even at the price tag.
book_nerd_1990's review
5.0
I loved this mini Penguin Modern book "The Cracked Looking Glass." At only 55 pages, it's the perfect quick read for when you are in between books. I would definitely read it again.
Rosaleen and Dennis, Irish living in America, have been married for a long time. Rosaleen is a good storyteller and likes to embellish when talking with the neighbours. Dennis secretly wishes he could pipe up and say "stop it." Dissatisfied with her life and believing her "visions" Rosaleen takes a trip to visit her sister and along the way finds that actually, maybe her life isn't so bad after all.
Rosaleen and Dennis, Irish living in America, have been married for a long time. Rosaleen is a good storyteller and likes to embellish when talking with the neighbours. Dennis secretly wishes he could pipe up and say "stop it." Dissatisfied with her life and believing her "visions" Rosaleen takes a trip to visit her sister and along the way finds that actually, maybe her life isn't so bad after all.
theescapistreader's review
2.0
2.5 out of 5 stars
I thought about it for some time and decided that this should probably be smack in the middle of the scale I use.
Happy reading!
I thought about it for some time and decided that this should probably be smack in the middle of the scale I use.
Happy reading!
earlgreybooks's review
Feel kind of silly DNFing something this short, but this was boring and confusing.
milena_reads's review
4.0
A very intriguing story about two people who are neither nice or truthful, it reminded me a bit of ‘Ethan Frome’ by Edith Wharton.
frlzimt's review
3.0
A powerfully atmospheric marital portrait of an aging husband and his much younger wife. The domestic parts of it were wonderful, the wife's regrets she's working so hard not to think through, her realisation of what her life must look like reflected in the eyes of her neighbours, but also the husband's thoughts on his marriage and his utterly unquestioning acceptance of their respective roles - these were fascinating to read from a modern perspective. There is a substantial dose of racism and xenophobia in this book; the protagonist, a white Irish woman who immigrated into the US as a young woman, views everyone else as 'foreigners' without once contemplating that she, too, is a 'foreigner'. The book is also a facinating portrayal of the small-scale social groupings of the early 20th century, where people from the next town or another county (not countRy) were deemed of bad character and never fit to marry a person from one's own, undeniably much superior, little hamlet -- in that sense, while it was somewhat disturbing to read, it made me very glad that we have at least left this very small scale of discriminating against each other behind us - maybe there's hope after all.