kgraham10's review
2.0
I liked the voice in the first third. Then it turned into an appalachian ballad - tragic, exaggerated, and unbelievable.
bundy23's review
3.0
Around a third of the way through this I was absolutely loving it, comparisons to Carson McCullers & Flannery O'Connor were sneaking into my brain, but sadly it all just descended into boring cliched nonsense that tried much too hard to tug at the heartstrings. Such a waste.
ckrikke's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
readbookswithbecca's review
3.0
I feel like the timeline was a little too much. Some of it could have just been told in chronological order.
ktcarlston's review
3.0
I was listening to this while also reading the Book Woman and they definitely had some similarities - this book was interesting and sad and then sad a little bit more.
friedachopsticks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
caylafurey's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bybyberry's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book starts very strong: immersive, and mysterious, with an intriguing setting, both in terms of plot and description. The female characters are well-written and their relationships are definitely this story's highlight. I loved how this book explored myth-making and how men create their legends using women as pawns in their games. But I had a hard time with the narrator switching mid-book, especially as it jumps to a male perspective and a character we don't know at all. This jump broke the rhythm of the story for me and lead to some repetitiveness with the multiple pov, and the ending felt a bit rush. Overall, it's a promising story, well-written, but the pacing is off and sadly lost me towards the end.
mollyjordan's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
conklings's review
4.0
4.25 stars. Shiner has a fantastic sense of place ( mountains of WV), and it’s full of heartbreaking characters, Ruby, Wren, Ivy, Flynn, and Briar. A tale of women coping in situations where they don’t have choices.