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dolores_ferrero's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Where: Italy, California
When: 1960s - today
Thoughts/Reflections: A fascinating story of perfectly imperfect people and the lives they build in perfectly imperfect places in coastal Italy and Southern California. The characters were deep and the plot meandered, and it all came together in the end without being “happily ever after.” I found something I could appreciate in all of the main characters, and I loved the way the author peppered a deeply reflective story with laugh out loud humor. I’ll definitely seek out his other novels.
My favorite words:
“But I think some people wait forever, and only at the end of their lives do they realize that their life has happened while they were waiting for it to start.”
“Everything is an accident, Pasquale.”
“It's not simple.”
“Maybe all love is hopeless. Maybe Michael Deane's rule is wiser than he knows: We want what we want-we love who we love.”
“At home, she works herself into a frenzy worrying about what she isn't-and perhaps loses track of just where she is.”
“‘Sometimes,’ she said, ‘what we want to do and what we must do are not the same.’ She put a hand on his shoulder. ‘Pasqo, the smaller the space between your desire and what is right, the happier you will be.’”
“He wished he could reassure his mother: a man wants many things in life, but when one of them is also the right thing, he would be a fool not to choose it.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, and Grief
Minor: Cancer
ashleycmms's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and War
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
There were enjoy enough enticing tidbits to keep me turning the pages, hoping that something interesting was about to happen...but nothing ever did. This would've worked better if some of the characters had been cut in order to focus on telling one or two strong storylines. The book is just way too long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Dementia, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Minor: Eating disorder, Gun violence, Violence, Cannibalism, and Car accident