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horsley123's review against another edition
1.0
Well I finished it - but in a 'I have got this far, I will sit down and read, and then it will be over' fashion. I was initially interested in the characters, but then they got so away with the fairies, self obsessed and unlikeable that my interest fizzled away. This really is not a book for me - it rambled, it got sidetracked by Walter Raleigh, and it went one and on. I would say best forgotten, but I could not really tell you what happened and I only put it down 5 minutes ago.
brindabani's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love a book about messy family dynamics. The mother figure in this book was almost too close to life (a fact made ironic by my own familial connection to the author). A hard, at times infuriating read but definitely a sign of my investment in the characters. An all timer.
the_wanderer's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
4.0
Cheyenne and Livy are off to their father's wedding. They are half sisters--same dad, different moms, raised by one mother with no idea of who the other mother might be. Since he has never supported them in any way, they are hopeful that there might be some money involved which would be awesome since they are--call it what you will--financially insecure, struggling, or just plain poor. He has specially requested that they attend his wedding which has them hoping; but at the very least, they will get something to eat besides Ramen and have brought along storage containers to make the most of the buffet.
But their father does not have any money for them. He has a name, possibly of the other mother. This sets them on something of across-country quest, but a quest performed with cheap rental cars and a vat of peanut butter to provide food for the trip. Livy gives up and goes back to fishing in Alaska, but Cheyenne, thinking that it is her mother she's seeking, keeps going.
The characters are appealing and you care about them, but at the same time you'll want to shake them. Their whole determination to "stick it to the man" has left them so poor almost everything they do becomes a high stakes game. They are constantly dependent on the kindness of strangers, and one of the most touching things in "The Great Offshore Grounds" is how often strangers rise to the occasion.
The pros about this novel is that it is very different, with characters we infrequently meet in situations that you don't want to believe but you know are probably true. The cons? It's hard to see such bright, driven, creative women work so hard for so little. But those are the times we live in.
Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for access to this fine novel.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
But their father does not have any money for them. He has a name, possibly of the other mother. This sets them on something of across-country quest, but a quest performed with cheap rental cars and a vat of peanut butter to provide food for the trip. Livy gives up and goes back to fishing in Alaska, but Cheyenne, thinking that it is her mother she's seeking, keeps going.
The characters are appealing and you care about them, but at the same time you'll want to shake them. Their whole determination to "stick it to the man" has left them so poor almost everything they do becomes a high stakes game. They are constantly dependent on the kindness of strangers, and one of the most touching things in "The Great Offshore Grounds" is how often strangers rise to the occasion.
The pros about this novel is that it is very different, with characters we infrequently meet in situations that you don't want to believe but you know are probably true. The cons? It's hard to see such bright, driven, creative women work so hard for so little. But those are the times we live in.
Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for access to this fine novel.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
brianthehuman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
bellwetherdays's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
mmsolheim's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
dreamgalaxies's review against another edition
4.0
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CWs are, as usual, at the bottom. This is one of two Oregon Book Award finalists I am reading this spring. I was amused to learn this was written by someone who works at a union I used to work at. I can certainly see the labor organizing background in Veselka's work. This is some of the clearest writing about what it's like to be poor in the US that I've ever read.
Other things to like here: nuanced, not always likable characters. Beautiful descriptions of everything from driving through the plains to midnight atop the mast of a tall ship. Depiction of alternative lifestyles without overdoing it. Complicated interfamily relationships.
What I didn't love: there's a lot of travel in this book, and it becomes a bit convoluted at points. The ghosts feel like an unfinished project; they didn't do anything for me. I didn't feel closure with Livy's choices at the end of the novel like I did with Cheyenne's. She made a choice and then suddenly, the story was over.
Content warning: rape.
CWs are, as usual, at the bottom. This is one of two Oregon Book Award finalists I am reading this spring. I was amused to learn this was written by someone who works at a union I used to work at. I can certainly see the labor organizing background in Veselka's work. This is some of the clearest writing about what it's like to be poor in the US that I've ever read.
Other things to like here: nuanced, not always likable characters. Beautiful descriptions of everything from driving through the plains to midnight atop the mast of a tall ship. Depiction of alternative lifestyles without overdoing it. Complicated interfamily relationships.
What I didn't love: there's a lot of travel in this book, and it becomes a bit convoluted at points. The ghosts feel like an unfinished project; they didn't do anything for me. I didn't feel closure with Livy's choices at the end of the novel like I did with Cheyenne's. She made a choice and then suddenly, the story was over.
Content warning: rape.