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gretwade's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed the simplicity and home town feel of this book. When things get overwhelming, I think it can be refreshing to read a simple book. The problems faced in this book are mostly everyday problems and the arsons are discussed just like they would be in any small town: gossip. There was a definite feeling of home in these pages.
perry417's review against another edition
4.0
I will admit that after I finish a book and give it a little while to sink in, I come back to Goodreads and look at some other reviews before I write my own. I'm so surprised by the number of people who didn't like this book and didn't finish it, because it certainly captured my attention and made me think. I felt very drawn to the characters of Frankie and Bud, what brought them together and their very different versions of "home." The arsonist story was a sub-plot (even though it's the title), drawing lines between the summer folks and the year-round folks, and the parallels between that distinction in the small American town and the dividing lines present in Frankie's relief work in Africa. Even Sylvia, with her commitment to her husband even as he fades away with dementia, had a theme of "home" and what that means... but to me, all of these characters and story lines were tied together not with a neat little bow or trite little solutions, but with a nuance and complexity and ambiguity that felt very real to me. I quite enjoyed this one.
bethreadsandnaps's review against another edition
3.0
The title of this one is a bit misleading. There is a subplot of an arsonist terrorizing a small town (which doesn't have a real resolution), and that's the backdrop. However, the main story is really about 43 year old Frankie coming back from her work in Africa and figuring out what she wants to do with her life (local newspaper owner Bud becomes her love interest) as well as her mother Sylvia's struggles with her ailing husband.
And in that paragraph I have literally summarized the whole book. I enjoy Sue Miller's writing, but I find that I'm not patient enough for the very slow pace. I like character novels and don't ask for a tremendous amount of plot, and it DOES take place in the summer in a small town, but good grief was it slow and rather uninteresting.
Good writing, though, so I don't want to give it 2 stars. And she does touch on bigger themes that might be good book club discussions.
One thing that I found fascinating: Bud did everything at his local newspaper. He owned it, wrote the stories, photographed the pictures, worked with advertisers, did the typesetting, assembled the circulars into it, and delivered papers. Really?! Or does one person really do EVERYthing when you own a local newspaper?
And in that paragraph I have literally summarized the whole book. I enjoy Sue Miller's writing, but I find that I'm not patient enough for the very slow pace. I like character novels and don't ask for a tremendous amount of plot, and it DOES take place in the summer in a small town, but good grief was it slow and rather uninteresting.
Good writing, though, so I don't want to give it 2 stars. And she does touch on bigger themes that might be good book club discussions.
One thing that I found fascinating: Bud did everything at his local newspaper. He owned it, wrote the stories, photographed the pictures, worked with advertisers, did the typesetting, assembled the circulars into it, and delivered papers. Really?! Or does one person really do EVERYthing when you own a local newspaper?
briegle's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.5
Recommended for folks who like slice-of-life stories and... still-life paintings? If you're a fan of details like "after the conversation, he cleared the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher" then you'll love this book. It was still interesting and I did enjoy getting to know the characters and the small town in New Hampshire, but it didn't have as much forward momentum to the plot to draw you along.
2dogsbarkin's review against another edition
5.0
Small-town mysteries are definitely one of my favorite genres. Mysteries are my go to, and add the small-town relationships and affairs and I'm in heaven. This book did not disappoint me.
moirab's review against another edition
3.0
The book seemed to switch between mystery, romance, and a few other genres. I enjoyed it though felt there were some major holes (sister was far too absent), and wrapped up too tidily.
b_nbdeeg's review against another edition
sad
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? Yes
2.0
pepper1133's review against another edition
2.0
I definitely didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. Frankly, I would have preferred it if I had hated it, because then I would have been able to throw it against the wall and yell at it. But instead, it was just . . . so . . . DULL. Nothing really happens. No characters are even interesting enough to care about. Kept waiting for there to be a significant reason for the story to be set in 1998, but nope, nothing stood out. I really, really wanted Alfie to be the arsonist. And since that question never gets answered, hey, maybe he could be! In the last few paragraphs, there is a glimpse of what Frankie and Bud's relationship will be over the next 15 years, and man, THAT was the story I wish I had read.
gawronma's review against another edition
2.0
My only comment is that I found the story boring. The book had so much potential but it fell falt.
cstockey's review against another edition
1.0
I was so disoriented with how slow this book is to get going anywhere that I went into the reviews. It appears that there is some pick up in the last third of the book but also that most people found the end disappointing.
I'm going to be honest I got part way into part 3/10 in the audio book and was bored. I'm moving on to books more my style.
Good luck to anyone who reads it through. I have a feeling you'll know in the first 50-100 pages if you like Sue Miller's style of writing because there were people who genuinely enjoyed this book in some of the reviews. I was just promised a mystery related to arson and I gather that's not what I am getting myself into.
I'm going to be honest I got part way into part 3/10 in the audio book and was bored. I'm moving on to books more my style.
Good luck to anyone who reads it through. I have a feeling you'll know in the first 50-100 pages if you like Sue Miller's style of writing because there were people who genuinely enjoyed this book in some of the reviews. I was just promised a mystery related to arson and I gather that's not what I am getting myself into.