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annadseal's review against another edition
3.0
I had high hopes for this book and, while I did enjoy parts of it, I mostly thought it was a waste of time. Really, what happened? Nothing. Nothing happened. Young Judith's story was enjoyable, but older/present-day Judith sucks. She needs to see a therapist.
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Loom for review on Night Owl Reviews.
2frangipani2's review against another edition
2.0
Well, it took me almost four and a half years to finish this book. And the reason I finished it, is because I am a few books short on my year goal and thought I could get closer by finishing books I have already started.
There are a lot of people that really loved this book, which is why I bought it in the first place. Frankly it was hard for me from the start because adult Judith is so unlikeable. It is not that she is hiding away from her husband, but that she is completely ignoring her daughter and how she is treating her just is not right. This woman seems completely selfish and I just dont have respect for people that just run away from their responsibilities like that.
The childhood years were more interesting, although it took far too long to tell the story. Too many words for what is really going on.
I think that sums up the whole book for me as it was too wordy on a level that did not catch my attention. At least it is done!
There are a lot of people that really loved this book, which is why I bought it in the first place. Frankly it was hard for me from the start because adult Judith is so unlikeable. It is not that she is hiding away from her husband, but that she is completely ignoring her daughter and how she is treating her just is not right. This woman seems completely selfish and I just dont have respect for people that just run away from their responsibilities like that.
The childhood years were more interesting, although it took far too long to tell the story. Too many words for what is really going on.
I think that sums up the whole book for me as it was too wordy on a level that did not catch my attention. At least it is done!
bookhawk's review
3.0
I picked up this book because McNeal's Goodnight Nebraska is a favorite. I liked this book in many ways. The scenes with Willy and Judith courting was pure gold along with some of the interactions between father and daughter. Judith and Malcom ultimately detract from the story as snobby and too urbane liars. Several great quotes along the way, however, bring back McNeal's talent to the foreground.
ninapup'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? It's complicated
2.0
Part 1 I was interested, part 2 I was bored, part 3 I wanted to know what was going to happen then hated the ending
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
5.0
"It is the first shower that wets."
"Marriage is like picking the place where you're going to live for the next fifty years by using a wall map, a blind fold, and what you really, truly, deeply believe is your lucky dart."
"Our marriage, like all marriages, was happy until it wasn't."
Judith was living the dream and had the sort of marriage to Malcolm she had envisioned for herself during her college years at Stanford. Her life was settled and serene, until a little 'swerve' occurred which she might have intended to occur, "maybe I'd actually plotted it out in one of those corners of your brain or heart that you access only in dreams." Yet, she believed in a sort of love that "picks you up in Akron, Ohio, and sets you down in Rio de Janeiro." She'd had that with Willy Blunt in high school, one of the secrets she carried with her. When she starts to suspect that Malcolm might be cheating on her, Judith allows herself to explore the secrets she'd suppressed for almost three decades.
This book appealed to me on so many levels and I suspect it will stay with me for quite a while. What if....who hasn't wondered how our lives would be different had we made different choices in our youth...we had married another person....chosen a job in a different city. Why does that first lover still hold a special place in the secret spaces in your heart or your occasional dreams? What if....
A haunting, beautifully written story of love, marriage, and roads not taken, tinged with dangerous choices. I loved this book.
Recommended by Ellen
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sto%20be%20sung%20underwater%20mcneal__Orightresult__U1?lang=eng&suite=pearl
"Marriage is like picking the place where you're going to live for the next fifty years by using a wall map, a blind fold, and what you really, truly, deeply believe is your lucky dart."
"Our marriage, like all marriages, was happy until it wasn't."
Judith was living the dream and had the sort of marriage to Malcolm she had envisioned for herself during her college years at Stanford. Her life was settled and serene, until a little 'swerve' occurred which she might have intended to occur, "maybe I'd actually plotted it out in one of those corners of your brain or heart that you access only in dreams." Yet, she believed in a sort of love that "picks you up in Akron, Ohio, and sets you down in Rio de Janeiro." She'd had that with Willy Blunt in high school, one of the secrets she carried with her. When she starts to suspect that Malcolm might be cheating on her, Judith allows herself to explore the secrets she'd suppressed for almost three decades.
This book appealed to me on so many levels and I suspect it will stay with me for quite a while. What if....who hasn't wondered how our lives would be different had we made different choices in our youth...we had married another person....chosen a job in a different city. Why does that first lover still hold a special place in the secret spaces in your heart or your occasional dreams? What if....
A haunting, beautifully written story of love, marriage, and roads not taken, tinged with dangerous choices. I loved this book.
Recommended by Ellen
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sto%20be%20sung%20underwater%20mcneal__Orightresult__U1?lang=eng&suite=pearl
llkendrick's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I got completely lost in this book and had to read it in one sitting. The story was beautifully written, the characters seemed lifelike, and the regrets/problems just seemed so real. The only reason I wouldn't give this 5 stars is because I didn't like Judy as much as an adult ad I did when she was a teenager and that I have questions that went unanswered. But overall, great read!
I got completely lost in this book and had to read it in one sitting. The story was beautifully written, the characters seemed lifelike, and the regrets/problems just seemed so real. The only reason I wouldn't give this 5 stars is because I didn't like Judy as much as an adult ad I did when she was a teenager and that I have questions that went unanswered. But overall, great read!
snowmaiden's review against another edition
5.0
I was a little worried, because this book starts out like the kind of stock Lifetime movie where a middle-aged woman decides to change her life, but once we start getting the flashbacks to Judith's teenage years in Nebraska, it gets much more interesting. McNeal is a fabulous writer, and his descriptions of both people and nature are very apt. Plus, it's always interesting to read a love story written by a man, especially when the main character is a woman. It made me cry, and that's one of my tests for greatness in this kind of book.
librarylassamj's review against another edition
5.0
I loved it. A story of love lost, refound and lost again. Deeply moving.