carbonaden's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
flogigyahoo's review against another edition
4.0
Another interesting novel by Jessica Shattuck. We are introduced to the Dunlop family, totally disfunctional: Jack ignores his children, Eliot, 9 years old, Caroline, early 20's, his twin sons we never meet--they are away at camp--and his ex-wife, Faith, who suffers a nervous breakdown and is hospitalized for a long time. The maid, Rosita, has been dismissed by Jack after someone remarks on her attractiveness. Eliot has a plan to get her back. A friend of the family, Rock, is a catalyst, showing up time and again when he shouldn't: and Stephan, a rather unpleasant, sexy outsider who wants to make a documentary of life among the WASPs in one of America's most beloved revolutionary-era historical spots, the town of Concord.
The story is told by weaving back and forth among these characters, each adding to the whole except for Rosita, who only speaks up at the end. I enjoyed the story, I liked reading Shattuck; one never knows what will happen next.
The story is told by weaving back and forth among these characters, each adding to the whole except for Rosita, who only speaks up at the end. I enjoyed the story, I liked reading Shattuck; one never knows what will happen next.
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