kimzeyk's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zinelib's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
As a long-time Gabrielle Zevin fan, who has loved all of her books, I'm baffled by her first, Margarettown. It has an unlikeable/unreliable male narrator in love with a manic pixie dream girl who contains multitudes. I don't want to describe it further, other than to ask why it's classed as a YA novel, when it isn't. I did dog ear some pages, so let's see what's going on there...
"An echo makes for very good company," Old Margaret said. "Whenever I'm lonely, I always try to find one to talk to. They're much better than mirrors. Mirrors say nasty things about you. Echoes are far more supportive. They think whatever you say is completely brilliant."
I mean, I didn't say Zevin is a bad writer or has bad ideas.
But underneath it all, underneath the wide hips, Bess is a great gal.
The narrator, being misogynistic and unlikeable.
page 250 has a heartbreaking passage about the inner life of a six-year-old that's too long to type with my cat starting at my fingers typing on my keyboard.
page 250 has a heartbreaking passage about the inner life of a six-year-old that's too long to type with my cat starting at my fingers typing on my keyboard.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
ageism doesn't warrant a content warning apparentlystitchykitch's review
5.0
This was magically surreal, and almost a love story told in a fun house of mirrors. It would be mildly infuriating to read if you were only interested in the literal truth, because the narrators may have told so many versions of the truth that you’d think they were liars. but at least they were honest. The style really works and reminded me a bit of the movie Big Fish.
sampena16's review
5.0
"Some day, you do not know when, you will be driving down the road and some day, you do not know when, you will make a wrong turn. At the end of the road, when you're least expecting it, he (or possibly she) will be there."
I initially picked up this novel because I wanted to read another book by the same author but couldn't find that book in the library. But I'm so happy I picked this up and read it. Though its prose and story are simple, it's quite profound in its telling of humans and our capacity and ability to love, how we appear to others and how we are to ourselves. It's a very quick read but had lovely, lovely, lovely quotes.
I initially picked up this novel because I wanted to read another book by the same author but couldn't find that book in the library. But I'm so happy I picked this up and read it. Though its prose and story are simple, it's quite profound in its telling of humans and our capacity and ability to love, how we appear to others and how we are to ourselves. It's a very quick read but had lovely, lovely, lovely quotes.
independentdaisy's review against another edition
challenging
fast-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
4.5
oranges448's review against another edition
challenging
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? N/A
2.0
sammy234's review
4.0
“The casualties seemed to go on and on. Just when I thought I was done losing her, I would find yet another way to love her all over again.”
After a bit of the thought, I've decided to give this book four stars. It's sad, funny, extremely weird, and the romance sometimes felt a bit one-sided (Margaret was built up to be this almost mythological figure in the narrator's mind, while in her mind she just calls him "my husband" and he doesn't even have a name) but I loved this compassionate, honest portrayal of a woman dealing with mental illness so much that I think it deserves a high rating, despite the story's innate strangeness. If you don't like magical realism, you'll probably hate this book. It's hard to differentiate between reality and unreality in this story, but I felt I mostly understood what had occurred by the time I got to the last page, so I personally thought it was worth the read.
TW: self harm, suicidal ideation, depression
After a bit of the thought, I've decided to give this book four stars. It's sad, funny, extremely weird, and the romance sometimes felt a bit one-sided (Margaret was built up to be this almost mythological figure in the narrator's mind, while in her mind she just calls him "my husband" and he doesn't even have a name) but I loved this compassionate, honest portrayal of a woman dealing with mental illness so much that I think it deserves a high rating, despite the story's innate strangeness. If you don't like magical realism, you'll probably hate this book. It's hard to differentiate between reality and unreality in this story, but I felt I mostly understood what had occurred by the time I got to the last page, so I personally thought it was worth the read.
TW: self harm, suicidal ideation, depression
ssmythe1's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
notallbooks_mp's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25