moonshake's review against another edition
5.0
"But here we are as ghosts to each other, the sight of the other stirring nothing but skittishness." OOOOHHH MYYYY GODDDDDDDDD
wyrmst's review against another edition
5.0
An imperfect and masterful book. I didn't mind it's imperfection, and I was overwhelmed from the beginning.
vani_in_wonderland_'s review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
beestew93's review against another edition
5.0
I will be VERY honest, this book read like pure class. Think Flannery O’Conner, a long dirt road, autumn leaves, and a farm house. Okay, that’s not the setting for this book at all but it is what it FEELS like.
3 Stars is because I’m salty at this ending, am currently trying to put pieces of my heart back into my chest (it’s hopeless, the shrapnel) and honestly, if didn’t make sense. SPOILERS COMING: 2/3 of the book was spent getting me emotionally invested in a beautiful friendship turned romance, where Frances makes Bernard better, then she turns tail and RUNS? But it doesn’t matter because he actually NEVER CHANGES? And they both END. UP. SAD?!
Nope. No thanks. Beautiful book, rushed at the end, makes me want to write all the letters in the world, win ☺️
3 Stars is because I’m salty at this ending, am currently trying to put pieces of my heart back into my chest (it’s hopeless, the shrapnel) and honestly, if didn’t make sense. SPOILERS COMING: 2/3 of the book was spent getting me emotionally invested in a beautiful friendship turned romance, where Frances makes Bernard better, then she turns tail and RUNS? But it doesn’t matter because he actually NEVER CHANGES? And they both END. UP. SAD?!
Nope. No thanks. Beautiful book, rushed at the end, makes me want to write all the letters in the world, win ☺️
mary412's review against another edition
3.0
I've been curious about Flannery O'Connor so I downloaded this from Audible. It was an interesting, short [less than 7 hour] listen. Now I'm more curious about the real people.
kbratten's review against another edition
5.0
I adored this novel. No idea how I heard about it, I had no idea it was inspired by Flannery O'Connor and Robert Lowell, so I was not distracted by fact vs fiction. I don't usually go for letters as a novel, they are usually do disjointed and full of contrived opportunities for recounting necessary plot points that wouldn't make it into real letters. But the letters between Frances and Bernard, and their other recipient friends, felt natural. I got a very quick and thorough sense of who these people were. I saw a review that describes them as 'fully realized individuals' and wholeheartedly agree. Both Frances and Bernard felt complete, in their interests, interactions, responses to things. I enjoyed the book's consideration of faith and worship, mental health--both as one experiencing profound darkness and one not quite sure how to handle it, the roles society encourages and the grappling with one's acceptance and denial of those roles. It's portrayal of love, manic and measured, is wise and simple. All while moving along at a brisk, quippy pace with lots of banter (as much as is possible in letters). I listened to the audiobook and both voice actors did a phenomenal job.
lola425's review against another edition
4.0
I vacillated between three and four stars for this one. I loved the epistolary style. I think the form suited the story. Bernard was based on Robert Lowell who has a lot of his correspondence collected so it makes sense that the story would be told in this way. I struggled with all the talk of God and religion. It was an integral part of the story, an integral thread in their correspondence but it did not engage me. Watching as Bernard falls apart, as Frances denies her ability to love, as the two cross each other, never able to find each other on the same page at the same time is heartbreaking, but you also know that what ultimately happens is "right", was bound to happen. If Robert Lowell's real history is any indication, life with his would have been no picnic. I would highly recommend Words in Air, the Collected Letters of Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop, if you wanted to get a sense of Lowell's letter writing style.
12grace4's review against another edition
reflective
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
3.5
elisabeth1st's review against another edition
2.0
Dry and uninteresting to me. The debates on religion held no interest to me, and actually were off putting. I see that this book is considered quite literary so don't allow my negative comments to influence you. Simply not for me.