Scan barcode
azket1965's review against another edition
5.0
First time in a long while that I’ve stayed up all night to read a book.
nweem218's review against another edition
2.0
I KNOW it was well written... and there were parts that I absolutely LOVED - it made me think... and it made me think of what's going on today in politics (and how it seems history is repeating itself) but I didn't love the characters- it didn't compel me to pick it up and get reading.
Didn't seem to live up to the hype, overall.
Didn't seem to live up to the hype, overall.
chattycathy55's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled with this book. I felt compelled to finish it but at the same time, some of the characters (elise) made me freaking crazy. It was an interesting perspective into the WASP upbringing from pre-WWII to the current day. I also would have liked smoother transitions to each time period (label the chapter perhaps)
erin_mcs's review against another edition
Gave up 150 pages in. I just don’t care about these characters. Wish I did.
efabs151's review against another edition
2.0
Lots of promise but there were too many flashes forward and back by multiple characters. This stalled the major plot twists and the ending lost impact.
bridget_in_md's review against another edition
1.0
Super boring. Was tempted to give up but kept thinking it had to get better but it didn’t. I didn’t care for the story told in three time periods, scattered. I think the whole story was exaggerated in what was acceptable for the times (ie, grandfather a nazi sympathizer, a rich socialite daughter in love with a Jewish man, etc). Just not enough teeth in this book.
michelereader's review against another edition
4.0
The Guest Book is a multi-generational family saga that takes you into the lives of the Miltons – an elite banking family who appear to have everything but are greatly flawed and filled with prejudice and a belief of their superiority. In present day, we meet Evie, one of a group of cousins faced with the demise of their family wealth and the uncertain fate of the family island in Maine. As a historian, Evie is striving to better understand her mother and her family. The revealing of family secrets, which were not surprising, were well handled. Oftentimes in a book that moves from different time periods, I tend to favor one period but in this sweeping novel, I was totally invested in each character, even those who were repugnant. Sarah Blake is an excellent writer – some of the prose I read several times as the wording was so expressive. Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.
jillybebe's review against another edition
3.0
Decent, but a tad long-winded. This story could have been tightened and shortened without losing any of its mystery. In the end, the unfolding felt rushed. This would make a good PBS series.
biglow1's review against another edition
5.0
I don't usually review or recommend books, but I just finished reading The Guest Book by Sarah Blake. It‘s a novel but has a very interesting examination of elitism, class-ism and racism in the context of multiple generations of the same family. The parallels to today's political environment are startling. It takes a while for the story to unwind and while the actual events are not surprising the narrative itself is. I recommend it.