redroofcolleen's review
2.0
This really grabbed me in the beginning, but after 275 pages, I didn't really like any of the characters or care what happened to them.
patricia_an's review
4.0
I have enjoyed everything by this author, including the setting of the town she grew up in for all of the books. Her specialty is family dynamics and the ways we can love through pain.
brentmayberry's review
4.0
I picked this book up in Portland, ME, while on my vacation thinking it would be nice to have a local author's work to enjoy on my way home.
I could not put it down my entire trip back to Utah.
When I review books, I don't summarize the plot for fear of giving something away unnecessarily. Instead, I like to focus on the more technical side to analyzing works of fiction since I need a good, logical reason to read them in the first place.
Monica Wood has a great sense of cadence in her writing that helps her reader vividly see the characters, events, and details in her story. I enjoyed the religious tones of "Any Bitter Thing" even though I'm not catholic, and I really enjoyed the twists and turns in the novel. Her metaphors are fantastic and poetic, her dialogue just right. I identified with her characters, I empathized with them, I got sucked into the story, and so when that happens, I know the author is a good one.
I could not put it down my entire trip back to Utah.
When I review books, I don't summarize the plot for fear of giving something away unnecessarily. Instead, I like to focus on the more technical side to analyzing works of fiction since I need a good, logical reason to read them in the first place.
Monica Wood has a great sense of cadence in her writing that helps her reader vividly see the characters, events, and details in her story. I enjoyed the religious tones of "Any Bitter Thing" even though I'm not catholic, and I really enjoyed the twists and turns in the novel. Her metaphors are fantastic and poetic, her dialogue just right. I identified with her characters, I empathized with them, I got sucked into the story, and so when that happens, I know the author is a good one.
carolynlynlyn's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was really well written and you could really feel the love between the main characters. Your heart will break for them.
xinesinnott's review
5.0
Yesterday I wandered through my local used bookstore, trying to find a book I wouldn't be able to put down. Turns out this was it. Wonderful writer -- will be looking for her other books.
pumpkinspice4ever's review
Very compelling read! This author has a way with clever phrasing and beautiful moments created between the main character and her husband.
eileen9311's review
5.0
This was a firm favorite from 2013, when it was published. I very rarely reread anything, but the timing was right as my stack had dwindled. The second time around certainly measured up! What a unique plot, and Monica Wood is such a talented writer!
On the opening page, the pedestrian protagonist is struck by a car and abandoned in the middle of a dark road. The story, set in rural Maine, unfolds with flashbacks, and the characterization is vivid indeed. Woven throughout are themes of heartbreak and memory, regret and forgiveness. I found the experience absorbing, as the plot was truly original, with writing so strong that one was compelled to linger.
“September intoxicates him. Some lost memory of the Island drifts in on the bitten air: the rattle of leaves, the taste of apples. September! The natural world is in full crackle, a rapturous harvest surfacing at roadside stands. The altar abounds with pushy, pie-faced sunflowers.’
Unfolding in the first person, the tale features characters both rich and endearing. There’s plenty of suspense as well, but I didn’t want it to end. A sure sign of a winner! I also loved When We Were the Kennedys by this author.
On the opening page, the pedestrian protagonist is struck by a car and abandoned in the middle of a dark road. The story, set in rural Maine, unfolds with flashbacks, and the characterization is vivid indeed. Woven throughout are themes of heartbreak and memory, regret and forgiveness. I found the experience absorbing, as the plot was truly original, with writing so strong that one was compelled to linger.
“September intoxicates him. Some lost memory of the Island drifts in on the bitten air: the rattle of leaves, the taste of apples. September! The natural world is in full crackle, a rapturous harvest surfacing at roadside stands. The altar abounds with pushy, pie-faced sunflowers.’
Unfolding in the first person, the tale features characters both rich and endearing. There’s plenty of suspense as well, but I didn’t want it to end. A sure sign of a winner! I also loved When We Were the Kennedys by this author.
howifeelaboutbooks's review
4.0
Both my parents read this, then passed it on to me. Interesting story about a woman who was raised by her uncle, a priest, and how unorthodox that was, especially in their small town. She was taken away from him when she was nine, and never learned the truth about what happened back then. After fighting with her husband, she leaves the house and is hit by a car. While healing in the hospital, she's determined to find out the truth about both men she's loved. There are a lot of great twists in this book, and none are hokey or exaggerated. Very well-done.
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