kdferrin's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this book up after reading a good review in the newspaper and it just reaffirmed to me that I should stick to getting recommendations from my friends on goodreads. About 50 pages in when I realized this was yet another book about dysfunctional adults I thought about returning it back to the library unfinished. I wish I had but because of the positive review I persevered. Unfortunately it is filled with things I don’t care to read; adultery, excessive use of the “f” word and explicit sex scenes. At times the author tried for a whimsical/quirky feel and it just never really seemed to jell with the rest of the book. The story was okay but not nearly strong enough to overcome all the negatives.
magdon's review against another edition
4.0
Sibling rivalry, weather and crazy Welsh traditions-- what a great combo. I remember being vaguely disappointed at Broken for You but not this one. Just beautiful (really 4 3/4 stars)
lisagray68's review against another edition
4.0
Stephanie Kallos certainly is an unusual writer. Her first book, Broken For You, is one of the only books I've ever read with an octogenarian main character. She's followed this up with yet another very strange book. She gives dysfunctional family a new name! This book was too long, she could have pared it down quite a bit and still told the story -- nevertheless, I really liked it. It's refreshing to read a book that is not made out of the same mold as every other book on the market. Quirky characters, good morals and themes -- not a pageturner, but worth your time.
lizmart88's review against another edition
2.0
Overall, thus wasn't a bad book and I did enjoy it enough to finish it. But it was really lacking in heart. There were too many plot lines, and the characters weren't developed enough for me to really care about them. Because there were so many characters, I never really felt like I was able to understand each of them individually.
stenaros's review against another edition
4.0
Nice, thick novel centered on a Nebraska family whose mother was borne away by a tornado. Great characters. Also, a fun take on "the dead." This is my favorite type of novel.
goosetheo's review against another edition
4.0
I like the author's character development. Enjoyed this story. Was a bit too long for my attention span though.
msjoanna's review against another edition
2.0
The reader for the unabridged audio version did a very nice job -- she managed to sing in Welsh and pronounce the Welsh words relatively seamlessly (though I suppose I don't know whether the pronounciations were correct or not).
But the book never really worked for me. The author tried to have a magical realism aspect where the "dead mothers" and "dead fathers" of the small town were given voice. Those passages never felt complete or integrated with the rest of the book.
Meanwhile, the three main characters -- the now-adult children of a mother who had disappeared long ago in a tornado -- were interesting, but somehow also flat. I never cared what happened to them and found their quirks more irritating than endearing.
The best parts of the book were the musings on small town life and what it means to come from a tiny town in the middle of Nebraska. But these moments weren't enough to carry a 500+ page book (16 CDs/20 hours on audio). This one can easily be missed.
But the book never really worked for me. The author tried to have a magical realism aspect where the "dead mothers" and "dead fathers" of the small town were given voice. Those passages never felt complete or integrated with the rest of the book.
Meanwhile, the three main characters -- the now-adult children of a mother who had disappeared long ago in a tornado -- were interesting, but somehow also flat. I never cared what happened to them and found their quirks more irritating than endearing.
The best parts of the book were the musings on small town life and what it means to come from a tiny town in the middle of Nebraska. But these moments weren't enough to carry a 500+ page book (16 CDs/20 hours on audio). This one can easily be missed.
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
As in Broken For You, Kallos has a good eye for details. This time around, I thought the characters were stronger, and the small-town Nebraska setting becomes a character itself. The themes have a lighter touch but are still important to the story. I got caught up in the lifes of most of the characters, each so flawed, but in a hopeful rather than depressing way. Overall a compelling and engaging read, recommended for when you want a nice long story with strong setting and characters that's not too much of a saga.
debs_shelves's review against another edition
4.0
This book was sorta long, and a little odd, but yet good. The characters were strange, the events were strange, yet I felt myself drawn in and liking both the characters and the plot. It was a good start to my new year!
athenameilahn's review against another edition
2.0
I like the concepts in the book more than the way Kallos executed them. There are likable qualities but it's nothing special.