Reviews

I remember reading this when it first came out in the late 90's and I remember loving it! When I re-read it, I did not remember one single thing from my previous read. And, I don't remember why I loved it so much. I have never experienced the loss that this family did, but I found each one of the characters more frustrating than the last; and I was unable to relate with any of them. I think that JM tried to get us to identify with Beth and appreciate her honesty in her feelings, but it just didn't happen for me.

skyhiiigh's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This book was okay . I did like how it ended though l.

kaynuh18's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

emybooksandcoffee's review against another edition

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2.0

Corny. HORRIBLE main characters. I really hate to say this but please watch the movie with (totally likeable) Michelle Pfeiffer instead.

cemoses's review against another edition

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4.0

I found the book very suspenseful and a pageturner. I could not put the book down.

Once criticism though I have of the book is that the book starts with focusing on the mother and then switches midway to the point of view of the eldest son. The husband and the daughter are never really that well developed. I felt the novel should focus on all the family members or just one of them,

In addition, I expected that there would be more problems of jealousy on the part of Vincent since the mother favored Ben.

somanybookstoread's review

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3.0

I hovered between 3 and 4 starts on this one. This was Mitchard's debut novel and, in ways, that shows. Her editor should have been a bit more severe here as there was definitely 60-100 pages that should have been cut from this long novel. The level of detail in many places just did not support the story. Furthermore, a mystery (of sorts) should not be bogged down with unnecessary descriptions. The story should be moving along! Despite that, the story was rich and the characters were, for the most part, likable. I'm kind of on a Jacquelyn Mitchard kick at the moment, so I'll read the follow-up novel, but not with very high expectations. This is the second novel I've read by this author and I will give this to her: two for two her stories were original.

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