rachel_mft's review against another edition
4.0
I had a hard time getting into this book until I realized that it's not really a novel--it's a collection of short stories. It's not marketed like that at all, so at first I was frustrated--I'd finish a chapter and start the next one, and suddenly it's 3 years later, and I would be thinking, "But what HAPPENED?"
But once I started reading the chapters as short stories, I loved the book. Glass has such a way with language; each story is lovely and insightful and sparkling. I had a little trouble with one of the major plot points--she didn't make me really believe it--but what she does with it afterward is brilliant. This is no Three Junes, but I think it's better than her sophomore work, [b:The Whole World Over|27646|The Whole World Over A Novel|Julia Glass|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167882144s/27646.jpg|2870].
But once I started reading the chapters as short stories, I loved the book. Glass has such a way with language; each story is lovely and insightful and sparkling. I had a little trouble with one of the major plot points--she didn't make me really believe it--but what she does with it afterward is brilliant. This is no Three Junes, but I think it's better than her sophomore work, [b:The Whole World Over|27646|The Whole World Over A Novel|Julia Glass|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167882144s/27646.jpg|2870].
dr_manuela_reads's review against another edition
1.0
I really, really wanted to finish this book, but I just can't. I love Julia Glass' book "The Whole World Over" and after finishing it ran out and bought all her other books. I save books I look forward to reading to episodes in my life when I really need a "pick me up" and so I had "saved" this book thinking it would be just as good as the other one I read and oh my god, what a disappointed. This book is so boring! I can't get into the characters. Going back and forth between them without headings or something warning about a transition was so confusing. Very early in the book there is a sharp transition that I thought maybe pages were missing from the book. I was lost. These jumps, transitions between characters, and lives that are so boring, make for an unappealing book. Recently, I vowed to quick books that I was not enjoying and I am honoring that and giving up on this book.
loonyhiker's review against another edition
2.0
It was depressing and sad. The relationship between the sisters was too disjointed. The story bounced around too much and I had trouble sticking with it. I finished the book because I kept hoping that it would get better but it didn't.
sejacks86's review against another edition
5.0
The "double helix" analogy that comes up through the book feels like the book itself- its a dance of perspective, and so beautifully written that you feel for the characters deeply. Absolutely worth reading.
melissakuzma's review against another edition
2.0
So disappointing! I am a huge Three Junes and [b:The Whole World Over|27646|The Whole World Over A Novel|Julia Glass|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167882144s/27646.jpg|2870] fan, so I had high expectations for Julia's latest and it just didn't live up to them. It's the story of two sisters that takes place over the course of about 20 years, alternating points of view and jumping ahead three years in each chapter. Each chapter would take a while to get into, and then the next thing you know, it's three years later and the story has totally shifted gears again. Maybe this is the reason I never felt like I got to know - or like - these characters.
amina43080's review against another edition
2.0
I was a huge fan of Julia Glass's "The Whole World Over". This novel seemed choppy - I think it was the two narrators and the huge leaps in time. The sadness of what happened to one of the sisters came on abruptly and shocked me to say the least - it is not what I was expecting. The writing was mediocre at best, but it was a story was page turner.
ohynnek's review against another edition
This is the third book by Julia Glass that I've read - Three Junes and The Whole World Over are the other two. The novel is the story of two sisters Clem & Louisa Jardine. The novel is told in alternating chapters from Clem & Louisa's viewpoints. It covers a period from 1980 to 2005. Each chapter seems to be a sort of vignette - there is not a lot of plot that carries over from chapter to chapter. Each chapter is a different phase in their lives. Clem has a different boyfriend in each chapter and is usually living in a new place doing a new biology/wildlife-related job. Louisa finally settles in New York but also has different men in each chapter.
Julia Glass is one of my favorite authors. I loved Three Junes when I read it though I am afraid to go back and re-read it now. I didn't love The Whole World Over as much as Three Junes.
I really liked I See You Everywhere once I got used to the fact that there wasn't a plot that carried over from chapter to chapter. I loved the characters - Julia Glass does such a good job of creating characters that you care about.
Julia Glass is one of my favorite authors. I loved Three Junes when I read it though I am afraid to go back and re-read it now. I didn't love The Whole World Over as much as Three Junes.
I really liked I See You Everywhere once I got used to the fact that there wasn't a plot that carried over from chapter to chapter. I loved the characters - Julia Glass does such a good job of creating characters that you care about.
adrienneambo's review against another edition
3.0
Alternating story of two sisters spanning years. Listened to half read the other half...easier to follow on audio. Read for 2011 book group. Not well liked and Three Junes a much better read by this literary author.
judyward's review against another edition
2.0
I read Three Junes by the same author and really like it. But this book, not so much. Many of the same themes are revisited--a mother who loves dogs and who favors one daughter over the other, cancer, a vague and absent father. The book is told over a 25 year period and each section is told in the voice of one of the two sisters--Clem or Louisa. In some sections, it was difficult to figure out which sister was speaking until they spoke about a specific incident in their lives. I found that I really didn't like either sister much which didn't help. Apparently the book's theme is that even if you are not close to your sister because of life experiences or personality differences, your life is totally intertwined with hers forever. And I thought that I wanted a sister--based on this book, maybe not.
fgaon's review
2.0
Listening to this book was probably easier than reading it. The voices were clearly defined with different narrators. What I enjoy about Julia Glass is the internal dialogue. She is skilled in developing her main characters, they are multi-dimensional. What I didn't like- the plot, or lack thereof... It seemed more like snippets in time no real structure to the story. The opening of the novel sets the stage to dislike the characters and it's difficult to get past that point.