samiwinslow's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
_tomeraider's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jesuisenzo's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this book in one go. The writing is spectacular and it’s almost hard to believe that this is a debut novel. Definitely hard to read sometimes as the story goes into really dark territories. But the darkness, and the crudeness of the characters make this book all so grand.
I could write lines and lines about the book, like how well written are the characters of Rose and Edith, or how the book hits its peak with Mae’s breakthrough event… but the best thing to do would be for you to discover it by yourself. And of course, the setting and historical background are also participating into creating an atmosphere that will make it hard to close this book. It was truly dazzling to imagine the soggy swamps of Louisiana and then being transported into the long beaches of the Hamptons.
As said before, the book goes into truly dark places and deals with really difficult subjects, but it does it so beautifully, with a grace I rarely seen in a book for a while.
The only downside would be some chapters dedicated to characters that are not really necessary to the understanding of the story (to me). It felt sometimes like it was trying to intentionally dragging the story in length and it was hard to understand their purpose in the family’s story…
I could write lines and lines about the book, like how well written are the characters of Rose and Edith, or how the book hits its peak with Mae’s breakthrough event… but the best thing to do would be for you to discover it by yourself. And of course, the setting and historical background are also participating into creating an atmosphere that will make it hard to close this book. It was truly dazzling to imagine the soggy swamps of Louisiana and then being transported into the long beaches of the Hamptons.
As said before, the book goes into truly dark places and deals with really difficult subjects, but it does it so beautifully, with a grace I rarely seen in a book for a while.
The only downside would be some chapters dedicated to characters that are not really necessary to the understanding of the story (to me). It felt sometimes like it was trying to intentionally dragging the story in length and it was hard to understand their purpose in the family’s story…
tianaamari18's review against another edition
4.0
Disturbing, realistic, relatable, and you really don’t expect certain things. Motifs about the relationship between siblings, and children and their parents.
And you really have no idea how it ends , it doesn’t end
And you really have no idea how it ends , it doesn’t end
larsimodo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A captivating even if sometimes repulsive story that is addictive yet feels forbidden to read. The language is rich and beautiful and stands in stark contrast to the destructive and <incestuous> family dynamics displayed.
naish's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
owlribbon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Incest, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Stalking, and Vomit
smagdarine's review against another edition
5.0
magical. gothic. ugly. beautiful. read this immediately
erindoc's review against another edition
3.5
loved the unusual style of narration of events through short, varying perspectives across time, even the perspectives of somewhat random non-characters.
that said, there’s a few things i take issue with, mostly related to the ending. i think that dennis’ backstory as a freedom rider was sort of odd and out of place. i do not think it was necessary to the story, and the same purpose could have been accomplished through less exaggerated means. the story of dennis as a famous author already served the purpose (for the most part) of illustrating the contrast between his public perception and true self.
i think the story was hurt by “present” (2008) perspective. marianne living in a christian cult (?????) was out of left field. a few things referenced previously were not resolved, such as rose’s hatred for edie, dennis’ stroke, and amanda’s lawsuit against mae. mae’s character resolution as a famous artist, even beyond the art world, was too over the top for me. although her art career was supposed to represent the defiant reclamation of her identity, i think its proportions cheapened/ trivialized her recovery.
that said, there’s a few things i take issue with, mostly related to the ending. i think that dennis’ backstory as a freedom rider was sort of odd and out of place. i do not think it was necessary to the story, and the same purpose could have been accomplished through less exaggerated means. the story of dennis as a famous author already served the purpose (for the most part) of illustrating the contrast between his public perception and true self.
Spoiler
i think the story was hurt by “present” (2008) perspective. marianne living in a christian cult (?????) was out of left field. a few things referenced previously were not resolved, such as rose’s hatred for edie, dennis’ stroke, and amanda’s lawsuit against mae. mae’s character resolution as a famous artist, even beyond the art world, was too over the top for me. although her art career was supposed to represent the defiant reclamation of her identity, i think its proportions cheapened/ trivialized her recovery.