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paytonr's review
3.0
This was a fun "generational movie" type of book. Strong, if at times misguided, characters whose lives are sprinkled with the individuals who walk through their lives. This is a very quick refreshing read delving into a couple of the pressing issues surrounding family dynamics as the generations progress.
daceydacey's review
4.0
I have such mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand it's maybe the most tightly written book I've ever read - in about 250 (small, well spaced) pages Meloy manages to cover over 60 years and four generations of the of the Santerre family without leaving anything out. She is also a master at showing and not telling - most of the key plot moments are in scenes and not in descriptive paragraphs. On the other hand, the actual meat of the story and what happens and how the characters view the various "sins" committed is troubling to the point of being totally unbelievable and very distracting. It's a commentary on the Catholic church and I think it's clear Meloy hates the church, but still the plot...
SPOILERS:
There's (casual, quickly forgiven by all!) incest between an uncle and his niece (/cousin), a teacher who (casually!) rapes and impregnates his young student (which her mother quickly covers up), and a patriarch who views these men and their sins as equally bad to the lesbian his daughter loves.
So, yeah. I'm just not sure I could recommend it because the content is a lot a lot, but it is truly well written.
SPOILERS:
There's (casual, quickly forgiven by all!) incest between an uncle and his niece (/cousin), a teacher who (casually!) rapes and impregnates his young student (which her mother quickly covers up), and a patriarch who views these men and their sins as equally bad to the lesbian his daughter loves.
So, yeah. I'm just not sure I could recommend it because the content is a lot a lot, but it is truly well written.
rach4syth's review
3.0
I liked the character development; I feel like I could see them clearly and what motivated them. While some soap-opera-worthy events were distracting and not believable, I liked how how various lies within a family, especially those told to "protect" others from the truth, wove throughout three generations.
indigospin's review
3.0
This was just ok for me. I found myself forgetting who was who! I wanted to draw a family tree just to keep it all straight! Having said that, it was entertaining enough. I liked that the chapters were short vignettes, not dragging on too long on any one story. I liked the writing style, I just wish there was a little more depth to keep me fully engaged.
aksyring's review
4.0
A great, quick read. Maile Meloy is truly a great writer, an even better developer of characters. I loved each and every one of them, despite their many flaws. It seems like every author these days has to write about family disfunction - after all, how entertaining is a perfect family? - but I felt like this was a really original story. Sometimes when there are so many characters in so many different generations, I feel distanced from some of them, but they were all well-rounded, consistent, and sympathetic.
My only negatives... I felt like maybe it would have been good in first person. There seemed to be a wall up with the third person, where I could get only so close, but not IN it.
Also, I hated the ending when Yvette died. Or rather, how Yvette died. I thought it was ridiculous, a bit of a farce, and maybe even poking fun at Catholics. I thought it took away from Yvette's faithfulness, which was something I actually liked about her. It was a great character contrast to have someone like her in the family, and then to have Jamie and Clarissa, who were so anti-Catholic. I would have been fine if she had died or been murdered in a different way, but I thought her being murdered on the first day of her pilgrimage to Rome while going to St. Peter's to pray was awful.
My only negatives... I felt like maybe it would have been good in first person. There seemed to be a wall up with the third person, where I could get only so close, but not IN it.
Also, I hated the ending when Yvette died. Or rather, how Yvette died. I thought it was ridiculous, a bit of a farce, and maybe even poking fun at Catholics. I thought it took away from Yvette's faithfulness, which was something I actually liked about her. It was a great character contrast to have someone like her in the family, and then to have Jamie and Clarissa, who were so anti-Catholic. I would have been fine if she had died or been murdered in a different way, but I thought her being murdered on the first day of her pilgrimage to Rome while going to St. Peter's to pray was awful.
amytierney00's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
jayqueuetee's review
5.0
What a beautiful book. Meloy writes the most unbelievable sentences; every thought is so well-crafted and simple that it makes you feel like you're breathing the story instead of actually reading a book. I really cannot begin to recommend this book highly enough and I'm not even sure why. Where else can you find a writer who can cover the entire childhood of a character in a single sentence and encapsulate that person's essence? It's BRILLIANT, is what it is, and I'm in awe of her. Absolutely in awe.
This is such a small, perfect book, one that spans over the life of four generations of one family in less than 300 pages without making you feel like you've lost even one ounce of who any one character is deep down. What a phenomenal novel from a phenomenal writer.
This is such a small, perfect book, one that spans over the life of four generations of one family in less than 300 pages without making you feel like you've lost even one ounce of who any one character is deep down. What a phenomenal novel from a phenomenal writer.