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jesssalexander's review against another edition
sad
slow-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
2.75
There was entirely too much going on here!! Too many characters, too many plot lines, and too many flashbacks and scene and perspective changes. And, differently, too many heavy topics all jammed in!
I thought this was going to be a fun read about a quirky movie star turned recluse and her family in Ireland but actually it’s mostly about a middle aged man with substance abuse issues who ruins his future while trying to reconcile his past.
My two favorite scenes centered around Marithe, Daniel’s youngest daughter. There is a moment when she is grieving over her half-brother’s departure for boarding school and she is mean to her pet chicken. I can’t remember exactly what she and Claudette say to one another but I remember thinking it was so poignant. Also later when she is reflecting on her own adolescence and crossing over into adulthood and says this: “To never feel that again, that idea of yourself as one unified being, not two or three splintered selves who observed and commented on each other.”
Everything was so well put. Like she could never be that child again who was wholly present and fully doing one thing. It was a neat conceptualization.
I thought it was interesting that one of the main motifs of the novel was Daniel’s impotence when attempting to form relationships with his children. First there is the abortion he doesn’t want his girlfriend to have, then his ex wife thwarts all his attempts to connect with his first two kids, then the senseless gun violence, and lastly Claudette imposes a separation from his last two kids when his drinking gets out of control. I suppose part of his redemption arc is how he finally bonds with Niall. I’ve been puzzling over why the reader roots for Daniel— he’s pretty objectively terrible, he cheats on his girlfriend the day after her abortion— and I guess it has to do with this motif. He wanted so bad to have a relationship with his kids so you end up wanting things to work out for him.
I thought this was going to be a fun read about a quirky movie star turned recluse and her family in Ireland but actually it’s mostly about a middle aged man with substance abuse issues who ruins his future while trying to reconcile his past.
My two favorite scenes centered around Marithe, Daniel’s youngest daughter. There is a moment when she is grieving over her half-brother’s departure for boarding school and she is mean to her pet chicken. I can’t remember exactly what she and Claudette say to one another but I remember thinking it was so poignant. Also later when she is reflecting on her own adolescence and crossing over into adulthood and says this: “To never feel that again, that idea of yourself as one unified being, not two or three splintered selves who observed and commented on each other.”
Everything was so well put. Like she could never be that child again who was wholly present and fully doing one thing. It was a neat conceptualization.
I thought it was interesting that one of the main motifs of the novel was Daniel’s impotence when attempting to form relationships with his children. First there is the abortion he doesn’t want his girlfriend to have, then his ex wife thwarts all his attempts to connect with his first two kids, then the senseless gun violence, and lastly Claudette imposes a separation from his last two kids when his drinking gets out of control. I suppose part of his redemption arc is how he finally bonds with Niall. I’ve been puzzling over why the reader roots for Daniel— he’s pretty objectively terrible, he cheats on his girlfriend the day after her abortion— and I guess it has to do with this motif. He wanted so bad to have a relationship with his kids so you end up wanting things to work out for him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, and Infidelity
lauratoline's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Another fabulous story of family from Maggie O'Farrell. Lovable but flawed characters who you will root for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Medical content
stampest's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Stalking, and Abortion
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infertility, and Miscarriage
glorifiedloveletters's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the third Maggie O'Farrell book I've read this year (the others being her memoir, I AM, I AM, AM; the other, HAMNET), and by the end of next year, it wouldn't surprise me if I read the rest of her books.
THIS MUST BE THE PLACE is not only a great title (and one of my favorite songs), but the writing here is so, so good. A dozen+ characters all realized so fully. Loved it wholeheartedly.
THIS MUST BE THE PLACE is not only a great title (and one of my favorite songs), but the writing here is so, so good. A dozen+ characters all realized so fully. Loved it wholeheartedly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Abortion
Moderate: Drug use, Miscarriage, and Murder
sarah_eggleton's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.5
I expected to me more gripped by this book, I particularly care about the main characters as much as I did the side characters. It made me laugh and is wonderfully descriptive, but I think having so many perspectives didn’t leave enough time to get fully invested in the main characters stories
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Eating disorder and Abortion
garlinds's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I always forget how much I love family sagas until I pick one up. In this novel, Maggie O'Farrell weaves together the relationship between Daniel and Claudette in such a beautiful and heartbreaking way.
I fell in love with the characters and their complexities, despite the frustration they caused. I enjoyed how the chapters of this book read like a series of interwoven short stories as each character crossed paths with one another, offering a fresh perspective to the story. And though I got a bit mixed up as the story jumped back and forth in time, I liked how the book explored how our pasts are linked to our futures.
Thank you to @fictionmatters for selecting this as the May book club pick! As always, last weekend's discussion took my reading of this book to a whole new level.
This was my first Maggie O'Farrell, and it certainly won't be my last!
I fell in love with the characters and their complexities, despite the frustration they caused. I enjoyed how the chapters of this book read like a series of interwoven short stories as each character crossed paths with one another, offering a fresh perspective to the story. And though I got a bit mixed up as the story jumped back and forth in time, I liked how the book explored how our pasts are linked to our futures.
Thank you to @fictionmatters for selecting this as the May book club pick! As always, last weekend's discussion took my reading of this book to a whole new level.
This was my first Maggie O'Farrell, and it certainly won't be my last!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Abortion
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, and Miscarriage