kbastin's review against another edition
4.0
Slow to start and hard to follow from the beginning but turned into a good, but odd story. Left me wanting more and wanting to know what actually happened to Nora.
beccacraven's review against another edition
4.0
Individually, I didn't think any of the characters were all that great. The prose itself wasn't anything groundbreaking.
But somehow, the combination of characters, events, and words made this book something I couldn't put down.
I look forward to reading more of Pittard's work.
But somehow, the combination of characters, events, and words made this book something I couldn't put down.
I look forward to reading more of Pittard's work.
rlk7m's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great read even if it left me feeling rather sad. Was I sad about Nora's fate? Or was it about the fates of some of the guys? Maybe I was sad that these guys are still admittedly thinking about a girl from high school as they approach middle age. Or maybe I was sad reading how everyone grew older. Despite my feelings, this was a great read that leaves many questions unanswered and makes you relate to the characters in their pursuit of finding answers.
debjazzergal's review against another edition
2.0
This wasn't an enjoyable book for me. It was like getting stuck in a teenaged boys head; and that bot never matures.
autumngore's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
this was an indictment of white suburbia & toxic masculinity. it was also about collective trauma, and groupthink/hive mentality, and how painful it can be to grow up. there were a lot of big ideas that weren't executed properly. characters felt rather flat (some i knew were intentionally drawn that way; others felt unintentionally underdeveloped), and the nonlinear narrative made things Confusing (trust, i love me a story that's Out of Order but this just didn't do it for me).
but overall, it was an ambitious book ... what initially drew me to it was the use of the fourth person POV -- it's not one you see used often in fiction. i think, if anything, this was a decent example of what kind of stories can be told when you break outside the mold of first person limited & third person omniscient.
but overall, it was an ambitious book ... what initially drew me to it was the use of the fourth person POV -- it's not one you see used often in fiction. i think, if anything, this was a decent example of what kind of stories can be told when you break outside the mold of first person limited & third person omniscient.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Moderate: Pedophilia
melissakuzma's review against another edition
2.0
I was really looking forward to this based on some of the pre-pub reviews I'd seen, but it did not live up to my expectations. Maybe it's me - I hate it when I don't know what REALLY happens, and in this book you definitely don't. Nora Lindell disappears on Halloween night when she's 16 and the boys in her town obsess and fantasize for years about what may have happened to her. I actually cared what happened to her (which - spoiler alert! - you never find out), but I couldn't care less about these jerky guys.
jennywjordan's review
3.0
I’m not sure I am invested enough in The Fates will Find Their Way to truly dislike it, hence the average rating.
I came across the book and was so intrigued by the description I couldn’t wait to read it. It’s a shorter book and easy to follow and could easily be read in a day or two. It only took me a week because I was less invested early on. Ultimately I became attached to the story and then wildly disillusioned at the end.
The novel follows the growing up of a group of private school classmates and their one public
school neighbor. In their affluent community all the parents are connected, all the kids are connected, all their lives are connected. We see this connection play out as they grow up, attend college, marry and return to the area. They are held together by longtime binds of growing up an the disappearance of a classmate.
During the story we are treated to explanations of what happened to Nora. I was never sure if these happenings were the boys fascinations, possible theories of what happened, what did happen or what. I would begin to put it all together only to realize that part wasn’t true at all.
In some ways the story models what we go through growing up—like events shape and change us and sometimes it’s those who go through that with us that understand us best.
In other ways it’s the story of privileged teens who grow up to be mediocre adults. We get lost in the minutia of the story and just wonder what happened to Nora. SPOILER —- you never find out
I wanted to love the books as much as I came to love a couple characters but in the end I could barely even care that I had finished it. Like some of its characters, the story was there and then it was gone
I came across the book and was so intrigued by the description I couldn’t wait to read it. It’s a shorter book and easy to follow and could easily be read in a day or two. It only took me a week because I was less invested early on. Ultimately I became attached to the story and then wildly disillusioned at the end.
The novel follows the growing up of a group of private school classmates and their one public
school neighbor. In their affluent community all the parents are connected, all the kids are connected, all their lives are connected. We see this connection play out as they grow up, attend college, marry and return to the area. They are held together by longtime binds of growing up an the disappearance of a classmate.
During the story we are treated to explanations of what happened to Nora. I was never sure if these happenings were the boys fascinations, possible theories of what happened, what did happen or what. I would begin to put it all together only to realize that part wasn’t true at all.
In some ways the story models what we go through growing up—like events shape and change us and sometimes it’s those who go through that with us that understand us best.
In other ways it’s the story of privileged teens who grow up to be mediocre adults. We get lost in the minutia of the story and just wonder what happened to Nora. SPOILER —- you never find out
I wanted to love the books as much as I came to love a couple characters but in the end I could barely even care that I had finished it. Like some of its characters, the story was there and then it was gone
rosekk's review
4.0
I wasn't expecting to read this book so quickly - in one sitting, pausing only for food. It's one of those books that deliberately leaves things unanswered. Half the point is that there are some things never confirmed or denied, that have an almost greater value for belonging to the imagination alone. It's frustrating, because of course I want to know 'what really happened', even though that's not the point at all. I liked that it was narrated in second person; that the narrative voice groups the boys/men together. It confirms the sense of them being ordinary people with ordinary lives, because they aren't unique enough to command the story on their own, as individuals. It's a little unsettling to think of characters that way, because it forces you to consider the idea that people aren't as unique as we like to imagine ourselves to be, but it makes perfect sense for the story. I guess my only real problem with the story is one I have with many: that I don't really believe in or understand this small-town america setting. I've read many books set in times and places I'm unfamiliar with, but there's something about this setting - which I see a lot in books and movies - which feels more fake, or made-up, or distant to me than any other I can think of. This is not a fault of the writer, of course.
eileen_critchley's review against another edition
3.0
I know and respect what this book was trying to do. But it felt a little all over the place to me, and disjointed. It also took me much longer to read than it should have, as it's not a long book and not a difficult read. I lost momentum with it about halfway through.