kendra_bc's review against another edition
3.0
I give this book 2.5 stars. It was not written very well, so I had to reread paragraphs to understand their meaning. The dialogue was especially confusing because it was hard to tell who was talking at times. I did like how the story was told from the perspective of each girl individually.
leafingthroughlife's review against another edition
3.0
Three Story House is the story of three cousins who are closer than sisters. Each is stumbling through her own life on her way to an uncertain destination. First, there is Lizzie, professional soccer player and would-be Olympian, but another knee injury has threatened to sideline her for good. Then there is Elyse, whose bold aspirations accumulate a mountain of failures. Lastly, there is Isobel, a has-been sitcom actress whose true self, if she could find it, might be wrapped up in restoring houses. When Lizzie discovers that her grandmother's oddly shaped Memphis mansion has been condemned and is in danger of being sold at auction, the three cousins drop everything and head to Memphis to see if the house can be rescued and whether it holds the answers to all of Lizzie's questions about her missing father.
All in all, I was disappointed with Three Story House. I loved the idea of the three women finding healing for themselves while restoring a house to its former glory, but the execution was a little bumpy. Don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Santo's writing. It flows well, does a good job of describing the house the three cousins are trying to save, and Santo puts a good effort into drawing out her three protagonists. The problem is, I didn't particularly like them or dislike them or feel much of anything for them at all. They wavered between seeming less than genuine and making me feel weirdly uncomfortable, neither of which is great when it comes to relating to characters. Lizzie was almost too vulnerable, crumbling at the least provocation. Too much of the cousins' bond seems to revolve around protecting overly fragile Lizzie from the difficult stuff life has to dish out. The heart of Elyse's storyline was so desperate and selfish that I was mostly embarrassed for her. Isobel alternates between being the strong and supportive ring leader to being staggeringly self-centered, and I felt that Santo struggled to get at the heart of her character.
I'm okay with an ending that leaves some matters unresolved, but Three Story House seemed like it wanted to tie everything up, but finished with a lot of ends that were still pretty loose. Instead of giving Elyse and Isobel proper endings for their story lines, Santo allows the end of the story to meander back to tying up Lizzie's loose ends leaving the other cousins' stories to peter out unsatisfactorily. Three Story House touches on some big themes but doesn't dig quite deep enough to fully unearth them, leaving the book marooned in the uncertain territory between fluffy women's fiction and something a little more profound.
All in all, I was disappointed with Three Story House. I loved the idea of the three women finding healing for themselves while restoring a house to its former glory, but the execution was a little bumpy. Don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Santo's writing. It flows well, does a good job of describing the house the three cousins are trying to save, and Santo puts a good effort into drawing out her three protagonists. The problem is, I didn't particularly like them or dislike them or feel much of anything for them at all. They wavered between seeming less than genuine and making me feel weirdly uncomfortable, neither of which is great when it comes to relating to characters. Lizzie was almost too vulnerable, crumbling at the least provocation. Too much of the cousins' bond seems to revolve around protecting overly fragile Lizzie from the difficult stuff life has to dish out. The heart of Elyse's storyline was so desperate and selfish that I was mostly embarrassed for her. Isobel alternates between being the strong and supportive ring leader to being staggeringly self-centered, and I felt that Santo struggled to get at the heart of her character.
I'm okay with an ending that leaves some matters unresolved, but Three Story House seemed like it wanted to tie everything up, but finished with a lot of ends that were still pretty loose. Instead of giving Elyse and Isobel proper endings for their story lines, Santo allows the end of the story to meander back to tying up Lizzie's loose ends leaving the other cousins' stories to peter out unsatisfactorily. Three Story House touches on some big themes but doesn't dig quite deep enough to fully unearth them, leaving the book marooned in the uncertain territory between fluffy women's fiction and something a little more profound.
maeve_the_bookaholic's review against another edition
Tell not show, it didn't grab my attention and on top of that i didn't like the main charakter. Maby i will give it another chancev but there are so many other books to read.
cocoanut7's review against another edition
4.0
Three Story House by Courtney Miller Santo is a delightful book that I thoroughly enjoyed. This book reminded me of old movies: the beginning can be a bit slow and the plot isn’t really action packed, but it was heartwarming and honest. The story explores issues that felt authentic and relevant and the main characters were realistically flawed but still loveable. Initially I found myself not very invested, but as the book progressed and stories developed it became very engaging. The plot is very basic. Mostly it’s about three cousins and their attempt to fix and repair an old and collapsing quirky home – the home of one of their grandmothers. All three struggle with identities and familial and social relationships but they have a strong bond together which pulls them through. Their character development is mostly believable though slow and not quite as fulfilled as I was hoping for (Spoiler alert: it ends without resolving their struggles, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it’s probably more realistic. It’s just a bit anticlimactic). This book actually occurs from the perspective of each girl in a linear way – the plot is never repeated, but the point of view just changes. I was reluctant to change from the main character because I was invested in her story and frankly the other girls seemed kind of shallow and uninteresting, but then I became attached to each cousin as their story progressed and I learned more about their internal struggles. It also is a heavier book; it’s not as lighthearted and uplifting as I was expecting. Still, the book is heartwarming, and there are definitely some plot twists I didn’t expect. I would definitely recommend this book to people especially if they’re looking for something that isn’t as cliché or high intensity as some books are nowadays; it’s honest and wants to relate more emotionally.
Fair warning: there’s a fair amount of swearing (with some f-bombs) and sexual references including a scene that’s pretty sexually driven.
Fair warning: there’s a fair amount of swearing (with some f-bombs) and sexual references including a scene that’s pretty sexually driven.
beckylej's review against another edition
2.0
Spite House, a historic landmark in Memphis, Tennessee and the house where Lizzie spent much of her childhood, has fallen into grave disrepair. In the time since her grandmother passed away the house was apparently abandoned and left to rot. Now the city has stepped in and Lizzie and her mother are in danger of losing it unless it can be fixed to code. Enter Lizzie's cousins Elyse and Isobel.
Best of friends since Lizzie's mother married into the family, the three girls are as close as siblings. Together they'll work to fix Spite House and uncover its secrets. But the renovations also offer each of them a chance to fix their own lives as well. Lizzie, who dreams of a chance at the Olympics while recovering from her latest surgery hopes the house will finally give her the opportunity to learn about her father. Elyse is using Spite House as a chance to escape her sister's looming marriage - a marriage to the man Elyse has been in love with much of her own life. And Isobel has always dreamed of recapturing the attention and celebrity she had as a child. For her Spite House might prove to be exactly what she's looking for.
As with her debut, The Roots of the Olive Tree, Courtney Miller Santo once again offers up something of a family saga. This time it's one year in the life of three cousins, each on the brink of thirty and each unsure what to do next in life.
The book is split into three sections, each piece told from one of the girls' viewpoints. This is a format I usually enjoy quite a bit but I'm not sure that it was the best option here in Three Story House. First, the house itself was of the most interest to me. Spite House - there's a story there! Unfortunately it's pushed to the background and only generally glossed over. The girls never really became fully developed or fleshed out either. Sadly I never really felt like I was seeing anything beyond their surface stories - I never felt like I was really getting to know any of them and ended up having quite a hard time connecting with them and becoming invested in their stories.
Best of friends since Lizzie's mother married into the family, the three girls are as close as siblings. Together they'll work to fix Spite House and uncover its secrets. But the renovations also offer each of them a chance to fix their own lives as well. Lizzie, who dreams of a chance at the Olympics while recovering from her latest surgery hopes the house will finally give her the opportunity to learn about her father. Elyse is using Spite House as a chance to escape her sister's looming marriage - a marriage to the man Elyse has been in love with much of her own life. And Isobel has always dreamed of recapturing the attention and celebrity she had as a child. For her Spite House might prove to be exactly what she's looking for.
As with her debut, The Roots of the Olive Tree, Courtney Miller Santo once again offers up something of a family saga. This time it's one year in the life of three cousins, each on the brink of thirty and each unsure what to do next in life.
The book is split into three sections, each piece told from one of the girls' viewpoints. This is a format I usually enjoy quite a bit but I'm not sure that it was the best option here in Three Story House. First, the house itself was of the most interest to me. Spite House - there's a story there! Unfortunately it's pushed to the background and only generally glossed over. The girls never really became fully developed or fleshed out either. Sadly I never really felt like I was seeing anything beyond their surface stories - I never felt like I was really getting to know any of them and ended up having quite a hard time connecting with them and becoming invested in their stories.
geka's review against another edition
2.0
Het verhaal is wel leuk, maar de vele typfouten maakte het erg lastig om verder te lezen...
pawprintsinthesink's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book! The characters were intriguing and their relationship to one another was well developed and explored. I loved the balance between the focus on the house, their lives, and their histories. Definitely recommend!
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