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judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
The Fragile World by Paula Treick DeBoard, an emotionally charged account of a family experiencing utter despair, faced with choices, and wracked by grief, fear, and guilt; and a poignant journey to love, healing, forgiveness, and acceptance.
The Kaufman’s, a normal family in Sacramento, CA when looking in, from the outside, before the tragedy. Curtis, the father a physics teacher at the local high school. Kathleen, mother, a strong female, and highly creative, restores furniture and a buyer for antiques dealer. Daniel, a child musical prodigy, is attending college out of town on a music scholarship.
Their entire world has revolved around Daniel and his music. Olivia, at age twelve feels a little left out, as sometimes she feels as though she is a disappointment, compared to her older brother (which is often the case when there is one sibling, a prodigy with a busy schedule of lessons, deadlines, performances, and expectations). However, she worships her brother and dreads when he moves away for school.
Their safe world is forever changed when a tragedy occurs. Daniel is killed in a tragic accident. How will they cope? Lives drives drive revenge or fear?
As the years go by, this family falls apart, piece by piece, each one of them reacts differently to protect the other, going to extremes, with a lack of communication.
Can they find their way back to normal, or could it be they never were normal and will need to start a new? The choices they make will forever change the course of their lives. A journey of, “moving on” in the midst of a complicated situation.
Curtis feels he has let down his family and the only way to make amends is revenge – to destroy the monster who did this; a dark obsession with a man named Robert. He needs to hold someone accountable for his son’s death, and it is the only way he can make sense of this new world he has to live in.
Kathleen, wants to communicate, go to therapy, and stay busy, by burying herself in work, and projects, to start over and move away from this town which holds so many memories.
Olivia is struck by fear. She has to protect herself and those around her. She is afraid to leave the house, and keeps a fear journal, recording every item which causes a panic attack. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-Franklin D. Roosevelt. Also blenders.—Olivia Kaufman
DeBoard takes readers on an incredible and intense emotional journey. A family crumbling layer by layer; pain, hurt, guilt; a father’s plan, a witty and humorous father-daughter road trip (loved this, as I am a huge road trip fan and always makes for interesting characters along the way)--from Sacramento to the sleepy town of Oberlin, Ohio and Omaha, Nebraska (with some side trips), and a mother’s sacrifice to save her family.
The parents also hold secrets of Curtis’s past which brings another side story, grandparents, and another road trip to Chicago (this time, mother-daughter). Boy, they are racking up the miles . .
The Fragile World is an intense and suspenseful, yet intriguing page-turner which keeps you hooked, dying to learn the fate of each character. The book centers around the word, “world”. The road trip takes them away from the world they knew into a new world. Olivia lives in a world of fear and isolation after the tragedy; and later breaks out of her comfort zone into a different world she never thought possible.
Kathleen moves to a new city and begins her new world with possibilities and wants desperately for her family to share with her. Talented secondary, character Luke is also living is a small town, with limited resources, yet he finds a way to utilize his creativity by designing snow globes which tell a story of different worlds and life experiences met with tragedy.
The author creates an amazing tale, and executes brilliantly, even though some reviewers do not care for the ending, and I do question as to why one parent suffers the blame; however, the story focuses on Curtis and Olivia’s POV.
A realistic story, with flawed characters, and sometimes it is not all about a happy fairy tale ending, yet leaving you with hope, and promise, as this family learns to heal, accept, and overcome obstacles and tragedy. The author’s beautiful writing draws you in to the scents, smells, and vivid descriptions with raw emotions and enjoyed the breaking out the POVs alternating voices.
The one thing I was hoping for, since the front cover is depicting the snow globe – more from the character Luke, later in the book. He was such an endearing character, which will touch your heart with his little roadside stand, and his caring altruistic nature. He was able to break down the barriers with Olivia, when no one else could. I was hoping for a mention of him, possibly selling his globes in their new store, as a unique item. Possibly a later story about Olivia and Luke….
Well done – highly recommend!
A special thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
The Kaufman’s, a normal family in Sacramento, CA when looking in, from the outside, before the tragedy. Curtis, the father a physics teacher at the local high school. Kathleen, mother, a strong female, and highly creative, restores furniture and a buyer for antiques dealer. Daniel, a child musical prodigy, is attending college out of town on a music scholarship.
Their entire world has revolved around Daniel and his music. Olivia, at age twelve feels a little left out, as sometimes she feels as though she is a disappointment, compared to her older brother (which is often the case when there is one sibling, a prodigy with a busy schedule of lessons, deadlines, performances, and expectations). However, she worships her brother and dreads when he moves away for school.
Their safe world is forever changed when a tragedy occurs. Daniel is killed in a tragic accident. How will they cope? Lives drives drive revenge or fear?
As the years go by, this family falls apart, piece by piece, each one of them reacts differently to protect the other, going to extremes, with a lack of communication.
Can they find their way back to normal, or could it be they never were normal and will need to start a new? The choices they make will forever change the course of their lives. A journey of, “moving on” in the midst of a complicated situation.
Curtis feels he has let down his family and the only way to make amends is revenge – to destroy the monster who did this; a dark obsession with a man named Robert. He needs to hold someone accountable for his son’s death, and it is the only way he can make sense of this new world he has to live in.
Kathleen, wants to communicate, go to therapy, and stay busy, by burying herself in work, and projects, to start over and move away from this town which holds so many memories.
Olivia is struck by fear. She has to protect herself and those around her. She is afraid to leave the house, and keeps a fear journal, recording every item which causes a panic attack. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-Franklin D. Roosevelt. Also blenders.—Olivia Kaufman
DeBoard takes readers on an incredible and intense emotional journey. A family crumbling layer by layer; pain, hurt, guilt; a father’s plan, a witty and humorous father-daughter road trip (loved this, as I am a huge road trip fan and always makes for interesting characters along the way)--from Sacramento to the sleepy town of Oberlin, Ohio and Omaha, Nebraska (with some side trips), and a mother’s sacrifice to save her family.
The parents also hold secrets of Curtis’s past which brings another side story, grandparents, and another road trip to Chicago (this time, mother-daughter). Boy, they are racking up the miles . .
The Fragile World is an intense and suspenseful, yet intriguing page-turner which keeps you hooked, dying to learn the fate of each character. The book centers around the word, “world”. The road trip takes them away from the world they knew into a new world. Olivia lives in a world of fear and isolation after the tragedy; and later breaks out of her comfort zone into a different world she never thought possible.
Kathleen moves to a new city and begins her new world with possibilities and wants desperately for her family to share with her. Talented secondary, character Luke is also living is a small town, with limited resources, yet he finds a way to utilize his creativity by designing snow globes which tell a story of different worlds and life experiences met with tragedy.
The author creates an amazing tale, and executes brilliantly, even though some reviewers do not care for the ending, and I do question as to why one parent suffers the blame; however, the story focuses on Curtis and Olivia’s POV.
A realistic story, with flawed characters, and sometimes it is not all about a happy fairy tale ending, yet leaving you with hope, and promise, as this family learns to heal, accept, and overcome obstacles and tragedy. The author’s beautiful writing draws you in to the scents, smells, and vivid descriptions with raw emotions and enjoyed the breaking out the POVs alternating voices.
The one thing I was hoping for, since the front cover is depicting the snow globe – more from the character Luke, later in the book. He was such an endearing character, which will touch your heart with his little roadside stand, and his caring altruistic nature. He was able to break down the barriers with Olivia, when no one else could. I was hoping for a mention of him, possibly selling his globes in their new store, as a unique item. Possibly a later story about Olivia and Luke….
Well done – highly recommend!
A special thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
machadofam8's review against another edition
3.0
The ending was a little too clean, but I enjoyed the story - great characters too.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
The Fragile World by Paula Treick DeBoard is a heart-wrenching, poignant and at times, humorous, novel. This compelling story about the Kaufman family and the aftermath of a tragic loss is an intense and emotional journey for parents Curtis and Kathleen and their daughter Olivia. The plot is mostly character driven novel but the final chapters are action packed as the story races to a suspenseful (and very surprising) conclusion.
The Kaufman's happy life ends with a devastating phone call about the death of their oldest son Daniel. Each of the family members grieves and copes with his death in very different ways: Curtis is obsessed with bringing the man responsible for the terrible accident to justice while Kathleen is proactive about getting the family into therapy and copes by keeping busy. Twelve year old Olivia becomes anxiety ridden and overwhelmed with fears about anything and everything that could go wrong. Fast forward a few years and their lives completely implode when Curtis receives a letter that puts in motion a chain of events that culminate in a cross country trip that ends in a way that no one could possibly imagine.
The Fragile World is written in third person and alternates between Curtis and Olivia's perspectives. Curtis is a sympathetic, yet frustrating character and it is impossible to fully like him as his continued obsession turns dangerous. Olivia is a heartbreaking character as she battles her anxiety by compulsively recording her fears in her notebooks and eventually disengaging from normal life. She is the keeper of her father's secrets and although her efforts might be misguided, she is trying to protect him the best way she knows how.
The overall pacing of the novel is rather slow until Curtis and Olivia embark on their road trip. Curtis's behavior is almost manic during the journey and although he has a few reservations about what he plans to do, he never wavers from his decision. Olivia is almost panic stricken as she is forced from the safe cocoon she has created for herself but as she faces her worst fears, her anxiety becomes more manageable. But it is her chance meeting with a young man in Wyoming that proves most healing as she steps briefly steps out of her crazy world and into normal teenage life.
The Fragile World is a well-written and absorbing novel that is quite thought-provoking. It is an intriguing character study that will surprise, frustrate and sometimes, delight, readers as they join Curtis and Olivia on their life-altering journey. Paula Treick DeBoard brings the story to a pulse-pounding conclusion that is rather shocking and while the overall ending is hopeful,there are a few lingering questions that remain unanswered.
The Kaufman's happy life ends with a devastating phone call about the death of their oldest son Daniel. Each of the family members grieves and copes with his death in very different ways: Curtis is obsessed with bringing the man responsible for the terrible accident to justice while Kathleen is proactive about getting the family into therapy and copes by keeping busy. Twelve year old Olivia becomes anxiety ridden and overwhelmed with fears about anything and everything that could go wrong. Fast forward a few years and their lives completely implode when Curtis receives a letter that puts in motion a chain of events that culminate in a cross country trip that ends in a way that no one could possibly imagine.
The Fragile World is written in third person and alternates between Curtis and Olivia's perspectives. Curtis is a sympathetic, yet frustrating character and it is impossible to fully like him as his continued obsession turns dangerous. Olivia is a heartbreaking character as she battles her anxiety by compulsively recording her fears in her notebooks and eventually disengaging from normal life. She is the keeper of her father's secrets and although her efforts might be misguided, she is trying to protect him the best way she knows how.
The overall pacing of the novel is rather slow until Curtis and Olivia embark on their road trip. Curtis's behavior is almost manic during the journey and although he has a few reservations about what he plans to do, he never wavers from his decision. Olivia is almost panic stricken as she is forced from the safe cocoon she has created for herself but as she faces her worst fears, her anxiety becomes more manageable. But it is her chance meeting with a young man in Wyoming that proves most healing as she steps briefly steps out of her crazy world and into normal teenage life.
The Fragile World is a well-written and absorbing novel that is quite thought-provoking. It is an intriguing character study that will surprise, frustrate and sometimes, delight, readers as they join Curtis and Olivia on their life-altering journey. Paula Treick DeBoard brings the story to a pulse-pounding conclusion that is rather shocking and while the overall ending is hopeful,there are a few lingering questions that remain unanswered.
apn01's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
eclectictales's review against another edition
3.0
I won an ARC of this book via the GoodReads First Reads programme. This review in its entirety was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2014/11/14/review-the-fragile-world/
The Fragile World follows the Kaufmans after the loss of their son, Daniel. The grief is raw and quite palpable throughout the book, of how his death has changed the rest of their lives forever. The book follows the perspectives of Olivia and Curtis, whose grief manifests itself in different ways and who overall provides interesting takes on their responses to Daniel’s death.
Curtis and Olivia’s journey to visit Katherine in Omaha after a “moment” back in Sacramento is not only a physical road trip but also an emotional and character journey. Olivia slowly opens up and begins to face her fears, many of which she had been writing down over the years in her “fear journal.” Curtis’ journey on the other hand takes a darker turn as he becomes obsessed in righting and wrong and facing the man who killed his son. It’s tense as there are plenty of opportunities in which Curtis was almost caught, and the climax of his efforts was just harrowing.
The Fragile World thus is a meditation of loss and grief and the ways it can affect both the individual and the family unit. It’s a stressful read; you feel for the characters, and yet their trajectories, especially that of Curtis, leaves the reader feeling uneasy. Nonetheless it’s an interesting meditation on grief and tragedy and the different ways in which people acknowledge and work through them. I would recommend this title for readers of contemporary adult fiction, though you may need to be in a particular mood to read it.
The Fragile World follows the Kaufmans after the loss of their son, Daniel. The grief is raw and quite palpable throughout the book, of how his death has changed the rest of their lives forever. The book follows the perspectives of Olivia and Curtis, whose grief manifests itself in different ways and who overall provides interesting takes on their responses to Daniel’s death.
Curtis and Olivia’s journey to visit Katherine in Omaha after a “moment” back in Sacramento is not only a physical road trip but also an emotional and character journey. Olivia slowly opens up and begins to face her fears, many of which she had been writing down over the years in her “fear journal.” Curtis’ journey on the other hand takes a darker turn as he becomes obsessed in righting and wrong and facing the man who killed his son. It’s tense as there are plenty of opportunities in which Curtis was almost caught, and the climax of his efforts was just harrowing.
The Fragile World thus is a meditation of loss and grief and the ways it can affect both the individual and the family unit. It’s a stressful read; you feel for the characters, and yet their trajectories, especially that of Curtis, leaves the reader feeling uneasy. Nonetheless it’s an interesting meditation on grief and tragedy and the different ways in which people acknowledge and work through them. I would recommend this title for readers of contemporary adult fiction, though you may need to be in a particular mood to read it.
stinkybarnacles's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
samantha_randolph's review against another edition
5.0
"Ever since Daniel Kaufman was killed in a freak accident, the Kaufman family hasn't been the same. His parents, Kathleen and Curtis, have separated, with Kathleen making peace with her grief and Curtis burying himself in it. Daniel's younger sister, Olivia, knew before his death that she wasn't the star of the family. Now, she hides behind black clothes and hopes for a better future where the ideas of terrible things don't constantly run through her head. As the family struggles to survive after the death of the one they loved so greatly, they will find unexpected sides of their selves they never saw coming." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=49402
simsarah79's review against another edition
4.0
This got me from the first page, I liked Olivia's voice. It chronicled a family's unravelling after the accidental death of the elder child, a son of Kathleen and Curtis Kauffman. Told from the pov of Olivia and Curtis we see how truly fragile we are when something devastating happens. What i didn't expect that came not too far from the beginning was the intent of Curtis to get revenge on the killer, who didn't seem to be sorry for his truck hitting daniel as he walked across the street. Curtis never came to terms with it and after the separation of Curtis and kathleen, Curtis who has custody of Olivia take a road trip that unbeknownst to Olivia is for her father to find the recently paroled killer and kill him.
The ending wasn't expected and i'm not sure how I feel about it yet, but it was well written and I enjoyed it immensely.
The ending wasn't expected and i'm not sure how I feel about it yet, but it was well written and I enjoyed it immensely.
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