Scan barcode
kateolivia's review against another edition
4.0
you know what i'm so bored of? people writing about people. you know what elizabeth strout does so well? writes about people.
cassiope_fastigiata's review against another edition
5.0
The NY Times book review of The Dinner starts off by saying, 'North American readers care inordinately that fictional characters be likable' - a phrase that has intrigued me, as I didn't want to agree (or didn't want to consider myself a North American, which having lived most of my adult life elsewhere, I sometimes pretend not to be), but after not liking a number of books where I didn't like the characters, I was starting to wonder if it did apply to me after all. Here however is a book that this North American loved even though the characters were for the most part not very likable, at least for most of the story.
This was a slow starter, and for the first several chapters, I wondered that Jenny gave it 5 stars. As I went along however, the book grew on me, as the very human, very real characters rounded out, and the contrasts between New York City and small town Shirley Falls, Maine, took on greater depth. As in Olive Kittredge, bits and pieces of the different characters made me think of bits and pieces of myself, my own life, and my own family, even if on the surface, there was little resemblance. In the end, I wanted the story to keep going, to find out what happened next to many of the characters.
I'm glad I listened to the audio book version of this, as I might have rushed through it in print. Cassandra Campbell read it beautifully, at the perfect pace, giving meaning to even the simplest of phrases that I might have just skimmed over.
This was a slow starter, and for the first several chapters, I wondered that Jenny gave it 5 stars. As I went along however, the book grew on me, as the very human, very real characters rounded out, and the contrasts between New York City and small town Shirley Falls, Maine, took on greater depth. As in Olive Kittredge, bits and pieces of the different characters made me think of bits and pieces of myself, my own life, and my own family, even if on the surface, there was little resemblance. In the end, I wanted the story to keep going, to find out what happened next to many of the characters.
I'm glad I listened to the audio book version of this, as I might have rushed through it in print. Cassandra Campbell read it beautifully, at the perfect pace, giving meaning to even the simplest of phrases that I might have just skimmed over.
jgoetz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.5
mkazdoy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.25
essjay1's review against another edition
4.0
Based on an event in Maine, Strout is so clever with the multi POV novel. This one seems to be a study of what it is to be an outsider, and the secrets and lies we tell ourselves (& each other) in families.
portmope's review
Noo Elizabeth don’t write from a Black man’s perspective about small town racism and include a bunch of people saying the N-word and then let a white woman narrate the audiobook :(
librarianaaryn's review
emotional
reflective
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
4.25
chowmeyow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0