jamiejanae_6's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Medical content, and Terminal illness
renepierre's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“We had made a fetish out of our misfortune, fallen in love with it.”
An early contender for a favourite book of the year. The story follows Danny and Maeve, brother and sister growing up in the Dutch House, a place of grandeur that holds a history of its own. When their mother disappears and their father remarries a women named Andrea, everything changes. The siblings are shows an act of betrayal that they will hold onto and obsess over for the rest of their lives, which ultimately changes the trajectory of their lives. Patchett explores selfishness through all of her characters, but at the same time, adds a level of selflessness in them that constantly contradicts and levels them out as they try to navigate their lives and recover from their whole world being torn apart.
An early contender for a favourite book of the year. The story follows Danny and Maeve, brother and sister growing up in the Dutch House, a place of grandeur that holds a history of its own. When their mother disappears and their father remarries a women named Andrea, everything changes. The siblings are shows an act of betrayal that they will hold onto and obsess over for the rest of their lives, which ultimately changes the trajectory of their lives. Patchett explores selfishness through all of her characters, but at the same time, adds a level of selflessness in them that constantly contradicts and levels them out as they try to navigate their lives and recover from their whole world being torn apart.
The only reason this book isn’t a five star read for me is because of the amount of typos throughout this novel, I found it really distracting, especially in the important scenes.
Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Terminal illness
horationelson's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall, I liked this book, and will probably check out some other books by Patchett. The last twoish hours (of the audiobook) fell kind of flat. The felt like... a deflation? It was disappointing and unbelievable. Maybe I'm not as goodhearted as Maeve and Danny learned to be in the end.
Spoiler
reappearance of the first Mrs. ConroyGraphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Death, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Infidelity and Vomit
curatoriallyyours's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The pace of the story at the beginning was unbearably slow to me, and I found the storyline and characters somewhat confusing. Things picked up about half way through with the introduction of Celeste, then it all started falling into place. Essentially this is the story of a messed up family, centred around an extravagant house that is not in keeping with its surrounds. The characters are not particularly likeable but as you start to piece together their lives, you begin to understand why they are the way they are. I found myself thinking about the nature of marriage and the way real estate can affect relationships. I also thought there were some points of incisive commentary about values and human nature that made me think. So, if that's what you're into, this book is for you. If a slow pace is not up your alley, avoid this book like the plague!
Minor: Chronic illness, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Vomit
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