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samhoward's review against another edition
5.0
Sycamore is the portrait of a town before Jess Winters disappeared without a trace right before Christmas in 1991, and the portrait of the same town, several years later, when bones are found in a dried up lakebed.
This book is beautifully written, showcases several POVs with ease, and is similar to Everything I Never Told You in the sense that yes, there's a dead person that's central to the story, but that's not really the point.
I'm mostly just sad that this book wasn't super popular. I definitely think it should have been.
This book is beautifully written, showcases several POVs with ease, and is similar to Everything I Never Told You in the sense that yes, there's a dead person that's central to the story, but that's not really the point.
I'm mostly just sad that this book wasn't super popular. I definitely think it should have been.
wellredphd's review
Way too wordy for me to get through, jarring, didn’t like the plotline with the friend’s dad??? Ick
annie_p's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
murtagh's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
It started off slightly jarring to me and the shifting perspective sometimes made it hard to stay focused at first. Of course as I got to know the cast it made it more meaningful. The title alone reminded me of Twin Peaks and it does have that small town murder mystery vibe that greatly changes the community aspect. It just does not have the rest of the stuff Lynch is known for.
novelvisits's review against another edition
5.0
Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor (debut)
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: May 9, 2017
Length: 336
Original Source: http://www.novelvisits.com/sycamore-bryn-chancellor-review/
A Little Background
Single Sentence Summary: When Jess Winters disappears one stormy December night, everyone in her small town is left holding onto a piece of her story.
From the Publisher: Out for a hike one scorching afternoon in Sycamore, Arizona, a newcomer to town stumbles across what appear to be human remains embedded in the wall of a dry desert ravine. As news of the discovery makes its way around town, Sycamore’s longtime residents fear the bones may belong to Jess Winters, the teenage girl who disappeared suddenly some eighteen years earlier, an unsolved mystery that has soaked into the porous rock of the town and haunted it ever since.
The Draw
Sycamore was on Amazon’s “Best Books of the Year So Far” list last month and was a book not even on my radar.
The suspense element provided a change of pace.
I’m a fan of debuts.
My Thoughts
What Worked
Gorgeous writing – Bryn Chancellor’s writing was stunning, making it pure pleasure to read her debut.
“Even out in the desert, beyond the city’s glow, stars and planets hung back like shy children. Her nostrils flared at the sudden smell of mint, and she shivered with the sensation she had tumbled down a hole.”
“She stopped worrying about what it meant to exist, about what awaited in the wide, wide world. Wrapped in that languid heat, she stopped thinking altogether. Here she simply was.”
Rich characters – Sycamore is populated with a whole town full of characters that somehow are all fully developed. Half the chapters focus on Jess, the 17-year old girl who vanished in 1991, so we’d expect to really know her, but we know ALL the characters. I found it amazing to understand so well the many people of Sycamore from Maud, Jess’s mom, to Dani, her best friend, to Esther, her humanities teacher, to Iris, owner of the pecan orchard where Jess worked. And, even more amazing? I liked all the people of Sycamore.
Dual timelines – Chancellor’s story alternated between 1991, the year Jess disappeared, and 2009, the year that bones were found. The 1991 chapters were all told from Jess’s perspective, giving background into the months leading up to her vanishing. The rest of the chapters were each delivered from the perspective of a different citizen of Sycamore.
A completed puzzle – The two timelines and the multiple perspectives used in Sycamore fit together beautifully. Reading the story very much reminded me of working on a jigsaw puzzle. Chancellor worked each chapter with the ones around it until a complete and satisfying story emerged. Wonderful!
What Didn’t
Really, everything about Sycamore worked for me, but I will say that the start was a little slow. I wasn’t fully invested in the story until about the 30% mark.
Some might find the multiple perspectives a challenge because in the early chapters characters are mentioned who the reader does not yet know.
The Final Assessment
I don’t know how I missed Sycamore earlier this year, but am so glad I found it. Part suspense novel, part coming-of-age story, I loved everything about this book. I sincerely hope Bryn Chancellor is working on her next book because I can hardly wait to read it. Grade: A
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: May 9, 2017
Length: 336
Original Source: http://www.novelvisits.com/sycamore-bryn-chancellor-review/
A Little Background
Single Sentence Summary: When Jess Winters disappears one stormy December night, everyone in her small town is left holding onto a piece of her story.
From the Publisher: Out for a hike one scorching afternoon in Sycamore, Arizona, a newcomer to town stumbles across what appear to be human remains embedded in the wall of a dry desert ravine. As news of the discovery makes its way around town, Sycamore’s longtime residents fear the bones may belong to Jess Winters, the teenage girl who disappeared suddenly some eighteen years earlier, an unsolved mystery that has soaked into the porous rock of the town and haunted it ever since.
The Draw
Sycamore was on Amazon’s “Best Books of the Year So Far” list last month and was a book not even on my radar.
The suspense element provided a change of pace.
I’m a fan of debuts.
My Thoughts
What Worked
Gorgeous writing – Bryn Chancellor’s writing was stunning, making it pure pleasure to read her debut.
“Even out in the desert, beyond the city’s glow, stars and planets hung back like shy children. Her nostrils flared at the sudden smell of mint, and she shivered with the sensation she had tumbled down a hole.”
“She stopped worrying about what it meant to exist, about what awaited in the wide, wide world. Wrapped in that languid heat, she stopped thinking altogether. Here she simply was.”
Rich characters – Sycamore is populated with a whole town full of characters that somehow are all fully developed. Half the chapters focus on Jess, the 17-year old girl who vanished in 1991, so we’d expect to really know her, but we know ALL the characters. I found it amazing to understand so well the many people of Sycamore from Maud, Jess’s mom, to Dani, her best friend, to Esther, her humanities teacher, to Iris, owner of the pecan orchard where Jess worked. And, even more amazing? I liked all the people of Sycamore.
Dual timelines – Chancellor’s story alternated between 1991, the year Jess disappeared, and 2009, the year that bones were found. The 1991 chapters were all told from Jess’s perspective, giving background into the months leading up to her vanishing. The rest of the chapters were each delivered from the perspective of a different citizen of Sycamore.
A completed puzzle – The two timelines and the multiple perspectives used in Sycamore fit together beautifully. Reading the story very much reminded me of working on a jigsaw puzzle. Chancellor worked each chapter with the ones around it until a complete and satisfying story emerged. Wonderful!
What Didn’t
Really, everything about Sycamore worked for me, but I will say that the start was a little slow. I wasn’t fully invested in the story until about the 30% mark.
Some might find the multiple perspectives a challenge because in the early chapters characters are mentioned who the reader does not yet know.
The Final Assessment
I don’t know how I missed Sycamore earlier this year, but am so glad I found it. Part suspense novel, part coming-of-age story, I loved everything about this book. I sincerely hope Bryn Chancellor is working on her next book because I can hardly wait to read it. Grade: A
rsmith0250's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
3.0
ginny17's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this book was going to be a thriller/murder mystery/police procedural. I was SO wrong. There is a mystery, but this book is so much more. It is more like Olive Kitteridge or A Visit from the Goon Squad. We meet many different characters told from many different viewpoints, all bound together by the disappearance of a girl 18 years ago. Highly recommended.
cathy5981's review
dark
mysterious
sad
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
4.0