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hissingpotatoes's review
2.0
The concept of a book about a writer grappling with her characters throughout the writing process and how the fictional and real worlds intrude upon each other is interesting. This book explores that, but there's no plot, trajectory, or resolution for either the writer's world or that of her characters. It meanders over expectations for women who are wives and mothers but doesn't have any real resonance.
hunterandrew's review
funny
reflective
fast-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
4.25
Would have found the novel itself uncompelling, but I loved this insight into the creative process. Clever and witty, such a testament to how literature is embodied in its production. Slightly rippled mirror between the storylines is great.
phaedosia's review
5.0
My response to this book the whole time I was reading it was, "Yes. Exactly." As a mother of small children, I immediately felt a kinship with both the author and the fictional family she created. Those "intrusions" are such a part of my life.
I had to laugh as the author is writing her story and is constantly interrupted by her small sons, her family, her guilt, the characters themselves talking to her, etc. because just trying to finish up the last few chapters yesterday, I had to put the book down to change the baby's diaper, let the dogs in, let the puppy out, help my middle child get to the potty, take up dinner, and on and on.
I loved that there were no easy answers in this book, no beginning--middle--end. Nice to know I'm not the only one who has a very clear picture of how the future should be only to be vaguely disappointed when it's not exactly like I'd planned. (How many times have I made that trek to the lighthouse. . . .)
As you can tell, this book spoke to me. It's on my keeper shelf next to Anne Tyler's Breathing Lessons.
I had to laugh as the author is writing her story and is constantly interrupted by her small sons, her family, her guilt, the characters themselves talking to her, etc. because just trying to finish up the last few chapters yesterday, I had to put the book down to change the baby's diaper, let the dogs in, let the puppy out, help my middle child get to the potty, take up dinner, and on and on.
I loved that there were no easy answers in this book, no beginning--middle--end. Nice to know I'm not the only one who has a very clear picture of how the future should be only to be vaguely disappointed when it's not exactly like I'd planned. (How many times have I made that trek to the lighthouse. . . .)
As you can tell, this book spoke to me. It's on my keeper shelf next to Anne Tyler's Breathing Lessons.
msjoanna's review against another edition
4.0
A strange little book--a little bit metafiction, a little bit 1980s feminism, a little bit slice of life. I enjoyed the musing on the writing process and the difficulty of balancing work and other demands. Neither the author nor the author-stand-in main character appeared to have jobs outside of the home. To update this for today, I think you'd make these women not only the mothers of young children, but also working at a boring job they don't love while also trying to write. The presumption here was that obviously their husbands, even when nice and well-meaning, were not capable of nor responsible for making decisions about the children, making dinner, or organizing home life. What fascinated me from this 2020s perspective was wondering how much of these presumptions were just in the head of the women. Did they really believe that their husbands would fall apart if they left town for a week? Would they have?
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