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vegantrav's review against another edition
1.0
Perhaps an example (see pp. 230 - 233) will best show the problem with this book: Maya, the protagonist (some might also argue that her daughter Ellie is the protagonist, but Ellie is really more of the antagonist), leaves her family for several weeks because she is so stressed out. Ellie is four at the time. When Maya does return to her family, Ellie is very angry with her mother, so Maya tries to make amends with Ellie by taking her daughter to "new and different ethnic restaurants, pastry shops. Maya dragged her to run her hands over the spines of books at all her favorite shops" (p. 233). Yes, a grown woman thinks that a good way to atone for her neglect of her 4-year-old little girl is to take her restaurants, pastry shops, and book stores where she can touch books. This is not how normal people think and act. Now, one might argue that Maya herself is abnormal, and perhaps she is in some ways, but no adult human is so stupid as to think that the things Maya does would help make up for her bad behavior towards her young daughter. It is patently absurd.
There are many other problems with this novel: it is exceedingly anticlimactic. I don't think I've read a book in the last decade where the ending was more disappointing and so completely failed to meet the expectations that had been building earlier in the novel. The anticlimactic nature might be forgivable were the characters actually interesting, but they're not. They are uniformly extremely selfish and unlikable; this, in and of itself, is not necessarily a problem, but these unlikable characters do nothing of sufficient interest to keep our attention; they are guilty of a real literary sin: they are boring. There is also little action in this novel. It's almost all reflection, and most of this reflection is on the distant past instead of on the key issue that drives the overall narrative. There is almost more (and perhaps there is more) space given to the distant past than to the key issue and its aftermath. The prose is also less than adequate, often very pretentious. It does not flow well. The writer does not seem as if she has found her voice, and it shows.
Hold Still is poorly written with a premise that fails to deliver. It is also just boring.
There are many other problems with this novel: it is exceedingly anticlimactic. I don't think I've read a book in the last decade where the ending was more disappointing and so completely failed to meet the expectations that had been building earlier in the novel. The anticlimactic nature might be forgivable were the characters actually interesting, but they're not. They are uniformly extremely selfish and unlikable; this, in and of itself, is not necessarily a problem, but these unlikable characters do nothing of sufficient interest to keep our attention; they are guilty of a real literary sin: they are boring. There is also little action in this novel. It's almost all reflection, and most of this reflection is on the distant past instead of on the key issue that drives the overall narrative. There is almost more (and perhaps there is more) space given to the distant past than to the key issue and its aftermath. The prose is also less than adequate, often very pretentious. It does not flow well. The writer does not seem as if she has found her voice, and it shows.
Hold Still is poorly written with a premise that fails to deliver. It is also just boring.
rachel2325's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kristianawithak's review against another edition
2.0
This was well written, the structure was an interesting format. Plots that unfold with a back and forth on time, after an event and before an event, make me wonder how interesting they would be if the event wasn't hanging over the story half hidden in foreshadowing. It makes me want to rearrange the book and see how strong it is chronologically.
I believe the book would still hold merit and strength if told chronologically. It's sparse and bare, but intentionally so.
I believe the book would still hold merit and strength if told chronologically. It's sparse and bare, but intentionally so.
servemethesky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Wow, I loved this more than I expected to! Yes, it’s bleak and depressing, but if you’re in the mood for an angsty read about mother/daughter relationships, this is perfect for you.
The writing style is definitely Woolfian at times. You’re flowing through time in a nonlinear way that manages to be both immersive and propulsive. There was enough foreshadowing that I could kind of see the ending coming from a mile away.
I felt for Ellie so much. Less so for Maya—she was such a mess and kept isolating herself and not reaching out or communicating in anyway. Ugh!
The writing style is definitely Woolfian at times. You’re flowing through time in a nonlinear way that manages to be both immersive and propulsive. There was enough foreshadowing that I could kind of see the ending coming from a mile away.
I felt for Ellie so much. Less so for Maya—she was such a mess and kept isolating herself and not reaching out or communicating in anyway. Ugh!
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
1.0
Hold Still by Lynn Steger Strong is a difficult novel to enjoy. Maya Taylor is at her wit’s end with her daughter, Ellie (who is twenty). Ellie’s life is out of control with bad choices. Maya sends her daughter to Florida to be a nanny to a friend. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a bad decision. An incident fractures apart both families and sends Ellie spiraling further out of control. Can Maya save her daughter?
Hold Still is told from Maya and Ellie’s point-of-views (goes back and forth). In addition, it jumps around to different times (back and forth) to tell the story. These two things lead to a very confusing book (and it did not need to be) that I had a hard time finishing. The majority of the book leads up to the “incident” and then what happened afterward. The incident is easy to figure out (Florida, sun, sand, ocean), but the writer leaves the reader in the dark. I found that I did not like the characters at all which then leads to not caring what happens to them (thus unenjoyable read). The ending was odd (I actually wrote down weird). This is a story that is just told. It is lacking in emotions and depth (I just did not feel it). I give Hold Still 1 out of 5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy of Hold Still from NetGalley (and the publisher) in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
Hold Still is told from Maya and Ellie’s point-of-views (goes back and forth). In addition, it jumps around to different times (back and forth) to tell the story. These two things lead to a very confusing book (and it did not need to be) that I had a hard time finishing. The majority of the book leads up to the “incident” and then what happened afterward. The incident is easy to figure out (Florida, sun, sand, ocean), but the writer leaves the reader in the dark. I found that I did not like the characters at all which then leads to not caring what happens to them (thus unenjoyable read). The ending was odd (I actually wrote down weird). This is a story that is just told. It is lacking in emotions and depth (I just did not feel it). I give Hold Still 1 out of 5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy of Hold Still from NetGalley (and the publisher) in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
cwittekind's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
harrietmarydean's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
juliannasiegrist's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
this book had so much potential, but it ended up falling flat for me for so many reasons. the characters were interesting but not fleshed out at all, there was way too much focus on the mom and hardly any on the daughter, and the ending was so abrupt??? like what? we hardly ever got to see the mother and daughter interact even though that’s supposed to be the central conflict/story, and the loose ends with the mother going to visit her in rehab are never tied up. the writing was very choppy and many of the sentences literally did not make any sense. the premise was interesting but not well executed.
daschneider's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.0
nicolelavelle's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.0
i feel like there needs to be a moratorium on female protagonists being english professors having midlife problems. would otherwise be a good book i’m just very tired of this point of view. it feels way too MFA. like i get “write what you know” but please no more new york city hetero-marital strife. this eclipsed the rest of the book’s merits for me.