lawbooks600's review against another edition
2.0
Trigger warnings: Death of parents, grief and loss depiction
5/10, after I read some science fiction and fantasy books I wanted to take a break from them and decide to read a realistic novel instead but I was so underwhelmed by this and where do I even start since there are so many problems with this. Irises by Francisco X. Stork starts with sisters Kate and Mary who just lost their father and their mother is in a coma for quite a while, they're hoping that she will recover from that but I will see her fate later on. To pass the time one of the sisters decides to make some more art and they both go to school and live the best life they can though they have harder lives than others due to that devastating loss however I felt that all of the characters were quite flat and I ended up not caring for them at all since they weren't fleshed out nor developed and I especially didn't like Kate and Mary as much since they were cold and spoke unrealistically since they forced themselves not to use slang and sometimes that works but in this case, it didn't. Towards the end of the book, the sisters ponder on whether to take off life support from their mother and they eventually let her die, now they are orphans but it doesn't matter anyways since one sister is 18 and can take care of the other sister who is 16. If you like books about grief skip this one and try Where the Road Leads Us by Robin Reul or Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley.
5/10, after I read some science fiction and fantasy books I wanted to take a break from them and decide to read a realistic novel instead but I was so underwhelmed by this and where do I even start since there are so many problems with this. Irises by Francisco X. Stork starts with sisters Kate and Mary who just lost their father and their mother is in a coma for quite a while, they're hoping that she will recover from that but I will see her fate later on. To pass the time one of the sisters decides to make some more art and they both go to school and live the best life they can though they have harder lives than others due to that devastating loss however I felt that all of the characters were quite flat and I ended up not caring for them at all since they weren't fleshed out nor developed and I especially didn't like Kate and Mary as much since they were cold and spoke unrealistically since they forced themselves not to use slang and sometimes that works but in this case, it didn't. Towards the end of the book, the sisters ponder on whether to take off life support from their mother and they eventually let her die, now they are orphans but it doesn't matter anyways since one sister is 18 and can take care of the other sister who is 16. If you like books about grief skip this one and try Where the Road Leads Us by Robin Reul or Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley.
itsmekaitebee's review against another edition
5.0
Is there a second book? I would like to know what happens...
losetimereading's review against another edition
I am not fond of this narrator. I'm not sure if that is the exact reason I'm dropping it or because the storyline is just not interesting. Either way I won't be attempting to finish this for awhile.
choosejoytoday's review against another edition
3.0
Focused on the story of two sisters after the death of their father. Their mom is in a vegetative state and living at their home, a parsonage. Turns out dad wasn't so forthcoming with his preexisting medical conditions, so after the life insurance claim is denied, the girls must make some tough decisions about their futures and their mom. I enjoyed the underlying theme? message? discussion? about ambition and dreams vs. responsibility and love.
muddypuddle's review against another edition
2.0
Is this REALLY the same author that wrote Marcelo in the Real World?
gettinglostinagoodbook's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/2 stars
Kate and Mary have been brought up by a very strict religious family, and struggle to live the way they want to in a world filled with rules. rules that make it difficult for these girls to fit in, or to follow their dreams.
Mary, a gifted painter, has lost the light in her painting since her mother was in a car accident and ended up in a persistant vegetative state. Kate's dream of going to Stanford goes against her father's ideals, as he feels she should not be ambitious nor leave her family. Both girls must struggle with the difficulty of caring for their mother while giving up their own personal dreams.
Suddenly their father dies of a heart attack, and they are left to fend for themselves. Their resources are very limited, and they still have their mother to look after.
Stork addresses many significant issues - family relationships, sudden death, assisted suicide, cancer, financial hardship, and growing up. While they are all addresses, none of them are explored with too much depth. There is perhaps too many issues to cover. The characters are well-developed, but their responses and outcomes to their situations are not explored completely. Perhaps Stork should have reduced the number of issues, and explored the chosen ones at greater length.
Having said that however, I found the story very enjoyable and would look for other books by Stork.
Kate and Mary have been brought up by a very strict religious family, and struggle to live the way they want to in a world filled with rules. rules that make it difficult for these girls to fit in, or to follow their dreams.
Mary, a gifted painter, has lost the light in her painting since her mother was in a car accident and ended up in a persistant vegetative state. Kate's dream of going to Stanford goes against her father's ideals, as he feels she should not be ambitious nor leave her family. Both girls must struggle with the difficulty of caring for their mother while giving up their own personal dreams.
Suddenly their father dies of a heart attack, and they are left to fend for themselves. Their resources are very limited, and they still have their mother to look after.
Stork addresses many significant issues - family relationships, sudden death, assisted suicide, cancer, financial hardship, and growing up. While they are all addresses, none of them are explored with too much depth. There is perhaps too many issues to cover. The characters are well-developed, but their responses and outcomes to their situations are not explored completely. Perhaps Stork should have reduced the number of issues, and explored the chosen ones at greater length.
Having said that however, I found the story very enjoyable and would look for other books by Stork.
broooe's review against another edition
3.0
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I wanted to love this, I really did. Maybe it was because it was the first book I've won in a giveaway or what..
This book didn't really do it for me The overall story I really liked, and I liked the characters. The only problem was the author's writing style. It just didn't do it for me. It came off as boring and dragged on and on forever.
It wasn't bad. Not in the least bit. It just wasn't for me.
I wanted to love this, I really did. Maybe it was because it was the first book I've won in a giveaway or what..
This book didn't really do it for me The overall story I really liked, and I liked the characters. The only problem was the author's writing style. It just didn't do it for me. It came off as boring and dragged on and on forever.
It wasn't bad. Not in the least bit. It just wasn't for me.