isabel_ali's review against another edition
emotional
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
2.0
ljjohnson8's review against another edition
4.0
So, another dysfunctional family book. But ---- very compelling, very well-written, and surprisingly accomplished for a first novel. Two of the most self-destructive, self-centered parents of all time have four children (in descending age): Kate, Finn, George, and Amy. All damaged, all trying to find their own ways through their lives (and mostly failing), they also misunderstand and don't appreciating each other. There are 5 sections to the book, each told from the POV of one of the siblings and the last section is mom's. Antalek does an excellent job of revealing both how each character is perceived by the others and how those perceptions are both true and woefully wrong.
goosetheo's review against another edition
4.0
Dysfunctional family told from each member's vantage point. You can't help but like them all.
tegsreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book but it wasn't the best. It wasn't one of my favorites. The book was good from the very beginning, but the thing is, there was nothing in the book to really captivate me. I felt like nothing really happened in the book, because the characters perspectives and narrators were switched so often that not one particular character was exceptionally described nor their personality flushed out. I won't read this book again, and it wasn't really that memorable. I wouldn't recommend it to friends, but I didn't hate it. Sad to say, I was expecting more of it. I don't even care enough about the book to write a synopsis on it. I just didn't hate it which is why it's 3 stars. I feel, blah.
stess2006's review against another edition
2.0
I could relate to this book based upon how the family was portrayed. I found it to be interesting how the author put every bad aspect of the family out there for you to see. Nothing was sugar-coated, and in my opinion it portrayed the lives of many families.
colleenoakes's review against another edition
5.0
: Have you ever seen yourself through someone else's eyes? Perhaps through a picture or an audio recording? It's alarming and jarring. We have an idea of who we are in our heads, and it's always strange to learn otherwise. That's the premise behind The Summer We Fell Apart - it's an intimate look at four siblings and their mother. Each sibling has three chapters each, and they all interact within each of the chapters. For example: The first three chapters are from Amy's perspective. She feels abandoned by her family as the last child, an artistic sensitive girl. She's thrilled later in life to find a painter who loves her and pities her older sister Kate, a neurotic overbearing lawyer who she sees as bossy and lacking in depth. You think you have a handle on Kate until her chapters come. Kate is the older, responsible sister and can't stand Amy's lackadaisical lifestyle and need for everyone to baby her. She sees the worst of Amy and her painter boyfriend ("Of course Amy finds a limp wristed painter who has no form of viable income" she laments.) See what I mean? It's such a deep picture of these characters and the family that envelops them. This was a wonderful read, and by the time the Mother's chapter finally comes, you love this insane, totally dysfunctional family.
ulianaa's review against another edition
5.0
i’ve had this book forever and i’ve read it many times so it is very sentimental to me. i know it’s not perfect to a lot of people but it is to me. the family dynamics and relationships hit me so deeply that i was tearing up at the end. i love this book.
teg_unn's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book but it wasn't the best. It wasn't one of my favorites. The book was good from the very beginning, but the thing is, there was nothing in the book to really captivate me. I felt like nothing really happened in the book, because the characters perspectives and narrators were switched so often that not one particular character was exceptionally described nor their personality flushed out. I won't read this book again, and it wasn't really that memorable. I wouldn't recommend it to friends, but I didn't hate it. Sad to say, I was expecting more of it. I don't even care enough about the book to write a synopsis on it. I just didn't hate it which is why it's 3 stars. I feel, blah.
simsarah79's review against another edition
5.0
Just a character driven story of a family. The parents dislike each other- and the book told through the 4 children's point of view, but each child has a section. Amy is the youngest and she talks about the first part of the story. Then there's her older brother George and how he falls in love with the father of one of his students. Then there's Kate who is the oldest and had to take care of her younger siblings as a kid so when she went away for school she was just gone. Then there's the wicked alcoholic Finn who struggles to the point of almost no return. I loved the writing and felt the book got better as it went along. I love a good dysfunctional family and this was that to a T.