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foliage_and_fiction's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
juanitamfm's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wasn’t a big fan of this book. It was one of those books where they live in a small town and can’t ever seem to get out and make questionable choices in relationships that only people in small towns understand. It really dragged for me.
carollynnw's review against another edition
The House of Deep Water
What did I just read? And it is supposedly by a black woman? nahhhh
rynicolereads's review against another edition
3.0
I think this is a great book for readers who enjoy emotional, multigenerational stories like Red at the Bone, Betty, or The Mothers. However, I struggled to keep track of all the characters which made it slightly less engaging for me.
paigereitz's review against another edition
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
itsonmytbr's review against another edition
4.0
River Bend, Michigan, is the sort of town people imagine leaving. It's the sort of town I grew up in, left, and returned to, so I was really able to identify with Linda, Paula, and Beth. Each of these women have reasons not to want to return home and face their pasts, and each of them are so well-developed and interesting that it took me a while to realize that Beth is at the center of everything.
The House of Deep Water was engrossing. I couldn't pull myself out of it. Honestly, I found myself snapping at my husband for things a character's husband had done. The characters are so real, and the dialogue so cutting, that it's difficult not to feel for them. They spend forever trying to connect to each other and bouncing off. It's only through the narration that they seem to connect, as the point of view shifts continuously from one character to another. I wondered how the author was going to pull them all together in the end, but she managed it.
The book covered so many issues that are deeply familiar to me, and so many that are blessedly foreign. Mental health issues, casual racism semi-hidden by Midwestern Nice, sexual abuse, child abuse, infidelity, what it means to be mixed in a town full of white neighbors and to never know where you belong . If you can relate to any of those things, you will want to read this book. If you can't, you NEED to read this book.
The House of Deep Water was engrossing. I couldn't pull myself out of it. Honestly, I found myself snapping at my husband for things a character's husband had done. The characters are so real, and the dialogue so cutting, that it's difficult not to feel for them. They spend forever trying to connect to each other and bouncing off. It's only through the narration that they seem to connect, as the point of view shifts continuously from one character to another. I wondered how the author was going to pull them all together in the end, but she managed it.
The book covered so many issues that are deeply familiar to me, and so many that are blessedly foreign. Mental health issues, casual racism semi-hidden by Midwestern Nice, sexual abuse, child abuse, infidelity, what it means to be mixed in a town full of white neighbors and to never know where you belong . If you can relate to any of those things, you will want to read this book. If you can't, you NEED to read this book.
katielizroy's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of my absolute favorite books. It’s a beautiful discussion about humans and how we interact with each other but flows so easily. Its portrayal of small towns and their influence on residents kept reminding me of The Vanishing Half and even Where The Crawdads Sing.
Yes, there are a lot of characters but by the middle of the book I was keeping track of everyone and honestly, it’s not that important to remember who’s who to understand the message. The complexity of relationships emphasizes how interconnected everyone’s lives are, even in the real world.
It’s shocking this book isn’t on top of every “Books You Should Read List” right now.
Yes, there are a lot of characters but by the middle of the book I was keeping track of everyone and honestly, it’s not that important to remember who’s who to understand the message. The complexity of relationships emphasizes how interconnected everyone’s lives are, even in the real world.
It’s shocking this book isn’t on top of every “Books You Should Read List” right now.
tayloreve07's review against another edition
I very much enjoyed the writing and the storytelling but damn that was way sadder than I thought it was going to be
brigid_lynn9's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
caseyjayner's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I wanted so to like this book - it had so much promise. I love multiple narrators and stories involving family, class, and race. It seems like this would fit the bill but none of the characters had a memorably strong point of view. It felt like the author was trying to talk about difficult subject matter but using characters that had very little emotional responses which they or those around them were aware of. In the end, it fell flat and felt like the author actually didn't accomplish much of anything at all.