Reviews

hmmm I did not enjoy this book. Sections were pleasant and well written but overall it felt too meta and self interested, I was never sure how much I was supposed to like either of the main characters. And simply TOO on the nose with the sociopolitical stuff

mobyskine's review against another edition

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3.0

As this was written in a literary fiction formula the attention was focused more on the characters rather than the plot, so the mellow slow burn underwhelming narrative was expected. I was totally immersed with Owen's perspective and his exploration of life, love, friendship and family even with the little conflicts and twist, it enthralls me much. He shared most of his views about writings and his groundskeeper's job, and when he falls for Alma, a visiting writer at the college, it captivates me more to delve into their stance of both literature and style of living; Owen to have a divorced parents and living at the basement of his grandfather's house, and Alma to grow up in an immigrant family (bit on historical related of Bosnian War) and being a non practicing Muslim.

Set during the Trump's election year, I get a glimpse of its political reflection specifically on education and poverty in the US-- not that thoroughly told but enough to get a slight understanding on the impact. Exquisite prose; florid and concise, with well observation on adulthood, family dynamics, youth romance and their hurdles of choosing the right career path. It feels draggy a bit as the plot goes unfulfilling to me (somehow I agreed when Alma said; "plot can just be time passing, you know...") but I like the author's way in detailing the contrast of his characters-- adding flaws and forte that it feels relatable somehow.

A recommendation to literary fiction readers but do take note that this was written without quotation marks so it can be hard to grasp on the speech perspective if you're not a fan to this style. 3.5 stars to Groundskeeping!

Thank you Times Reads for sending me an ARC for a review :)

abe389's review against another edition

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reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

solanpolarn's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Rather self-indulgent tale about an aspiring author in his homestate of Kentucky. I never really found a plot.

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