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emilyparrishh's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly the narrative in this book was so off-putting. I just couldn’t get into it and had to make myself finish the book.
mrssloan's review against another edition
4.0
Southern from the top of its head to the tip of its toes, this book feels like home. It is a beautiful Sherwood Anderson-esque look into the life and times of those living in Penelope, Alabama.
The subject matter was southern enough, but the style was the most enchantingly southern part of this thoughtfully-crafted story. The story moves from dialogue to narrative to an entirely different conversation as seamlessly as your grandma did at a church potluck.
Highly recommend this book--my only caveat that I don't think the end did the first three quarters of the book justice. But in its defense I was a little sleepy when reading the last bit.
The subject matter was southern enough, but the style was the most enchantingly southern part of this thoughtfully-crafted story. The story moves from dialogue to narrative to an entirely different conversation as seamlessly as your grandma did at a church potluck.
Highly recommend this book--my only caveat that I don't think the end did the first three quarters of the book justice. But in its defense I was a little sleepy when reading the last bit.
floralexistentialist's review
3.0
The cover of this novel is what struck me at first. Then I read the back and felt my heart racing--this sounded like the perfect book. And! It takes place in a town twenty minutes away from me. (I then looked up and realized I was in the local author section.) I was intrigued by this book because in a review on the back someone compared it to my all-time favorite novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. Oh, I just had to have this book.
I devoured it in a week's time. Oh, how I wanted to absolutely adore it. But, it left me feeling... unsure of how to feel. Upon some thinking, these are the things that didn't quite work for me:
- I felt that the transitions between past and present were completely sudden and not clear at all. I found myself often having to backtrack for clarity and not always finding it, even then.
- The characters seemed so interesting but the book seems to only skim over them. I would have liked to dive deeper into the characters. Because of this, it feels unsatisfying. Which is a word that maybe can best describe my reading experience.
- The book almost came off as too ~quirky. I felt that there was some sections that seemed forced, like this book was trying to be a cult classic. Because of the forced nature, the things that make this novel unique don't seem genuine.
Ultimately, I felt like the story beat around the bush. It wants to get to the heart of the matter, that is true, but I felt it doesn't quite arrive there. I wanted this book to pierce my heart but it missed the target.
I don't regret reading this at all and adore the coziness of it all. I just felt like it didn't fulfill anything in me and left me the same as I was before reading it.
Maybe, at a later date, another read will have me feeling differently. Until then, it rests on the shelf.
I devoured it in a week's time. Oh, how I wanted to absolutely adore it. But, it left me feeling... unsure of how to feel. Upon some thinking, these are the things that didn't quite work for me:
- I felt that the transitions between past and present were completely sudden and not clear at all. I found myself often having to backtrack for clarity and not always finding it, even then.
- The characters seemed so interesting but the book seems to only skim over them. I would have liked to dive deeper into the characters. Because of this, it feels unsatisfying. Which is a word that maybe can best describe my reading experience.
- The book almost came off as too ~quirky. I felt that there was some sections that seemed forced, like this book was trying to be a cult classic. Because of the forced nature, the things that make this novel unique don't seem genuine.
Ultimately, I felt like the story beat around the bush. It wants to get to the heart of the matter, that is true, but I felt it doesn't quite arrive there. I wanted this book to pierce my heart but it missed the target.
I don't regret reading this at all and adore the coziness of it all. I just felt like it didn't fulfill anything in me and left me the same as I was before reading it.
Maybe, at a later date, another read will have me feeling differently. Until then, it rests on the shelf.
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