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A review by amibunk
The Smart One by Jennifer Close
3.0
3.5 stars
While I didn't always like every character in this book, I certainly recognized myself in them. I think that is what elevated Jennifer Close's writing for me in this novel- her ability to take four women going through different aspects of their lives and make them incredibly relatable to the reader.
As this book drew to a close, I was preparing myself to criticize Ms. Close for not including more character development in her writing. However, the final sentence of the book stopped me. It reads, "And then she recovered and went on." I think that is the theme of this entire novel: four women recovering from different things. Some recover quickly, while others go more slowly. So while there might not have been the loud or showy character development I was looking for, each character did develop the ability to rebound from a difficult situation, which made this book less of a fictitious story and more like real life.
While I didn't always like every character in this book, I certainly recognized myself in them. I think that is what elevated Jennifer Close's writing for me in this novel- her ability to take four women going through different aspects of their lives and make them incredibly relatable to the reader.
As this book drew to a close, I was preparing myself to criticize Ms. Close for not including more character development in her writing. However, the final sentence of the book stopped me. It reads, "And then she recovered and went on." I think that is the theme of this entire novel: four women recovering from different things. Some recover quickly, while others go more slowly. So while there might not have been the loud or showy character development I was looking for, each character did develop the ability to rebound from a difficult situation, which made this book less of a fictitious story and more like real life.