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A review by bethreadsandnaps
The Arsonist by Sue Miller
3.0
The title of this one is a bit misleading. There is a subplot of an arsonist terrorizing a small town (which doesn't have a real resolution), and that's the backdrop. However, the main story is really about 43 year old Frankie coming back from her work in Africa and figuring out what she wants to do with her life (local newspaper owner Bud becomes her love interest) as well as her mother Sylvia's struggles with her ailing husband.
And in that paragraph I have literally summarized the whole book. I enjoy Sue Miller's writing, but I find that I'm not patient enough for the very slow pace. I like character novels and don't ask for a tremendous amount of plot, and it DOES take place in the summer in a small town, but good grief was it slow and rather uninteresting.
Good writing, though, so I don't want to give it 2 stars. And she does touch on bigger themes that might be good book club discussions.
One thing that I found fascinating: Bud did everything at his local newspaper. He owned it, wrote the stories, photographed the pictures, worked with advertisers, did the typesetting, assembled the circulars into it, and delivered papers. Really?! Or does one person really do EVERYthing when you own a local newspaper?
And in that paragraph I have literally summarized the whole book. I enjoy Sue Miller's writing, but I find that I'm not patient enough for the very slow pace. I like character novels and don't ask for a tremendous amount of plot, and it DOES take place in the summer in a small town, but good grief was it slow and rather uninteresting.
Good writing, though, so I don't want to give it 2 stars. And she does touch on bigger themes that might be good book club discussions.
One thing that I found fascinating: Bud did everything at his local newspaper. He owned it, wrote the stories, photographed the pictures, worked with advertisers, did the typesetting, assembled the circulars into it, and delivered papers. Really?! Or does one person really do EVERYthing when you own a local newspaper?