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A sweet and quick book about a woman who goes on a journey with the ex-lover of her recently deceased grandmother and his grandson. And of course it’s a love story so I expect you can guess what happens between her and the grandson who is her rival from high school.
“Life can be long or short, it is impossible to know, but every once in a while an entire life is spent in one night, the night when the windows are open and you can hear the last of the crickets’ call, when there is a chill in the air and the stars are bright, when nothing else matters, when a single kiss lasts longer than a lifetime, when you do not think about the future or the past, or whether or not you are walking through a dream rather than the real world, when everything you have always wanted and everything you are fated to mourn forever are tied together with black thread and then sewn with your own hand, when in the morning, as you wake and see the mountain in the distance, you will understand that whether or not you’ve made a mistake, whether or not you will lose all that you have, this is what it means to be human.” This is a really unusual book. It starts with Ivy who gets pregnant as a teenager by a college kid who is not interested in having anything to do with her. She then joins a commune that’s more like a cult and has her kid. The story then shifts to the kid who ends up growing up and running away partly as a result of reading The Scarlet Letter. “Ivy had begun to think that life was made up of a series of accidents and drastic errors. The unexpected became the expected, you made the right turn or the wrong turn, and all of it added up to the path you were on.” I don’t want to give away spoilers but there is some suspension of realism here around what happens next. This book is about the magic of books and stories and how they can save people. (And sometimes even the writer himself.) It’s also about motherhood and about cults, and about libraries. “It was a perfect night, a heavenly night, a night that could convince you that miracles were possible, if you still had faith, if you loved one person above all others, if you told yourself you hadn’t made a terrible mistake.” I love reading Alice Hoffman’s writing. Even though this one was slower for me than some of her previous ones, I still loved reading it. with gratitude to edelweiss and atria books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Wow this one was a struggle to get through. I work in big tech and I live in Silicon Valley so this book was close to home, maybe a bit too close to home. I think the success or failure of this book will lie with how relatable you will find the main character and for me, her choices were too difficult to relate to. It felt like her life was terrible and tough from every angle and she was making choices that made it harder and harder on her. I loved the image of the black hole and I loved both the visual and the visceral way one could feel that. I still didn’t connect with this book the way many seem to have.
I really liked this thriller that was fast-paced and interesting. for a plot-driven story, it had some interesting character development and i didn’t predict the twists and turns. If you’re looking for a solid thriller, this is a good one to pick up.
I like Charles Soule. I’ve read all of his books and I like his unusual storytelling with crazy worlds he creates and interesting characters and wild plots. This one is no exception and at its heart this one was the most touching and loving of all the books. I really really loved the image of the tree and being able to see the whole life. I wish they’d make this into a movie.
I like Charles Soule. I’ve read all of his books and I like his unusual storytelling with crazy worlds he creates and interesting characters and wild plots. This one is no exception and at its heart this one was the most touching and loving of all the books. I really really loved the image of the tree and being able to see the whole life. I wish they’d make this into a movie.
I read this one in one sitting, too, but I’ve already forgotten some of it even though it’s only been a week. (To be fair, I read 7 books since and I am jetlagged) but I remember enjoying it and I remember it feeling like a warm blanket. That’s all I need to remember.
3.5 stars This was a fun read with a cute and clever premise. I have a soft spot for time-travely plots so I knew I was going to like it and I really did. Love the idea of an apartment that travels back and forth.
Many many years ago, I was on an airplane when I opened “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and started reading it. I didn’t stop reading until I was completely finished. I had the same experience with this book. I started listening to it when I sat in my plane seat and I did not stop until it was completely finished. I loved every single moment of this story. I loved the narration. I loved the two characters who were competing. I loved the premise. A truly fantastic read.
“The surface of love was a feeling, but beyond this thin layer, there was a fathomless, winding maze of caverns offering many places to see and explore. Wren used to think romantic passion only grew more intense in the depths . But this belief was naive and impractical, a by-product of a certainty-obsessed culture that equates love with longing and views ambivalence as a fatal flaw. Wren saw now how passion was delicate and temporary, a visitor, a feeling that would come and go. Feelings fled under pressure; feelings did not light the darkness . What remained strong in the deep, the hard times, was love as an effort , a doing, a conscious act of will. Soulmates, like her and Lewis, were not theoretical and found. They were tangible, built.” This story is unlike anything you will have ever read. In fact, it’s so unusual that I am worried many people won’t even pick it up because it’s “too weird” but it’s an absolutely beautiful book on love, family, friendship, loss, grief, and so much more. “The Tiny Pregnant Woman’s marriage had a culture of sacrifice rather than compromise. For this reason, she was jealous of Lewis, even though she had never met.” Even though the blurb makes it sound like it’s only about Wren and her shark-turning husband, this is actually about generations of women. Wren is at the center of it, but her mom also takes up a third of the book. It’s touching, raw, deeply sad and also deeply beautiful. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Wren wants to shout. The world is a big and small place, and life, a terrifying and sublime journey.” I really loved every moment I spent with this unusual book. I really hope more people pick it up and get to experience this beautiful book. with gratitude to edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars. I waited to read this book for over ten years. I am not sure why. I kept wanting to but never doing it. And once I started I read it all in one sitting. I liked it but didn’t love it. I felt like the story was more stunted than I’d expected and the characters a bit less 3-dimensional. But I still loved it.
3.5 stars. I meant the title already has it but everyone is lying and everyone here in an unlikeable character so it’s really hard to love this book. But if you like plot driven mystery novels, you’ll like this one. Lapena is a good writer and her books are unputdownable! |
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