Scan barcode
timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
3.0
A good story with interesting characters from the author of the amazing "Three Junes".
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
4.0
Intelligent, well-written and moving with an interesting cast of characters. I have thought Julia Glass over-rated from her earlier books, but I can completely recommend "The Widower's Tale" to anyone wanting an adult exploration of character and place. I'm not sure I believed all of it, but I enjoyed it very much.
ajb24's review against another edition
4.0
Really liked the story and character exploration. It's very weird that the town it's set in is basically a slightly more rural version of where I live right now (like, literally I think it's probably a fictionalized version of my town)
Also there are very specific references to like, streets in Cambridge, towns nearby, the Fresh Pond Whole Foods, that I literally recognize so that was just fun/cool to me.
Some of the plot threads I wasn't too big on and then they kinda go nowhere (Clover's quest to get her kids back (we know there's no hope for her case, but there's not really a clear explanation of her behavior...I guess that makes sense though seeing as we don't see from her POV), Celestino and Isabelle..I just don't like Celestino showing up after 8 years all like "oh Isabelle I've always loved you and I still do~" it just doesn't sit right with me, there's a part where we learn a little about Ira's sister and parents but it felt like unnecessary information in the overall scheme of things)
Oh and I found Sara really annoying when she initially wouldn't go to the doctor after Percy notices the lump like......I kinda understand where she's coming from with the no insurance and "naturally lumpy breasts" but like,,,just cuz you're healthy doesn't mean you can't develop cancer??? And her refusal to even consider the possibility was really annoying
Also there are very specific references to like, streets in Cambridge, towns nearby, the Fresh Pond Whole Foods, that I literally recognize so that was just fun/cool to me.
Some of the plot threads I wasn't too big on and then they kinda go nowhere (Clover's quest to get her kids back (we know there's no hope for her case, but there's not really a clear explanation of her behavior...I guess that makes sense though seeing as we don't see from her POV), Celestino and Isabelle..I just don't like Celestino showing up after 8 years all like "oh Isabelle I've always loved you and I still do~" it just doesn't sit right with me, there's a part where we learn a little about Ira's sister and parents but it felt like unnecessary information in the overall scheme of things)
Oh and I found Sara really annoying when she initially wouldn't go to the doctor after Percy notices the lump like......I kinda understand where she's coming from with the no insurance and "naturally lumpy breasts" but like,,,just cuz you're healthy doesn't mean you can't develop cancer??? And her refusal to even consider the possibility was really annoying
mschrock8's review against another edition
4.0
Percy is a wonderful character! I love tree houses & wish I had one. Glad there was one in this book. Pushed through last night, staying up late to finish this one.
nuscheda's review against another edition
1.0
Heartbreaking, but not for good reasons. Three Junes remains my favorite book and with each new JG book, I remain hopeful that she can do something approaching the greatness of TJ, but with each book, she seems to be further and further away. I thought the last one was particularly bad and this one is *fine* but in her efforts to find another Fenno, she offers four men, none of whom remotely measure up in terms of the sheer magnificence of the Fenno character. I feel so let down.
bunrab's review against another edition
3.0
I don't read general fiction that often - I hate stuff like Jodi Picoult (ewwww) and the like - but this one jumped into my library pile and I read it, and it was OK - not as much "terrible family secrets" and "totally evil ex-husbands/stalkers" as some of this kind of stuff has - most of the people in it were decent people, maybe a couple of them a little too good to be true, but overall nice, and the ending, while happy-ish, was not totally predictable.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
3.0
as i read this book, i kept waiting for something to happen.
it takes place in matlock, MA. a high-class residence. percy darling lives there and has raised his two daughters, trudy and clover, on his own. his wife, poppy, died in a freak accident in the pond near the family's house.
the other stories glass presents are that of robert, percy's grandson, who is a student at harvard. turo, robert's roommate, who is engaging in more of a rogue environmental groups activities, rather than his studies. and celestino, a lawnman from guatemala, who becomes inadvertantly involved in all these men's lives.
robert and percy's stories are interesting, but those of turo and celestino feel forced and incohesive with the rest of the story.
i wanted to enjoy the book, but i wasn't as interested as these characters in previous glass novels.
it takes place in matlock, MA. a high-class residence. percy darling lives there and has raised his two daughters, trudy and clover, on his own. his wife, poppy, died in a freak accident in the pond near the family's house.
the other stories glass presents are that of robert, percy's grandson, who is a student at harvard. turo, robert's roommate, who is engaging in more of a rogue environmental groups activities, rather than his studies. and celestino, a lawnman from guatemala, who becomes inadvertantly involved in all these men's lives.
robert and percy's stories are interesting, but those of turo and celestino feel forced and incohesive with the rest of the story.
i wanted to enjoy the book, but i wasn't as interested as these characters in previous glass novels.
megrosen88's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this on audio and enjoyed the story. The plot ended up being a little thin but I found it was great for listening to while driving. I think if the author has eliminated a few of the minor characters, the story could have been shorter and just as good.