Scan barcode
lonelyasfranz's review
4.0
Perhaps the most underrated short story I’ve read. I suspect this one goes much deeper than most readers seem to figure. Credit goes where credit is due, and it certainly deserves to be had by this masterful, pleasant, and painful story.
hannests's review
4.0
Beautifully written short story with a lot of attention for tiny details and dialogue.
grackback's review
2.0
My least favourite of the Penguin Modern series that I have read, I was not intrigued and found it to be slightly confusing.
clarinette1's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
versmonesprit's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
0.25
This is a story that requires perseverance. The first half made me want to cry in frustration due to how utterly boring and rambly it was. It got less bad in the second half, and only became alright in the last few pages. I don’t know the author enough to know whether the racism is her own, or just fictional, but I found it added nothing but another layer of antipathy to the story. I wish Porter had done what she did at the very end, through the entire story: the real dynamics of an age gap marriage, how it’s perceived, how it affects the younger partner… And again, without the racism, the main character could have been one that I’d feel tenderness for. In the end this persuaded me not to get a longer book by Porter, so I’d say I wouldn’t recommend this even at the price tag.
book_nerd_1990's review
5.0
I loved this mini Penguin Modern book "The Cracked Looking Glass." At only 55 pages, it's the perfect quick read for when you are in between books. I would definitely read it again.
Rosaleen and Dennis, Irish living in America, have been married for a long time. Rosaleen is a good storyteller and likes to embellish when talking with the neighbours. Dennis secretly wishes he could pipe up and say "stop it." Dissatisfied with her life and believing her "visions" Rosaleen takes a trip to visit her sister and along the way finds that actually, maybe her life isn't so bad after all.
Rosaleen and Dennis, Irish living in America, have been married for a long time. Rosaleen is a good storyteller and likes to embellish when talking with the neighbours. Dennis secretly wishes he could pipe up and say "stop it." Dissatisfied with her life and believing her "visions" Rosaleen takes a trip to visit her sister and along the way finds that actually, maybe her life isn't so bad after all.
theescapistreader's review
2.0
2.5 out of 5 stars
I thought about it for some time and decided that this should probably be smack in the middle of the scale I use.
Happy reading!
I thought about it for some time and decided that this should probably be smack in the middle of the scale I use.
Happy reading!
earlgreybooks's review
Feel kind of silly DNFing something this short, but this was boring and confusing.