Reviews

First chapter was so confusing, then the book becomes more simple. Told from many different POV's well written but at times the writer was "trying to hard" and it was difficult to decipher if she was being sarcastic, making fun of the characters or the situation and became over-written in a way. Was definitely engaging. I would read the first chapter again after reading the book in it's entirety. This made the experience one of a kind for me.

lhbrandes's review

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

michellechien930's review against another edition

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3.0

Commonwealth, hmmm. I really loved the first Ann Patchett novel I read, which was the Dutch House, so I immediately picked up this book as well. However, what I liked in the Dutch House (strong sibling bonds) are not all that apparent in this quite lengthy novel. I feel like after reading, I didn't really like any of the characters. I know it's meant to be that way but all of them, Franny and Albie and everyone else, are just really self-concerned and not such great people. Some parts of it are really compelling, other parts (like the last few chapters) I found myself skimming through the pages. All in all, I do love Patchett's writing. I just liked the Dutch House a lot more!

torireadsnz's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

emk2097's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

noitsbecky's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This is hard to review, honestly. I didn't hate it, it was kind of interesting? I was interested at points. Maybe it had the bones of a good story? I was just bored. And I don't think I'll remember this in a month's time. I'm disappointed as I've seen such good things about this author. I'll probably pick up another of hers to try again.

msmegquinn's review against another edition

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emotional reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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