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teresaalice's review against another edition
4.0
I loves Endicott's book "Good to a fault" so much that I was happy to see this, another book by her. Though the story is slow and meandering and goes much of nowhere, the way Endicott writes is so beautiful that you don't mind just going along for the walk.
ldv's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, this book was exquisitely written. It was the writing: the oozing emotion out of simple words, phrases, the poetry, the raw-ness of the characters, that pulled me through this book. Not a light piece, but something to be chewed and tasted and thoroughly explored. There's so much insight and accurate portrayal of love and life and the awkwardness of being human to make this book profound. So many characters, but their integration (even though the teens are more like university students) as a community is well portrayed. Walk into this world: it is heavy with emotion, but well-written.
Recommended for art and theatre lovers, too.
Recommended for art and theatre lovers, too.
thislemonreads's review against another edition
5.0
Read from start to finish in one afternoon and evening.
ldv's review
4.0
Wow, this book was exquisitely written. It was the writing: the oozing emotion out of simple words, phrases, the poetry, the raw-ness of the characters, that pulled me through this book. Not a light piece, but something to be chewed and tasted and thoroughly explored. There's so much insight and accurate portrayal of love and life and the awkwardness of being human to make this book profound. So many characters, but their integration (even though the teens are more like university students) as a community is well portrayed. Walk into this world: it is heavy with emotion, but well-written.
Recommended for art and theatre lovers, too.
Recommended for art and theatre lovers, too.
penny_literaryhoarders's review
I can't do it. I tried. It's so long, and while I really do enjoy the parts with Hugh, the rest is strange with the stream of consciousness writing, and I just can't get into it. It's just not keeping my interest enough to want to continue investing in this rather large book. :-(
pgchuis's review
4.0
I received a copy of this from the publisher via Netgalley.
A week in the life of Hugh, a gallery-owner, whose mother (Mimi) is dying in the hospice. The plot revolves around a drama masterclass being held at the local high school, which is being run by Newell, Hugh's foster-brother, and Newell's boyfriend, Burton, whom Hugh hates. Ivy is an actress, also in town to facilitate the masterclass and she and Hugh immediately fall in love. The cast of characters, all of whom are tightly connected, include Della, a foster-sister to Newell and Hugh, Ann, a girlfriend of Hugh's from decades before, Ruth, who informally fostered Hugh, Della and Newell, and their various teenage sons and daughters, who are attending the class.
Hugh falls 15+ feet off a ladder at the beginning of the week and struggles with a constant headache and complicated feelings for his mother. Della and her husband, who are celebrating 30 years of being together, almost break up and there are other love triangles/pairings, most importantly the love Newell feels for the teenage Orion, which threatens Burton.
Things I liked:
Ivy and Hugh - a couple who meet, like each other, express this liking and have a supportive, loving relationship which enhances each of their lives.
The Newell/Hugh/Orion triangle, which explored the meaning of love, loyalty and obligation.
Hugh in general - a man with honour, who lived up to his obligations.
Ruth - a very well-drawn, instantly recognizable character.
Things I liked less:
The limited cast and scope of action was a bit claustrophobic at times.
I often found the Della sections impossible to understand.
I just wanted Hugh to open his mail/check his messages/plan more than 5 minutes ahead.
A week in the life of Hugh, a gallery-owner, whose mother (Mimi) is dying in the hospice. The plot revolves around a drama masterclass being held at the local high school, which is being run by Newell, Hugh's foster-brother, and Newell's boyfriend, Burton, whom Hugh hates. Ivy is an actress, also in town to facilitate the masterclass and she and Hugh immediately fall in love. The cast of characters, all of whom are tightly connected, include Della, a foster-sister to Newell and Hugh, Ann, a girlfriend of Hugh's from decades before, Ruth, who informally fostered Hugh, Della and Newell, and their various teenage sons and daughters, who are attending the class.
Hugh falls 15+ feet off a ladder at the beginning of the week and struggles with a constant headache and complicated feelings for his mother. Della and her husband, who are celebrating 30 years of being together, almost break up and there are other love triangles/pairings, most importantly the love Newell feels for the teenage Orion, which threatens Burton.
Things I liked:
Ivy and Hugh - a couple who meet, like each other, express this liking and have a supportive, loving relationship which enhances each of their lives.
The Newell/Hugh/Orion triangle, which explored the meaning of love, loyalty and obligation.
Hugh in general - a man with honour, who lived up to his obligations.
Ruth - a very well-drawn, instantly recognizable character.
Things I liked less:
The limited cast and scope of action was a bit claustrophobic at times.
I often found the Della sections impossible to understand.
I just wanted Hugh to open his mail/check his messages/plan more than 5 minutes ahead.
jooniperd's review
3.0
3.5-stars, for now - i am still processing this read, unsure about what i think/feel.
there was much i liked (loved!), but there were also some things that made it hard for me to really get into a good flow with the story. so i am going to think on this a bit more to see if i can gather some more coherent thoughts. i do adore marina endicott, so i want to give her and the novel their proper dues. :)
the likes:
• hugh
• ivy
• ruth
• the setting (peterborough, ontario)
• the contrast of the cluster of mid-life artists with the young/student group
• some wonderful, perfect moments about life, its complexities, acceptance, grief, loss, and love
• how hard 'regular' life is for everyone - you never really know what people are dealign with
• the empathy endicott conveys (and which i hope other readers will feel and appreciate!)
the bumpy things
• the constant use of hugh/you
• della
• ken
• gerald
• newell
• ann
• burton
• jamie, & his brother (ivy's ex)
• the lack of depth or information offered in some characters &situations, deeply contrasting the perfect moments
• possibly too much going on
• the really insular nature of the adult group
i feel like the book is going to sit with me for a while, so this rating may get bumped up. i also feel like this book has excellent potential for award consideration, so i will be interested to see how it fares, later this year.
there was much i liked (loved!), but there were also some things that made it hard for me to really get into a good flow with the story. so i am going to think on this a bit more to see if i can gather some more coherent thoughts. i do adore marina endicott, so i want to give her and the novel their proper dues. :)
the likes:
• hugh
• ivy
• ruth
• the setting (peterborough, ontario)
• the contrast of the cluster of mid-life artists with the young/student group
• some wonderful, perfect moments about life, its complexities, acceptance, grief, loss, and love
• how hard 'regular' life is for everyone - you never really know what people are dealign with
• the empathy endicott conveys (and which i hope other readers will feel and appreciate!)
the bumpy things
• the constant use of hugh/you
• della
• ken
• gerald
• newell
• ann
• burton
• jamie, & his brother (ivy's ex)
• the lack of depth or information offered in some characters &situations, deeply contrasting the perfect moments
• possibly too much going on
• the really insular nature of the adult group
i feel like the book is going to sit with me for a while, so this rating may get bumped up. i also feel like this book has excellent potential for award consideration, so i will be interested to see how it fares, later this year.
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