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mayflowergirl74's review
4.0
The part of this story told in present time unfolds over a short period, perhaps only a couple of weeks, maybe three. This present story is the reaction that Fern and Edger, a young married couple with three young children, have to losing the money they have grown so accustomed to living off of. The main bulk of the story is told in flashbacks, going into different POVs, detailing the lives of Fern and Egar's parents, the younger lives of Fern and Edgar, and even the lives of the people Fern and Edger turn to. There are many stories here, and I will admit I sometimes got frustrated when the author would delve into another character, in detail, that I didn't really have an interest in. However, I had a very visceral reaction to something one of the main characters did, and to evoke that kind of reaction, the author is definitely doing something right. By the end, I was invested and hopeful... I'm not entirely convinced the end is all that I wanted, but I was still satisfied and glad this read was recommended to me.
kfront's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alisonjfields's review
3.0
5.6/10. The first part of this book was great. Then it just completely fell apart.
corrina_milito's review
emotional
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.0
rachreadsbooks27's review
Made it maybe a third of the way through, but DNF. So bored.
ridgewaygirl's review
5.0
For awhile now, I've been unable to appreciate novels about the travails of young, beautiful and rich white people. There are so many of them and I question how taking the least interesting people and situations will make for a novel that breaks new ground and is compelling enough to spend several hours with.
Apparently, it can be done. Ramona Ausubel has written a book called Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty, in which a wealthy, happy family is sent into a tailspin when it's discovered that the money has all been spent. Fern and Edgar have three happy children and a lot of money. They have a summer house on an island and the sailboat to go with it. They spend entire summers there, unfettered by jobs or obligations. Fern's parents are old money, and it's from them that the money flows, money earned generations ago from rum and slaves and cotton, but this was long enough ago to have erased the guilt that might have gone with that.
To their friends and children both, generations to come told the story of the abolitionist over the story of his father, proud of the relative who had fought on the side of right. They did not speak of the fact that in order for a family to free their slaves they must first have owned them. They did not stop spending the money that had been earned with the help of bodies, bought and sold. It was that money that furnished every single thing in their good American lives.
When they discover the money has all been spent, the only solution apparent to Fern is that Edgar must finally take up the reins of his father's steel mills, a fate he's been running from all his life. Edgar is the kind of person I'd dream of punching in the neck if I met him at a party and he started in with his usual rant of how he despises money, delivered while wearing the privilege that allows him to hate what he doesn't have to earn. But in a novel, he's a fascinating character. And that's what Ausubel does, with beautiful writing and a real understanding of her characters, she paints a portrait of people who aren't necessarily sympathetic, but they are understandable. There are also the children, especially Cricket, the daughter, who is forced into the role of caretaker to her two younger brothers when her parents spin out of control.
Ausubel is a true storyteller and I look forward to reading everything by her I can find. There are ways in which this book reminded me of Anne Patchett's Commonwealth, another novel I loved.
Apparently, it can be done. Ramona Ausubel has written a book called Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty, in which a wealthy, happy family is sent into a tailspin when it's discovered that the money has all been spent. Fern and Edgar have three happy children and a lot of money. They have a summer house on an island and the sailboat to go with it. They spend entire summers there, unfettered by jobs or obligations. Fern's parents are old money, and it's from them that the money flows, money earned generations ago from rum and slaves and cotton, but this was long enough ago to have erased the guilt that might have gone with that.
To their friends and children both, generations to come told the story of the abolitionist over the story of his father, proud of the relative who had fought on the side of right. They did not speak of the fact that in order for a family to free their slaves they must first have owned them. They did not stop spending the money that had been earned with the help of bodies, bought and sold. It was that money that furnished every single thing in their good American lives.
When they discover the money has all been spent, the only solution apparent to Fern is that Edgar must finally take up the reins of his father's steel mills, a fate he's been running from all his life. Edgar is the kind of person I'd dream of punching in the neck if I met him at a party and he started in with his usual rant of how he despises money, delivered while wearing the privilege that allows him to hate what he doesn't have to earn. But in a novel, he's a fascinating character. And that's what Ausubel does, with beautiful writing and a real understanding of her characters, she paints a portrait of people who aren't necessarily sympathetic, but they are understandable. There are also the children, especially Cricket, the daughter, who is forced into the role of caretaker to her two younger brothers when her parents spin out of control.
Ausubel is a true storyteller and I look forward to reading everything by her I can find. There are ways in which this book reminded me of Anne Patchett's Commonwealth, another novel I loved.
guylou's review
1.0
I tried to love the characters and failed! :( I tried to like the characters and failed! :( I tried to understand where they come from and sympathize with the characters and failed! :( I read the book to the last page and the only thing I liked, was that I was done with this book.
pammoore's review
2.0
I loved the beginning but about halfway through I just couldn't care anymore. I didn't get a chance to like or understand Edgar or Fern enough to understand either of their decisions to leave their family. While I realize it is fiction, there has to be some suspension of disbelief for this plotline to work, and it just didn't work for me. I kept on asking myself, "Who would DO this!?" I skimmed from about the halfway point to the three-quarters-ish mark... I read/skimmed up to about 80 or 90% when I decided I just don't have time for this anymore. The book had so much potential. The author is a beautiful writer. The characters just need more development.