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pearls85's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chymerra's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading Thorn Tree. From the blurb, I was expecting some insight into 1960s drug culture, and well, I don’t know what I was expecting after that. So, I went into reading Thorn Tree with an open mind. I mainly felt neutral toward the book.
The main storyline of Thorn Tree focuses on Daniel, Jack, and Celia. The storylines were well-written but flat. I also had the same feeling with the secondary storylines. They were flat and didn’t add much to the main storyline. Also, in certain parts of the storyline, the storyline is almost fever-dream-like. I also was not a fan of how the author would switch from 2017 to the past without giving a heads-up. It made for a lot of backtracking, which I prefer to avoid.
Out of the four characters, Daniel was the most relatable. Yes, he had some pretty crappy things happen to him. And yes, Daniel did some pretty crappy things, too, but he had turned his life around. He became an educator who valued his students. He was trying to mend fences with his son and reconnect with his ex while helping out her seventeen-year-old son. He was just a good guy overall.
Jack, on the other hand, I detested. From the minute he was introduced in the book, I felt that he was off in a way. And, oh boy, was he. I felt dirty after reading his chapters as if I needed a shower. Like Daniel, he had some crappy things happen to him. But, he took the trauma of those things and let them control him. He did love Dean in his way, and I didn’t doubt that. But, the events in the second half of the book disgusted me.
I did like Celia, but I felt terrible for who she had as a father and what she was being forced to do on set. Unlike Jack, who tried to hide who he was, Celia knew precisely what type of person she was and what kind of person she wanted to be. I wasn’t a big fan of how her relationship with Leo started. But, the conversations that she and Leo had were thought-provoking and soul-searching. I also never doubted her feelings for Dean. She loved her son, and everything she endured on that set was to give him a good life.
I also liked Dean. However, as the book went on and Jack became more interested in his ex-cult (I will explain below), Dean became more damaged. He went from an outgoing, vibrant child to one who shut down to everyone except for Jack, Celia, and Daniel. Jack was sucking the childhood right out of him, and it was painful to watch.
The storyline with Daniel broke my heart. It was interesting to see Daniel evolve into the man he was in 2017. I liked that the author had him trying to rectify past mistakes and express regrets over things he did in the past (the blowing up of his tree, though, was not a regret of his). I was not expecting his storyline to end as it did, and I was a little grumpy about that.
The storyline with Jack was interesting, even though I didn’t like him. The author didn’t even pretend he was a good guy; I liked that he did that. I wish the author had spent more time on Jack’s time in the death cult. It would have explained why he was so fixated on it in 2017 and why he put his grandson through the events that he did.
The storyline with Celia and the one with Dean (up to almost the end of the book, where his storyline became the only one) were fascinating. But they didn’t hold my interest (it was more about Daniel and Jack). That is until the last half of the book. Then Dean’s storyline became very interesting. I am going to repeat what I said above; Jack was sucking away Dean’s childhood. It was so evident by the last chapter, which I can’t go into.
There was a secondary storyline that involved two teenagers (Chris and Hunter) and a pamphlet that contained the works of Jack’s long-dead cult leader. While I didn’t feel that it added any depth to the main or Jack’s storyline, I did find it fascinating to see how Chris got swept up in the whole cult idea. I also found it fascinating that Jack seemingly got swept up, too.
I liked that the author went a little in-depth into the counterculture of the late ’60s. I found those chapters fascinating and wished that the author had spent a little more time there.
The end of Thorn Tree was a bit bland. The author did bring everything together, but I wasn’t happy with any of the outcomes. Jack’s confession to Daniel, while needed, did not need to turn into what it did. Also, I wouldn’t say I liked how the whole Dean storyline ended. I was shaking my head in disbelief and dsiappointment.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Max Ludington for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Thorn Tree. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
book_reader_lover's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I have to say that I am glad I am done with this book! It was ssoo slooow. The chapters are extremely long. Characters come and go for no reason, I could understand. I kept losing interest and fell asleep reading it a couple of times. I got to 70% in the before it finally dawned on me what it was all about. Then it just abruptly ended. Of course, this is just my opinion and some others liked it and even loved it. Read it and find out what you think about it.
Tentative Publishing Date April 16, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Ludington for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
#netgalley #stmartinspress #maxludington #thorntree #arc #readaway2024
Tentative Publishing Date April 16, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Ludington for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
#netgalley #stmartinspress #maxludington #thorntree #arc #readaway2024
kelli7990's review
A beautifully wrought novel on the aftershocks of the heady but dangerous late 1960s and the relationship between trauma and the creative impulse.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for sending me a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I decided to DNF this book after reading 62 pages. I couldn’t get into this book. The chapters are too long. This book spends a lot of time describing the setting and it gives a lot of details about the characters that are in this story. All of this goes on for pages and pages and I didn’t care. I would rather learn details about the characters as the story goes on because I’m not going to remember the details about all of the characters if I’m being given details at the very beginning. As I was reading about the characters, I was thinking to myself,”Good grief. Do I need to get out a pen and paper and start taking notes about all of these characters?” Also, I don’t mind authors spending a lot of pages describing the setting if I’m reading a fantasy book but if it’s just going on in a regular book, I find it boring.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for sending me a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I decided to DNF this book after reading 62 pages. I couldn’t get into this book. The chapters are too long. This book spends a lot of time describing the setting and it gives a lot of details about the characters that are in this story. All of this goes on for pages and pages and I didn’t care. I would rather learn details about the characters as the story goes on because I’m not going to remember the details about all of the characters if I’m being given details at the very beginning. As I was reading about the characters, I was thinking to myself,”Good grief. Do I need to get out a pen and paper and start taking notes about all of these characters?” Also, I don’t mind authors spending a lot of pages describing the setting if I’m reading a fantasy book but if it’s just going on in a regular book, I find it boring.
aliciagw's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed "Thorn Tree" by Max Ludington. It was my type of book. I felt it was well written, and the author did a very good job at weaving together the stories of the main characters lives over time.
There are many characters in the book, however it is primarily the story of two men, Daniel and Jack, and how their lives came together over time. They were both affected by an event that occurred in the late sixties, which ends up bringing them together again (not in a good way) in current times. There are several side stories going on as well, but it's mostly the tale of Daniel and Jack. The story involves sixties culture, including drug usage, communes and cults, as well as Hollywood and artists lifestyles. It covers themes of trauma and it's long term effect on our lives. It is a bit dark and not always cheery, somewhat sad.
The narration isn't told in a linear manner, it jumps back and forth between the different time spans. The characters are well developed, although some of them don't really seem entirely necessary to the main story. I personally enjoy many characters, but some people might think there are too many. I enjoyed the ending. I can't really say that it was an entirely happy ending, it was some good and some bad, but I felt it was fairly clear what had happened.
I would like to read more from this author in the future.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
There are many characters in the book, however it is primarily the story of two men, Daniel and Jack, and how their lives came together over time. They were both affected by an event that occurred in the late sixties, which ends up bringing them together again (not in a good way) in current times. There are several side stories going on as well, but it's mostly the tale of Daniel and Jack. The story involves sixties culture, including drug usage, communes and cults, as well as Hollywood and artists lifestyles. It covers themes of trauma and it's long term effect on our lives. It is a bit dark and not always cheery, somewhat sad.
The narration isn't told in a linear manner, it jumps back and forth between the different time spans. The characters are well developed, although some of them don't really seem entirely necessary to the main story. I personally enjoy many characters, but some people might think there are too many. I enjoyed the ending. I can't really say that it was an entirely happy ending, it was some good and some bad, but I felt it was fairly clear what had happened.
I would like to read more from this author in the future.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
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