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dottiemi's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
krista114's review against another edition
4.0
This is my second Pat Conroy book and I just love his writing. This book is filled with details of the worst traumas you can imagine but it’s always cushioned with dark humor and quick wit. Some of the characters were unrealistic to me (e.g., the main character’s 8 year old daughter sounded like an old Victorian woman) but overall I really enjoyed this!
devonforest's review against another edition
3.0
In general, it was a good storyline and plot. However, there was a little too many tangents and side stories that didn’t seem directly relative to the main story. If the story had been condensed a little bit I would’ve enjoyed it more.
hinesight's review
4.0
If this was my first time with Pat Conroy, I don't know if I'd go on to his other books. It felt like three books cobbled together, and while I get it - I see why he intertwined those three stories - I still would have preferred him to have left out the Holocaust references, which felt contrived.
mysticxradiance's review
slow-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? Yes
1.5
shadylane_00's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
lulo49's review against another edition
2.0
Maybe this is just not the right time for me to be reading about completely dysfunctional families full of snarky, nasty, self-loathing, vindictive liars doing everything possible to avoid facing truth. After reading almost 175 pages or 19% of the book hoping I would find something engaging to keep me reading, I've given up. The author's description of the abusive, drunken patriarch, "His specialty, long since perfected, was to make every moment difficult." was how I felt pretty much all the characters in the book were oriented. There's too much of that denial and nastiness in real life these days for me to bring that into my pleasure reading.
kathleenguthriewoods's review
4.0
Epic. Trying to imagine this as a movie, but think it would be better served as a mini-series...with the Baldwins as the McCall brothers.