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robynryle's review against another edition
3.0
This started slowly, but I did enjoy the attempt to get inside the head of Termite and see the world from his perspective. The writing--lyrical and stream of conscioussness like--got in the way of me caring and identifying with the characters at time. But I did enjoy the story.
smalefowles's review against another edition
4.0
Despite a familial palimpsest of tragedy, our protagonists in this novel find a brighter path than I would expect in a Phillips novel. That's not a complaint. The Faulkner nods do indeed resound furiously, but the interweaving of narrative lines and voices is done deftly.
ccarusolott's review against another edition
4.0
I was drawn to the book after I read an article by the author in Smithsonian. She seems to have a good grip on the culture of the rural South. The characters are all tragic, and I was happy that Lark might be able to triumph over the circumstances of her life. She was able to accept her lot in life and seemed to be more mature than most of the adults. The ending was a bit disappointing. Throughout the book, I became annoyed by the behavior of the adults who thought of themselves before the children.
kdaven8's review against another edition
5.0
So far this is my favorite book I have read in 2023. It is followed closely by the other Jayne Ann Phillips books I just read. This book is not for every one it has lots of emotional triggers.
annebennett1957's review against another edition
3.0
Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips is the selection this month for one of my book clubs. Reviewers tend to talk about the literary merits of this book that deals with two half-siblings and their father a world away in Korea. When I read reviews I always try to scan both the positive and the negative ones trying to get a perspective on the book, figuring the truth will be somewhere in between. The reviewer that gave this book one star was practically beat up by other reviewers in the comment section. Essentially they were saying, "How dare you not love the book the way I love it." I fell somewhere in the middle.
randybo5's review against another edition
3.0
I had a difficult time rating this book. It is one of those books I know has excellent writing, but at the same time, I didn't particularly enjoy it. Set in a two day period during 1959 with flashbacks to the Korean War, it is alternately told through the viewpoints of four characters. Sometimes it was hard to follow although the threads all came together in the end. Perhaps, I'm just tired of this writing technique and am ready for a book with a single narrator!
kiramke's review
1.0
1. I already read the Sound and the Fury. Am I gaining anything here?
2. I was motivated to read by the Tim O'Brien blurb, and that I think this was given to me by someone I recently lost (someone with whom, however, I only shared a sliver of overlap in reading preferences).
3. But of course O'Brien would love something that speaks to the trauma of war.
4. The language could be beautiful, so I kept following sentences, and then realized despite that I wasn't engaging with the content.
5. After 10% I went looking at reviews, and on that strength skipped ahead to a Termite chapter. Sorry, no. I'll say it again, I want neurodivergent representation in literature, but an autistic youth as a plot device or gimmick feels icky.
6. I determined to abandon and read a quick internet summary of the main plots. Sorry, again a hard no.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
kokod's review against another edition
5.0
Exquisite prose and an interwoven narrative make this an unforgettable novel.
carolynf's review against another edition
3.0
A teenage girl takes care of her handicapped half-brother in the late 1950s. Meanwhile her brother's dad is in Korea in the early 1950s with a bunch of refugees, including another teenage girl with a handicapped brother. The two stories parallel in strange ways.