Reviews

Ultraviolet by Suzanne Matson

traci1974's review against another edition

3.0

I struggled with this one. It was very slow, and I set it aside several times wondering if I'd even pick it back up. I did, and I'm glad I did because it was a nice story, but I can't get past the fact that I labored to finish it. I will say I think this style of book is not something I tend to read, and I feel like I know many readers who love just this sort of thing. So, 3 stars for me, but I think others will enjoy it much more than I did.

bartendm's review against another edition

4.0

I struggled to rate this book because there were parts of it I really loved and other parts that seemed slow. It is a quiet book built around relationships. The character sketches in it, and the capturing of a time period that was not particularly exciting were done very well. Carl, the father, is quite interesting, and I enjoyed the contrast of his self assured, but easy going nature relative to the women in the story. It felt like the book was not quite long enough to allow full development of the characters over 3 generations, so the author had to carefully choose what to include. Many of them are masterfully done, and convey a lot of meaning in small vignettes from the character's lives. In the end, I decided to give it a 4, rather than a 3, because of how well the best parts were written and the final relationship developed between Kathryn, the mother, and Samantha, the daughter. We are left knowing the least about the grandmother, who probably had the most interesting life of the three because she spent much of it as a missionary in India. I wanted to know more about her and how she influenced Kathryn. Kathryn, who was born in India and spent most of her childhood there, becomes a rather cold person who, after her interesting train ride to leave her missionary father and strike out on her own, seems to leave things to fate for most of her life.

Spoiler

She is not so much an interesting character as an unhappy, embittered woman that the daughter tries to figure out. In the end Kathryn seems to come to terms with her life, and Samantha provides loving care and a steady presence while she looses touch with reality.

The ending with the POV from the very aged Kathryn is masterful. Part of the beauty of the novel is the reality that most relationships are not perfect, even as we wish them to be.

bookalong's review against another edition

4.0

A Compelling and Epic Generational Novel.
•
I enjoyed this book. It slowly drew me in. I found the writing was lovely! I really enjoy generational novels, specially mother-daughter ones.Thoes relationships are always so intimate and complex which makes them so engrossing. This book follows three generations of women through their lives.
•
I liked the plot, but for the characters I definitely enjoyed Elsie's storyline the most. A missionary in India in the 1930's. And her daughter Kathryn who struggles to belong once moving back to the US after a childhood in India. Then Samantha her daughter I enjoyed the least. I felt her character was lacking.
I think this book could have been been longer as well. To give the characters more time.
•
All in all I did like this one. If you like generational novels and or reading about mother-daughter relationships give this one a go.
•
Thank You to the publisher for sending me a finished copy. I love this cover too. 😍

traci1974's review against another edition

3.0

I struggled with this one. It was very slow, and I set it aside several times wondering if I'd even pick it back up. I did, and I'm glad I did because it was a nice story, but I can't get past the fact that I labored to finish it. I will say I think this style of book is not something I tend to read, and I feel like I know many readers who love just this sort of thing. So, 3 stars for me, but I think others will enjoy it much more than I did.

jessicaesquire's review

3.0

The novel that follows mothers and daughters across generations has been popping up more and more lately and I still haven't had my fill of them. The epic generational novel has been around for so long, that these slimmer, more specific versions still feel new and fresh to me, especially as you watch the way women's choices change or stay the same over time. (They stay the same more often than you expect.)

In ULTRAVOILET I got really sucked in to the story of Elsie, the wife of a missionary in India, and then her daughter Kathryn who pulls away from the overprotected world she was brought up in to discover a new life for herself. The writing is lovely, the characters and settings are interesting. But I started to stall closer to the end. Kathryn began to fade from the story and I didn't feel as grabbed by her daughter Samantha and the relationship didn't quite meld for me. But it's still a worthy entry to the mothers-and-daughters novel.