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candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
"The Barrowfields" is a beautifully written book that gets stuck in its own self. Phillip Lewis is so invested in following in the footsteps of other wonderful North Carolina writers that he forgets to propel the story forward. You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and it's a long wait and slow-mo action.
The first part of the novel that deals with the narrator's father, also named Henry, and his obsession with writing. The family tiptoes around him as he writes, drinks, and practices some law. It is creepy dysfunctionality, heightened by the fact that they have bought a large weird house in their small town where murders occurred. Young Henry's take on his father and family is the most compelling part of the novel, because by the time young Henry is off on his own both he and the book become unmoored.
Son Henry is just not as interesting as his dad, and his struggles did not engage me. His mother and sister behave in ways that don't seem to fit with the people we met in part one. The relationship with Story--argh.
Phillip Lewis is a wonderful writer, and that's what kept me reading. I see a someone who will develop in plotting skills and then, boy will he be someone to watch out for!
"The Barrowfields" is a beautifully written book that gets stuck in its own self. Phillip Lewis is so invested in following in the footsteps of other wonderful North Carolina writers that he forgets to propel the story forward. You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and it's a long wait and slow-mo action.
The first part of the novel that deals with the narrator's father, also named Henry, and his obsession with writing. The family tiptoes around him as he writes, drinks, and practices some law. It is creepy dysfunctionality, heightened by the fact that they have bought a large weird house in their small town where murders occurred. Young Henry's take on his father and family is the most compelling part of the novel, because by the time young Henry is off on his own both he and the book become unmoored.
Son Henry is just not as interesting as his dad, and his struggles did not engage me. His mother and sister behave in ways that don't seem to fit with the people we met in part one. The relationship with Story--argh.
Phillip Lewis is a wonderful writer, and that's what kept me reading. I see a someone who will develop in plotting skills and then, boy will he be someone to watch out for!
machadofam8's review against another edition
3.0
so. long in parts, too fast in others. nice story but a bit uneven.
rebeccarennerfl's review against another edition
There are many things I liked about this novel: the prose, the voice, the southern gothic setting. Garish and grotesque characters reminded me of Flannery O'Connor's sinners, and the small-town atmosphere was reminiscent of To Kill A Mockingbird. The story rambles and meanders, sort of like talking to an aged Southern relative whose reminiscences of time immemorial flow forth with languid ease.
Read The Barrowfields if you're into Southern gothic settings, grotesque characters, and that indelible southern voice that speaks of iced tea glasses sweating in the heat of a Sunday afternoon.
I received an ARC from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.
Read The Barrowfields if you're into Southern gothic settings, grotesque characters, and that indelible southern voice that speaks of iced tea glasses sweating in the heat of a Sunday afternoon.
I received an ARC from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.
justjoel's review against another edition
4.0
I liked The Barrowfields much more than I expected to.
It's a slow-paced debut novel that almost feels like it belongs to another era. It's literary fiction that follows a young man who yearns to know his father, who is either (or possibly both) a genius or mentally ill. His search for identity and understanding is what drives the narrative, and there is a gentle exploration of the similarities and dissimilarities between the two. There is a romantic element to the story, but it is not the primary focus.
I did enjoy the author's storytelling. Coming from a small town myself, I felt like the protagonist's voice rang true, and was able to identify with him, and to a larger extent, I identified with his quest to know his father. The Gothic home on the hillside lent a gloomy and troubling air to the book's already somewhat depressing atmosphere but in a good way.
I enjoyed most of the book, except for part of Story's story. I thought the resolution to her quest to know her own father came too soon and far too simply, though it did provide a counterpoint to Henry's own quest to know his father.
My only other real issue with the book came from the repeated use of "could of" instead of "could've."
Yes, I know, it's not a big deal to many, but I don't care if it only exists in dialogue: I don't see why it is difficult to write properly. Why add something promoting illiteracy to a book that is pure literary fiction? It makes no sense.
It's a slow-paced debut novel that almost feels like it belongs to another era. It's literary fiction that follows a young man who yearns to know his father, who is either (or possibly both) a genius or mentally ill. His search for identity and understanding is what drives the narrative, and there is a gentle exploration of the similarities and dissimilarities between the two. There is a romantic element to the story, but it is not the primary focus.
I did enjoy the author's storytelling. Coming from a small town myself, I felt like the protagonist's voice rang true, and was able to identify with him, and to a larger extent, I identified with his quest to know his father. The Gothic home on the hillside lent a gloomy and troubling air to the book's already somewhat depressing atmosphere but in a good way.
I enjoyed most of the book, except for part of Story's story. I thought the resolution to her quest to know her own father came too soon and far too simply, though it did provide a counterpoint to Henry's own quest to know his father.
My only other real issue with the book came from the repeated use of "could of" instead of "could've."
Yes, I know, it's not a big deal to many, but I don't care if it only exists in dialogue: I don't see why it is difficult to write properly. Why add something promoting illiteracy to a book that is pure literary fiction? It makes no sense.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
Set in a rural town in the Appalachian Mountains,The Barrowfields is a melancholy yet interesting debut by Phillip Lewis.
After tragedy strikes their family, young Henry Aster reminisces about his father, also named Henry, who managed to leave his rural roots only to return with his pregnant wife, Eleonore, when his mother's health begins to fail. Henry Sr is a prodigious reader with dreams of writing of his own novel and works as a lawyer to support his family. After winning a lucrative case, he purchases a rather spooky house that overlooks the town where he works on his novel while drinking heavily. Following a tragic loss, young Henry eventually follows in his father's footsteps as he leaves for college only to eventually return to his birthplace where he must finally come to terms with the events that occurred before striking out on his own.
The flashbacks from Henry Jr about his childhood offer a somewhat bleak portrait of his rather dysfunctional family. Henry Sr spends night after night writing his novel and drinking which leaves Henry Jr. taking on paternal duties with his much younger sister Threnody. Most of Henry's reminiscences focus on his dad with only passing mention of his mom, Eleonore, who is apparently quite devoted to her husband. After Henry's paternal grandmother passes away, Henry's family undergoes a few changes that end in tragedy and culminate with Henry Sr.'s continued downward spiral.
The pacing of the novel picks up when Henry Jr goes to college where he also goes on to law school. He spends a lot of his time drinking and mooning over Story, the young woman who has stolen his heart. However, Story has her own drama to contend with but Henry is a willing participant in her quest to attain answers that no one is willing to give. It is not until Henry returns to face his own past that he figures out the truth she has searching for. In the process of coming to terms with his family's history, Henry attempts to repair his long fractured relationship with Threnody.
Although a bit slow paced, The Barrowfields is an imaginative debut novel. Phillip Lewis brings the setting vibrantly to life and it is quite easy to visualize the rural town and its inhabitants. The characters are richly developed and life-like with all too human frailties and foibles. An atmospheric coming of age novel that leaves readers hopeful Henry Jr and Threnody will find a way to avoid repeating the mistakes that took their father down a somewhat dark path.
After tragedy strikes their family, young Henry Aster reminisces about his father, also named Henry, who managed to leave his rural roots only to return with his pregnant wife, Eleonore, when his mother's health begins to fail. Henry Sr is a prodigious reader with dreams of writing of his own novel and works as a lawyer to support his family. After winning a lucrative case, he purchases a rather spooky house that overlooks the town where he works on his novel while drinking heavily. Following a tragic loss, young Henry eventually follows in his father's footsteps as he leaves for college only to eventually return to his birthplace where he must finally come to terms with the events that occurred before striking out on his own.
The flashbacks from Henry Jr about his childhood offer a somewhat bleak portrait of his rather dysfunctional family. Henry Sr spends night after night writing his novel and drinking which leaves Henry Jr. taking on paternal duties with his much younger sister Threnody. Most of Henry's reminiscences focus on his dad with only passing mention of his mom, Eleonore, who is apparently quite devoted to her husband. After Henry's paternal grandmother passes away, Henry's family undergoes a few changes that end in tragedy and culminate with Henry Sr.'s continued downward spiral.
The pacing of the novel picks up when Henry Jr goes to college where he also goes on to law school. He spends a lot of his time drinking and mooning over Story, the young woman who has stolen his heart. However, Story has her own drama to contend with but Henry is a willing participant in her quest to attain answers that no one is willing to give. It is not until Henry returns to face his own past that he figures out the truth she has searching for. In the process of coming to terms with his family's history, Henry attempts to repair his long fractured relationship with Threnody.
Although a bit slow paced, The Barrowfields is an imaginative debut novel. Phillip Lewis brings the setting vibrantly to life and it is quite easy to visualize the rural town and its inhabitants. The characters are richly developed and life-like with all too human frailties and foibles. An atmospheric coming of age novel that leaves readers hopeful Henry Jr and Threnody will find a way to avoid repeating the mistakes that took their father down a somewhat dark path.
gracescanlon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent and Child death
Minor: Suicide
lola425's review against another edition
4.0
This is the kind of book that you just get lost in. The characters are just quirky enough to be interesting, but also just honest enough to be believed. Examines the complexity of family ties: how closely they bind, how they unravel, how arbitrary and tenuous they can be, how sometimes they are too much and sometimes not enough.
rglossner's review against another edition
3.0
Beautifully written family and coming of age story. The narrator relates his growing up in the strange, enormous house built into the mountain near a tiny North Carolina town. His father, who makes his living as a lawyer, is obsessed with books and literature and spends his nights drinking and writing a novel which is never finished. Tragedy splits his family and drives him away for college, and law school, where he meets a fellow law student named Story, with whom he falls in love. She has secrets and tragedies of her own. This novel was enjoyable, although I thought the women characters--his mother Eleonore, his sister Threnody, and Story--were all still mysteries to me at the end. Character and place take center stage here, so if you are looking for plot you will be disappointed.
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book of some of the most atmospheric settings ever evoked in a novel. The mountains, the stunning Appalachian Mountains is the setting as well as the overall character and the scenes are symbolic to the action of the plot. The mist on the mountains stops people seeing clearly, the high level houses are remote and claustrophobic,all-seeing but seeing nothing.The house they live in is a grand cold place and the house has more secrets than any one in the book combined!
Full review and BookTrail to follow
Full review and BookTrail to follow
jaclynday's review against another edition
5.0
Shockingly beautiful. I wasn’t prepared for how deeply these characters would worm their way inside me. It features some of the best writing about setting I’ve read in a long time. Thank you to Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for a review.