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lee's review against another edition
4.0
I had a difficult time starting this review because there are so many things I liked about this book that it was hard for me to just choose a few things to focus on. But since I must choose, I would have to say that the beautiful writing, first and foremost, is what got me completely drawn into this book. From the very first page to the very last one, the writing was lyrical, descriptive, engaging. The author Phillip Lewis has a unique skill in being able to render vivid descriptions of people, places, events, etc. in a few short sentences, sometimes in a mere few words, and do it in a way that the reader feels fully immersed in what he is describing. Some of my favorite descriptions in the book were of the old mansion situated on the side of the mountain in the fictitious town of Old Buckram, North Carolina – a formidable, intimidating structure that had seen its own fair share of tragedy in its decades of existence, which succeeded in giving the house a perpetually macabre, haunted aura. The detail with which the house was described made me feel as though I was right there alongside the members of the Aster family as each of them either explored the house for the first time or had to bear witness to some tragic event that inevitably occurs in the house during the time that the family reluctantly occupies it.
In addition to the writing, another aspect I loved was the huge role that books (both reading books and writing them) as well as music had in the story. As a book lover myself who also has a great appreciation for music, I could not help but become completely immersed in the narrator’s story, especially the parts about his family, specifically his father with whom he shared a similar passion for reading and also playing classical music. As I followed the narrator’s story, I felt at times that I was riding on a roller coaster of emotions, especially during the first third or so of the story when books of all kinds were front and center and the characters seemed to play only supporting roles. Even when the main characters became the focus of the story again, books and music continued to play a prominent role and were interwoven seamlessly throughout the rest of the story, which I loved.
This is an excellent book with an engaging story and relatable characters which easily would have been a 5 star read for me if it hadn’t been for the middle section of the book (roughly 30% to 40% if I had to quantify it) -- the entire segment where the narrator (Henry Aster the son) goes off to college and subsequently to law school. While I understood the need for this segment to exist (as a means for Henry to flee from all the tragedy and pain of his past as well as a conduit for him to meet his true love), I felt that the way this section was written was very different from the rest of the book. It felt very out of place to me, almost as though the entire section was taken from another story and dropped into this one. I definitely felt that this portion of the book interrupted the flow of the story and I wanted nothing more than for the narrator to hurry up and finish school so the focus could shift back to his family and his hometown and everything that had happened that was part of the past he was desperately trying to flee. After much consideration, I ended up begrudgingly giving this book 4 stars instead of the full 5 stars.
I decided to keep this review relatively short, as I feel like nothing I write can do justice to this book. This is a book that needs to be “read” rather than “described” because that is the only way to properly experience and appreciate the story that the author has to tell (and yes, I am still in shock that this is the author’s debut novel – I will surely be on the lookout for subsequent works by this author). Highly recommended read that is absolutely worth the time!
Received advance reader’s copy from Hogarth / Crown Publishing via Blogging for Books
In addition to the writing, another aspect I loved was the huge role that books (both reading books and writing them) as well as music had in the story. As a book lover myself who also has a great appreciation for music, I could not help but become completely immersed in the narrator’s story, especially the parts about his family, specifically his father with whom he shared a similar passion for reading and also playing classical music. As I followed the narrator’s story, I felt at times that I was riding on a roller coaster of emotions, especially during the first third or so of the story when books of all kinds were front and center and the characters seemed to play only supporting roles. Even when the main characters became the focus of the story again, books and music continued to play a prominent role and were interwoven seamlessly throughout the rest of the story, which I loved.
This is an excellent book with an engaging story and relatable characters which easily would have been a 5 star read for me if it hadn’t been for the middle section of the book (roughly 30% to 40% if I had to quantify it) -- the entire segment where the narrator (Henry Aster the son) goes off to college and subsequently to law school. While I understood the need for this segment to exist (as a means for Henry to flee from all the tragedy and pain of his past as well as a conduit for him to meet his true love), I felt that the way this section was written was very different from the rest of the book. It felt very out of place to me, almost as though the entire section was taken from another story and dropped into this one. I definitely felt that this portion of the book interrupted the flow of the story and I wanted nothing more than for the narrator to hurry up and finish school so the focus could shift back to his family and his hometown and everything that had happened that was part of the past he was desperately trying to flee. After much consideration, I ended up begrudgingly giving this book 4 stars instead of the full 5 stars.
I decided to keep this review relatively short, as I feel like nothing I write can do justice to this book. This is a book that needs to be “read” rather than “described” because that is the only way to properly experience and appreciate the story that the author has to tell (and yes, I am still in shock that this is the author’s debut novel – I will surely be on the lookout for subsequent works by this author). Highly recommended read that is absolutely worth the time!
Received advance reader’s copy from Hogarth / Crown Publishing via Blogging for Books
nikkiethereader's review against another edition
5.0
Henry grows up in a small town in the mountains. He lived with a family in a house that everybody believed to be haunted because the previous family was murdered and the case went unsolved. His father had grown up in the town and was an outsider because of his devotional love of reading.
I really enjoyed this story. I sadly had to put it down quite a few times in light of pressing matters around me. Those times were really hard for me. If I could have, I would have finished this book in one sitting. It was really amazing and emotionally charged. I loved watching Henry grow up and the experiences he had.
I didn't really dislike much about this book. Other than the typical typos in the book, there wasn't really anything wrong with it. I mean at first, I had a problem with Henry's detached sense of connection with his family and his hometown. That passed when I figured out why. I don't want to spoil the book, but I wish some things had been talked about a little more in the book as well.
I do fully recommend this book. I do feel it needs to be warned, this book will catch a person right in the feels and hold tight all through the book. It's emotionally charged. It's inspirational. It really makes you think about life and family dynamic. I'd like to get a physical copy to put on my shelf. Maybe even read it again!
I really enjoyed this story. I sadly had to put it down quite a few times in light of pressing matters around me. Those times were really hard for me. If I could have, I would have finished this book in one sitting. It was really amazing and emotionally charged. I loved watching Henry grow up and the experiences he had.
I didn't really dislike much about this book. Other than the typical typos in the book, there wasn't really anything wrong with it. I mean at first, I had a problem with Henry's detached sense of connection with his family and his hometown. That passed when I figured out why. I don't want to spoil the book, but I wish some things had been talked about a little more in the book as well.
I do fully recommend this book. I do feel it needs to be warned, this book will catch a person right in the feels and hold tight all through the book. It's emotionally charged. It's inspirational. It really makes you think about life and family dynamic. I'd like to get a physical copy to put on my shelf. Maybe even read it again!
thelastcatbender's review against another edition
3.0
I wouldn't have stuck through this book all the way through if it wasn't for the beautiful writing and the intriguing character that was Henry Sr, the narrator's father. The book would have been much more compelling had the author focused more on him and their lives at the house rather than exploring so much of Henry's college days and the whole tangent with his eventual girlfriend (?), Story. I would have much rather fast forwarded through all that trivial fluff and spent more time reading about Henry and Threnody's complicated relationships later in life, and their mother, etc. The book started off really well, but by the time it became more about Henry in college/Story, it felt like it was trying to be two books in one -- then suddenly remembered where it began and tried to hastily tie up some of the loose ends.
The writing was good enough, however, that I'd still like to look out for more in the future.
The writing was good enough, however, that I'd still like to look out for more in the future.
peekaboostitches's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
daysreads's review against another edition
i have a lot of thoughts on this book and i'm not entirely sure where I fall on it
ondbookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kate_elizabeth's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
Slow, slow, slow, slow start that eventually picked up. I've read other reviews of this book that acknowledge the relative lack of plot but say the beautiful prose makes up for it, which I disagree with - Lewis is a talented writer, but he seemed to be trying to write like an author from a different era (confusing, since the book is set in modern times), and his words ultimately aren't enough to save the book. It got better by the end, but if we were face to face and you asked me if you should read this book, I'd probably respond with a shrug.
(Buller, it goes without saying, is the best part of the whole book.)
Slow, slow, slow, slow start that eventually picked up. I've read other reviews of this book that acknowledge the relative lack of plot but say the beautiful prose makes up for it, which I disagree with - Lewis is a talented writer, but he seemed to be trying to write like an author from a different era (confusing, since the book is set in modern times), and his words ultimately aren't enough to save the book. It got better by the end, but if we were face to face and you asked me if you should read this book, I'd probably respond with a shrug.
(Buller, it goes without saying, is the best part of the whole book.)
electra_one's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book is about filiation. An adult son, Henry, must return to the small Appalachian town in which he was raised but fled as soon as possible. His father had moved his family in an immense house of iron and glass perched high on the side of a mountain. There, Henry grows up under the writing desk of this fiercely brilliant man. Henry grew up admiring his father, though the man was self-centered and didn't really pay any attention to his family. Now a grown-up man, Henry must face his past.
This debut novel is mesmerising, the writing is phenomenal. It's almost a masterpiece. My favorite book of 2021.
This debut novel is mesmerising, the writing is phenomenal. It's almost a masterpiece. My favorite book of 2021.
fablejack's review against another edition
4.0
This was a netgalley ebook that I took a while to read for some reason. I certainly enjoyed the writing and the first third pulled me in and kept me there.
The narrator, father and sister were fascinating and flawed, and their flaws were revealed in such engaging writing with some unique words interspersed which was appropriate given the family's penchant for reading. At times I wondered if the author was showing off with those words, but figured if you've got it, flaunt it. I related to the father's characterization so much through my own experience. And the gothic house they lived in was so intriguing and stood as its own separate character rather than just a backdrop. The book was appropriately literary throughout and it made me want to read more in general, which felt like a gift.
(spoilers ahead...)
Because I enjoyed the first section so much, I was disappointed when the narrator left for college. Something had to happen, of course, for the plot to move on but, honestly, from then on the story seemed a bit more haphazardly pasted together. I wish we could have spent more time with his sister earlier and, later, with his quirky and (almost too) smart and nerdy college friends. Also, Buller! Probably my favorite character.
I think we were supposed to believe the narrator was forever an outsider like his sister, but he seemed to fit in well wherever he went the more he experienced, making friends and drawing people to him. His fascination with the love interest was portrayed in fairly realistic terms of the kind of obsession a crush has at that age, but I can't say I was as interested in that relationship as others even as it developed. I began to feel the novel was trying to cover too much ground. Again, I understand the plot must go on....
Ultimately, I was left feeling rather unresolved about his relationship with his sister Threnody and felt more time/space devoted to that would have been time well spent. I had a lot of "why" questions for her character and answering some, not all, could have left her with some mystery intact. Her big reveal wasn't particularly surprising considering how much the narrator thought about it, which is ok. How it played out in her life wasn't much addressed except through the mother's comments and I was interested.
Overall, very enjoyable and I could have kept reading. I might even say I savored it, especially toward the beginning. If one entire book had focused on the narrator growing up and ended when he left for school, I would have looked forward to reading the second book. As it is, I'll look forward to another book by this author and check it out.
The narrator, father and sister were fascinating and flawed, and their flaws were revealed in such engaging writing with some unique words interspersed which was appropriate given the family's penchant for reading. At times I wondered if the author was showing off with those words, but figured if you've got it, flaunt it. I related to the father's characterization so much through my own experience. And the gothic house they lived in was so intriguing and stood as its own separate character rather than just a backdrop. The book was appropriately literary throughout and it made me want to read more in general, which felt like a gift.
(spoilers ahead...)
Because I enjoyed the first section so much, I was disappointed when the narrator left for college. Something had to happen, of course, for the plot to move on but, honestly, from then on the story seemed a bit more haphazardly pasted together. I wish we could have spent more time with his sister earlier and, later, with his quirky and (almost too) smart and nerdy college friends. Also, Buller! Probably my favorite character.
I think we were supposed to believe the narrator was forever an outsider like his sister, but he seemed to fit in well wherever he went the more he experienced, making friends and drawing people to him. His fascination with the love interest was portrayed in fairly realistic terms of the kind of obsession a crush has at that age, but I can't say I was as interested in that relationship as others even as it developed. I began to feel the novel was trying to cover too much ground. Again, I understand the plot must go on....
Ultimately, I was left feeling rather unresolved about his relationship with his sister Threnody and felt more time/space devoted to that would have been time well spent. I had a lot of "why" questions for her character and answering some, not all, could have left her with some mystery intact. Her big reveal wasn't particularly surprising considering how much the narrator thought about it, which is ok. How it played out in her life wasn't much addressed except through the mother's comments and I was interested.
Overall, very enjoyable and I could have kept reading. I might even say I savored it, especially toward the beginning. If one entire book had focused on the narrator growing up and ended when he left for school, I would have looked forward to reading the second book. As it is, I'll look forward to another book by this author and check it out.