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shellysbookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
Some parts of the story I enjoyed. Some parts of the story I had no interest in at all. I found the main character Lizzie to be one dimensional throughout this whole story. The growth she had in this story didn’t feel authentic. I really liked Wendy and Alice character’s the best. The ending wasn’t excepted but that’s how life can be sometimes. This was my first time reading this author and it wasn’t a bad read but it didn’t blow me away either.
prolificmess's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
booklover28's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
2.25
redroofcolleen's review against another edition
2.0
I was so intrigued by the premise of this story - a woman with no memory, no identification, no one looking for her turns up on a bus and wanders a bit aimlessly before she is engaged in a study of her mind. Only this isn't what it is really about. The narrative instead focuses on the people around her. Sure, she gets moments here and there, and many are rather profound. Unfortunately, it is less of a mystery than an ill-advised romance between a researcher and his assistant and a daughter hoping to find her mother, which made it fall rather flat for me.
hultqur's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
knwilliamson's review against another edition
3.0
Just picked this up at a book store because I was in the mood for something fiction and it was a half off. So, not overly disappointed in it being somewhat average given my nonexistent expectations.
I didn't dislike it, but feel like it was sort of a waste of time to read when there are so many other things I could be reading? That said, I did keep picking it up, so maybe I was a bit more drawn in than I thought.
Saw a glimpse of another review that said the title was more powerful than the book, and I'd have to agree. I could have seen this being a wow book, but it was just kind of fine - wouldn't really actively recommend it to anyone, but if you find it for half off, why not?
I didn't dislike it, but feel like it was sort of a waste of time to read when there are so many other things I could be reading? That said, I did keep picking it up, so maybe I was a bit more drawn in than I thought.
Saw a glimpse of another review that said the title was more powerful than the book, and I'd have to agree. I could have seen this being a wow book, but it was just kind of fine - wouldn't really actively recommend it to anyone, but if you find it for half off, why not?
anyaemilie's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Scribner for the ARC
This book follows three (or four? maybe five depending on how you look at it) women in various stages of life.
Wendy has lost her memory. She is found on a bus with no memory of how she got there or who she was before. Lizzie is a graduate student assigned to Wendy's case at the Meadowlark, a facility that studies the human memory. Alice is Wendy's daughter who wants to find out why her mother left. And then there is Elizabeth, who is the titular widow.
All of the women are connected in some way to Benjamin Strauss, the director of the Meadowlark.
I didn't particularly care for any of the characters in this book. None of them are especially good people. All of them have hurt other people, and most of them are selfish.
As far as plot, there isn't much. Most of it is very internal, with all the women dealing with the ramifications of their decisions and how they've affected other people. I think that it does that well, though. It's a good examination of characters with the memory studies being more of a backdrop than anything.
What I didn't really like though was that without the one "important" man in the book, there isn't really much of a story. So much of these women's identities hinges on Benjamin Strauss. Lizzie, arguably the main character, basically has no identity outside of her relationship to Strauss, which wasn't particularly interesting to me. Even the title hinges on these women's relationships to him. But maybe that was the point. I'm not really sure.
I would probably give this a 3.5. It wasn't a terrible book, but not one of my favorites either. And it did take me awhile to finish despite being just over 300 pages. Like I said before, less plot, more character examination.
This book follows three (or four? maybe five depending on how you look at it) women in various stages of life.
Wendy has lost her memory. She is found on a bus with no memory of how she got there or who she was before. Lizzie is a graduate student assigned to Wendy's case at the Meadowlark, a facility that studies the human memory. Alice is Wendy's daughter who wants to find out why her mother left. And then there is Elizabeth, who is the titular widow.
All of the women are connected in some way to Benjamin Strauss, the director of the Meadowlark.
I didn't particularly care for any of the characters in this book. None of them are especially good people. All of them have hurt other people, and most of them are selfish.
As far as plot, there isn't much. Most of it is very internal, with all the women dealing with the ramifications of their decisions and how they've affected other people. I think that it does that well, though. It's a good examination of characters with the memory studies being more of a backdrop than anything.
What I didn't really like though was that without the one "important" man in the book, there isn't really much of a story. So much of these women's identities hinges on Benjamin Strauss. Lizzie, arguably the main character, basically has no identity outside of her relationship to Strauss, which wasn't particularly interesting to me. Even the title hinges on these women's relationships to him. But maybe that was the point. I'm not really sure.
I would probably give this a 3.5. It wasn't a terrible book, but not one of my favorites either. And it did take me awhile to finish despite being just over 300 pages. Like I said before, less plot, more character examination.
aedgeworth27's review against another edition
2.0
While Wasserman's writing is interesting and unique, this story was so twisty and long-winded and that took away from my reading. I would have moments of being incredibly interested followed by long stretches of just not caring what happened and wondering when it was going to wrap up. The ending felt so confusing and anticlimactic.