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alannahvanderoak's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.25
msvenner's review against another edition
3.0
I really didn't know how to review this book. Some days I wanted to give it four stars, some days 2. These are beautifully written and flawed characters. The timeline jumping is unpleasant but in the end makes sense... I think. The pace of the book is slow, which often turns me off, but Louise kept me coming back. I don't think I ever really understood Able... maybe I wasn't supposed to. I think I would recommend this... maybe just to get someone else's opinion. I will read another Barbara Gowdy however, she intrigues me.
sonia_reppe's review against another edition
5.0
Sure, the love interest, Abel, is annoying in his ultra-sensitive, too-frail-for-life way, but these chapters with him drinking himself to death are short and interspersed into flash-backs of Louise's life, so they were tolerable. The point anyway was Louise, not him. I really liked the writing and the way I was brought into the experiences of the main character Louise.
teerah's review against another edition
4.0
Gowdy's style is clear and fluid. Her attention to delicate language is apparent, without clouding the plot's progress. She successfully explores the psyche of Louise Kirk, the novel's protagonist. Sometimes I found myself angry at Louise for her poor judgement of men, yet other times I empathized with her. By presenting Louise with a range of humanistic qualities, Gowdy underlined the complexities that are present in even the most seemingly simple people.
robforteath's review against another edition
4.0
More like 4.5 stars, really.
I generally dislike books that begin by giving you a peek at the final page, but it works well here. We are told going in that Abel dies young, which helps to focus us on the story of Louise. Abel is an unlikely character, and anyway he only matters because of his impact on Louise.
The same can be said of her mother, who is even less of a character, while having an enormous impact on how Louise deals with life.
As for Louise, she is an odd duck in her own right, to the point you may be tempted to diagnose her with some emotional disorder. She misunderstands things terribly, and has no trusted peer group to set her straight.
After a pretty big misadventure and perceived betrayal take the wind out of her sails, Louise begins to drift through her early adulthood. This is the real meat of the story -- will the positive and supportive people she meets cause her to escape her destructive youthful obsession? In many books, this sort of struggle would be tiresome and tedious, but here the author really steps up. The entire miserable struggle for Louise is a joy for us to read.
The writing is fabulous all the way through, and the way it all resolves is perfect.
I generally dislike books that begin by giving you a peek at the final page, but it works well here. We are told going in that Abel dies young, which helps to focus us on the story of Louise. Abel is an unlikely character, and anyway he only matters because of his impact on Louise.
The same can be said of her mother, who is even less of a character, while having an enormous impact on how Louise deals with life.
As for Louise, she is an odd duck in her own right, to the point you may be tempted to diagnose her with some emotional disorder. She misunderstands things terribly, and has no trusted peer group to set her straight.
After a pretty big misadventure and perceived betrayal take the wind out of her sails, Louise begins to drift through her early adulthood. This is the real meat of the story -- will the positive and supportive people she meets cause her to escape her destructive youthful obsession? In many books, this sort of struggle would be tiresome and tedious, but here the author really steps up. The entire miserable struggle for Louise is a joy for us to read.
The writing is fabulous all the way through, and the way it all resolves is perfect.
medusasdad's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Spoilers:
Louise Kirk I love you, you obsessive girl with too much love for the people that will only hurt you. I think she’s a true Fleabag and Casey from euphoria mash up. Like Fleabag her lack of mother (even when she was in her life) left no place to put all her love for her; Like Casey she (maybe) sees love as something to be earned so she keeps fixated on Abel who cannot help but hurt her and never truly returns her feelings. But she survives them both - she ends up with friends, close to both Abel’s and her own family. This book could be frustrating at times but still so beautifully written and emotional.
a_lovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book for the first time a couple of years ago and I loved it. I had - as always, it seems - expected something different. But that didn't stop me from loving the book. Then, a while ago, I felt the need to re-read it. No reason really. So I did. What is this book about? Love. With a capital 'L'. Re-reading it now, I think I spotted even more love than when I read it the first time. The first time I felt cheated by the unhappy ending between Abel and Louise. This time I did not. This time I noticed the "love" between Louise and her mother. Louise and her father, Mrs. Carver and of course Mrs. Richter. Those seemed much more important to me all of a sudden. Abel was something else, of course. But having re-read it now, I was annoyed by Abel. Moreso than the first time. I know he was sick, at least at the end, but he was also selfish. No matter how Louise saw him, to me he was selfish. Very selfish. In the end, the real sadness (but also happiness) comes from Louise's journey. Her mother leaves her, and just like that she falls in love with abel who will constantly leave and hurt her. Just like her mother. In the end both of them are dead. Louise has survived them both. I could be wrong, but I think she was happy at the end. Free, in a way, of those two influences.
clowngirl99's review against another edition
5.0
This book completely broke my heart after giving it hope several times. I think we've all be in Louise's situation of holding out on that one person. I was enamored by every character that was introduced to us throughout all the stages of her life no matter how long they appeared in the story. A very introspective read - would highly recommend :)
cschwartz's review
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.0
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