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blogginboutbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I needed a book set in Iowa for a reading challenge, and those are not easy to find, so I was glad to discover BOTTOMLAND. I enjoy historical mysteries, especially when they're mixed with family drama. This novel has more of the latter, with the former being really just a side plot. As such, the story moves slowly, without a lot of page-turning action. Its setting is atmospheric. You can feel the bleakness of the Hess' environment, the desperation they all feel because of both external and internal struggles. Still, the reasons behind the girls' disappearance didn't make a lot of sense to me. Not to be spoiler-y, but their decisions just made them seem like self-centered brats. Speaking of the characters, while the Hess' are certainly sympathetic, the only one I really liked was Margrit. The others were difficult for me to connect with. I wanted good things for them all, yes, but I didn't care deeply for any of them. Their story was compelling enough that I did finish the book (although I might not have if I hadn't needed an Iowa book). However, I found it unrelentingly grim, sad, and depressing. The ending didn't do a lot to satisfy me either. So while BOTTOMLAND is well-written, for me it was just an average read.
karnaconverse's review against another edition
4.0
A fictionalized account of an Iowa family mystery from the early twentieth century.
For seven months in 1918—and through an executive proclamation by Governor William Harding—Iowa enforced the strongest-worded, anti-German sentiment in the nation. Termed the Babel Proclamation, it stated that “only English was legal in public or private schools, in public conversations, on trains, over the telephone, at all meetings and in all religious services.” This sentiment emphasizes the tone of Michelle Hoover’s historical novel and supports the suspense that drives the plot.
Hoover recounts the family dynamic of the Hess family through the eyes of its patriarch and four of the six children. Jon Julius Hess immigrated from Germany, met a fellow German immigrant in New York City, married, and accepted the government’s invitation to build a life in the west by homesteading and “proving up” the land. Two decades later, and under the shadows of WWI, the Hess family is challenged with the mysterious disappearance of the two youngest girls. Each narrator contributes pieces to the puzzle that only he or she has knowledge of.
In prose that’s both lyrical and thought-provoking, this 2017 All Iowa Read exposes readers to the harsh realities of farm life and the Chicago garment district, and the fear and suspicion WWI introduced into small Midwestern communities.
For seven months in 1918—and through an executive proclamation by Governor William Harding—Iowa enforced the strongest-worded, anti-German sentiment in the nation. Termed the Babel Proclamation, it stated that “only English was legal in public or private schools, in public conversations, on trains, over the telephone, at all meetings and in all religious services.” This sentiment emphasizes the tone of Michelle Hoover’s historical novel and supports the suspense that drives the plot.
Hoover recounts the family dynamic of the Hess family through the eyes of its patriarch and four of the six children. Jon Julius Hess immigrated from Germany, met a fellow German immigrant in New York City, married, and accepted the government’s invitation to build a life in the west by homesteading and “proving up” the land. Two decades later, and under the shadows of WWI, the Hess family is challenged with the mysterious disappearance of the two youngest girls. Each narrator contributes pieces to the puzzle that only he or she has knowledge of.
In prose that’s both lyrical and thought-provoking, this 2017 All Iowa Read exposes readers to the harsh realities of farm life and the Chicago garment district, and the fear and suspicion WWI introduced into small Midwestern communities.
spazk27's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
hijinx_abound's review against another edition
The writing style was distracting to me. I couldn't get into the story. DNF- page 91.
maggersann's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-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
I love a years-long family saga. Each character felt distinct but connected and I became very invested in the fate of the Hess family. The Iowa connection was especially great.
kstep1805's review against another edition
5.0
I did not want to like this book. I’m not even sure why. I think because it was so sad from the beginning. At times it was confusing and normally I would knock a star off for that but it so transported me to the time and place of the book, my commute would disappear. I was sucked in, wanting to know what happened. It’s a tragedy and an inspiration. I loved it and I hated it. It ticks off all the things I require for five stars: setting the scene so I feel like I’m there, a story that makes me want to come back again and again, and forces me to feel deeply about the characters and the story itself. Impressive writing for a story that could have been rather vanilla.
scorpstar77's review against another edition
5.0
The Hess family wakes up one morning on their Midwestern farm to find the two youngest daughters have vanished. The door to their room has been jammed shut from the inside, and the window is open, and no one seems to have seen them leave. As the family begins to search for the girls, the family history unravels - from their parents' meeting one another as young German immigrants in New York to the town's treatment of the family as World War I begins to the death of the family matriarch, all of their stories are poured out to the reader in the process of revealing what happened to Esther and Myrle, and how all of those events inevitably led to the girls' disappearance.
This book has a part for nearly every member of the Hess family to tell their piece of the story, and once you put them all together, you get a near complete picture. The story begins with great tension, and then that mystery opens up other mysteries, until the entire bones of the Hess family life are laid bare. I was captivated throughout my reading of the book!
This book has a part for nearly every member of the Hess family to tell their piece of the story, and once you put them all together, you get a near complete picture. The story begins with great tension, and then that mystery opens up other mysteries, until the entire bones of the Hess family life are laid bare.
Spoiler
The book is a testament to the bonds of family, a criticism of parents who try to control their children too tightly and families that keep too much to themselves, an exploration of how alliances and secrets develop (and dissolve) in a large family, a look into the psychological effects of experiencing war first-hand, and a celebration of women who break free of their bonds to live their own lives.mscott's review against another edition
4.0
This book is the 2017 All Iowa Reads book choice. I was very pleased to read this book and did enjoy it very much. It was a story about family, the struggles they endure and the secrets they keep. Set mostly around World War I, it is the story of an immigrant family who makes their way to rural Iowa for a better life. The focus is on the disappearance of the two youngest daughters and how this turns the family upside. Very well written from the perspective of several different family members, you are drawn into the how and the why of the disappearance of the two girls. It isn't necessarily a hopeful or even happy book but one that feels real in its sadness. I highly recommended it!
cynthiaswanson's review against another edition
5.0
Truly one of the best books I've read this year. Every so often a novel comes along that has it all: a compelling storyline, characters you can't stop thinking about, and gorgeous prose. Throughout the reading of this book, while enjoying the beauty of the words, I was also on pins and needles -- not just about the story itself, not just about wanting to know what happened to those girls, but also with this thought running through my head: "Please, Ms. Hoover -- please, please, please do not let me down by having this plot fall apart." I'm happy to report that not only was I NOT let down, I was surprised and satisfied by the believable, bittersweet way it all came together. Highly recommended.