Helpful Score: 11
Life's too short. I don't care how beautiful the prose (and it was lovely), how accurate the dialect (very accurate), or even the artistic value of the novel as a whole. After the first 50 pages, I just didn't want to read any more, and that was a good enough reason to stop.
Possibly the biggest contributing issue was the structure: it's the story of a girl named Myra, told from multiple viewpoints, starting with alternating narratives from the grandmother and a childhood friend. Both of these narrators ramble a good bit, so that by the 50th page (almost to the end of their turns as narrator) I knew very little about the subject character, and a whole lot about Doug wanting to poison a horse.
Oh, did I mention poisoning a horse? NOT - HELPING.
Possibly the biggest contributing issue was the structure: it's the story of a girl named Myra, told from multiple viewpoints, starting with alternating narratives from the grandmother and a childhood friend. Both of these narrators ramble a good bit, so that by the 50th page (almost to the end of their turns as narrator) I knew very little about the subject character, and a whole lot about Doug wanting to poison a horse.
Oh, did I mention poisoning a horse? NOT - HELPING.
Helpful Score: 7
I really liked this book. It was terribly sad, but utterly fascinating. I must admit, the beginning of the book was a little hard for me to get into. The style of writing took some getting used, but once I got sucked into the story and the characters, I started to really enjoy it. There were a couple of things that I would have liked clarified - the mystery of Ford Hendrix being at the top of that list. The setting for this book was unique and gave the book a different, almost timeless feel. All of the strands of the story fit well together, though the epilogue did not quite match the preceding sections. I think that this would make a wonderful audio book, if the accents are done correctly.
Helpful Score: 6
This has got to be the best book that I have read in a long time..
This is not normally the type of book that I would purchase for myself but it was recommended to me by a friend. It took me a little while to get into it with the going back of forth of characters and the time periods.
At the end, I could not put it down and was sad when it ended. The characters grip you and it is amazing how everyones lives interact at some point. You will not be disappointed with this book!!
This is not normally the type of book that I would purchase for myself but it was recommended to me by a friend. It took me a little while to get into it with the going back of forth of characters and the time periods.
At the end, I could not put it down and was sad when it ended. The characters grip you and it is amazing how everyones lives interact at some point. You will not be disappointed with this book!!
Helpful Score: 5
This book spans the history of Myra Lamb's relatives from her Grandmother, Byrdie, who co-narrates the first third of the book, telling stories from her own past and that of older relatives. I didn't want the Douglas and Byrdie part of the book to end, but then got just as drawn into the Johnny and Laura part of the book. This book gets sadder and sadder as it goes along, but it also answers questions, leading the reader along as you begin to care about or hate each character introduced. It is such a believable story and really understated when it comes to the mental illness that one of the characters suffers from. It never hits you over the head about the mental illness, but you can see how it happened. Very emotional. I highly recommend it. If you like the author, Sandra Dallas, this feels a lot to me like something she might have written. Bravo, Amy Greene.
Helpful Score: 5
This is quite possibly the best book I have ever read. It is haunting and memorable on many levels. My family comes from Tennessee, so perhaps this book means that much more to me. In it, I heard the voices of my own speaking to me. But, I know this novel is far more special.
It is hard to believe this is a novel. The layers of this book are thick and tangible, with generations, people, lore and history. Ms. Greene is a very rare and gifted writer. I don't know how she can possibly exceed such writing...but I will be there to read it.
It is hard to believe this is a novel. The layers of this book are thick and tangible, with generations, people, lore and history. Ms. Greene is a very rare and gifted writer. I don't know how she can possibly exceed such writing...but I will be there to read it.
