A slow moving book that was frankly hard to finish. Meandering plot lines and uninteresting characters. Near the end of the book there was a **spoiler alert**
character death and based on how little I was affected, it became clear I didn't feel invested in these characters at all.
character death and based on how little I was affected, it became clear I didn't feel invested in these characters at all.
Kit Noonan, an unemployed academic in his early 40s, has settled too comfortably into a lazy lifestyle in his wife's opinion. Her solution to overcome his slothful existence is for Kit to uncover the truth about his biological father whose identity has never been revealed by his birth mother despite numerous attempts by Kit. This begins his journey to his former stepfather's home and the gradual revelation about the truth of his paternity.
Julia Glass' great strength as a writer seems to be character development. By the end of this novel, the reader is very familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of numerous members of several families. I have not read The Three Junes, so one of the characters, Fenno, seemed to add little to the overall story; however, those who remember him from The Three Junes are perhaps glad to know what has happened in his life subsequent to the end of that novel. It almost seems as if this book is a springboard to yet another novel involving some of the same cast.
There is a sluggish quality at the end of the book that emanates from too many details of the interactions and inner thoughts. I think a slightly abbreviated version would have made it more meaningful for me. I am grateful to Goodreads for the opportunity to review this advance edition.
Julia Glass' great strength as a writer seems to be character development. By the end of this novel, the reader is very familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of numerous members of several families. I have not read The Three Junes, so one of the characters, Fenno, seemed to add little to the overall story; however, those who remember him from The Three Junes are perhaps glad to know what has happened in his life subsequent to the end of that novel. It almost seems as if this book is a springboard to yet another novel involving some of the same cast.
There is a sluggish quality at the end of the book that emanates from too many details of the interactions and inner thoughts. I think a slightly abbreviated version would have made it more meaningful for me. I am grateful to Goodreads for the opportunity to review this advance edition.
great read
