by Shelley Read, Review 3 of 2023
I was inspired to request this novel solely based on the beautiful cover as well as the blurb by Bonnie Garmus and was disappointed to find that this did not compare to Lessons in Chemistry. That being said, it was an engaging story and I was compelled to see it through. The main character, Victoria, is easy to root for and I appreciated how the book leans into the value of female friendships.
The story and narration were good but I couldn’t help getting hung up on the clumsy writing (there is some distractingly excessive foreshadowing) and disappointingly one dimensional representation of the characters of color (that lean into stereotypes). It wasn’t terrible, but I wouldn’t recommend this over several other books I’ve read in the last year or two.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC
Content Warnings: Racism, Lynching, Addiction, Death, Abuse, Neglect
Categories: Fiction, Historical fiction, Family Saga