Helpful Score: 1
I usually love books by Karen White but I have mixed feelings about this one. I'll start with the positive and move on to the negative.
This novel is told from varying perspectives and in different time periods. It is told through the eyes of Merritt, Loralee, and Edith, three women who all have secrets of their own. A central theme in this book is domestic abuse and relationships. The book starts out in the past with a plane crash, which also points to a mystery that is unveiled slowly and in little pieces throughout the book. You have to be patient to see how this ties into the events of modern day. I enjoy a story that is told in layers and I found this to be rewarding. I also liked the characters, for the most part.
Now, on to the negatives. These are SPOILERS, so be advised. I found it incredibly frustrating that everyone continuously attributed Merritt's quiet and distanced behavior to being from "the north." The last time I checked, introverts and extroverts existed all over the United States and it was inappropriate to bully a person because they didn't want to share all of their secrets with you. Furthermore, as we later learn, Merritt survived a childhood accident in which she lost her mother and then went on to suffer years of abuse by her husband. Of course she is going to be withdrawn and quiet! The constant north v. south thing got tiring. I get it, the author loves the south and finds people from "up north" less than pleasant.
Moving on, as Loralee gets sicker, she gets much preachier. Again, I understand that she has a lot that she wants to say before she passes on, but her advice practically becomes instructions. The worst part and the part that really caused me to rate this book so low is when she tries to convince Merritt that her ex-husband, the one that abused her both physically and mentally for years, actually loved her. No, no, no. People who love you will NOT abuse you. They will cherish you, protect you, and take care of you. They will not torture you. Why anyone would think they were helping someone by trying to convince them that their abuser actually cared for them is beyond me. This is one of the worst things I think you could tell an abuse victim.
A few changes could have made this book great, but it just let me feeling unsettled.
This novel is told from varying perspectives and in different time periods. It is told through the eyes of Merritt, Loralee, and Edith, three women who all have secrets of their own. A central theme in this book is domestic abuse and relationships. The book starts out in the past with a plane crash, which also points to a mystery that is unveiled slowly and in little pieces throughout the book. You have to be patient to see how this ties into the events of modern day. I enjoy a story that is told in layers and I found this to be rewarding. I also liked the characters, for the most part.
Now, on to the negatives. These are SPOILERS, so be advised. I found it incredibly frustrating that everyone continuously attributed Merritt's quiet and distanced behavior to being from "the north." The last time I checked, introverts and extroverts existed all over the United States and it was inappropriate to bully a person because they didn't want to share all of their secrets with you. Furthermore, as we later learn, Merritt survived a childhood accident in which she lost her mother and then went on to suffer years of abuse by her husband. Of course she is going to be withdrawn and quiet! The constant north v. south thing got tiring. I get it, the author loves the south and finds people from "up north" less than pleasant.
Moving on, as Loralee gets sicker, she gets much preachier. Again, I understand that she has a lot that she wants to say before she passes on, but her advice practically becomes instructions. The worst part and the part that really caused me to rate this book so low is when she tries to convince Merritt that her ex-husband, the one that abused her both physically and mentally for years, actually loved her. No, no, no. People who love you will NOT abuse you. They will cherish you, protect you, and take care of you. They will not torture you. Why anyone would think they were helping someone by trying to convince them that their abuser actually cared for them is beyond me. This is one of the worst things I think you could tell an abuse victim.
A few changes could have made this book great, but it just let me feeling unsettled.
This was a good story but it could have been condensed. The mystery of the plane crash and the letter was dragged out way too long. It was hard to keep all the characters of two families straight as all the men were named Cal or some form of it. And the two grandmothers - I had to keep thinking of who was who and what their role was. The overall story was good but could have been wrapped up in 100 less pages.
enjoyed the story!
I read The Sound of Glass for the December 2016 pick in my online book club, The Reading Cove.
I enjoyed the setting and the mystery about what actually happened in the past, it kept me turning the pages. I did have to skim through to make it to the end, however. At times the pacing is mind-numbingly slow, with scenes taking FOREVER to unfold because there always seems to be paragraphs of description and over-explaining before the character gives a response that continues the conversation. So I found myself skimming just to get the conversations moving at a more natural pace! LOL
The plot was also extremely coincidence-dependent, which always loses me. Very contrived with not much credibility. And the cookie-cutter 1980s Harlequin romance beats between Merritt and Gibbes certainly didn't help the situation.
So overall I wouldn't recommend this unless you're a fan of the above style of storytelling. 2.75 stars.
I enjoyed the setting and the mystery about what actually happened in the past, it kept me turning the pages. I did have to skim through to make it to the end, however. At times the pacing is mind-numbingly slow, with scenes taking FOREVER to unfold because there always seems to be paragraphs of description and over-explaining before the character gives a response that continues the conversation. So I found myself skimming just to get the conversations moving at a more natural pace! LOL
The plot was also extremely coincidence-dependent, which always loses me. Very contrived with not much credibility. And the cookie-cutter 1980s Harlequin romance beats between Merritt and Gibbes certainly didn't help the situation.
So overall I wouldn't recommend this unless you're a fan of the above style of storytelling. 2.75 stars.
