Helpful Score: 3
A really marvelous book. The story of a family, told from different points of view, with some deft time-shifting. Beautifully written.
Helpful Score: 3
A female "Angela's Ashes."
Helpful Score: 3
Try to read this when and where you will be free of distractions, because in order to grasp fully the beauty of McDermott's style, you have to pay attention. She writes a bit like Henry James, with long and somewhat complicated sentences. Nevertheless, the story and the way it is told is both moving and memorable. You will feel right at home identifying with the children through whose eyes the tale develops.
Helpful Score: 1
Life in an Irish family as seen and told by the children.
Kind of a comfy read,and very interesting.
Characters are real and at the end you don't want to let them go
Kind of a comfy read,and very interesting.
Characters are real and at the end you don't want to let them go
NY Times Best Seller
Book of the Month Club selection.
Book of the Month Club selection.
I started this because I read Charming Billy and really enjoyed it. This one just didn't grab me. It seemed very stilted and choppy.
Wonderfully written story of adult life from a child's perspective. Many varied and interesting characters.
The author writes with beautiful flowing words. The story is told from the point of view of the Dailey children but, for me, that didn't work well. I would have expected more childlike thoughts & feelings. I feel like I didn't get to know the characters well. However, there is a lot of praise for the book so maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea. So it goes.
"A moving evocation of life's inexplicaable calamities and a magical celebration of childhood and familial love...the story of three generations of an Irish-American family through the eyes of its youngest members.
Enjoyable reading.
This book is one of THE WORST BOOKS I have ever read! It took some time to get into McDermott's writing style as it was different from most books as well as others I have read by her. I initially credited my dislike of the book to this, however as I continued reading and got used to this style, I kept asking myself "where is the plot?". It was also very difficult to really get to know the characters and there were many points in the story when I had no idea who's point of view was being expressed. Of course, I have a rule to always finish reading a book once I start...so I kept reading and reading thinking it would get better, until finally I reached the end...and what a complete let down!!! I am truly disappointed with this story & it was not at all what I was expecting.
