Helpful Score: 1
I thought that I would like this book but unfortunately I was disappointed and did not enjoy it. The story line was fine and the character development was good but it lacked an attention to detail that I find enjoyable in works of fiction.
The book was set in Albany, New York and I realize it was a work of fiction but there were several mistakes in the geography that I found to be a distraction. One of the major mistakes was the directions of the roads listed in relationship to the towns/cities mentioned. The city of Amsterdam is located along route 5 and the thruway(Intestate 90) not along the Northway(Interstate 87). Also streets in Albany were traveling in the wrong direction from real live or do not intersect each other as described. Buildings were mentioned that don't exist or if they do there was no resemblance to real life. The author described St. Mary's Hospital in Amsterdam but slammed the Catholic church involvement. I'm sure the Fathers and Sisters who work there everyday would like to here their jobs and hospital refereed to in such negative terms and remarks.
I get it this book was a social commentary on a woman's right to choose. Presenting the pro-life side of the argument in the destructive terms is just as irresponsible as trying to shove the abortionist side down the readers throat. There are extremists on both sides of the argument.
I just felt that if you were setting the story line in the capital city of the state those small details should have been paid attention to. If she wanted to set the story in a fictional town then she should have fictionalized the details. To use a real area and to get the details wrong was very distracting and I found it annoying.
I also felt that the author was extremly derogatory in her remarks about the people and places in this area. Her remarks left me with the impression that she might have visited this area once but does she actually live here? Her bio's all say she lives in NY but NY is a large state. Was it necessary for the author to run down this area? Upstate NY has numerous economic and social problems without someone adding their own negative remarks. If the author was trying to go for mood or affect than I think she fell shot of the mark. The observations she made were just petty and degrading.
I seriously doubt if I will read anything else this author writes.
The book was set in Albany, New York and I realize it was a work of fiction but there were several mistakes in the geography that I found to be a distraction. One of the major mistakes was the directions of the roads listed in relationship to the towns/cities mentioned. The city of Amsterdam is located along route 5 and the thruway(Intestate 90) not along the Northway(Interstate 87). Also streets in Albany were traveling in the wrong direction from real live or do not intersect each other as described. Buildings were mentioned that don't exist or if they do there was no resemblance to real life. The author described St. Mary's Hospital in Amsterdam but slammed the Catholic church involvement. I'm sure the Fathers and Sisters who work there everyday would like to here their jobs and hospital refereed to in such negative terms and remarks.
I get it this book was a social commentary on a woman's right to choose. Presenting the pro-life side of the argument in the destructive terms is just as irresponsible as trying to shove the abortionist side down the readers throat. There are extremists on both sides of the argument.
I just felt that if you were setting the story line in the capital city of the state those small details should have been paid attention to. If she wanted to set the story in a fictional town then she should have fictionalized the details. To use a real area and to get the details wrong was very distracting and I found it annoying.
I also felt that the author was extremly derogatory in her remarks about the people and places in this area. Her remarks left me with the impression that she might have visited this area once but does she actually live here? Her bio's all say she lives in NY but NY is a large state. Was it necessary for the author to run down this area? Upstate NY has numerous economic and social problems without someone adding their own negative remarks. If the author was trying to go for mood or affect than I think she fell shot of the mark. The observations she made were just petty and degrading.
I seriously doubt if I will read anything else this author writes.
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