jenbsbooks's profile picture

jenbsbooks 's review for:

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry
3.25

I liked this ... I'm not sure I'll really remember it. Other than the "liked it" it didn't check many of my boxes for a 5* read (I have a list on my profile). I didn't really make any notes/highlights, and didn't feel the urge to discuss (no discussion questions included, I didn't try Googling). 

I went primarily with the audio, although I juggled library holds until I could get the Kindle copy at the same time. 59 chapters, that listed the POV and location (sometimes the date). The Kindle Table of Contents showed the POV, I wish the audiobook TOC did too. Really though, the majority of chapters were "Clara" chapters, and they were in 1st person. The few Bronwyn and Charlie chapters were 3rd person. It was the same narrator for Bronwyn, but a male narrator for the Charlie chapters. On the one hand I liked that distinction, on the other hand, then we had different narrators trying to "voice" the same characters (ie, little Winnie) and they don't sound the same. 

This was one of those where Chapter 1 really could have (should have?) been a prologue, and the final chapter/ch59 an epilogue. I felt like there was enough distinction (in time, and they were the only chapters in the book in the present tense) that they weren't just "chapters" ... 

No proFanity. Other words I note ... roiled, swathed, hedgerows, detritus. This had both snuck and sneaked (I feel like most people use one or the other?)