leekaufman's Reviews (426)

dark funny reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
emotional reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A cozy, mysterious little novella. A very solid debut from a talented Canadian writer. I wish this had been developed into a full length novel, because I liked the characters, and there was enough there to dig deeper--the overall effect was a bit shallow and left me wanting more.
funny lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
dark emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

The thing that I found so remarkable with this book is how clearly and without harsh judgment the author seemed to be able to see her loved ones and her past self.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much this book was actually about her mother and grandmother; I gather from interviews with the author that marketing it as a book about her father's incarceration was a reflection of the book she set out to write, but it changed so much through the writing process.

I rarely want a book to be longer, but this one I did! I felt there were a few loose ends that warranted if not tying up, at least acknowledging. I was particularly interested in her relationship with religion, because that featured so prominently in the beginning of the book, but was not really mentioned again. However, I recognize that as a memoir, I cannot demand things from the author for the sake of the story; I respect her decision on what to write about.
challenging dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I really liked Bathsheba--she is smart, bold, and independent. But I found the constant comparisons of her against other women tiring at best and offensive at worse; the "she's not like other girls" vibe negates a lot of the good female character building.  

I did like that the men in this book were caricatures (as the women often are in classic lit). All their character traits seemed just slightly exaggerated, in a way that fulfilled the pastoral tropes while still feeling mostly realistic. 

The beginning is quite slow, but readable. Unlike other books that are best read in longer sittings, I found that I could pick this up and put it down pretty easily because there are so many small scenes that centre around an event. The last third of the book really picks up and kept my interest.

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