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nicki_in_nz
Hmmm. This was a Library Big Read and it sounded interesting, so I gave it a go. Parts of it were interesting, but most of it was just astonishing.
Astonishing how two supposedly educated people can not file their tax returns for years and expect it to be OK. How people can be so far into debt but be OK with paying school fees, eating out, drinking beer, and then buying chickens and goats. How they can have the lives of chickens and goats in their hands and not have a clue what they are doing. How they can screw over friends and not apologise.
I've had times when I've been short of money and you cut back. You don't keep spending. You cut back on everything - you don't go out for a meal with your book club because not only can you not afford the meal, you can't afford the fuel for the journey either. You don't drink craft beer regularly because you can't even afford tea and coffee, let alone alcohol. Poverty is lonely, not about making craft soap (how would you afford the oil and lye?)
If it had been written with more humour if could have been good, but it was far too whiny about things that were the couple's own fault (it seems there was plenty of evidence that they were living above their income but they chose to ignore it), and I never got the impression that they were actually making a real effort not to spend money.
Astonishing how two supposedly educated people can not file their tax returns for years and expect it to be OK. How people can be so far into debt but be OK with paying school fees, eating out, drinking beer, and then buying chickens and goats. How they can have the lives of chickens and goats in their hands and not have a clue what they are doing. How they can screw over friends and not apologise.
I've had times when I've been short of money and you cut back. You don't keep spending. You cut back on everything - you don't go out for a meal with your book club because not only can you not afford the meal, you can't afford the fuel for the journey either. You don't drink craft beer regularly because you can't even afford tea and coffee, let alone alcohol. Poverty is lonely, not about making craft soap (how would you afford the oil and lye?)
If it had been written with more humour if could have been good, but it was far too whiny about things that were the couple's own fault (it seems there was plenty of evidence that they were living above their income but they chose to ignore it), and I never got the impression that they were actually making a real effort not to spend money.
Hmmm... I needed something from the library to listen to and this looked OK. It's weird though. The main narrator is supposed to be 12-13 but the narrator's voice is very, very grown up. I think she's looking back at past events from an adult point of view, but it still comes across as odd. Not keen on it so far.
Later... Not sure whether to keep going with this or not. The writing is very over the top and the characters are all unpleasant. But the basic story line is ok. If the text was edited (hard) it could be a good book. It's trying far too hard.
Later still... I finished it, but it got worse. Talk about pretentious writing. And the twist in the tale was pretty obvious way before the end. Not a book I'd recommend.
Later... Not sure whether to keep going with this or not. The writing is very over the top and the characters are all unpleasant. But the basic story line is ok. If the text was edited (hard) it could be a good book. It's trying far too hard.
Later still... I finished it, but it got worse. Talk about pretentious writing. And the twist in the tale was pretty obvious way before the end. Not a book I'd recommend.
I started reading the second book in this series, but it had been so long since I read the first one I had to stop and go back to read this one again!
