The Barrowfields | 
panAm I missing something guys?? I was promised a contemporary gothic masterpiece and I got a fairly standard bloky Bildungsroman about a man who‘s Awfully Clever. The girl he falls in love with is literally called ‘story‘.
Thank you to #bookspin for making me get this off my tbr.., turns out there was a reason I put off reading it lol but at least now I know. @TheAromaofBooks
Just impulse bought this! Reviews made it sound really interesting. Excited to read it once I‘ve ploughed through some more man booker international ones
bailedMeh. I made it to the 35% mark and I just don't want to continue. The writing is old-fashioned and quite pleasant to read, but I don't have any visceral feeling about any of the characters here, except the grandparents and she has now kicked the bucket and he's probably not long for this world either. A little too gothic, a little too self-consciously namedroppy vis-a-vis southern literary masters, for my tastes.
Penguin is sending me more beautiful things I don't have time to read. Is it summer yet? 😂
pickSometimes you just need a book that slows you down and makes you enjoy the story. This was that book for me.
A coming to age story of a young man and he comes to terms with his childhood and his father's disappearance. I don't normally fall for books of this sort and the fact that I fell for this one speaks volumes.
Thanks Penguin Random House First To Read for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.
pickFinished while waiting for a kid at the orthodontist! For whatever reason it took me forever to get into this book, but I really enjoyed it in the end. Lewis' writing is very calm and almost moody--which I think is why I struggled--yet very evocative of a place where people don't trust those that talk fast. I just want to know what happens to these characters in their next 10 years! And the books! What happens to the books!
Once again, reading in the car waiting for a kid. Tonight, it's Boy Scouts. Also, rain!
pickThis is a brilliant debut novel that tells a multi-generational story about a family. You can trace the family dysfunction from through each generation. It definitely provokes commentary about child rearing and family life. Lewis' use of Henry as a narrator tugs at your heart so much at times you want to put the book down. The trouble is you keep picking it back up because you want to know what happens.
pickI really fell in love with the characters in this book. There wasn't a whole lot of plot development, but any interest in Southern Gothic style will enjoy the story of a man struggling to come to terms with his life in the shadow of his depressive, enigmatic father. I genuinely felt disappointed when I reached the end. 😢😢😢 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#Bookmail Hooray! Don't know much about this one, but the cover has me interested. 📚📚📚
Book mail! ARC from librarything. I am behind on my librarything reads, I need to get on these! This one sounds very interesting.
This book won't be for everyone. But it most definitely is for me😍. If you like lovely prose like this, stories about American families trying to hold it together, stories of mis-placed fates, told in grand Southern Gothic style, then this may be for you, too.
My thanks to the publisher & LT for an ARC of this book.
"It is the closest one can come to feeling immortal - or to recognizing the euphoria of insignificance at the edge of an immortal sea."
I'm really loving this book?
Oooooh, I might have a good Southern Gothic novel on my hands...
so-so#netgalley This started strong for me with beautiful regional language and descriptions of rural NC. But the tone and writing was inconsistent. I prefer plot-driven books, which this is not. And, I felt that the characters were not likeable or developed enough to carry the book. Moments of good writing, so I might try this author again. But wouldn't recommend this one.
