bailedI really wanted to like this, as the premise sounded awesome. But for me, it didn‘t live up to the premise. I struggled to become engaged in the story and to connect with any of the characters. Maybe my expectations were too high because of all the hype, but this one wasn‘t for me.
pickAbsolutely compelling read for my IRL: the story of four very different but strong sisters and their mother living in Roaring Twenties Vancouver. The narrator is sometimes the sister who has had an abortion, sometimes a third person, and occasionally the family dog, which works surprisingly well. It tackles complex themes that include marriage and betrayal, queerness in an age when it was illegal, abortion, immigration, smuggling, and more./1
so-soThe premise of this book is that four siblings each learn the date of their death, and then how they choose to live their lives. I thought it would be more like The Measure, but instead the book has four sections that feel completely separate, telling the story of each sibling. Themes range widely from AIDS, women in business, mental health, ethics in scientific research, marriage, Israel and the Middle East, and more. Good, but not my fave.
pickRead in 2024. The story is told from all different points of view from different members of this dysfunctional family. I do really like how the mental health/illness was presented in the book. To me it‘s always important to present the trueness of MI & the effects that it has on a family. Presenting MI as real highlights what so many other families go through & not presenting it solely as something shameful or negative.
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What an incredible last book of 2024! I could tell within the first couple of paragraphs that this book is special. It has a vibrant energy radiating off the page, as if the words and characters could spring to life and waltz right into your heart. And I think they did?! I just loved it. #Aardvark #AardvarkBookClub
“No matter how big you get, it's still okay to cry because everybody's got a right to their own tears.”
#Peace #25Alive
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
pickThis one is stunning. My book club probably hates me rn for picking it. This tells the story of a family of refugees that fled Vietnam in the 1970s. And events that happened concurrently.
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
pickThis was on my radar after seeing it on @TheKidUpstairs #auldlangspine list this year (we were previous matches and I still stalk her reviews 😅). I‘m glad this caught my eye because it was a great “quiet” listen during this busy time of year. Side: many books are described as “quiet” but seems fitting here. Interior lives of adult siblings (a brother & sister) who are navigating very different paths but both struggle in their own ways. Grief.
