Orchard

by Larry Watson

From the bestselling author of Montana 1948 comes the explosive story of an artist, his muse, and the staggering price they pay for their chance at immortality. Sonja Skordahl, a Norwegian immigrant, came to America looking for a new life. Instead, she settled in Door County, Wisconsin, and married Henry House—only to find herself defined by her roles as wife and mother. Destiny lands Sonja in the studio of Ned Weaver, an internationally acclaimed painter. There she becomes more than his model and more than a mere object of desire; she becomes the most inspiring muse Ned has ever known, much to the chagrin of the artist’s wife. When both Ned and Henry insist on possessing Sonja, their jealousies threaten to erupt into violence—as she struggles to appease both men without sacrificing her hard-won sense of self.

Genres: Fiction, Art, Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Book Club

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 12, 2003

About the author

Larry Watson was born in 1947 in Rugby, North Dakota. He grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota, and was educated in its public schools. Larry married his high school sweetheart, Susan Gibbons, in 1967. He received his BA and MA from the University of North Dakota, his Ph.D. from the creative writing program at the University of Utah, and an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Ripon College. Watson has received grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1987, 2004) and the Wisconsin Arts Board.

Reviews

[☮Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure what to say or how to rate this. I think 3 or 3.5 is appropriate, as the book started out and ended as a 4 but got bogged down in the middle. I've enjoyed Watson's books so far, but this one not as much. His characters are cold hearted. Darkness and unhappiness pervade. But it's all just so well written and interesting!

Scandinavian bride Sonja marries Henry House and they're fairly content on their Door County apple orchard up until tragedy strikes. Sonja secretly agrees to being an artist's model and he becomes rather obsessed with her beauty and elusiveness. Grief, jealousy, respect of others and of self are major factors playing into the marriages on display. I really didn't like anyone, except later on when Sonja seemed to be the only sensible person in the county.

The way women are treated as little more than sexual objects is sure to offend some readers. This takes place in the 1950s so I took that into account, but I still found some of it overwrought with sleaze.

On to Montana 1948 and American Boy.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 4th Larry Watson novel I've read, and my least favorite. Instead of a Montana setting this was Wisconsin, involving an especially despicable and narcissistic artist who believes nothing is more important than his art, and the local woman who agrees to pose for him for pay. She becomes more to him than just his model, he considers her his muse, and is willing to do anything to possess her totally. The whole story reminded me of the Helga pictures by Andrew Wyeth. He was a well-known artist who painted his Helga pictures and kept them secret for years. I forget exactly how the whole thing came to light, but I remember the news articles and the pictures well as they were pretty newsworthy at the time. Watson's descriptions of Sonja matched the Helga paintings closely.

Whether Watson used that as his inspiration or whether the whole story sprang from his imagination I don't know, but this novel was dark and brooding and depressing. It also jumped back and forth between time periods in a confusing way. It won't deter me from reading more of his work, but I'll stick with his Montana settings in the future.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book about a year ago, and I'm glad those dark days are behind me. I disliked every character in this book. "Please, please, kill each other off," I begged as I read. I won't give away the ending, but let's just say that I wished I could've grabbed that loaded gun myself and fired off a few rounds. I didn't even like the bar owner's sleazy wife (and I usually tend to like overtly lascivious characters -- at least they give books some color) nor did I like the couple's daughter, who was as one-dimensional as the paper dolls she must have been playing with all those times she was strangely absent from scenes she should have been in.
This book takes place in Door County, Wisconsin, and I was mildly terrified that the memory of this book would ruin my honeymoon there. Luckily, it didn't.

[Book Concierge · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5****

From the book jacket - Sonja Skordahl came to America from Norway looking for a new life. Instead, she settled in Door County, Wisconsin, and married Henry House – only to find herself defined by her roles as wife and mother. Destiny lands Sonja in the studio of Ned Weaver, an internationally acclaimed painter. There she becomes more than is model and more than a mere object of desire; she becomes the most inspiring muse Ned has ever known, much to the chagrin of the artist’s wife. When both Ned and Henry insist on possessing Sonja, their jealousies threaten to erupt into violence – as she struggles to appease both men without sacrificing her hard-won sense of self.

My reactions
This is a lovely, character-driven gem of a novel. The four central characters – Sonja and Henry House, and Henrietta and Ned Weaver – share a desire to be recognized, and the frustration of being overlooked or disregarded.

Well, maybe not Ned, who is a misogynistic narcissist who believes he can behave any way he wishes as long as it is for the greater glory of art. I really disliked Ned, but loved how Watson wrote him. Henrietta, in contrast, seemed rather passive/aggressive in her approach to her marriage and relationships with the other characters. She truly did not understand Ned or his behavior, so evident by her final act / offer to him.

Sonja was a mystery. Clearly in pain and unable to find solace with her husband, though I do wish she had tried harder to break through his wall of silence. And speaking of Henry … What a complex man! I was conflicted about my feelings for him – liking and admiring him on one hand; disgusted and disappointed in him on the other.

As in the other novels by Watson that I’ve read, Orchard is written with a strong sense of time and place. Of course, I am very familiar with Door County, Wisconsin, so that may have some bearing on my reaction. Still, set in the 1950s, I think the rural vs tourist-centered nature of the place really comes across, as does the isolation of winter or the glory of summer.

[Marian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Orchard takes place in Door County WI. It is the story largely of Henry and Ned. Henry is an orchard owner in love with his wife Sonja and they are suffering through the death of their son while trying to raise their daughter June. Ned is a contemptible but overtly talented artist who abuses those around him at will, including his perpetually victimized (though inherently complicit) wife Harriet. Ned hires Sonja to pose for him, and she does at length --- testing her marriage and to the author's intent (if not fully realized) establishing her free will and sense of self. The pages take you back and forth in the merging stories of the four characters, but only Ned and Henry have real opportunity, real defiance, real complexity. Watson never embraces Sonja or Harriet's voice --- and so I ended up caring for no one. Liking no one.

I am not someone who likes to read books for their literary value. I want to relate, be drawn in, care about the people, the story. There is literary value in this book. But every time you feel close to a character, he changes narrator. Every time you think, someone will do the right thing, you turn the page to be wrong. It ends up being very disappointing. And for all its tragedy and romance, it does not break your heart. It doesn't make you yearn. It doesn't ever convince you that art is more important than the people you surround yourself with. And yet, Watson aches to do all of those things. I closed the book feeling like Watson failed in his own artistic rendering and not really caring that he had.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow. What a mess. You know things are bad when you finish a book, drop it back at the library, go to write a review, and can't recall anyone's name. Fortunately, other GR reviewers helped me out there. There are 3 (4, actually) primary characters. Sonja House, a Norwegian immigrant married to Henry House. We half-"get" her motivations... but not really. There's Henry House. We half-"get" HIS motivations. But not really. Harriet Weaver is just a classic abused wife who, we're told, has endured decades of torment at the hands of her famous husband but for whom the cage door has always been wide open. Harriet's built her life around Ned's career but with the huge sum she'd get in a divorce could completely start over if she would just stop believing she NEEDS to suffer... Henry House we never learn anything about. He's a little selfish and crude (it's the U.S.A. in the 1950's). We know he loves Sonja and his daughter... or we presume, since the only thing we really know about him is he hates being laughed at. Then there's Ned Weaver, whom we're led to believe is some sort of Wisconsin-based realist genius, at a point in painting when the New York abstract expressionists ruled the world (which Watson neglects to mention until very late). That's not to say there wasn't the occasional famous odd man out in American painting at the time (Georgia O'Keefe, Andrew Wyeth - more on HIM in a bit) but they were rare.

It is clear Watson's influences for his depictions of the Ned/Sonja/Henry/Harriet quadrangle come from a number of obvious sources. He borrows from Picasso, Pollock, and Hemingway (the hideous treatment of women by all, as well as the over-the-top rudeness, swearing, and mostly-phony swagger of Hemingway along with the brooding intensity of Pollack, minus the closeted bisexuality, are all present here). Nonetheless, Watson's two biggest influences for this book would seem to be: 1) Midwest realist painter, Andrew Wyeth and his famous Scandinavian-born model, Helga (Google "Wyeth's Helga paintings." Sonja IS Helga. Wyeth's wife also managed HER husband's career), and 2) The extra-marital relationship between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney (both walked out on their spouses and kids to co-habitate), culminating in the massacre at Taliesin (Wisconsin) by servant, Julian Carlton, that resulted in the ax-murder of seven people, including Cheney, before the whole place was sent aflame. This is not to say THIS book went all the way THERE (it didn't). But the influence of these people and events is fairly plain.

Before I started the book I'd read the word "tragic" in about 20 descriptions of the events within and was DREADING the moment when Sonja and Ned turned into Frank and Mamah. That didn't happen and the various separate "tragedies" that did befall three of the four central characters didn't feel all that tragic to me because I never felt like I really knew anything about them (add Harriet to the mix) or what was behind their behavior. I understand some of Sonja's motivation. It was the 1950's, she didn't want to be owned, but she wanted someone to truly SEE her. I just wasn't convinced the vulgar little cretin with a talent for painting hyper-realism (Seriously, what is the point to that? Take a bleeping picture if exact duplication is what you're after!) was the guy to get past Sonja's skin to who she truly was. He never showed any interest in her MIND, never really talked to her or showed any interest in getting to know her. His obsession with her was a fixation on an imaginary physical ideal only. There's just nothing between Sonja and Ned. It's all topography. Not really buying the artist/muse (I-can't-paint-without-my-only-inspiration) angle, either.

What this book needed was a lot more pages; pages on which we learn why Sonja needed the attention of such an awful man and why she couldn't see that her behavior meant her husband was being laughed at by everyone and why her time with Ned Weaver equaled cruelty. Oh, and I REALLY didn't feel she was devastated by the loss of her son past the very beginning. She seemed to recover (nobody fully recovers from the loss of a child, ever) and forget all about the boy. And then, out of nowhere, she dresses up, puts on lipstick, and decides she's finally going to give Ned Weaver what he's been angling for in exchange for a portrait of her dead son (whaaaaa?). I needed pages telling me who Henry House was. I got nothing from him but I should have. I needed pages describing the mind of Harriet Weaver. What happened to her to make her such a willing victim to such an awful man? I need to know what made Ned Weaver a sadist with a soft spot for a woman he didn't know. Finally, I need to know why a daughter House was even included in this story if the author was going to only pull her out now and again. I kept forgetting she existed! When I got to the end I honestly felt as I was reading that everyone's end seemed like the sad ending to some other, much bigger and better story than the book I just read. I really wish I'd gotten THAT book, instead. The writing is beautiful but pretty writing is never enough.

Also, the title is awful. Sonja would have been better.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy, what a disappointment. I was very intrigued by the setting, Door County, WI, but it rarely factored into the story aside from the apple orchard.

Every once in a while a passage came off as too blunt or graphic and didn't really fit in with the tone for the rest of the book. I had no sympathy or respect for Ned or Henry and no respect for Harriet, either. Hard to like a book when you can't really stand 3/4 of the main characters. And June's thought process was far too complex for a six-year-old, no matter the tragedy suffered. Yes, she will have complex feelings, but the thought process had more the feel of an adult not a child. Her voice was really the last straw which snapped my patience and I resorted to skimming until the end.

And the ending. Hated the roundup. Dry, journalistic approach to what had previously been a literary type novel.

The setting and the premise of the story were so promising, but Larry Watson just did not pull it off.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An immensely talented artist who has a series of affairs with his models happens upon a young woman who becomes his muse. Given his huge ego, I'm not sure if it would be accurate to say that he loves Sonja, but she certainly has a hold on him. Sonja is an unhappy wife and mother. She and her husband have lost a son in a tragic accident and their daughter suffers along with them. Sonja accepts the modeling job as a way of finding herself again, but it leads to her husband's jealousy and much bigger problems. It's a very sad book, but well-written and worth a look.

[reading is my hustle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melancholic and sorrowful novel about grief, art, and the arc of a marriage.

[MM Suarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

“In my meager experience,” said Weaver, “no one ever gets things back the way they used to be.” He blew a stream of smoke toward the ceiling. “Because they never were the way they used to be.”

I usually love Larry Watson's novels, specially Montana 1948, Orchard not so much. While the writing is reliably beautiful, the story and characters just didn't work for me, not a likeable one in the bunch. The story takes place in the 1950's so "ownership" of wives is the order of the day here and the tortured artist Ned Weaver adds a big doze of sleaze to the whole thing.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third of Watson's books that I've read and I was slightly disappointed. It is not as good as either American Boy or Montana 1948. It is dark and slightly creepy and Watson yet again displays a nice grasp for narcissistic desires in his characters, but it felt somewhat rushed (maybe too short?) compared to the other works.

I really did not like the temporal wandering. Watson almost produces stream of consciousness writing with his wanderings and lack of chapters. The novel begins with the climax (not the ending, of course, because he felt the need to epilogue all the characters 9 years after which is something I find tedious at best), and then the reader is treated to glimpses of this fateful day along the way. The rest of the story, however, does not develop chronologically. Watson jumps to places both before and after Sonja meets Ned; before and after John's death; and before and after Henry's race/accident. It wasn't that hard to keep track, but it was awfully unnecessary to provide such jagged edges in the text.

I was also annoyed with the sexism. I realize that this is set in rural American in the 1950s and that wife belongs to husband in the most traditional meaning, but it seemed like Watson had a bit too much fun repeating the theme. Despite Henry's inability to prevent Sonja from posing for Ned, he still sees himself as both responsible for her actions and in ownership of her body. Ned's blatant use of Harriet as a device to embarrass Henry was a similar example of a husband's ownership and equally repulsive.

There were two instances in scenes between Ned and Sonja that I was frustrated by poor editing. The first is relatively early in the book. During the first episode in which Sonja poses, Ned asks her questions about why she wants to pose and what else she had done for work, but then a few paragraphs later she questions why he asks her nothing about herself. Rather contradictory. The second instance is much later when Sonja offers her trade and is rejected. Ned has food poisoning and starts the scene by noting that he has been ill for a few days; later she asks if he would like her to resume her pose from yesterday (when presumably she had not been there). Minor stuff, but annoying when reading to find these little points.

As always, Watson delivers some great contrasts in his language choice, as well as commentary on human desire:
"Babies and rifles--their shapes furnished the necessary instruction: Carry us this way."
"I know I couldn't be happy with any other man but Ned...Because I once was necessary to him, and now I'm not. Now I'm habit."
"Men were supposed to be so bold, yet they would not look directly at you. Instead, they waited until you bent over, and then if you glanced up quickly you could see where their eyes had been."
"In my meager experience...no one ever gets things back the way they used to be....Because they never were the way they used to be."

Unfortunately, he also had a few awful jokes, such as the night that Henry had sex with Frankie and then shot his gun into the sky after having played hearts: "He'd fucked a woman not his wife, and he'd shot the moon, albeit with no more success than he'd had at the card table."

Overall it was a compelling quick read with a few beautiful moments and some interesting thoughts on perspective and dealing with grief.
Some of the language (and certainly the time period and the frequency of extra-marital affairs throughout) reminded me of Updike's Couples. Certainly not bad, but not as good as Watson's other books.

[Luke Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slow paced slice-of-life drama about two couples. One couple is an apple farmer and his wife, the other a painter and his. But when the apple farmer's wife starts posing nude for the artist, what do you know, there's a conflict.

It was very hard for me to get into the characters because they were all so reprehensible. At one point in time I thought the title "The Orchard" was a reference to the Garden of Eden and the characters embodying the seven deadly sins. You've got things like pride, lust, jealousy, betrayl, and more running throughout the story. There's no real "good guy" just some characters you feel more or less sorry for.

What I did enjoy about this novel was the way it stayed true to place. In this case Door County. The characters eat the famous cherries and drink the customary Brandy Old Fashioned. It all really adds to the sense to place.

Beyond that, it rather dull, and a struggle to get through sometimes.

[TBV (on hiatus)]

In this orchard the man offers Sonja Skordahl an apple and another and another in an effort to find the perfect apple for a seemingly perfect woman. Men, women and apples - we have all heard about that.

Henry actually succeeds in making Sonja his wife and posession. But Sonja is not as meek and mild as one might suppose. Sonja is perfectly capable of making her own decisions.

Not far from where Henry and Sonja House live, lives the painter Ned Weaver with his wife Harriet. Ned is an internationally acclaimed artist. He has no problem finding women to pose as his models or to share his bed. Harriet isn't stupid; she is fully aware of Ned's goings on, but she has made the conscious decision to stay with him no matter what, and as such supports him in his art.

Enter Sonja into Ned's studio...

With sparse prose Larry Watson deftly ramps up tensions in this Garden of Eden.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhat interesting, but it felt so ultra-manly, if that makes sense. I wonder what the author is like. There was an awful lot of unnecessary sex--and I'm usually fine with that, but it seemed just to prove a point or something. Also, I thought the artist character was so obnoxious with his "I'm doing everything for art" thing--does he represent the author? The book acknowledges that he's not a lovely guy, but it doesn't particularly denounce the "everything for art" line. And would his wife really do anything for him because he makes art? Really? I wouldn't be super surprised if the author is similar to the artist and is hoping to make the same case for himself! Is that unfair?

[Laura Planton · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very slow moving story. Sonja and Henry suffer the tragic loss of their son. Ned an obsessive artist solicits Sonja to be his model. Harriet, Ned's wife is well aware of past sexual attraction between Ned and his models. Henry suffers the humiliation of the townspeople knowing his wife is posing nude. A complicated story because of the chronology of the story, the difficult characterization and the implausibility of certain character's actions. I need at least one likable character in a story or one you can relate to. This book had neither.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I so believed these people were REAL that I stopped reading the book because of the total manipulation taking place between the 2 couples - the 4 individuals. It was so sad that the loss of the child kept impacting everything. I enjoyed the author in Montana 1948, but the Door County book was too much. And I could not locate any of the actual places in Door County - it was all fictional.

[Ernest · Rating 1 out of 5]

I disliked everyone in this novel. Hated is a better word. About page 100 I was hoping they would all meet at the highest point in the orchard under the tallest apple tree on a rainy day and be struck with a massive bolt of lightning...Even the peeping tom town folk and slutty bar maid. No, no a single bolt of lightning won't suffice. A meteor, yup, it will take a meteor.

[Kristin Bonacci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was ready to not give my "Larry Watson automatic 5 stars" for this book. But then I read the end and, again, the ending was not what I had expected and much more powerful than I expected. So 5 stars.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story told is an example of what happens when no one communicates...especially not truthfully....both couples exist together, but not to any depth of relationship...a sad commentary on how we all keep our deepest selves hostage.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am always hopeful when I get one of his books, but they do not have the simple power of Montana 1948.

[Cindy Markowitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like any of the characters, wanted to smack most of them!!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading Larry Watson. He takes a little snippet of life and you end up developing this deep connection with his sense of place and his characters. He's a beautiful writer.

[Dave Weller · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you cut through it all, there was not much of a story behind Orchard. I read several of Watson's works and liked them, so I decided to give this book a try. It was pretty basic and held my interest, but not on par with my favorites. There are three main characters; Henry House, Sonja House, Ned Weaver, and Harriet Weaver. The novel takes place in Door County, WI (I've been there). Henry operates an orchard that has been handed down from generations. Sonja is his Norwegian wife, who still has difficulty interpreting certain English phrases and idioms. Ned Weaver is a successful artist, who paints landscapes and nudes, and he is relentless in his pursuit of perfection. Harriet is Ned's wife, and she knows Ned's idiosyncrasies. Henry and Sonja have two children, June and John, but John dies in an accident associated with Henry's horse, Buck. Sonja blames the horse, and the loss of a child strains their marriage. Ned Weaver is constantly looking for a nude model for his paintings, and Sonja signs up to earn money for the family. I'll stop there, and you have to read the book to learn how the relationships evolve. The author does a decent job of developing the complex characters of Henry, Sonja and Ned. Sonja is the type of person, however, who drives me crazy. She is very introverted and keeps her thoughts to herself. I suppose I will try another novel by Larry Watson.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second reading of Orchard. I remember really enjoying it years ago. This time around I had many of the same feelings and opinions though I did think Watson galloped to and through the ending. Such a shame. He easily could have added 200-plus pages to the novel. (I can't believe I'm saying that.)

Sonja and Henry are married and while it seems all is well there are obvious problems. When Henry has an accident, Sonja decides to model for the resident artist, Ned Weaver. What a wretched man ole Ned is. He takes advantage of everyone around him.

Weaver's wife Harriet is out for herself, by way of Ned's work. I disliked Ned so much I don't fault Harriet.

The Door County, Wisconsin setting is quite beautifully written. Watson is a master of description and character development. If you are looking for a heavy plot, it's not here. The characters and the setting are the focus. Be careful of frequent and jarring time jumps. They happen without notice. Some eye-popping whiplash may result.

Read everything Larry Watson writes. Superb.

[Debbie T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watson's writing is both sparse (not so much in this book as in his later ones As Good as Gone and Let Him Go) and poetic. He creates a character or sets a stage with a few well-chosen words. His books do not have happy endings and usually are pretty violent, but they involve situations and people that you won't forget easily. Orchard is about a marriage that falls apart after the death of a son. The wife begins to pose nude for a local, well-known artist to make money for the family and to be "seen" by someone since her grief-stricken husband no longer seems to see her. Like Watson's other books, it's the story of ordinary people who try to protect their families. The main character always has something else that he cares about; in this case, it's reputation or a good name. The artist in this book is only extremely selfish and arrogant. Watson's later antagonists are increasingly physically violent.

[Joe Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a gracefully, often soulfully, written story of grief, jealousy, obsession, and possession that torments two married couples. The conflicts between the characters form the sinister storm clouds in this somewhat moody story. Set in the 1950s, the story reflects some of that era’s attitudes towards sex and women as objects.

The author manages to pull off a satisfying ending.

The author maintains a high level of writing throughout. How he describes the natural world can be poetically creative and perfection. For example, “Henry liked it best when the storm would stall over the water, and lightning, confined to the clouds, would give off a soft flickering like a candle inside a paper lantern. Then, even the rumble of thunder seemed benign, a sound no more threatening than the drumbeat of his father‘s heart when he held Henry close.” I’ve watched plenty of thunderstorms where the lightning is confined within the clouds and I wish I had thought of describing this as “a candle inside a paper lantern.” A perfect description. Beautiful! Now I will always see it this way when I watch thunderstorms with their clouds lit up.

[Judie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sad little book about a narcissistic artist, albeit a good one, his long-suffering (by choice) wife, his "muse", and her husband, both of whom share the sorrow of the loss of a young son. The story had potential, ripe for fleshing out each of the main characters but which failed to do so, save that of the artist.

Set in Door County, WI, in the 1960s, the landscape of the story is cold and desolate adding to the element of loss. There is an underlying sadness in the muse, her husband, and the artist's wife, but yet one doesn't feel empathy for them.

This is a short book, 241 pages, and could be a good book ripe for discussion for a book club; much to speculate on while trying to nail down motivation for each character.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to rate. It's not horrible, but it is a bit of a slog. The most interesting thing is the explanation of the relationship of art with the artist and his muse, along with the curator. How that played out until it got to the actual buyer was fascinating. The problem is that most of the book is not about that. It's about the crumbling marriage of two people that unfortunately are not very likable. It really is hard to love a book where every character is either unlikeable or too remote to really understand. Probably the best character is the artist. He was an ass, but he knew he was an ass which somewhat redeemed him.

[Titi Lecture · Rating 2 out of 5]

Depuis plusieurs jours je cherche les mots pour faire cette chronique et je dois bien avouer que pas grand-chose ne vient.
Ce livre m'a donné l'impression de se suffire à lui-même. Je n'arrivais pas à le comparer aux autres. Ce n'est pas la première fois que je lis un livre sur le modèle d'un peintre mais ils ne se ressemblent pas. Idem pour le deuil d'un enfant.
Le manque de compréhension entre les protagonistes... Je peux citer des livres ayant ses caractéristiques et qui m'ont bouleversé mais là, la magie n'a pas fonctionné
J'ai eu du mal à comprendre certains personnages. Peut-être étaient-ils trop éloignés de moi...

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this, much more than I expected to!!!! I was throughly invested in the characters and their storylines and found Watson to be an expert storyteller!

I cannot even tell you how long this book sat unread on my shelf. Thanks to the quarantine, I’m reading books I never had much interest in and am relearning to not judge a book by its cover or dust jacket blurb.

I plan on reading more of Larry Watson.