Kendra Herlig > Recent Status Updates

I only gave it 2 stars because it’s a glimpse into the tragic past that was the bigotry and prejudice against blacks in the 60s. I finished reading it because I wanted to know who the “bad guy” was. There was a lot of skimming going on. I don’t think Diane Chamberlain is a good writer. She doesn’t use prose and descriptions to bring the reader into the story. It could have been good. It wasn’t.

Kinda weird…

DNF. This didn’t cut it for me. It felt like a Wikipedia page of his life but with a few conversations tossed in to call it a novel. Any attempt to engage the reader in the story fell pretty flat. Moving on…

I was going to read this. But then I read the reviews, the gist of which is that it’s “awesome, yet devastating.” Some praise the writing and some belittle it. Either way, I’m not in the mood for something heart-wrenching so I returned it. Maybe one day.

It’s dragging a bit… setting the foundation, apparently. But so far this one has been told a time or two before. Young druggie has a baby and then meets a bad guy who is emotionally abusive and marries him.

I started this book in 2021 but don’t remember why I didn’t finish it. So I’ll give it another shot.

Where is this book going? Where is the “whats next?” The intrigue? The “how are they going to get there?” Great writing. Great characters. But there needs to be a reason to want to read it. It’s a library book so I’ll probably come back to it some day. But moving in for now.

Starting over. I wonder why this book only has 115 reviews…?

Well the writing isn’t good. The plot is really lame. This got 4 stars?

Excellent writing. It gets a little graphic in some of the scenes.

I won’t give it away, but it might be getting a bit more cliche.

It started off well… then it got pretty predictable. Fall in love with an American Jewish soldier hiding in the woods… we shall see if it gets better.

“Kindness begins where necessity ends.”

It’s a little dry for me. Predictable. I guess I was enamored with the idea of C.S. Lewis and expected something more plot driven.

She is such a good writer. I’m not sure which is my favorite yet, but this quote is good. “Love and war are two ends of a single rope, Boba told me once. Poetry comes from the tangling of the two.”

It’s a bit annoying to go back in time to Marianas childhood and love story and current situation at this point. Helloooo!?! There is this murder thing we need to talk about!

I’m going in with trepidation. The Silent Patient was really good. But I don’t often read a book that has ratings of 3.65 or has been poo-poo’d by my friends whose taste in reading is similar to time...

It’s a little sappy. Definitely predictable plot in the beginning.

It’s just a little unrealistic. Hundreds of migrant workers displaced by a flood and they get two rooms with hot water and lavender soap? A little far fetched.

I really like Atwood. She’s a great storyteller and a great writer. But man this book is a little heavy. Not a lot of happy. Don’t read it if you’re depressed.

Such a good storyteller. Such a good writer. So creative. I am a big fan of Margaret Atwood. But this book is not a casual read. There is a story within a story and there is a past, a previous (kind of like the past but not as long ago) and a present. And in the present the main character is writing about the past. Needless to say it skips around a bit and requires some concentration.

Interesting idea. I like it. It’s just getting a little set in it’s ways with trying on one after the other. Need some action!

So far this book is quite intriguing. ‘Between life and death there is a library,’ she said. ‘And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be different if you had made other choices . . .’ - is this going to be an “It’s a wonderful life” kind of story? We shall see...

Ok. The bear cave? Seriously strange what the author thinks we will believe.

What was the scene with the horses escaping the parade all about? Maybe it will make sense as I continue, but it seems out of place and it was a pretty interesting jump directly from horses on the playground to a school dance.

*** SPOILER ALERT ** The dog told me? Talking to ghosts? If you’re going to write that it has to be done well. It isn’t.

These stories (Pixie and Thomas) don’t intertwine at all. They’re just from the same place and know each other.

** SPOILER ALERT ** The whole scene where she gets taken to the bar... very strange. And who didn’t see the whole hamburger being drugged. Why would she even stay there? Doesn’t seem in character and seems like a dumb plot twist.

I tried this as an audiobook and some of the scenes are really graphic which is tough in an audiobook. You can’t skim over them. It’s going back on the “to read” list but as a print or kindle.

Didn’t finish it. I wanted something that wasn’t intense, but I still wanted some more sophisticated writing and deeper characters. I’ll keep looking.