I'm not one to give up on a book, but when it takes me more than a week to get 100 pages in and I want to read anything else than this book, then I know it's time to move on.
This book makes big promises about being a family saga through three generations of women in one family and all the trauma they have lived through but for me the first 100 pages simply didn't deliver. I don't shy away from difficult or distressing books but they have to be compelling.
I found the language style the most difficult aspect of the book. The southern dialect at times was impenetrable as a British reader, and I had to read sections of dialogue out loud to work out what was happening or skim it therefore missing important aspects of the plot. Additionally, the author kept jumping between memories and present time, with no true indicator that there had been a shift so one minute Dale and Grace are talking (in memory) and then Aunt Hattie joins in from the present day. It was confusing and led to rereading which broke the flow of the story.
The story seemed like an important one to tell, but the writing style made this too onerous to wade through.
This book makes big promises about being a family saga through three generations of women in one family and all the trauma they have lived through but for me the first 100 pages simply didn't deliver. I don't shy away from difficult or distressing books but they have to be compelling.
I found the language style the most difficult aspect of the book. The southern dialect at times was impenetrable as a British reader, and I had to read sections of dialogue out loud to work out what was happening or skim it therefore missing important aspects of the plot. Additionally, the author kept jumping between memories and present time, with no true indicator that there had been a shift so one minute Dale and Grace are talking (in memory) and then Aunt Hattie joins in from the present day. It was confusing and led to rereading which broke the flow of the story.
The story seemed like an important one to tell, but the writing style made this too onerous to wade through.