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A review by stacia_reads
The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
5.0
A strong 4.5 stars, enough that I'll rate it a 5 officially. Overall, a really good book and not one that seems to be popular. I'd recommend it.
This is one of those books that caught my eye based on the title and cover design initially, followed by the description. It didn't disappoint!
You can read the synopsis above.
As Willie explores her family history, searching for her father, chapters are inserted from the POV of various characters along the way. They're clearly labeled, which is nice, and it's actually a nice touch to do this. I particularly enjoyed a chapter from Noname, a young Indian girl. Sometimes the historical backstory is revealed through old documents Willie finds as part of her research, which is also very interesting.
There's a sideplot about Willie's best friend, Clarissa, who is sick. I found it to be a good counterpoint in reminding us that a) Willie doesn't live on an island - life is still going on outside of her father-project and b) family is more than bloodlines.
If I had one nit-pick with the story, it would be that there isn't much development of adult male character (aka potential father candidates) throughout. A handful are mentioned here or there but not a lot of time is spent there so while the process of discovering who her father may be is a great story, you don't find yourself routing for a particular outcome because you don't really know the options well enough to care.
This is one of those books that caught my eye based on the title and cover design initially, followed by the description. It didn't disappoint!
You can read the synopsis above.
As Willie explores her family history, searching for her father, chapters are inserted from the POV of various characters along the way. They're clearly labeled, which is nice, and it's actually a nice touch to do this. I particularly enjoyed a chapter from Noname, a young Indian girl. Sometimes the historical backstory is revealed through old documents Willie finds as part of her research, which is also very interesting.
There's a sideplot about Willie's best friend, Clarissa, who is sick. I found it to be a good counterpoint in reminding us that a) Willie doesn't live on an island - life is still going on outside of her father-project and b) family is more than bloodlines.
If I had one nit-pick with the story, it would be that there isn't much development of adult male character (aka potential father candidates) throughout. A handful are mentioned here or there but not a lot of time is spent there so while the process of discovering who her father may be is a great story, you don't find yourself routing for a particular outcome because you don't really know the options well enough to care.