raesengele's reviews
313 reviews

This is such a beautifully written book that left me with so many feelings, but I can entirely understand how it won't be for everyone.

For starters, it's magical realism, not fantasy, so if you want hard magic systems and Harry Potter esque witchcraft, look somewhere else.

Second, know that it is written in a stream of consciousness style and highly character driven, so if you're more comfortable with linear plot lines or are prone to claiming that "nothing happened" look somewhere else.

Finally, it is nothing like the movie (which was perfect for me since I never did get much out of it beyond the house and Nicole Kidman's face), so if it's one of your absolute favorites, look somewhere else.

For everyone still here, you are in for a treat! Why have I waited so long to read an Alice Hoffman book? Her prose is lyrical, almost fairy tale like, and moves seamlessly from one thought to the next which makes it difficult to put down.

One thing I've noticed a lot in other reviews is people criticizing the fact that every Owens woman is described as some kind of traffic stopping sort of beautiful (some more literally than others), but I'd argue that that's the point. Because it's written in this fairy tale style, hyperbole is to be expected. The princess is never just an average princess, she the fairest in all the land, the prince is always handsome, the witch is always ugly and disfigured. What Hoffman does is take that hyperbole and then makes them real despite of it. Yes, the women are traffic stopping level of gorgeous, but they're also broken, flawed, and struggle with getting through life, understanding what real love is, seeing themselves the way the rest of the world sees them. And that beauty is never treated as "this is a good person because she is beautiful." Sally refuses to see herself as anything other than a mother, as a woman worthy of love and longing. Gillian believes she deserves to be abused and used, never letting men see her for anything other than her beauty. Antonia is cruel and puts all her worth in her looks to the point where when her sister out shines her, she loses her confidence and has to learn what parts of her truly matter. Kylie learns deals with the hazards of beauty from an early age. The lesson is that it doesn't matter how beautiful you are, because that beauty is, after all, only skin deep. From page 227, "Although she'd never believe it, those lines in Gillian's face are the most beautiful part about her. They reveal what she's gone through and what she's survived and who exactly she is, deep inside."

This is an interesting book, though Brooks doesn't have much new to say. Or maybe he did in 2003 when this was published, but now it's old hat. If you're a huge fan of Terry Brooks there are some interesting anecdotes and chapters that go into the behind the scenes of his books, but if you're a writer looking for new information, maybe skip it. Especially if you've read all of KM Weiland's advice, because I'm about 90% sure this is where she got most of it.

This is a beautifully written book that I'm a bit disappointed in myself for taking so long to read. I appreciated Dr Westover's continual steps to remind the reader that memory is faulty and owned up to moments where hers differed from her siblings'.

It's easy to get caught up in questioning the validity of her education and how she was able to accomplish such feats with so little, but I was pleasantly surprised to find how humble Dr Westover was when it came to these things and how frequently she repeated her lack in confidence over belonging or being deserving of such things. Not that I wanted her to not be confident in her skills and accomplishments, but I had before hand been led to believe that she came to her PhD without struggle or fault, that it was doubtful how easily it was accomplished. But it wasn't easy. That's so absolutely clear from the text itself and now I'm wondering how people saw otherwise.

But, in truth, that's not the point of the story at hand. The point is the abuse, the control Tara's father had/s over her family, how that control and manipulation can warp a person's world view and take away their agency, how it can make family members not just turn a blind eye, but forget entirely abuse that is happening directly on front of them, how the victims at the epicenter of this suffer in more ways than one.

This is absolutely a book worth reading and one that maybe needs to be read, because it's a topic few who have lived it will be willing to talk about themselves. Much like Tara needed to be educated of the world outside of Buck's Peak, we need to be educated of the world inside of it.

As much as I enjoyed this book and Benjamin Alire Sáenz's writing, I'm not entirely sure what happened with this one. His writing seems to have taken a bit of a dip compared to his adult novels/short stories. Not that it's bad, don't get me wrong, just not what I'm used to seeing from him. The language is very simplistic with some unnecessary repetition. For instance, on page 5:

And her shoes? Sandals. Sandals? I waited all this time for a pair of sandals she bought at Target?

"Great day," she said, all smiles and enthusiasm.

"Sandals?" I said. "That's what I was waiting for?"

It would have come across just the same if the first bit had simply been, "And her shoes? Sandals." then moved into the dialogue from there. It's nitpicky, I know, but with how simple the language was little things like that just kept standing out.

Other than that, it's beautifully written the way Sáenz's books always are. Quiet and contemplative, exploring human nature through the small mundane moments of life. So, great book, just linguistically not his best.