jenbsbooks's reviews
2129 reviews

I think I liked this ... but I was actually more than ready to be done. It definitely had some points to ponder (book club discussion ideas, notes/highlights) and yet it was just TOO much. Too many characters, too many "bad" people/things in such a small town (we've got Nazis gathering, and complete Confederate pride, book banning/burning, LGBTQ characters (those with supportive families, those not), rape, a macho-movie star ... the characters were caricatures, and there were too many coincidences and easy outs.  

Given the title - I think I was expecting something different. A steward of a Little Library that was proudly trying to provide access to books. Instead, Lula is the one behind the "bans" and with her little library she's graciously offering up what she thinks are appropriate reads. The library DOES end up being filled with banned books ... and everyone is oblivious.  

In my own Little Library, only a small portion of the books have dust jackets. That every single book had a dust jacket here, well, I guess if that's what Lula bought. It was totally necessary for this storyline. And that someone could switch out, fitting new/controversial books that just happen to be the same size to fit said dust jackets... and that people taking the book and starting to read without realizing it's not the same book? To have one character (okay, given, she didn't graduate high school and this doesn't sound like the most progressive of towns) but that she's NEVER heard of Anne Frank? That she happens to pick that book (thinking it was Buffy Halliday Goes to Europe - not a real book, the books here are about half and half? Real and invented for this story) and "it wasn't quite what she'd been expecting. The book's narrator seemed a lot younger than the girl pictured on the cover ... Nobody in the book was named Buffy Halliday" It sure takes her a while to figure out it's a different book (I mean, usually the title IS right there at the front, often at the top of pages depending on the publication) and it's quite the coincidence that the person that just happened to pick up this book ... is married to a Nazi. 

Not as much of a stretch that one of the Black townsfolk takes Our Confederate Heroes ... to take it out of circulation, not because he wants to read it. He does recognize the switch immediately, and appreciates the irony and support that represents. One of the older residents picks up a cookbook with an interesting idea for a cake, another woman hoping to keep her man, instead of "The Rules: Time-Tested Secredts for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right" finds herself reading "All Women Are Witches: Find Your Power and Put it to Use" ... I didn't really get the end of that chapter. Elijah, who happens to a brother who is gay, finds a story about two gay boys under the cover of Chicken Soup for the Soul. A little boy wondering about women issues/periods happens to pick up "Are You There God It's Me Margaret" ...

There were SO many different characters (all 3rd person/past tense) and then there were time shifts too, to Beverly and Lula's past when they were in high school. It was just a bit much to keep track of, to connect with enough to care about. I felt like the ending was over-the-top (although I loved how it showed how new-stories can be twisted and presented with a bias, even shocking those interviewed). 

I feel like I'm on the liberal side ... I could see some with more "conservative values" perhaps being offended by the content itself (siding more with Lula). A bit of Trump bashing/Art of the Deal included "a lot to learn from the master" "make Troy great again" ... "The radical left ... they've got our kids baking dirty cakes and learning how to use butt plugs. Now they're out to destroy our statues ..."

The final Chapter is "Happy Ending" ... I appreciated the Table of Contents including the chapter headers (in both Kindle and Audio, I didn't have a physical copy of this book). On the one hand, I would have also liked to have the POV for the chapters listed, but just the headers (names of books) were enough to nudge my memory, so that I could revisit a specific chapter as needed. There was a note from the author - I always listen to author's notes, and more often than not, find them illuminating. I do wish that in audio, the author would present the author's notes themselves, it would make it so much more personal. 

Quite a bit of proFanity (x73) and just presentations that I didn't care for - the first line "Ronnie Childers was tripping his balls off in Jackson Square when an angel of the Lord appeared before him." (It wasn't an angel, just a girl, and he was high ...) When Movie-Star Mitch appears on the scene "You ain't got nothing bigger? My granny wouldn't be caught dead in this pussy mobile."  Much of the "Southern" presentation (drawls and such), the prissy women, as well as the macho-men, just seemed overdone. Someone said the book said it was satire? This really did hit a lot of important issues, but it was hard to get over the cartoonish characterizations. 

No discussion questions included in the text - I wish there had been. That always makes me stop and think a little more. I even Googled but didn't find any/many set up (yet). 

I'd heard many rave reviews about this one. I was a little reluctant to pick it up ... I don't care for overly religious books, but while this has a biblical base, it's hardly what one would call "Christian" literature. This was just an okay book for me.  I just think that long sagas aren't really at the top of my list.  With historical fiction, I appreciate learning some facts (even if I have to look and verify what is truth) - I think much of my original biblical learnings have been overpowered by the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" *Ü* and this barely hit any of that well known tale and it's humorous approach. I'll admit, I wasn't really aware of Dinah or her story (even as sparse as it was in the bible). This was rich and flowing ... I'm not sure I was in the mood to appreciate it.

There was a prologue which introduces Dinah, or in which Dinah introduces herself. She talks to us/the reader, or women in the past? She mentions the role of women/daughters; in keeping the memories alive. She was told the stories, and she will now recount them, and her own, to us.  

There were then three parts - and these were very distinct. Part One: My Mother's Stories (with three chapters) Part Two: My Story (eight chapters, which reset at 1-8 for the section) and Part Three: Egypt, with five chapters.  As I often comment on the Table of Contents (or lack of) ... To me, a glance at the TOC, and seeing that there are three parts, what their headers are, is SO helpful. I'm lucky I had this in all three formats, because only the Kindle copy had a useful TOC. The audio showed the parts/chapters, but didn't include the part "titles" ... and I'll never understand physical books not having a table of contents page. 

The audio narration was fine - I think I was expecting something with a bit of an accent to make it more exotic ... less "American"? The text copies had the original cover (which I don't love) but the audio had the updated (Lifetime movie) cover, and I'll admit, I was possibly expecting Rebecca Feguson's voice. I haven't seen the miniseries, and honestly, I don't know that I'm drawn to it (not streaming, but I could snag the DVD from the library). 

Words I note: Lapis Lazuli, alchemy, ablutions, libation, roiled, obeisance. 
There was a tiny "song" and it was sung.

Like a recent read [book:How to Read a Book|62365896] ... the very end, is narrated AFTER the MCs death. I thought it ironic that I read these two books with this same ending "I lived a good life, and then I died..." type of statement,  so close together.

No proFanity, there was a bit of sexual stuff throughout, although nothing spicy or explicit. 

I quite enjoyed this; a not really very plausible situation, but the MCs were both likeable and the banter and goings-on kept my interest. Not one I'd feel like I could recommend to most friends/family, as the sex/profanity (x131) was high. Some steamy/spicy scenes.

It's funny, how common the "fake dating" trope is (and here it's beyond even that), yet I've NEVER encountered anyone IRL who has faked dating, or know anyone who knows anyone who has. It's just a fun story set-up. And here, it's an absolute marriage of convenience (for college housing) with the MMC not realizing that this also triggers his personal trust $$ (he hadn't planned on fraudulently tricking that, but accepted it once it was done), the FMC not reading any of the "divorce" paperwork (stating that they wouldn't actually be divorcing for five years!), that neither character, in the prime of their romantic lives, would have met someone else. Compared to all that, that Liam would ask and Anna would be okay with the "fake" display isn't that much of a stretch. And that two people in a fake relationship would come to care about each other isn't that big of a stretch. Not being insanely rich, the whole island wedding, trusts, family business was, if not unbelievable, just beyond my ken regardless.  Suspension of disbelief and all that ... this was still enjoyable overall, even though most of the family is truly awful!

Other than the assumption of our two MCs getting together for real, I wasn't really sure where things were going and how it would turn out. 

There were references to the shows Succession (and the situation was Succession-ish) and The White Lotus. Both are prime time cable shows and I've seen them both, but I have to wonder if  the entire audience of the book is familiar enough with them to warrant their inclusion. If that dates the book, leaves some people feeling like they SHOULD know but don't? 

Words I Note: detritus, cerulean, careen, cacophony ... 11 smirks, 2 scowls.

I had this in all three formats. I'd found a nice hardcopy in a LittleFreeLibrary, and then put the audio/Kindle copy on hold. This is a popular new release, so I had a little wait. I went with the audio edition and liked the narration. 1st person/Present tense, alternating between Anna and Liam. Just basic chronological chapters listed in audio/Kindle ... I don't know why they didn't also include the POV in the Table of Contents. I always appreciate that (seeing at a glance how it's set up). It didn't stay one for one, would sometimes stay with Anna for a couple chapters, then Liam, etc. 

Title is just okay - not sure it really represents?

I liked this fine. I'd heard so much hype that maybe I went in with my expectations too high. I've also already read a ton of WW2 fiction, and to, this was just one of many, without anything that really made it stand out. I don't know that I really felt like I learned anything new (which is something I hope for in historical fiction). 

Basically - this had two timelines, the "now" which is "Oregon, April 1995" and this is told in first person/present tense.  The story then shifts to the past (August 1939 to start, in France, and there shifts again to an older memory from years before), told in past tense, 3rd person, and it shifts between two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle. Vianne gets a few chapters, and then it shifts to Isabelle's story, and then rotates between the two. There were no headers indicating POV, and sometimes it would switch mid-chapter. It was a little difficult to follow in audio, just a pause. In text, there was a ************** to show the break and change in POV. I was often a little frustrated "who is SHE?" which POV are we following and I'd figure it out, but I like it to be a little more distinct and clear, especially when I am stopping/starting a lot (listening while doing other things). 

The slightly unique presentation here, is that we (the reader) don't know WHO the MC at the start is (an old woman). We aren't given her name. As the first chapter ends, "she" states ... "I remember" and then there is the shift to the past, to Vianne. So the assumption is that she is Vianne? But perhaps she's Isabelle? Right before this shift it's asked "Who is Juliette Gervaise" so maybe that's who the old woman is? Most of the book is in the past, but there are several times throughout that it pops back to the "present" ... but we aren't positive of the present identity until the end. I might have liked to go back and check out some of the "present"  parts, but alas, the Table of Contents is useless and doesn't include that information, just the most basic chronological chapters. To find them, you have to manually flip through checking every chapter (found one - chapter 14 was in 1995). If there IS information at the start of a chapter (a date, location, POV) ... include that in the TOC!

I had this in all three formats. I found the physical copy at a thrift store (score!) but I don't know that this is one I feel the need to keep. I'm sure someone would be thrilled to find it in my Little Free Library, so I'll probably put it in there. The audio is on Hoopla, and I had a bit of a wait to get the Kindle copy from the library. I liked the audio - as I went to start I had a moment of panic that it would be Julia Whelan, and while I love her narration, I'd JUST heard her in another book (a romcom) and didn't feel like that would work for me ... the narration my Polly Stone was good (I'd heard her in Sarah's Key but didn't have a memory of her voice). As mentioned above, I struggled a little with differentiating Vianne and Isabelle's storylines, but that was more an issue with the 3rd person writing. I think the Kindle copy may offer the most - with extras (photos, an interview with the author, ideas for book groups and discussion questions). I always appreciate it when discussion questions are included. It's like a quick, mini-bookclub, making me stop and think about somethings I might not have otherwise; to delve a little deeper. I know I could always Google and find some question ideas, but it's nice when they are right there! 

Some words I note - sneaked, detritus, preternatural, assignation, route (pronounced rewt), roiled, cacophony, hearth, sibilance. ProFanity (x3).  There was a little song, sung in the audio narration.

What was with the car models so specifically pointed out? The Renault, Citroen, Peugeot ... it almost felt like "I've done research to find out what cars were there historically so I need to mention them specifically" ... did it ever really matter what kind of car it was? It actually distracted rather than added for me. In a modern day story I guess it might always be pointed out if it's a Honda or a Ford or a Chevy, but unless there is a reason ... why?

I don't know if I'm hard-hearted, or if I've just read too much WW2 and other sad stories, but I never got overly emotional during this read. Sure, it was sad, but I never was pulled in enough to "feel" it ...

This was in our Audible library (Hubs purchase) ... Hubs and two of the boys had listened (Hubs and #1 liked it, #3 hated it and wondered why he finished). I've liked Matthew McConaughey, and I think I like him more after listening to the audiobook. The audio was fun, as he's so very distinct in his speech, and here as he presented different parts; it had more impact coming directly from his mouth. I had also picked up a physical copy somewhere, and grabbed the Kindle version. Every format has its pros and cons.

Memoirs are interesting - to see how the individual telling it sets up their story. Do they start in childhood? Keep it chronological? Here, I found it interesting how MM kept the theme of Greenlights throughout the book. And his "bumperstickers" which in text appear as handwritten notes "taped" in, and his "Notes to self" as little typewritten inserts. It was handled well in the audio ... a change in the sound (some say he's yelling portions), but it a little more distinct in the print copy. Although while the handwritten portions really do add a unique touch, they can be a little hard to read (Kindle copy give the option to have these transcribed as text). Quite a few different fonts to add some variety, some GREEN pages, and many pictures, which of course can't be converted to audio (I can't remember if it was mentioned that there was a PDF with these for the audio version). 

MM drops some bombs casually (about being sexually abused, doesn't go into detail) and has a pretty hard childhood with his parents. Stories like this always make me grateful for my own "boring" upbringing and married life. Reading over some of the other reviews, one was disgruntled that while MM addressed Covid and George Floyd, he didn't mention the MeToo movement and had some early disrespect of women. Overall though, especially compared to some other memoirs (Matthew Perry, Prince Harry, Dick VanDyke) I liked his pursuit of ONE woman and family, and staying faithful.

It was interesting to learn a little more about how he got started and how his career progressed, how some roles happened. 

Someone had indicated it was full of proFanity ... and yes, there were 24 f-bombs, which is less than lots of the novels out there. 

A lot of this did just seem to be rambling ... but it kept me interested and entertained and I was glad I'd invested the time listening and looking through the text.  

3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this while I was in it ... as I come to review it a few days later, it's already fading though. I had it in all three formats. Audio/Kindle and a physical copy I picked up at a Little Free Library (that pushed it to the top of my TBR, but I had a bit of a wait for digital copies from the library). 

The title ... I don't know that I consider this a "beach read" (totally light and fun) and the beach didn't really play enough of a part to make it the title. I don't know, maybe something more about the books? Love vs Literature or something. It was interesting to get some of the backdrop on authors and publishing, some of the process, writer's block. The two books the MCs wrote (as part of the challenge) sounded a bit odd ...

... one little thing I think I'll remember is the connections I had to other recent reads. Just tiny things, a word or thought. Kudzu (is actually in quite a few books/recent Alabama Moon), Alchemy (the book before), Matryoshka Dolls (Molokai), saying "pants with a button/zipper" required (Summer Romance ... AND I feel eyes on me and my elastic waist and no shoes ... and no bra if I'm home alone).

After the "gasping out a swear" and "I screamed the F-word" I wondered if this was going to stay proFanity free, but there were still 20 of the actual F.  I'm still attempting to come up with a "labeling" for sex (more for myself, to remember whether or not to recommend to certain people). If it's broken down into five possibilities ... none, talk/closed door, steamy, spicy, smutty ...  think I'd put this as steamy bordering on spicy for some scenes.

I went primarily with the audio - Julia Whelan narrating, and she's great, but I do need to space her out because while she can do tons of voices and such, overall, it's the same sound. It had been a while since I'd heard her though, so all good! 

First person/Past tense from our MC January's POV.

TOC - I'm a Table of Contents snob. Because I'm moving between formats and looking back on the book to write a review, a good TOC is important to me. Here, there were cute chapter headings and only the audio included them in the TOC. I love looking back at all the chapter headings at a glance and seeing if they nudge me to remember what happened in that chapter (Ch1: The House Ch2: The Funeral Ch3:The Pete-Cute Ch4:The Mouth Ch5: The Labradors ...) Very helpful if looking to re-read a certain spot. 

There was a "Behind the Book" author's note (which was included in audio) which I appreciated (would have like it more if it was the author voicing it, would make it more personal), and discussion questions (not included in audio). I really like when discussion questions are provided, it's like a mini book club, making me stop and delve a little deeper and think about things I might not have with just a quick read for pleasure. 

 I found a hard copy of this book at a library sale. Checked reviews and saw it was highly rated. Audio on Hoopla, and Kindle copy at the xlibrary. I wanted a quick read with a male MC (narrator), so this shifted up my list. My boys and I really enjoyed the Hatchet series, and I wondered if this would be along the same lines. It wasn't really. There was some survivalist stuff, but unlike Hatchet (city boy lost in the wilderness trying to survive) this was wild boy forced into the city, trying to survive. I think part of my partiality toward Hatchet, it that my boys (especially my #4) really liked it. I have to wonder what he'd think of this ... (unfortunately he's older now, and hasn't gotten much reading in).

I just never fully connected to the characters and the story ... I followed it fine. Simple and straightforward. 1st person/past tense. At the beginning, the timeline is a little skewed (starts right off talking about how Pap died, moves into some memories of the months prior). It catches up and then stays chronological for the remainder of the story. Besides Moon (and a bit of Pap), there's the store owner (really, the only contact for father and son for years), the lawyer who bought the property, two boys at the group home, and a horrible police officer. The story starts in the woods, then Moon gets taken to a boy's home, then back to the woods, then back to the city ... it was interesting to see Moon adjust, and start to realize that maybe everything Pap told him wasn't "the way" and that other alternatives might be better. The irony of Pap staying away from "the gvment" and then the boys wanting Moon to be "their president" ... of realizing he didn't want to be alone, even if that meant disobeying his dad. That there were both good and bad people out there.

I see it's been made into the movie ... I watched the preview, and from what I could see, it seems like it stayed pretty true to the book (not highly rated on IMDB, and looked pretty low budget (the only actor I recognized was John Goodman, playing the lawyer). The preview, and my feelings toward the story, didn't make me want to watch it.

I peeked at another youtube, a teacher reading it to her class (3rd or 4th grade) and she mentioned that it was a favorite with the kids. While I didn't love it myself, I wouldn't doubt that maybe kids would like it. 

This was a book club pick ... included in KU (text/audio) but alas, my KU subscription ended and I'm taking a break. It was available at my library in physical book, but I need digital. Kindle was $2.49 with $1.99 add-on audio, so not bad, although a one-time read with KU would have also sufficed. Even owning it, I don't think I'll ever revisit.  As I was reading this for bookclub, my plan was to use the Kindle app to read & listen, so I'd have the text right there if I needed to stop and make notes or highlights. I could NOT get the audio in the Kindle, had to use Audible, and then would have to find my spot, which was annoying to me, as I'd hoped the "whispersync" would be in full effect, but it wasn't working for me. 

I track my books on a variety of Goodreads shelves ... I put this on historical, British, 1st person, past-tense. I put it on my "realistic" shelf, but also "powers/abilities" (and those two generally cancel each other out). The "power" here was very slight, and not really fully explained (the MC could sense feelings/memories). I also debated putting it on my "not non-fiction but true-ish" shelf as the main villain IS a real documented person, and one of the other characters story arc was taken from another history. In the end, I didn't feel it was close enough to warrant being on that shelf ;)  I did put it on my "recipes" shelf, although I'll not be following ANY of these recipes (and they weren't given in full). 

It starts off with a "recipe" involving boiling a 12-day old pig, and then (August1646) again features a pig in distress. My DIL is an animal lover, and I think she wouldn't get past this first page. 

There's Author'sNotes at the end regarding the "recipes" saying they are real, and includes some of the original (modernized/corrected in the story) and bibliography of where they came from. I think the recipes are probably the most interesting part about the book. Some are truly horrible, and one wonders if anything like this actually worked ever? I'm sure there is some science behind some of it, THAT would be interesting to follow up on. I know plants and herbs have medicinal uses and were the only option at that time, but needing such specifics as a "12-day old pig"  or earthworms, a dead man's skull (for the "falling sickness" ... which I may have!) or a dead snail (best it have died on its own rather than found live and killed). Some of the steps and combination though ... how were these thought up? Of course modern medicine has it's own "how did they figure that out" aspects as well. 

I didn't love the story, it was fine, just not really keeping my interest. The MC a young woman who has lost her baby and husband, raising younger brother, learning the healing arts from another woman/Agnes. Two possible love interests - Simon and Robert. A murder and mystery (symbols), a witch hunter.

I struggled a bit keeping track of who was who, remembering the characters. Maybe not invested enough to be paying attention, but with Robert Sudbury, he would be referred to as Robert, or Sudbury, and sometimes it would change in a single paragraph. I remember I had to just double check, yes, this is ONE person - the wealthy stranger come to town, scarred face, into alchemy. 

Because this was for bookclub, I did delve a little deeper than I might have otherwise ... so some things I might bring up at discussion:

Foremothers (so often hear forefathers or forebears, but trying to think if I've heard "foremothers" before). Robert's mysterious equipment - casks and flasks and boxes and boxes of books. "Cunning" woman. 

A little repetitive - pretty much on the same page:
the drive to know, the thrill of solving a deep and mysterious puzzle.
driving ambition to know, to discover?

The secrets of nature were far too close to the secrets of God Himself (that IS science)

Witches aren’t discovered, but rather created in the minds of the people.

Even in the best of people and the best of places. We’re only one step from the animals when we’re weak or afraid.

... we do not use our fists to hurt when we can use words to heal.
... he forced me to tell these stories. And now I wonder if he himself is starting to believe them (that happens!)
People wanted to believe there was a reason for their bad luck and misfortune. Blaming Mary Fawcett was easier than blaming God.

Bookclub tonight - I'll update my review if anything discussed increases my appreciation. 

I liked this - didn't love it, as many others seemed to. I'd read [book:The Second Life of Mirielle West|55841940] less than a year ago, so instead of coming in without any knowledge of leprosy, much of this was familiar after reading the other/similar book. 

I had this in all three formats. Found a brand new paperback at a thrift store (the sequel too) and was able to get the library copies (Kindle ... audio on Libby and Hoopla) without much of a wait. I went with the audio, but did need to refer to the text a time or two. It was a bit of a challenge to find my spot, the chapters were looooooong! In audio, they had to break up several chapters into two parts.

There were just 22 (chronological) chapters in this 400 page book. Four parts ... Part One: Blue Vault of Heaven (the early years, starting in 1891) Part Two: The Stone Leaf. Part 3: Kapu! (starts in 1903) Part 4: 'Ohana (starting in 1928, midway it's 1943-48). The Endnote(epilogue?) is 1970. These section headers are the only things included in the Table of Contents (no dates, I had to look them up manually ... I really appreciate dates, if given in the book, to be included in the TOC). Of course, the physical book doesn't have a TOC at all. The Parts/Headers/Chapters are there IN the book, but it's helpful for me to see a TOC, see how the book is set up in one glance. 

This was all third person/past tense ... mostly from focused on Rachel, she's the MC. But there were times the omniscient narrator would change focus ... to Catherine, or Haleola. There was one time shift (Haleola remembering earlier years) too ... and these shifts were pretty subtle, no header indicating a change, and I got a little lost (these were times I needed to refer to text, do some re-reading, figure out things before returning to the audio). 

I don't know that I have the fascination with Hawaii that so many people do. For me, this, like Panchinko or Shantaram or Lisa See's novels, the exotic location/names/mythology is both interesting, and something I disconnect, the unfamiliarity making everything harder to remember.

As always, I skimmed through the Questions and Quotes here on Goodreads ... sometimes that jolts something in me, making me remember or appreciate things more. Didn't really happen here. There are discussion questions included in the text copies ... the physical book has two more questions than the Kindle copy. The discussion questions weren't included in audio, but the Author's Note was, which is good, as it had interesting information.  

On thing with the audio that REALLY annoyed me, and small as it is, reduced my "like" for the listen, was in the digitization from CDs, the "end of disk 1" (through a dozen disks) was still here in the audio. Really? Editing couldn't have taken the time to take that out? It's just sloppy production.

Other things I note: There were a couple "songs" in the text ... early on, Rachel's father sings, and the narrator sang. Later on during a couple other songs, it was spoken/patter speak. I wondered if one song's tune was unknown (or not real?) ... the other was a LDS church hymn (Come Come Ye Saints ... All Is Well). The MoTab was even mentioned, and the "Mormon" religion had a few parts to play in the story. Words I notice: scant, sneaked, detritus.

No proFanity. Some sex, nothing really explicit/descriptive.

3.5 stars. While I was listening/reading ... I really wasn't loving it, but I felt like I should finish. Nothing wrong with the writing, I thought it was well done ... it just wasn't capturing me. I did like how things wrapped up in the end, and I might even read the sequel, we'll see. 

I finished this up a couple days ago - moved on to my next book, and as I came to write the review, I didn't have a super strong memory of the book. This is why in addition to my audio (preferred format, more ear time than eye time) I always get the Kindle copy to review and re-read as I review. I also had made some notes while listening. But just as a quick "enjoyment" listen and thinking back on it ... I liked it, didn't L♥VE it (as I had this authors One In A Million Boy). There had been quite a bit of proFanity (x45), the prison setting(had to laugh a little at JennyBIG, as I'm feeling self-conscious about my weight), the affairs ... just things that had me with a tiny bit of negativity (personal issues/connections). 

BUT ... as I reviewed and reflected, and I even looked up some discussion questions (none were included IN the book, which is becoming more common), just taking that bit of time to delve a little deeper already made me appreciate the book a bit more. This PDF (https://b0f646cfbd7462424f7a-f9758a43fb7c33cc8adda0fd36101899.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/reading-guides/RG-9780063243675.pdf) had an interesting "Behind the Book" page which recounts the author doing a prison visit, which loosely influenced the Harriet storyline. The discussion questions there were good, and made me think I would enjoy discussing this in a bookclub setting (and in that case, I'd probably read more slowly, taking more notes/highlights, etc, in preparation. Because yes, I DO that for book club!) A simple Google search has several other posts/pages discussing the book ... not all books inspire that.

Lots to think about ... the prison system (control/punishment), forgiveness, quite a bit of book discussion (unsurprising, given the title and the "bookclub" premise). There are parrots ;) Relationships between parent/child - two generations, and how they see things differently. Saying no, or yes. Interesting final chapter ... almost more like an epilogue (spaced after the "end" and wrapping up loose ends). I don't know that it's really a spoiler to say it's from Violet's POV, after she's lived her life and died, and reflecting on it all. Other than ghost stories, we don't normally get "after I died ..." comments.

I don't know that I really realized it as I listened to the audiobook ... but with the three POVs (chapters are labeled Violet, Harriet, Frank), Violet's storyline is 1st person/present tense, while Frank and Harriet are 3rd person/past tense. It was all a single narrator, and she was great ... but I wonder if I would have preferred having a different "voice" for Harriet and Frank? A single narrator wasn't a deal-breaker ... as it WOULD be if the POVs were in 1st person. And technically, at the end, Violet indicates "in the telling (of her story) I told Frank and Harriet's story too" so with that, the single narrator really does make the most sense (and keeps all the voices consistent ... just for me, sometimes TOO consistent, as at times I'd forget whose head we were in as I'd stop/start the book throughout my listen). If I'd realized the difference in the tenses, I'd have looked for that more when picking the book back up and returning to the story after a break.  

Other things I note ... Song spoken. Here, I really would have liked to have the narrator sing the little tiny bit (I have no idea if the narrator has a good singing voice, but it was just lacking in a patter-speak, at least in my opinion).   The little statement "she spoke in italics" ... I enjoy that! Just a couple smirks, three scowls ... detritus (for some reason I really like that word, but don't here it much IRL).

So while originally, maybe I was thinking 3* ... or 4* ... I'm pretty sure if I continued my "study" of the book (maybe I'll suggest it for bookclub, although too much profanity for one of mine) I'd appreciate it even more, so upping it some ... I don't know that I can quite go 5* just because I remember my initial feelings too.  

It's still pretty new  - just four of my GR friends have read it as I write this review. Just six quotes saved so far. I bet those numbers will go up.