Linda
Written on Apr 30, 2018
Full review to come.
The author of the beloved Love Letters to the Dead returns with a parallel story of a mother and daughter each at age seventeen. Marilyn's tale recounts the summer she fell in love and set out on her own path. Angie's story is about her search for her unknown father.
- ISBN10 0374305315
- ISBN13 9780374305314
- Publish Date 6 March 2018
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 3 October 2023
- Imprint Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 416
- Language English
Reviews
Full review to come.
Sam@WLABB
Written on Feb 24, 2018
I had wanted to read this book for many reasons. One, I really enjoyed Love Letters to the Dead. Two, I love multigenerational stories. Three, coming of age tales always work for me. Four, I never pass up a good romance. I am not quite sure what I was expecting from this book, but it delivered a total feelsplosion and was so beautifully tragic, I am kind of choked up right now just thinking about it.
•Pro: I wasn't sure at first, but I grew to love the alternating timeline. Contrasting Angie and her mom at the same age was quite fascinating.
•Pro: The romance between Marilyn and James was so swoony and gooey. I just couldn't get enough of them. They had these aspirations and were working together to try and make their dreams come true.
•Pro: James' family was really special. They experienced a lot of heartbreak, but they worked hard to fill those cracks with love. They were extraordinary people, who opened their home and hearts to Marilyn, and gave her the affection she was yearning for.
•Pro: Marilyn's grief ran so deep, and she carried it around with her for so many years. I ached for her, and was so happy that Angie went on this quest to find the girl in the picture.
•Pro: Sam was sort of broody, but he blew me away with his honesty and deep adoration for Angie. I totally understood his need for self-preservation, but also admired his willingness to support Angie after the way things went down.
•Con: I would have liked to have a gotten a little more resolution as it pertained to Angie. The ending was sweet, and I felt really good about where we left Marilyn, but I still had quite a few questions about Angie.
•Pro: The story is peppered with a great songs and all these amazing book quotes. I found myself wistfully revising the 90s, while pondering all these thoughts Dellaira shared with me.
•Pro: Dellaira really made us wait to get the truth about Angie's dad. I kept concocting things in my mind. I had two theories, and it looked like my second one could be right, but then the truth was so much more devastating.
•Pro: I have so many emotions. My heart actually hurts for what was lost, but I am comforted by the way things eventually played out.
When his eyes met hers and she "snapped" her picture, it was her own version of love at first sight.
Overall: This was a an utterly exquisite experience for me. This book was fraught with emotion and meaning and so many wonderful characters to love. It tugged on my heartstrings, and made me weep, but it also made me smile.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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