The Whole Thing Together is as messy and complicated as the family that occupies its pages. Robert and Lila get married, have three kids and divorce tThe Whole Thing Together is as messy and complicated as the family that occupies its pages. Robert and Lila get married, have three kids and divorce terribly, then they each get remarried and have another kid with their new spouses. The dangler kids have sisters in common but are not blood-related and have never met. The whole set up interests me. The idea of this messy modern family fascinates me. I have a step-mom and she has two kids. That means I have two step-siblings, I don't know them, they don't know me. I'm fine with it that way. I understand the messiness of this book.
With so many characters fighting for time on the page, there are some that get to be a little less real than the others. The two characters that suffer the most are the two, second spouses. Adam is Lila's husband and not really present in the novel, and Evie is Robert's wife. She is Sasha mom so I feel like we should know her better, but she remains a bit of a cutout.
The rest of the cast of characters are fairly fleshed out, well, as much as can be hoped in one book. Overall, I loved it. I read it quickly and devoured all the words, no skipping ahead or only reading the spoken parts (I do that in books I want to finish). It was good, definitely worth reading....more
I read Close to You first. I was not expecting Close to You to be a Christian fiction book. When I realized that was what I was reading, I thought aboI read Close to You first. I was not expecting Close to You to be a Christian fiction book. When I realized that was what I was reading, I thought about quitting. I have read a lot of Christian fiction. I find it mostly fluffy white stuff that fails to really get me. But, I decided to keep reading and was not disappointed. I obviously liked it enough to read this one.
What I liked 1. Seeing more of Jackson and Allie 2. The Narnia bits were nice. I am not a huge Narnia fan. I like Narnia, loved them when I was a kid, but I don't go looking for Narnia in Wardrobes. I also didn't remember the quotes that were featured in the book. This all shows that I am not a super fan, just a regular one that wants my kids to read the series too. 3. The romance was cute. The falling out of wardrobes into the waiting arms of a guy who makes your heart sing, cute. 4. I liked having access to both characters thoughts and feelings.
What I didn't like 1. Either of the main characters. Well, Peter seems nice, but he is a 30 something guy with an impossible dream that could disable his arm for life and no real job. I failed to understand why I should root for him. But he seemed like a great guy that would make a good friend. Emilia is too caught up in her guilt to be the kind of person I'd want to spend time with. 2. The lie. I have a hard time with books that feature a giant lie as the crux of the novel. Deceit is not my favourite plot device. It's actually one of my least favourites, and this is the second time Isaac has used it. 3. At the back of the book is an apology from Isaac saying she is sorry to British people and rowers if she has written anything incorrectly. She said she couldn't stand it when people wrote New Zealanders and they just weren't. I didn't feel like Emilia was a believable American. Funny. 4. Emilia's step mom and her dad. They were more like cardboard cutouts. They didn't feel like real people, especially her step mom. She was a caricature.
Over all, I would recommend this book to Narnian superfans who also like Christian ficiton....more
When I first picked up Close to You, I didn't expect it to be a Christian fiction romance. I almost put it down when I realized. I have read a lot of When I first picked up Close to You, I didn't expect it to be a Christian fiction romance. I almost put it down when I realized. I have read a lot of Christian fiction in the past and have thought I would keep it there, in the past. I mostly find it unfulfilling. It is supposed to buoy me up, but it doesn't. It feels a bit like drinking diet soda. No calories, but not real substance either. I liked this one. But I am a big fan of diet Coke.
What I liked: 1. The setting! You could feel Isaac's love for New Zealand in her lovely descriptions of the setting. I have often thought New Zealand would be a lovely place to visit. However, this book did a good job of convincing me that I'm not rich enough :) I would love to see Hobbitown though. 2. Allie and Jackson's hate love thing was very well done. It was a stormy whenwillithappen build that was satisfying. 3. They took their time and didn't jump into anything.
What I didn't like: 1. Really, my biggest complaint with this book is the end. It felt like Uncle Gandalf waved his magic wand and fixed any problems. That is just lazy writing. ...more
I have a tendency to read books until I finish. It's something I've been working on. I have been trying really hard not to read all day while my kids I have a tendency to read books until I finish. It's something I've been working on. I have been trying really hard not to read all day while my kids memorize the Netflix catalog. I failed with this one. I read it really fast because it was unputdownable. I wish that I had gotten an audio book version because then my laundry would be folded and my house would not be this messy :)
Ok, Ok back to the book. When I first ready Mansfield Park, I fell in love with Fanny Price and Edmond. Second reading, not so much. I kept wondering what I had originally found so charming about it. Fanny is kind of weak willed and not all that interesting. Edmond doesn't understand her worth until much later in the story. This got me wondering what Watson was going to do to make Fanny (in this novel Finley) more likable.
Watson definitely found a way to make Finley shine in this Austen-inspired novel. She starts out fairly doormatish, and of course, throughout the books, finds a way to let herself shine. There are many parts that I loved about this book. I loved the characterization, I loved that we were allowed some POV's from Oliver (because without them, he may come off a bit douchey) but most of all, I love Watson's voice. There were parts that made me think, some that made me guffaw out loud and some parts that made me teary. All those parts make this book, a book worth reading. ...more
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