Goldengrove by Francine ProseMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I started reading this book expecting a lot. I'll be honest, I read this because I wanted a good cry. I wanted to be emotionally connected to the characters. This book failed both expectations. There was a complete lack of emotional writing. Everything was written logically (although quite beautifully) and I couldn't really think of the characters as real. There was a strange cast of characters, quirky and interesting, but just not believable.
Synopsis: At the center of Francine Prose's profoundly moving new novel is a young girl facing the consequences of sudden loss after the death of her sister. As her parents drift toward their own risky consolations, thirteen-year-old Nico is left alone to grope toward understanding and clarity, falling into a seductive, dangerous relationship with her sister's enigmatic boyfriend.
Over one haunted summer, Nico must face that life-changing moment when children realize their parents can no longer help them. She learns about the power of art, of time and place, the mystery of loss and recovery. But for all the darkness at the novel's heart, the narrative itself is radiant with the lightness of summer and charged by the restless sexual tension of teenage life.
Recommended Reading:
House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey
Blue Angel by Francine Prose
The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
Yesterday's Weather by Anne Enright
Goodbye and Amen by Beth Gutcheon
2 comments:
The cover for this book is so beautiful that I probably would have picked it up. Glad to know that it's not worth reading and that you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
The premise sounds gripping, but I'm sorry to hear it didn't live up to your expectations! That's always a bummer.
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