Our next book was released on November 19, 2013 and has been calling our names ever since.
Someone Else's Love Story
is by
Joshilyn Jackson, an author whose work we've gushed over in the past and hope to once again. How can we go wrong, right? I mean, check out this review:
“Jackson’s novel perfectly captures the flavor and rhythm of Southern
life as a young woman preparing for college finds herself caught up in a
real-life drama… Jackson draws on her own Southern roots to paint this
pitch-perfect portrait of a girl from a small town in Georgia…Wrapped in
thoughtful, often funny and insightful narrative…Jackson presents the
reader with a story that is never predictable and is awash in
bittersweet love, regret and the promise of what could be. A surprising
novel, both graceful and tender. You won’t be able to put it down.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Read on.
I really enjoyed this book.
ReplyDeleteAt first, I found the story of Shandi being pregnant and not knowing how it happened far fetched. I would like to hope that at 17, a girl would not have gone to a frat party to try to fit in, but she did. Got drugged and wound up doing and having things done to her, that both she and the person who did it, cannot really fathom how they did.
The robbery in the store. Did not see it coming that the clerk was Stevie's baby's mother.
And what of the destructive nature of William, in destroying the park in order to get Bridget back. And it works. Bridget, who I thought, for the majority of the book died with Twyla. But is very much alive, living with her father. But goes right back to a man who destroys things to show his love for her. I really am having a hard time putting those together, destruction=love.
And there was no closure between William and Shandi, but was there really anything that would need closing, or was she really just a by line in the whole must get Bridget back concept?
And Shandi's dad, and his latest lady love? What became of Bethany and the boys, did she know it was happening?
And how convenient that when Shandi was being drugged and fondled/raped, she was calling out to Wallcott? And of course the story did not end with her telling him the truth of what happened.
I know that Shandi is young, and inexperienced, but heavens. I would think that she would have learned that revising history to make things the way that she wanted them to be, served no greater good in the end. Some time in the future, that little boy will find out, and then how will it get explained?
I want to give this 4 starts, but it misses a bit for me.
I'm on page 191 and will get quite a bit more read today. Will read your review after finishing!
ReplyDeleteWhen I finished reading this book, my first thought was "That was good - I loved it!" But then in thinking about how to review it, I came up with the same open-ended questions that you present here in your review, Becca. So mostly what I really love is being DONE reading it.
ReplyDeleteThis I found disturbing: Throughout most of the book, Jackson had me believing Bridget died with Twyla and William left grieving for them. But then there Bridget was all the time, living with her parents. That whole love story came full circle a little too easily, IMHO.
However much the other pieces of the puzzle seemed unlikely, I was glad that Shandi & Walcott's relationship worked out in the end... although, the author seemed to tie that one up with a perfect little bow, as well.
The book kept my interest with mostly "fleshed out" characters, so I'm giving it a 3.75. Ok, rounding it up to a 4.