Welcome to Litsy!

A character-driven novel about two families in Ohio, with a narrative arc that spans 50 years from pre-WWII to the 1980s-ish. It‘s about choices made and secrets kept, and the long-term ramifications of said decisions. This quote sums it up best: “Wasn‘t it a fair measure of a person, what they did with their mistakes?” I enjoyed this book; the characters were flawed and things were not wrapped up with a neat bow. Just like real life.

Excellent read. Two families that become entwined. Margaret the adopted girl who cannot live peacefully and Cal who cannot enlist in WW11 bc of his one short leg. Set in Ohio, this story goes through time and is a story about friendship, love, loss and secrets. Excellent.

Chris Whitaker said glowing things about this novel at the National Book Festival so I purchased it immediately. This story spans decades & centers around characters I grew to care for. The damage that war creates, the need to hide your sexual identity, the repercussions of being an orphan, a woman who talks with spirits, & an affair that ties two families together are all part of the story. Forgiveness is the ultimate message. I really liked it.

4 1/2🌟 first half of this narrative I absolutely loved & would be a 5star read BUT…..more than a few flaws in the latter part, lots of specific dates of historical events which the characters skimmed around with no real depth or feeling which is odd as the heart break & longing in the first part of the story is so powerful, the last 100 odd pages are flat again “things/life/death events”happen but with no real feeling, or maybe that‘s just me.

I pushed through and I‘m 50% of the way through and I just don‘t care about any of these characters. Am I the only one? I could put this down and not pick it up again and really not care.

Good inter generational US family saga 👍🏻 Enjoyed my first Gladstone‘s read.

I read one book when I was in completely the wrong mood, but everything else went from solid B to an A+. I‘ll take it!

5 ⭐️= Loved It, would recommend to others. A+
4 ⭐️= Liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3.5 ⭐️ = Close to either pick or so-so
3 ⭐️= Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2 ⭐️=Nope D
1 ⭐️=DNF F

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Perhaps without the hype I would‘ve enjoyed this one more. Lots of anachronisms, which drives me bananas. I liked the start with the parents, but when it got to their kids‘ lives it devolved into trite, well trod boomer lit fic. The narrator was great, which was good because it was almost 16 hours!!

This story started so slow that I wasn‘t sure if I would stick with it, but now I can‘t believe I even considered giving up on the story. I fell into these characters, Felix and Margaret, Cal and Becky, Skip and Tom, and oh my goodness, Everett. He paints a vivid picture of two families in a small Midwestern town moving through mid 20th century America. It‘s a beautiful story.