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Patty
Rating:
Review
When Kim asked me to review this book, and told me it is about family dysfunction, I could have groaned and said, "Not another one!" It's a little like having too many cookbooks. But, I persevered. For the future reader's benefit I make one strong recommendation. Do not delay reading. Stay with it. It will be well worth the effort to enjoy the ebb and flow of the tide. Author St. Onge took an unusual approach, prefacing each chapter with readings from the protagonist's wedding ceremony. As she flashes back to the dysfunctional events in her life, then comes to the present again, the message received is that even with the challenges that many people face, there are rewards for facing oneself honestly and for developing a strong and perseverant back bone. A unique approach is naming each chapter with a color, and comparing the personality she describes with that color. She does indeed weave a beautiful tapestry with the colors of life. Whether the tale is fiction or reality, St. Onge tells a good story. She is funny, sad, painfully descriptive, and honest. A final plus is that she referenced the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, which I agree is a writer's bible.
Best Line:
"You don't make sense, I don't make sense, together we make sense."
Kim
Rating:
Review
The tag line on the cover of this book claims it is "An intriguing tapestry of life", and it is. Main character Maggie is born in the first few pages, is her parents' fifth child, and is also ill prepared for the unpredictable and painful childhood she will endure. Each chapter concentrates on the people who have come into, and some out of, Maggie's life, from her dad's story during her birth in the first chapter, to David, Maggie's betrothed, in the last chapter. Ms. St. Onge has a powerful and richly drawn voice in Maggie, who is often fallible with all too-human traits, and though she is very much the underdog throughout most of the story, Maggie is never pathetic and hopeless. This book is well-written, and even though there are a lot of people involved in the story (something I generally frown upon), every character has purpose and meaning, making Ms. St. Onge's debut novel worth reading.
Best Line:
"She is caught in between her mother's generation who ironed everything, even men's boxer shorts, and a generation of women who will operate backhoes."
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