Rebecca
I think I might have finally grasped what I was thinking about this book. It tries to be too many things at once. I felt like I was being pulled in too many directions. I'd get to one part then get sucked in and forget "oh right this isn't a whole mishmash of stories it's supposed to be one coherent story" which...it wasn't. So many of them could have easily been plucked out of the book itself and been it's own short story. The Great Jew, His mother teaching his daughter, their time in Italy, The flashback with his friends...the thing is those sections went on so LONG they could have been their own things.
The storyline didn't bring much to the characters...it "seemed too" at the end but it felt flat. I didn't care. The descriptions were phenomenal. The dialogue...that was off...that needed some work. Some of the characters felt...bleh. I don't remember his love interest or why he cared, I forgot half the time there even WAS a love interest. There were moments it shine and wow was it good but then it just goes into that "WTF" and "how did I get here" territory.
I think I might have finally grasped what I was thinking about this book. It tries to be too many things at once. I felt like I was being pulled in too many directions. I'd get to one part then get sucked in and forget "oh right this isn't a whole mishmash of stories it's supposed to be one coherent story" which...it wasn't. So many of them could have easily been plucked out of the book itself and been it's own short story. The Great Jew, His mother teaching his daughter, their time in Italy, The flashback with his friends...the thing is those sections went on so LONG they could have been their own things.
The storyline didn't bring much to the characters...it "seemed too" at the end but it felt flat. I didn't care. The descriptions were phenomenal. The dialogue...that was off...that needed some work. Some of the characters felt...bleh. I don't remember his love interest or why he cared, I forgot half the time there even WAS a love interest. There were moments it shine and wow was it good but then it just goes into that "WTF" and "how did I get here" territory.