At the beginning of this book I didn't know why it came so highly recommended. Eleanor was not initially likeable, with her awkward social skills, judgmental nature, and how she says everything on her mind. However, I plugged on with the book knowing that there was something more. Reese Witherspoon stated that this book was “incredibly funny” I did not agree with this statement. Perhaps it's because I routinely work with children who have experienced trauma like Eleanor has. I loved Eleanor's evolution, how though it was helped by Raymond, his mother, Laura, and Sammy showing kindness to her but it was largely her own doing and it was for herself that she was working on her trauma. I also liked that there was no implicit romance between her and Raymond. One thing that did bother me, the big reveal, I.e. that Eleanor was not actually ever talking to her Mummy, that her mother was in fact dead, seemed glossed over so much so that I didn't really pick up on it until Eleanor expressly stared it.
I listened to this book on audiobook and there were times that I could barely shut my car off and times when I was driving that I wished I could shut it off. This book was recommended to me because I loved The Glass Castle. What frustrated me about the Glass Castle was the way Wells occasionally slipped awe and wonder into what were terrible and dangerous situations. Westover does nothing of the sort. Her book is a harsh glance at what rampant untreated mental illness, physical abuse, mental abuse and religious zealotry can do to a family and person. So many times as Westover tried to explain away the physical abuse that she was suffering I had audible outbursts in my car, trying to warn Westover that her brother was a sociopath and tell her it was not her fault. Her tale is fascinating as she talks about how somehow she was able to rise out of a childhood where she was “educated” believing that the Holocaust was a vast conspiracy by the Jewish people, to obtaining a PhD from Cambridge. As I listened to this book I pictured an older time where computers didn't exist but was shocked to find that Westover is actually younger than myself. Absolutely gripping and fantastic.
I enjoyed this book. It gripped me from the beginning and I found myself taking every little opportunity to finish it. I'm not sure what made it that way. Cheryl is not a particularly worthy person, possibly her only redeeming quality was how much she loved her mother. Certain parts, the part with the horse, had me cringing. The reason I only gave it 4 stars is because it was rather anti-climatic. She reached the Bridge of the Gods and then... A couple of paragraphs in summation and nothing. There were no words on how her experiences on the PCT caused her to be the person she wanted to be. I would have liked to see what happened next.
I liked this book. It was a quick read. However, it could have been fleshed out a little bit more. The premise is interesting. I also liked that the hero of the story was a female who didn't let her lack of training stop her from trying to save the day. My only problem is, is that the book is set at the early 20th century but didn't read like a book from the early 20th century and the people didn't act like they were from that era. I understand that this is an alternate world with magic but it was a little odd to suddenly see dates in the 1800s and early 1900s. I am looking forward to seeing where this series is going next.
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