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A solid 3.5
The beginning of the novel, Isabelle's story, created a great expectation in what I believed I would be reading from then on. Isabelle's story was extremely well-written and alluring. The cuts on my fingers prove the rate at which I read her parts (metaphorically, of course. I'm fine). Ella's story, however...I was not as intrigued with it. Perhaps it was the storytelling, the writing, the character itself- but whatever it may be, I found myself having to pace myself to read her chapters, to finish them. To clear it up, it wasn't terrible, Chevalier just wrote a better story with Isabelle that it was obvious to choose which parts were better. I liked it, enjoyed.
I don't understand how many of these reviews claim Land to be “whining” throughout the book. I saw it as anything but. It's a memoir; she tells her story. Simple as that. She lays the facts about what happened to her and how (yes, even acknowledging the fact she did grow up in a middle-class environment until it was ripped out from under her) she struggled to raise her daughter and keep the income as stable as she could. It surprises me, really, because it once again shows how disconnected society is on views of poor people. Land explains this in her book: poor people have this outside pressure to be perfect because if not, they're labeled as “lazy” and whatnot. Many of the reviewers focused on the fact she splurged when she finally had money (which, what? After all you read through you're upset Land finally treated herself? I.e. the idea that poor people can't have nice things), or questioning her decisions on how to raise her daughter (I.e. “why did you even have her?”) instead of reflecting on how, a 28 year old had her reality stripped in a matter of months!! I don't think I've ever written this long of a review, but it upset me on reading a few others. Yes, I do agree, I wanted to read a bit more about the grueling process of being a maid. (What other clients did you have?). But I understood: this is Land's story, not a nonfiction 500 page book about poverty.
