John Addiego
Autor von The Islands of Divine Music
Werke von John Addiego
Getagged
Wissenswertes
Mitglieder
Rezensionen
Diese Rezension wurde für LibraryThing Early Reviewers geschrieben.Way better than I expected. I am not at all sure what the title of the book or the cover art has to do with the story and that is what really turned me off for a long time. I love the characters and the story was interesting, though the jump around and the stories all seemed somewhat independant made it a little hard for me to keep everyone straight and remember the important details for something further on in the story. But, overall, the book was good, interesting, and kept me involved.
Diese Rezension wurde für LibraryThing Early Reviewers geschrieben.This was an uncorrected proof so reading it could be quite tedious especially when so of the pages were printed so lightly, I could barely make out the words. But nevertheless, it was a good read.
The story begins with Rosari, the family matriarch, her family and descendents from their beginnings in a small Italian village to Ellis Island ad finally to San Francisco. The multiple points of view would seem confusing but it works here. The story of Rosari, her family, her husband, children and grandchildren is heartbreaking, frustration and comical. Everyone could relate because there is one person like that in every family. The book left me with a smile on my face when I finished… (mehr)
The story begins with Rosari, the family matriarch, her family and descendents from their beginnings in a small Italian village to Ellis Island ad finally to San Francisco. The multiple points of view would seem confusing but it works here. The story of Rosari, her family, her husband, children and grandchildren is heartbreaking, frustration and comical. Everyone could relate because there is one person like that in every family. The book left me with a smile on my face when I finished… (mehr)
Diese Rezension wurde für LibraryThing Early Reviewers geschrieben.The Islands of Divine Magic works best as a collection of short stories. It's easy to pick up and delve into one and then walk away from the book for a while. I found myself enjoyng the characters and John Addiego's world when I did pick it up. Unfortunately, it was also easy to forget to return to it.
Statistikseite
- Werke
- 3
- Mitglieder
- 68
- Beliebtheit
- #253,411
- Bewertung
- 3.4
- Rezensionen
- 12
- ISBNs
- 5
Jeremiah McKinley is a deliberate hero, one who is methodical and slow in all his dealings, and the novel suffers a bit as a result. His plodding through the one day that encompasses the novel drags at times, especially as the story is told through flashbacks of his life. The transitions back and forth between past and present are quite unusual and remain jarring throughout the novel. Yet, the timing of them was masterful as Mr. Addiego builds the suspense between Jeremiah's past and his experiences on this July 4th in 1876. Just as the story gets interesting, Mr. Addiego tears the reader away and switches back and forth, so that the reader is compelled to continue.
The two-stories-in-one is not a new plot device and one that works only partially in Tears of the Mountain. At times, the reader does not care what is happening in the present because the past is so interesting. The present conflict is more a side note to everything that Jeremiah experienced in his youth, and ultimately, this is where the story shines the brightest.
The language alternates between stark and fanciful, and the dichotomy is also a bit jolting. The characters themselves remain stereotypical, with the eccentric but lovable rascally schoolteacher to the beautiful woman whom everyone adores to the thieving Indians and Mexican bandits. However, Mr. Addiego manages to create a novel that highlights the twists and turns life can take and how impossible it is to predict them.
While not for everyone, Tears of the Mountain is a novel that details the hard-scrabble life of living on the frontier in the 1800s. The characters, while predictable, are still memorable, and the story itself is best when the reader is exploring Jeremiah's personal and physical journey across the country. It is not a novel I would highly recommend to others but one for which I am glad I read because of the historical context and learnings.… (mehr)