The month of May was my month to pick a title. I chose
by Tess Callahan
Since I usually write my thoughts about the books the other girls pick, I thought it might be nice to get a different perspective this month. I actually found the book on Julie's Good Reads page, so it is kind of fitting for her to pass along her review. You've met Julie before, here on Paper Wings, she guest posted last August giving us a fabulously southern fried green tomatoes recipe. YUM. Check it out here if you missed it last year.
Here is Julie with her handsome husband, Kevin! :)
Ok, so here's Julie........
I
don’t remember what actually drew me to this particular novel, but it had been
on my “to read” list for a couple years. Obviously, I was in no hurry to read
it. Then Tracy it selected for the Belle Skirts to read.
April
and Oliver is a dark story of a dysfunctional family and their experiences with
tragedy. The theme of the book is loss and grief, and how everyone deals with
it differently. It is also about how friendships change and develop over time.
In the beginning, the book was a little confusing due to jumping around in
different time periods, but the beautiful prose made up for it. Callahan did an
exquisite job writing this story. The scenes were surreal and the characters
were well developed, the only problem I had was truly connecting to the
characters. April and Oliver were both
sensitive and intelligent, but many of their life choices were a little
far-fetched. It seemed to take April a
long time to grow up and deal with her life.
There
is a lot of sexual tension between April and Oliver as the book description
implies, but I had a hard time getting past the fact that they were cousins,
albeit step-cousins. There were a few twists in the story, but much of it was
predictable. This being said, I would still read another novel by this Callahan
if she writes another. Overall, I give April & Oliver three stars.
There you have it! Thanks Julie for writing this for me, especially in the summer time when us teachers are suppose to be "off." :)
June's pick is
by Margaret Atwood
Happy Summer Reading!
Tracy
