MacKenzie Scott

This book was chosen by my local bookclub for the next read. I was dubious that I would like it, but I did. There was a certain amount of intrigue as to how the four characters would interconnect and that drew me in.

I found the point of view a little distracting. It was omniscient, meaning that the story was narrated in a way that we, the readers, were observing it as it unfolded. There were a couple of instances where it even uses 'we' (such as 'we can see from how often she ...'), making this POV apparent. It keeps the reader at a distance from both the characters and the story in some ways, but at the same time it was like watching it in real time: we didn't know what was coming at all, there was no alluding to what would come, and we also didn't know the backstory of each of the characters so this unfolded before us, keeping the reader captivated and engaged.

We are introduced to the four characters, Jessica, Dana, Lynn, and Vivian, individually at the beginning of the book, and then we start to slowly see how they cross paths, or are connected to each other. Some of them are a surprise. In some ways we only get a snippet of their lives, just a moment as they intersect, never knowing the full outcome to their situations or the history behind them.

For me that was probably the only thing I felt lacked here. It felt too brief, and in some ways had little point, short of being a 'fly on the wall' with each one and observing the situation or dilemma they were facing at that time. Yet strangely I felt okay with this when it came to an end. I had engaged with each emotional moment and experienced it along with them, so that in itself provided a certain satisfaction.

This was a very different read for me, and a different style of writing. One that I felt had room for development and improvement.… (altro)

I think the best way to describe this novel is as a series of tests. Stability tests are run on dams after earthquakes. Just so are parents tested as children become adolescents and young adults. Just so are couples tested as they change over time. Tremors and after shocks test the stability of relationships. In this story, Luther Albright tries to fit his emotional world into his engineer's orderly framework. Frankly, the reader's patience is tested a bit too by Luther's/the author's pedantic process.… (altro)

The story of four very different women whose paths intersect--briefly, but significantly--in ways that will transform each of their lives forever. Dana, a beautiful young security guard; Jessica, an Oscar-winning actress; Vivian, a 17-year-old prostitute; and Lynn, a recovering alcoholic all collide and have a chance at renewal. Summary BPL

Cinematic quality narrative of four women living lives tested by crucial moments of adversity. The back cover displays an endorsement of the author by Geraldine Brooks; the first I've come across. She writes that Ms Bezos "commands the most disciplined craftsmanship in pursuit of passionate artistic ends". Can't say more than that!

I've already posted the Shakespeare quotation "sweet are the uses of adversity" that introduces the novel. I have another favourite, although taking it out of context may deprive it of impact....

"I'm sure it will all work out in the end."

"How?"

"One thing will happen. And then another and another. And so on."

Readers of Ms Bezos' first novel, The Testing of Luther Albright, may be unprepared for the pared down, more direct text. Traps spells out the sweet uses of adversity, intentionally I am sure.

While I couldn't relate to all the women, I did experience them as real people. I'm finding it difficult to say why I enjoyed the book so much: original characters, streamlined narration, well-plotted development and.....and truth. It's taken me many years to even approach the practice of not judging or labeling events as "good" or "bad", of softening one's resistance to reality and finally, of sifting one's "obstacles" in life for an understanding that might be blocked.

8.5 out of 10 Recommended to readers who ponder....… (altro)

A low-key but affecting portrait of a family whose admirable head has one fatal flaw. Luther Albright is a responsible man. That shows in his work as a highly respected civil engineer in Sacramento; it shows in the shipshape house he built from scratch in the Sacramento suburbs; and it shows in his love for his close-knit family. Yet his story begins: "The year I lost my wife and son . . ." Lost: the ominous, ambiguous word hangs over the seemingly inconsequential episodes to come. Summary BPL

Superior quality prose and fleshed out characters. The point of it all flew right over my head though. Luther's attention to detail, obsessively methodical routine and flat aspect--on the page anyway--had the tang of autism to me and I read the entire story in that key. As I tried to write this review, I saw that it could also be about a person too traumatized by emotion in his childhood to give it any space in his adult life; a father determined not to make the same mistakes as his own parents.

The story lags, testing the interest and patience of the reader.

6 out 10… (altro)