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Barry, Brunonia.
Adult Fiction BARRY
From Publishers' Weekly:
Barry's considerable if overplotted latest delves into the long-lingering effects of a mother's suicide. Fifteen years ago, Maureen Finch, a discontented wife and bipolar mother to 13-year-old Zee, commits suicide while Zee watches. Flash forward to the present day, and Zee is a therapist with a new patient, Lilly Braedon, who is far too much like Maureen, and after Lilly kills herself, Zee walks away from her practice and travels back to Salem, Mass., to visit her father and his partner, Melville, only to find that her father's Parkinson's disease is advancing rapidly. With Melville missing, Zee becomes a full-time caregiver and must face the half-truths and twisted memories that have compromised her connection to her father, all the while examining how her mother's legacy extends into her life and a fledgling romance. This is a lovingly told story with many well-drawn characters, who sooner or later reconsider the courses charted by personal decisions and circumstance. But there is almost too much story here, and Barry (The Lace Reader) compromises the third act with a weak subplot about Lilly's traumatic last days that reads as an intrusion on an otherwise well-told tale. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
From Library Journal:
Barry's follow-up to her wildly popular debut, The Lace Reader, offers readers a healthy sampling of celestial navigation, fairy tales, half-truths, witchcraft, and intrigue. Psychotherapist but troubled young woman Zee Finch strikes out on an emotional journey to acquire knowledge and insight about her family's past. On the threshold of marriage, she finds herself in deep despair over a patient's suicide and is compelled to reexamine the chaotic years preceding her own mother's suicide; however, this compulsion loosens Zee's grip on reality. Navigating between truth and fiction, Zee is finally able to move forward. Barry wisely places her novel in atmospheric Salem, MA, as literary history, sailing, and witchcraft form the backbone of this tale. VERDICT Zee's a vulnerable, likable character, and the dramatic narrative brings her experiences to life. Although readers will be perched on the edge of their seats while consuming this mesmerizing, suspenseful tale, there are a few convoluted and confusing aspects among the details. Fans will also appreciate the brief reappearances of characters from Barry's debut. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/10; 250,000-copy first printing, reading group guide, and seven-city tour; ebook ISBN 978-0-06-199250-6.]-Andrea Tarr, Corona P.L., CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Barry, Brunonia.
Adult Fiction BARRY
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From Publishers' Weekly:
Barry's considerable if overplotted latest delves into the long-lingering effects of a mother's suicide. Fifteen years ago, Maureen Finch, a discontented wife and bipolar mother to 13-year-old Zee, commits suicide while Zee watches. Flash forward to the present day, and Zee is a therapist with a new patient, Lilly Braedon, who is far too much like Maureen, and after Lilly kills herself, Zee walks away from her practice and travels back to Salem, Mass., to visit her father and his partner, Melville, only to find that her father's Parkinson's disease is advancing rapidly. With Melville missing, Zee becomes a full-time caregiver and must face the half-truths and twisted memories that have compromised her connection to her father, all the while examining how her mother's legacy extends into her life and a fledgling romance. This is a lovingly told story with many well-drawn characters, who sooner or later reconsider the courses charted by personal decisions and circumstance. But there is almost too much story here, and Barry (The Lace Reader) compromises the third act with a weak subplot about Lilly's traumatic last days that reads as an intrusion on an otherwise well-told tale. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
From Library Journal:
Barry's follow-up to her wildly popular debut, The Lace Reader, offers readers a healthy sampling of celestial navigation, fairy tales, half-truths, witchcraft, and intrigue. Psychotherapist but troubled young woman Zee Finch strikes out on an emotional journey to acquire knowledge and insight about her family's past. On the threshold of marriage, she finds herself in deep despair over a patient's suicide and is compelled to reexamine the chaotic years preceding her own mother's suicide; however, this compulsion loosens Zee's grip on reality. Navigating between truth and fiction, Zee is finally able to move forward. Barry wisely places her novel in atmospheric Salem, MA, as literary history, sailing, and witchcraft form the backbone of this tale. VERDICT Zee's a vulnerable, likable character, and the dramatic narrative brings her experiences to life. Although readers will be perched on the edge of their seats while consuming this mesmerizing, suspenseful tale, there are a few convoluted and confusing aspects among the details. Fans will also appreciate the brief reappearances of characters from Barry's debut. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/10; 250,000-copy first printing, reading group guide, and seven-city tour; ebook ISBN 978-0-06-199250-6.]-Andrea Tarr, Corona P.L., CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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