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The Picture Book (2011)

by Jo Baker(Favorite Author)

3.39 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1846273811 (ISBN13: 9781846273810)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Portobello Books Ltd

review 1: Jo Baker is a superb writer, and I definitely enjoy reading her books just for the pure pleasure of the experience. This novel is ambitious and fascinating with its multigenerational perspective and the way each new section sheds a new light on the characters. Highly entertaining, well-paced, complex. Some aspects are less delightful (why do all of these wonderful, gorgeous women put up with all of those moody, self-centered men?). At the end, it fell apart a bit and became somewhat shapeless, but still a great read.
review 2: I love the author's prose, and her descriptions of human emotions are very apt and believable. She's got a wonderful, sweeping story here, of 4 generations in a family, and many well-drawn characters. The trouble is that most of them ar... moreen't that fun to know, and that their outlook is just SO dismal. I was depressed by most of the book, but the superior storytelling, and the interesting narrative device of snapshots through time and place, made me persevere to finish it (and I no longer force myself to finish anything I don't feel like finishing). My favorite character was the last one, and the ending was cautiously optimistic, so I was glad I finished it. I absolutely loved Longbourne, but this novel was harder to love. less

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