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Real Life & Liars With Bonus Material (2011)

by Kristina Riggle(Favorite Author)

3.4 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

HarperCollins

review 1: I did not finish the book (got up to 73%), but feel confident in giving a review. I'm not entirely sure how this book ended up in my Kindle collection, but the only way it would have is via some recommendation I would have found online – unfortunately I didn't find the book appealing at all, and am curious as to where I got this recommended.The book follows three children who go on to visit their parents on their 35th wedding anniversary. For a book with "Real Life" in its title, I found all the characters a bit fake, and the whole thing to be more of a sketch with stereotyped characters than a rendition of real life. There is too much drama for it to feel realistic.I did enjoy the narrative structure – every chapter is told from a point of view of one of the characte... morers instead of a third person narrator, getting us a bit closer to the feelings and thoughts of every family member.
review 2: I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. I loved how it shifted views from character to character, really letting us get a look at what was going on in each of their minds and lives. Though a family, the siblings all lead completely different lives, which the others know nothing about, as is especially obvious in the relationship between Ivan and Katya. Towards the end, Ivan seeks to know Katya's secret to having a perfect life, while we, as the reader, know that there is a lot more going on behind all the polished perfection that Ivan sees! The book didn't wrap everything up for you either - it keeps you wondering. You don't know in the end if Mira chooses to get the surgery or not. You don't know if Ivan's career takes off, if Irina stays with Darius, or if Katya loses her house and all its trappings due to Charles' embezzling. In this case, I feel that it was all okay. Though part of me would like to know, another part is content to just wonder.This book really did keep me reading, but there were a few editing errors here and there - nothing major, just slight irritations. It was a good book overall, and I'd recommend it. I'll definitely read more of her writing. less

Download links for: Real Life & Liars with Bonus Material

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