Family Tree
by Barbara Delinsky
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Book Reviews of Family Tree
Book Review: Two Thumbs DOWN - a rare flop for Delinsky
Summary: 1 Stars
I am a huge Barbara Delinsky fan, and always look forward to her new releases. This book did not have me at hello, and I found myself trudging through the story hoping it would get better. Sadly, it didn't, and I couldn't wait for it to end - but not in the usual way when one can't put a book down.
Everything about this book was a disappointment. So much so, that I didn't even circulate it among the women readers in my family - and there's only one other book where I ever felt that way (Creed for the 3rd Millenium by Colleen McCullough).
I found the characters weak and loaded with stereotypes. <spoiler warning ahead>. Rich kid marries common girl, an elitist father with a secret, a politician with a child out of wedlock, a snobby woman whose image is nothing like reality, a gaggle of gossipy women.
With all the story lines, it seemed like a mish-mash of ideas that never really gelled into a cohesive story. I felt like the plot went in circles, the whole knitting scene was boring, and the biology of two white parents producing a black baby just stretched credibility.
This one is a pass - but if you want to read a great Delinsky book, I highly recommend the Vineyard. That's one I was sad to see end, in a good way.
Book Review: Just okay
Summary: 3 Stars
I picked this up while enduring a long wait in an airport. I was intrigued by the plot and settled in for what I thought would be a thought provocking and interesting read.
Boy was I wrong.
Before I was half way through the book, I could tell the author hadn't spent much time with black people. It really bothered me that all the black characters were mixed, living in a relatively white community. The characters seemed paper thin and I never got attached or had feelings for any of them. They just seemed fake. The sub plots seemed forced and there never was a nice blend with the main story line. It was highly predicatable with a sugary sweet ending.
I was at the mercy of the airport shops when I bought this, but if you want a quick read, borrow it from the library, a friend or get it used.
It really is an interesing topic, but I think it deserves more depth.
Book Review: Unusual plot line for Delinsky
Summary: 4 Stars
I pick up a Delinsky novel when I need an easy, but intelligent read. Her novels are usually complex enough to not be boring or too predictable and she usually chooses a theme that causes her to do some research, and as a result, teaches me something. I found this book to have a very unusual plot. A young white couple have their first baby and she clearly has African American features. The parents profess to love her, but the situation brings up doubts about the wife's fidelity, questions about both families' genealogies, and causes everyone to examine their true feelings about people of a different race. Light read. Enjoyable.Book Review: It takes a bit of warming up--
Summary: 4 Stars
Three times I gave up on this book. First, a brand-new mother's first day home from the hospital, a dozen or so of her friends drop in to see the baby, and we're supposed to think this is NORMAL? What planet do these characters dwell in? Second, the father-in-law is such a thoroughly off-putting Eastern Liberal hypocrite turd that at one point I threw the book across the room. Third, the plot was so PC, such a PLUM ripe for the picking. And then, about halfway through, the story kicked in. Events happened, characters reacted and began to change. Well done!
Book Review: Total Rip Off
Summary: 1 Stars
Normally I love this author's novels but, quite frankly and in my opinion, this book is a rip off of a short story written by Kate Chopin in 1892 called "Desiree's Baby." I am amazed that the author did not have to give some sort of credit to this author by saying, "Inspired by the work of Kate Chopin," or some such. I personally will not be reading any more of Ms. Delinsky's books. I have no problem with an author telling someone's story in a different way, but please give credit where credit is due. Would have given zero stars, but not an option.