Family Tree
by Barbara Delinsky
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Book Reviews of Family Tree
Book Review: Frustrating, contrived...not one for reading enjoyment..
Summary: 2 Stars
I guess I identify with characters who react to situations as I would. I feel frustrated by characters who know that digging out answers will solve their problem, but, for some reason, don't feel ready to do the digging..so postpone and mess around until you want to scream, "For heaven's sakes, just do it!" I also feel frustrated by side stories that distract, and really don't add to the main action. And, the knitting dialogue, which goes into needless detail...puleeze.... I love the warmth of a knitting shop as much as the next person, but, unless a particular yarn or pattern figures into the story, don't bog me down with it! The premise of this book is intriguing, and calls upon us all to think about how we would react to a similar situation - but when our main characters drag their feet and parse the problem to an excrutiating extreme, one wants to yell, "Enough!" Deal with it, get on with it. Life's too short. By the way, I'm a Delinsky fan...but this one left me cold.Book Review: Conversation Piece
Summary: 3 Stars
I wanted to love this book - honestly! Our reading group selected this title and I must admit, it sparked one of the most interesting discussions ever. So kudos to the author for bringing up an intriguing and personal issue which is rarely spoken of, and introducing it to readers to think and talk about. Giving birth to a child who has different racial characteristics isn't something most folks would imagine. However, we did have a book club member who actually did experience having a child of a much lighter color, (and might have some white ancestry somewhere) so it was a reverse of the book's theme. We got an education on this subject from that member as well as the book itself.
As far as the writing of the book, it seemed a little mild, not creating a lot of tension or excitement, and had several minor story lines which didn't really go anywhere. Don't read this book for the great writing. Read it because the subject is fascinating, and tell your friends.
Book Review: Very Poor
Summary: 1 Stars
This was my first time reading a piece by B. Delinsky and I didn't finish it. I am a person of mixed race and I was curious to see what the outcome of this book was. I live in NYC, which is a melting pot and not a small town where I would be exposed to racial slurs.
I was highly disappointed with the prose. B. Delinsky jumped from subject to subject without any explanation or depth. A book regarding a subject of this importance should have been more thorough.
The white characters were ignorant racist but yet typical of white people in 2007 not exposed to any other culture except theirs. This upset me because in this book and in the real world of today, some white people treat other races as if they are aliens and not people.
I only hope that before B. Delinsky attempts to write another racially charged novel, she will research all sides of the fence and not just genealogy.
Book Review: I didn't particularly like this book
Summary: 2 Stars
I found the basic idea of this story as interesting and I was excited to read a story that dealt with racial equality, etc. However, I felt that the story was a little too far fetched and so many of the situations did not seem realistic or plausible at all. Also, during the short span of time that this story took place pretty much every character was having a pretty significant life revelation, discovery, exposure, etc. etc. I know the author was just trying to bring home the point of the book, but for me it was so extreme that it was not believable at all. There seemed to be many long dialogue passages between the different characters that said the same things over and over again. I wasn't really excited about this book, and the characters just did not grab me. I did appreciate the main idea of racial equality and thought about the things the characters said. This is my first book by this author.Book Review: A great idea for a book that could have been better
Summary: 3 Stars
I decided to read this book because a white couple having a baby with African-American features sounded like an interesting story. It could have been a much better story. Family Tree was a very quick read - too quick, in my opinion. I didn't feel that I got to know any of the characters very well, and what I did learn didn't make me like them too much. The husband insists on a DNA test too squash any rumors about the paternity the baby. Of course, he didn't suspect his wife of infidelity. Yeah, right. Not liking the idea of a DNA test, she still goes a long with it. How could she ever trust him after his apparent lack of trust in her? The wife's reaction to her long-lost father was too harsh. Save your money. I would recommend checking the book out of the library if you need a quick read for an airline flight or a lazy afternoon.