Adrienne Brodeur

Why is it when a man raises children alone he is heaped with praise, but when millions of women do it they are branded as “single mothers” which is not a compliment. As if all of them deliberately drove the fathers of their children away as it definitely conveys. Why aren’t they lauded and applauded for being the parent that stayed? Nine times out of ten when a man has to raise his children alone it’s because she has died, not because she has left. This makes him more sympathetic somehow, but we know that if she lived, she’d be doing the bulk of the raising. Drives me crazy.

But insofar as the book goes, so far I can’t help but despise everyone in it for their selfishness, backwardness and self-congratulation. It’s all so stultifyingly boring. Being a self-absorbed asshole isn’t interesting, neither does it take great talent or energy. I may call it quits soon and return it to the library. Borrowing was a good call.

OMG narrators - do some freaking research. Two of them persist in pronouncing Charon "Kay-ron". Uh no. Did one of them stop to wonder why the writer had a young boy crab that Charon was a girl's name and so not appropriate for a male turtle? Duh, it rhymes with Karen. Oy vey. This kind of thing drives me nuts.

The casual misogyny of father and son is pretty staggering. They are so fucking sure that they have every right to dominate and that they are naturally smarter, better and therefore superior is sickening. Nothing can alter their view of women as lower, lesser and deserving of subjugation and suppression. It's the natural order of things don't you know. The funniest thing is that they have NO IDEA how weak this makes them appear in reality. Women know it's fear and the smart ones avoid it. A naturally confident man doesn't fear women or worry about their accomplishments and position in the world. They accept and welcome any partnership, achievement or thought process from any quarter, no stupid gender pigeonholes. Oh the self-pity of today's average, middle-aged white man. Cry me a river boys.

Steph complains that she hasn't gotten far having a relationship with dad and siblings, but neither has she come clean about being their half-sister. Duh. When she finally does, only Abbey knows...I think. It was a bit unclear, but then Steph decides Ken and Adam are too horrible to be around and she decides against having a relationship with any of them except maybe Abbey. That seems to be a secret and then the book just ends. Eh. Glad I borrowed it.

Ken is truly gross. Good characterization, but I wish the writer had chosen another name for him, lol.… (mais)

When Brodeur was in her early teens, her mother took her into confidence, revealing that she had begun an affair with her husband's best friend. In this memoir Brodeur details the trajectory of that clandestine relationship, Brodeur's own involvement in it, and though it took her many years to accept it, the innumerable ways it messed her up. Reading this book was like watching the proverbial train wreck — even though it was just overflowing with dysfunctional relationships, psychological manipulation and deceit, I couldn't stop turning pages. So while it ticked the boxes for engaging and entertaining, I'm not sure what made it a story worthy of publishing. The writing is skilled, but other than feeling grateful that I don't come from nearly as dysfunctional a family, I don't feel like a really got much out of it. Recommended if you, too, just want to feel better about your own family.… (mais)

Story of a Cape Cod based wealthy family, could literally be a beach read. Unfortunately I finished while closer to home. I didn't like where it started, and mostly grew to not like the characters (at least the men), but it all managed to come together... if not nicely, at least together. Oh, how I feel for the 'best' characters (Abby, Jenny & the twin girls) next chapters after election day, 2016...

The manic Adam can be read sympathetically, but Ken is a cardboard cutout of a (little, angry) manchild.… (mais)