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There are currently 35 member reviews
for A Thousand Pardons
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Dorothy L. (Manalapan, NJ)
Forgiveness needed for A Thousand Pardons
I was looking forward to reading this book because it sounded interesting and the author had fine credentials. Unfortunately, for me, it was disappointing from the beginning and didn't improve all that much as I plodded along. I thought the dialogue in the opening chapter was unrealistic as written. The scene with the psychiatrist was not true-to-life. I had difficulty understanding Ben's unhappiness. Perhaps a smattering of flashbacks throughout the novel showing different periods of their marriage would've helped. I felt the strongest part of the novel was the middle section. It was refreshing to see the "injured wife" not stand by her man. Instead she was the focus instead of her husband and I liked seeing her grow and develop as a person in her own right instead of an appendage to her family. I wasn't that interested in the Hamilton episode. It seemed implausible to me as did the ending. What I thought was intriguing was that Sara chooses a boyfriend like her father--one who seemingly has "everything" but in reality has very little. There was little preparation in the novel for Sara's preference for her father at the end. Again some flashbacks of her relationship with both parents would have been helpful in understanding the way they behave when the story opens. It was not a particularly good book. It was not really bad. I wouldn't recommend it and I think there are better books around for book club discussions.
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Deborah F. (Bedford Hills, New York)
I enjoyed it.
I enjoyed this book. I felt it was well written, and actually could not put it down. However, I felt much of it was implausible, in particular since apologizing for PR purposes can have legal consequences, this aspect of the book did not make much sense to me. More importantly, I was not sure what the author was trying to say about, pardons, apologies, and forgiveness, though clearly this was the meme of the book. I wished the apology theme had been more developed.
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Sarah H. (Arvada, CO)
Wanting more...
This book is filled with accessible and flawed characters, true to life, diverse and utterly relatable. That said, this book reached it's peak quite late in the story and ended rather abruptly. The plot ultimately was not as robust as the characters, and I wanted more for them.
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Darcy C. (San Diego, CA)
I Really Wanted To LOVE This Book.
I was overjoyed at receiving this book to review, so I opened the cover with breath being held and dove right in. I wanted to be able to rave about this book, and for me, this book simply fell short. I was nonplussed by the big "event" that unravels this family. I kept thinking: THAT is it? I had difficulty identifying with Helen (the wife) because I was expecting these mind-blowing PR decisions, and again, I was let down. Were my expectations the cause of this? I'm not sure, but all my fervent hopes that the author could turn this story around, weren't answered. I couldn't identify with the two main characters and I truly am sorry that I can't tell you that this is a good book. A bad book? Not at all. A terrific book? Not at all. Give it a try yourself, maybe you will have a better time than I did. I sincerely hope you do... isn't that why we read?!
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Marcia F. (Batavia, IL)
A Thousand Pardons
A Thousand Pardons is the first book I have ever read by Jonathan Dee. I thoroughly enjoyed his style of writing as well as his excellent descriptions of his characters. They are all people we know. However,I did not enjoy the story line as much - I felt that the storyline was weak and trite and that the ending was totally predictable before I was even halfway through the book. This is not a book that I could reccommend for my book club.
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Sally H. (Geneva, Ohio)
I apologize for not liking this book
This is the first of Jonathan Dee's books I've read, and I was looking forward to it. Initially the book caught my interest, but somewhere around the middle it seemed to start wandering. It is superbly written, but the plot doesn't rise to the level of the writing and the characters didn't make me love them, hate them or care what happened to them. Some of the events are so unlikely as to be ludicrous, and the book ends without resolution of the major issues. I feel as though I've read a book about nothing.
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Nancy F. (Carmel, IN)
Not sure.....
This is a hard review to write because I am confused by the reading experience. The prose and style are engaging as it did keep me turning the pages, however, I must take issue with both the plot and the ending.
The plot often appeared to be too contrived based on the suspense that was attempted by the author. I must admit that I am not a fan of predictable ending, but on the other hand, some closure as a reader would,have been nice!
