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There are currently 40 member reviews
for The House We Grew Up In
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Vy A. (Phoenix, AZ)
The House We Grew Up In
If you like stories about family relationships and how families deal with a crisis, you'll love The House We Grew Up In. Lisa Jewell creates characters that, in spite of their often dysfunctional behavior, are so appealing, so real. I sometimes could not believe their behaviors yet I accepted them because their reasoning and motivations were so well developed. She also does an excellent job of describing the addiction of hoarding, so much so that at times it was hard to read. I just wanted to put the book down and go clean a closet or pantry. The story of the Bird family, Lorelei, Colin and their four children is an excellent read. Based on it, I will seek out other Lisa Jewell books.
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Melissa P. (Greenville, NY)
The House We Grew Up In
This novel was an excellent read. It detailed the dysfunction of the Bird family--father Colin, mother Lorelei, children Meg, Bethann, Rory and Rhys--and all the fallout that stemmed from that dysfunction. Lorelei was a hoarder and her disorder got worse and worse as time went on and the children grew up and left the family home. The children were definitely not without their own issues and each character in this book was a complex one. The writing was wonderful; the characters described in such vivid detail that they were all larger than life. This was my first book by this author but I will definitely read more by her. I received a review copy of this book from BookBrowse in exchange for a review.
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Virginia W. (Chapel Hill, NC)
The House We Grew Up IN
The author grabs the reader's attention immediately by using an email from November of 2010, then a short passage from April, 2011 which is chillingly alarming before moving back in time to April, 1981 to introduce the Bird family. As the novel moves back and forth in time, often using Easter as the time visited you meet the family and watch as they begin to react in their own ways to the chaos that is the home they live in. After a tragedy occurs, each one spins away to try and find a different and better existence only to find in the end that the home they grew up in is the one uniting thing to bring them together again. This is a novel that will stay in the reader's thoughts for a long time. I highly recommend this book for individuals and book clubs- much to discuss about this story.
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Vicky R. (Cumming, GA)
Awesome story
I believe this is the first time I have reviewed a book here and given it 5 stars. I didn't just eat this book up in two days...I devoured it! It is a captivating story full of twists, turns and many surprises. I found myself aching for this family and their many "issues"....the author created such an interesting character in Lorelei and every single player in this story was quirky. The dynamics in this family made me sometimes laugh, sometimes cringe, but this book pulled me into it's grips and held me until the end.
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Linda A. (Palo Alto, CA)
A Treasure
At what point did I get hooked? For the first 30 pages or so I thought I wasn't going to like this book. And then everything changed. I say this as encouragement to anyone who has the same initial reaction. Keep reading. There is treasure in those pages.
Lisa Jewell's characters are flawed, complicated individuals who have trouble understanding their own motivations and reactions, let alone those of others, The Bird family's history is told through events and episodes toggling back and forth in time. Misunderstandings and withheld information complicate the relationships among the siblings and their parents. Their journey has unexpected twists and turns on the way to revealing deep family secrets. Each member feels guilty, but is the guilt correctly placed? Over 30 years the family grows to appreciate and accept each other and achieves relative peace.
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Shirley H. (Brown Deer, WI)
A beautiful and engaging read!
If you have ever wondered about what "normal life" really is, this may be the book for you. I was completely drawn into the saga of the Bird family, finishing the book over a weekend. The telling of the family journey was beautiful, with so many wonderful and unique characters. I felt it showed that families can be quirky and lives can play out in ways unexpected. This dramatic story of a family touched by the tragedy of a young death, as well as other unusual events, touched me deeply. The ending was somehow satisfying even if I would not necessarily call it "happy". The English author touches were also interesting to me since I am from the united States. I definitely plan to read more of Lisa Jewell's work!
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Katherine Y. (Albuquerque, NM)
Interesting and quick moving
From the cover of the book, I anticipated a light, "chick lit" type of story, but the author delivered so much more than that. All the characters were well developed and the story was gripping. I finished in just two days (and then forgot to post my review - oops!) Grab this one to take along with you on a relaxing trip or to read over a long weekend.
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