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There are currently 24 member reviews
for Small Days and Nights
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Charlene
Small Days and Nights
What I liked most about this book was the author's beautiful prose. Her descriptions of place were vivid. Sometimes I read those paragraphs more than once to soak it in.
It was a good story but I couldn't invest any feelings in Grace. I couldn't connect with her as a character.
The story itself was unique and touching. But when I finished it I didn't have that feeling I get when I read something I love - that I can't wait to pass this on to a friend. I couldn't say "You have to read this book!" I may try something else by this author at a later date to see if it was just this book that didn't capture me. It wasn't a book that I couldn't wait to read every day. It was a book I wanted to finish so I could move on to something else.
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Kate S. (Arvada, CO)
Beautiful Writing, Slow Reading
This is an interesting book to review. On one hand, I loved the writing. Beautiful, descriptive, and pulled you into the story and setting, On the other hand I really did not connect with the main character, and at times felt the storyline dragged and got bogged down into a story that I could not, or really didn't care if I followed. A slow read for me and even tho I loved some of the writing, I would not recommend this book to my book club. Interesting title and cover, not sure I cared for either.
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Barbara C. (Riverside, CA)
I wanted to like it!
I thought that the story of a young woman who was put together with a sister who so needed her would make their lives more interesting and fulfilled. That is not what I found. I was over it pretty quickly. A great deal of detail was interesting but tedious. I see that other reviewers were more positive, but for me it was difficult to get through.
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Becky H. (Chicago, IL)
Partly lovely, partly disappointing
I so wanted to like this book. And I did – parts of it anyway. Doshi in some places (mostly descriptive parts of the book) is lyrical and enchanting, but in other parts (mostly conversations and character development) she is stilted and unpolished. Did she need a good editor? I also found the general outline of the book to be confusing as it jumped back and forth in time.
That said the maturing of the relationship between the sisters grows and changes in lovely ways. Both sisters and Teacher developed as the book progressed. Mother, however, seemed static, even as Grace reveals more and more of her personality and their relationship. Lucia was my favorite part of the book and was sympathetically drawn. I found my smiling as she made her wants and needs known.
Overall, I give the book 3 out of 5 stars for the parts of wonderful writing and Lucia. It is not a book I would recommend wholeheartedly.
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Veronica E. (Chesterton, IN)
IT WAS JUST OVER
After I have finished the last page of a book I'm reading and I close the book, I have thoughts and feelings about what I just finished. I think about the characters and their lives. I even go back to the beginning to get a sense or feel of what I have read, talk about it and recommend it. This story did not do that for me at all. When I finished the story I closed the book and went back a few days later and read the prologue. Still the story did not grab me. I felt the characters were shallow. Grace selfish, full of guilt and regret. The ending somewhat predictable. I also didn't care for the cover of the book.
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Sally H. (Geneva, OH)
Small Days and Nights
I would give this book a 3.5, though I wanted to like it more than I did. The characters weren't terribly sympathetic, though Grace seemed to have learned more appropriate treatment of a person with Down syndrome by the end of the book, even if she hadn't figured out much about romantic relationships. I suppose one could summarize by saying they got there in the end, but it was a long and tortuous journey.
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Crum
Slowburn
This book was a welcome distraction from the other books I've been reading as of late. I have to admit however, I like it when a book grabs me from the first page. This book was not that. However, I did enjoy the plot and the characters. Although this was a slowburn, I'd definitely recommend it. It was a unique, special book and I'll be looking for more from this author in the future.
