As we all know, all happy families are the same so people write about the unhappy ones. Unfortunately, I don't like reading about them.

I found it to be rather slow paced. I liked the multiple POVs but they switched without much psyoff. I never felt like I had a great deal of insight into anyone. Lots of tragedy, everyday disappointments and general unhappiness. Major things happen off stage and some things develop with no logical explanation.

I hope that most people's lives are not really this bleak. ( )

I read this for my book group and would not have read it otherwise. I found it boring, inaccurate, vaguely insulting to the state of Iowa, and had difficulty staying awake while reading it. ( )

I really enjoyed this. The writing was powerful, the characters were recognizable and multi-dimensional. Thompson was very effective at writing from many vantage points, treating each equally and still keeping all of the personalities internally consistent. I would especially recommend this book to all of my Iowan in-laws, as it was set in Iowas starting in 1969, right during the coming of age of many of them. ( )

Following members of the same family at various points throughout the years as they each make choices (usually bad ones) that lead to major changes in their lives sounds like a good idea. In this case it wasn't. It is definitely a character-driven novel vs a plot-driven novel (there didn't seem to be a plot or a point.) My problem with this is that I didn't much care about any of the characters and had difficulty feeling any emotion at their setbacks and challenges.

I'm giving it three stars because it was well written, with sometimes interesting details, and even in the darkest moments, there were bits of humor that kept me reading.

I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. ( )

Sexist, racist ( )