One Hundred Years of Marriage: A Novel in Stories (edition 2012)

I am really torn about this book. On one hand, I really appreciate the research and skill it takes to write from the voice of so many characters spanning so many eras over one hundred years. It was really natural for each narrator, and that was wonderful to read. Traditions of each era were also well preserved, and I appreciate that. It was really beautifully done. However, on the other hand, the switching between characters was a little confusing and the editing was poor. I didn't discover the family tree at the beginning of the history while reading the first half of the book, but it came in handy when I finally found it.

Possible Spoiler: I particularly liked the transition of the generations when the daughters prepared the mothers' bodies to when suddenly undertakers were preparing bodies. Victoria felt betrayed that she didn't get that opportunity for her mother. It must seem like a helpful thing to everyone else, but it felt like Victoria's responsibility.

This was an ARC, so I hope the editing process cleaned it up a lot. It needed a lot of work. It was quite sloppy. Names were used incorrectly - Patricia's great-grandfather's name was James and George. Chanel was misspelled, which is quite silly as it is very famous.

The last story got especially sloppy and frantic. It seemed like the deadline was coming quickly and the author had to quickly end with the last story; the editor had no time to read! But maybe it was on purpose and stylistic. Spoiler: Maybe Patricia didn't know much other than it just felt off - didn't feel right. I don't like the way she just fled though. She was not wasteful, and she was a protector not flighty. It seems more natural that she could have just had her brother walk her down the aisle and go through with the wedding. That would send a more powerful message to her father and to anyone turning their heads on abuse.

I wish I had been the editor. It could really use some cleaning up and better stitching. ( )

I won this book through the Member Giveaways.

I delayed starting it, but finally found the time to sit down and give it the attention it deserved. I really enjoyed it. However, my complaint would be that each story ended just before I wanted it to. I was hoping for a little more each story. I also found that it ended on a slightly depressing note - at least for myself. The final story was a bit heavy, at least with the last section. I will definitely read more by Louise Farmer Smith. ( )

I won this from Librarything Member Giveaways. Much thanks to the author.

I couldn’t get into this. I kept catching myself just skimming over pages to get a vague idea of what was happening. It was an interesting story, but I got nothing out of it. ( )