roses by leila mecham / my desire to share my thoughts on this book have been with me for months now, and after finally finishing up this novel this past weekend, i can finally share a review with you all. i read the bulk of this novel during my thanksgiving holiday during a car ride to from georgia to minnesota. my sister got pretty exasperated with me because after every chapter i had to expel a long huff, close the hard cover of the book, and stick it in the back seat for a few miles before i felt ready to pick it up again and continue. i was so overwrought by what was happening in the plot that i actually didn't pick it up and finish the last section for nearly a month.
to provide a very brief summary, this book spans three generations and a hundred years as it plots the life of a set of families in texas that control cotton and lumber industries. it is filled with drama as characters fall in love but are prevented from being with one another due to their own pride and profession. the book is set in three parts, each picking up where the previous left off and continuing the story in a new voice.
the author built a pretty hefty, tremendous plot that was predictable, so those twists you knew were coming left me needing to digest it for a moment before continuing on. it was easy as a reader to foreshadow what was going to happen next, but in a way, i felt the predictability was a little too much. usually when you read a book there's some climax that brings characters together or pulls them apart. that happened in just about every chapter (hence my exasperated sighs and slammed covers). but sometimes, as a reader, you want a few things to be left unresolved or untidy -- there certainly was that in this book, but i never had a chance to wonder about anything because everything i wondered about happened. however, this book definitely held my attention and ended the way i wanted it to.
the author built a pretty hefty, tremendous plot that was predictable, so those twists you knew were coming left me needing to digest it for a moment before continuing on. it was easy as a reader to foreshadow what was going to happen next, but in a way, i felt the predictability was a little too much. usually when you read a book there's some climax that brings characters together or pulls them apart. that happened in just about every chapter (hence my exasperated sighs and slammed covers). but sometimes, as a reader, you want a few things to be left unresolved or untidy -- there certainly was that in this book, but i never had a chance to wonder about anything because everything i wondered about happened. however, this book definitely held my attention and ended the way i wanted it to.
i would certainly recommend this book to anyone who loves plot- and character-heavy novels and isn't afraid of being carried away on an emotional roller-coaster ride as you turn the pages. i'd be curious if anyone else has read this book and had the same experience?
other novels by leila mecham:
· tumbleweeds
find my other book reviews here!
other novels by leila mecham:
· tumbleweeds
find my other book reviews here!
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