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Marion W. (Issaquah, WA)
Sad. Depressing.
This is a sorrowful novel, hinging upon an actual occurrence: the disinterment of a body when a cemetery is to be closed. The fact that one of the graves holds the long-deceased son of a couple who have never got past his death is agonizing. Told from several viewpoints, without quotation marks, mainly in the present tense (and I think only Damon Runyon handled that style well), and with a lot of chronological catching-up interspersed, this was a slow-moving and unsatisfactory read for me, as though the San Francisco fogs were emanating from the very pages of the book.
Robin N. (La Quinta, CA)
A Sad Tale
I was very interested to read about the San Francisco history around which this book revolves: San Francisco in the late 1800s-early 1900s. Life was a tough existence then. I liked the characters - Henry, Marilyn, Lucy and Blue. They were well portrayed. The entire story was so sad. Henry and Marilyn are very much in love and lose their son to choking at two years old. Life just stops for them. Henry takes on a lover. Everyone is just rooted and cannot go on. The book is written to portray one day, the anniversary of their son Jack's death. I found it hard to go back and forth between the characters speaking. I
…more did like the ending but it was just such a sad story. Maybe I was not in the mood for such sadness. (less)I have mixed feelings about this book. The Pros:The writing was crisp and vivid. I empathized greatly with the bereaved couple who had lost their young child. I enjoyed the local brouhaha about moving the cemeteries with the corpses of course from San Francisco to Colma. The Cons: The plot was predictable. The man, a pastor, loved his wife but had a child with another woman when his marriage deteriorated. To which of the two women he chose to return was almost a foregone conclusion. I found the characters unlikable, deeply flawed and quite selfish. I really didn't much care what happened to any of them.
Helen M. (Petaluma, CA)
The Half Wives
This is an interesting story but felt sluggish to me. And it is an odd story of a man with a legal wife and a mistress he loves dearly. That the story centers on the grave site of his deceased son seems odd but it is 1897. The child, Blue is charming and well developed Grief permeates this novel but it ends with hope, thankfully.
I would not recommend this book. The message of hope can be delivered much more successfully.
Kris
The plot
When reading this book I was so pressed by the writers literary abilities. The way object were imbued with feelings was interesting. The characters were well rounded and brought to life in a real way. The descriptions of the area and homes were very real. My only negative was the content of the story. It was not real to me, in both the characters reactions, nor the ending, which seemed very
trite.
Betty T. (Warner Robins, GA)
Two Women, One Man
"The Half Wives" describes a part of San Francisco's history that few people are aware of. San Francisco is actually a very small city. In the mid to late 1800s it was recognized that there wasn't enough room in San Francisco for the living and the dead. So the town of Colma was established and graves were exhumed and moved to Colma. "The Half Wives" addresses the politics behind that decision.
However this book is actually about one man who loved two women. When Henry's marriage falls apart after the death of their son, he turns to another woman, Lucy. Lucy bears him a daughter named Blue. It is a very
…more believable story of heartache, hope, loss, passion, grief.
I did find it hard at times to grasp who was "speaking". Henry, Marilyn, Lucy, and Blue all have their chances to talk. But the way the dialog is structured is difficult to follow at times. (less)This is not quite the usual story of a man having two families but it similar enough to know which "wife" wins. The chapters are explained very well and each one is quite likeable and somewhat believable. Easy read, but not mental challenging.
Maxine D. (Chicago, IL)
Found it Difficult Read
I found this book very difficult to get into and finish. I think the storyline was interesting though the structure was what made it hard to follow and made it not hold my interest. I did not like the author's style of writing.
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