Once Upon a River was very descriptive with extremely fleshed out characters, but I didn't have the patience for the pacing. Before you grab your pitchforks, I'm aware this was a story about storytelling, and the writing was reminiscent of someone orally telling a tale. However, reading this book was mentally exhausting. There were a lot of characters, a million little details, and a thousand threads to follow. I never felt connected to the characters, and that's likely because we were constantly jumping from one person to the next.
I just wanted to know who the little girl was! Why did she resemble so many people? Was she actually dead? Where did she come from? I was tempted to skip to the very end to see if any of those questions were answered, but even that seemed like too much effort.
The history, the language, the characteristics of people and places -- all amazing. I enjoyed learning about their lives, but all of the details made the book feel a little dense. I prefer stories with a quicker pace, so maybe I was doomed from the start. Despite feeling like some of the information was unnecessary, it did enrich the overall story.
This review can also be found at Do You Dog-ear? on January 31, 2019.
I just wanted to know who the little girl was! Why did she resemble so many people? Was she actually dead? Where did she come from? I was tempted to skip to the very end to see if any of those questions were answered, but even that seemed like too much effort.
The history, the language, the characteristics of people and places -- all amazing. I enjoyed learning about their lives, but all of the details made the book feel a little dense. I prefer stories with a quicker pace, so maybe I was doomed from the start. Despite feeling like some of the information was unnecessary, it did enrich the overall story.
This review can also be found at Do You Dog-ear? on January 31, 2019.