Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
I'm not one who cares about to what extent characters are likeable or I can warm to them, but that said, I was irritated not by Nora in her grief, but by the devices in the storyline. the botched audition.
<SNIP>
Her abandonment of the boys as their father was dying was chilling; if I were going to dislike Nora, that in itself would have provided the justification.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BelleZora
I wish I had loved this book as much as others, but I disliked Nora.
<SNIP>
all I felt was the tedium and minutiae of Nora's life which translated to a tedious read for me.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fantasyfan
As to Nora--I don't find her particularly likeable at all. But she certainly is believable and authentic.
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I don't think characters have to be likeable (Humbert Humbert
), but to me, this all says that other factors have to work. I even, with fantasyfan, think she's authentic*. But the story as a whole didn't jibe for me; maybe I was just annoyed at how everything in Nora's life came together so she could devote herself to her grief.
*Although, with BelleZora, I thought her abandonment of the boys was unconscionable and even unbelievable. Not finding time for even a phone call makes her a monster. Two months! No one would want to be judged on the worst thing she ever did, but this was a whopper. In light of that, I could feel sorry for Sacred Heart, who could have used a little of the charity so freely dispensed to Nora. That said, I thought she was rather over the top. And the boss's daughter as well, for that matter. More and more, I think the characters strained my credulity.