One-sentence plot summary (no spoilers): In the early 1900s, Midwest farming families face struggles and tragedy.
I first heard of The Quickening through the Books on the Nightstand podcast. I’ve discovered some amazing novels through BOTNS, so I figured I’d give this one a try. I finished reading it a month ago, but I’ve put off writing a review until now. (And this will likely be a very short review since I have such tepid feelings about the book.) The writing was good, but the characters almost always felt unlikable. I think it had the potential to be a much better novel but fell just short of achieving that possibility. When I wasn’t disliking certain characters, I simply didn’t connect with the others. As I mentioned, the writing should have drawn me into the story more, but it didn’t. I even thought about abandoning the book midway, but hoped the ending would make it worthwhile. Unfortunately, I found the ending very unsatisfying and sort of abrupt. I would be hesitant to read another book by this author.
