by Lisa TuckerHardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Atria (September 1, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-416575382
Publisher: Atria (September 1, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-416575382
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: Publisher/Blog Tour
Rating: 4/5
On a March afternoon, while Lila Cole is working in her quiet office, her twin brother Billy points an unloaded rifle out of a hotel window, closing down a city block. "Suicide by police" was obviously Billy's intended result, but the aftermath of his death brings shock after shock for Lila when she discovers that her brilliant but troubled twin -- the person she revered and was closer to than anyone in the world -- was not only estranged from his wife, but also charged with endangering the life of his middle child and namesake, eight-year-old William.
As Lila struggles to figure out what was truth and what was fiction in her brother's complicated past, her job, her marriage, and even her sanity will be put at risk. And when the hidden meaning behind Billy's stories comes to light, she will have to act before Billy's children are destroyed by the same heartbreaking reality that shattered her protector and twin more than twenty years ago.
I first heard Lisa Tucker's name mentioned on a Paperback Swap forum post a few years ago. The thread focused on highlighting authors you loved, but who weren't terribly well known. Lisa Tucker's name was new to me, but her books immediately caught my eye. I read The Song Reader
right away and was thrilled to participate in this blog tour so that I could read her newest book.The Promised World has a confusing feel to it. It's not that the writing is hard to understand or follow, but that Lila has huge gaps in what she can remember about her childhood. The details are revealed to Lila and the reader at the same time and disjointed telling
I didn't really like Lila too much as a character. I thought she came across as weak and passive. While it's obvious from the beginning of the book that something happened in her childhood, I had a hard time with her acceptance of her history being handed to her, with no questions asked.
Even though I didn't really click with Lila it didn't slow the story down at all. The story moved along very fast and I found The Promised World very hard to put down. I will definitely continue to read Lisa Tucker's back list. 4 stars
7 comments:
Hmm, that's interesting. I disliked two of the main characters in her last book too. But Once Upon a Day was a favorite of mine, so I definitely still plan on reading this. I also have The Song Reader on TBR so glad to hear that one's good!
To me, the fact that you didn't really like the main character, but were still able to like the books says a lot about the book.
I felt the same way about The Alchemist's Daughter by Katharine McMahon. I didn't really like the main character, but I loved the book.
Great review Melissa. This is one for me to read soon.
I've seen this one on the tour, and it came across to me as something hard and emotional to handle. Thanks for the honest review!
Thanks for the honest review. That happens to me, where I don't really care for the characters but the writing is so good that I end up really liking the book. Seems odd but it happens pretty frequently.
Thanks so much for the time spent reading and reviewing The Promised World! It is much appreciated.
I've been hearing so much about this book lately. I'm really thankful for your honesty about it though, as I tend to dislike passive protagonists, and I had not yet heard that about the book. I'm glad that although you had issues with it that you still considered it a pretty good read. I'm not ready to strike it off my list yet!
Sounds good! I seen this book on other blogs as well.
I usually really take to characters and struggle if i do not... so this would be a fun one to see how I would feel about it
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