MaidMerry reviewed Good Harbor by Anita Diamant
Review of 'Good Harbor' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
I was not a fan of The Red Tent, but I saw this book in the bargain bin and thought I'd give this author another try. Now I see why this book was in the bin.
I'll admit to being predisposed to dislike this book, because I dislike cancer stories. I should have read the dust jacket first, I guess.
But beyond that, I find Diamant's writing clumsy and belabored. For instance, she had her character explain numerous times why she had an Irish first name and a Jewish last name. Really, one explanation would have been plenty. Yawn.
I also found her main character to be self-absorbed and whiny, rendering her unlikeable. For example, when her friend's daughter is rushed to the hospital, she spends the entire trip regaling her friend with her own tale of woe and guilt at losing her own child. Although her motive is, presumably, …
I was not a fan of The Red Tent, but I saw this book in the bargain bin and thought I'd give this author another try. Now I see why this book was in the bin.
I'll admit to being predisposed to dislike this book, because I dislike cancer stories. I should have read the dust jacket first, I guess.
But beyond that, I find Diamant's writing clumsy and belabored. For instance, she had her character explain numerous times why she had an Irish first name and a Jewish last name. Really, one explanation would have been plenty. Yawn.
I also found her main character to be self-absorbed and whiny, rendering her unlikeable. For example, when her friend's daughter is rushed to the hospital, she spends the entire trip regaling her friend with her own tale of woe and guilt at losing her own child. Although her motive is, presumably, to alleviate her friend's guilty feelings, her choice of moments to unburden herself couldn't have been worse or more self-centered, IMO. The friendship was already pretty one-sided, anyway. I doubt the author intended her character to be so unlikelable, but she failed to round out the character enough to make her interesting or sympathetic.
I don't think I'll bother reading anything else by this author.
