Growing Taylor a Doris happy
I guess I’m in the minority. I really wanted to like this book but I hated it. I hated the old man parts. It was such an irritating plot device. I didn’t find old Jacob lovable, I found him annoying. Young Jacob was an alright character but Marlena was like some kind of cardboard cut out. I mean she was just there. She was the most boring love interest I have ever read. August was pretty cool. There were a few good moments between August & Jacob but then a ridiculous plot twist or jumping back to old Jacob ended most of them abruptly.It was like the author didn’t know what to do so she just went back to the old people’s home & talked about jello until she figured out what would happen next. I felt like Jacob’s kindness towards the animals should have taken a center stage so you could really like him for something but this rarely happened. When the old carnie takes Jacob under his wing I found myself asking WHy?? It didn’t really make any sense so I just told myself that he must be a really nice man, he seems to have some depth maybe oh now lets throw him off the train What?? Jacob grieves for his friends for half a paragraph & then he’s off to bang Marelena wtf ? The only redeeming parts of the book were Jacob’s relationship with the dwarf & the old carnie whose name has slipped my mind. There were three parts that i actually found believable & thought provoking. First was Jacob’s reaction to his parents death which was real & written well. Second was when Queenie the dog can’t be found, that was pretty heart-wrenching. Third is Jacob’s decision not to murder August. These parts were interesting & had more depth in describing the character’s motives & feelings. The ending was a slap in the face & i hate that old Jacob in the nursing home. I think the movie has a chance though. Hopefully Reese Witherspoon can make Marlena seem less vapid.
Doris Taylor Growing a