Overall, this book is fine (3 1/2 stars) and it would be a good read on a plane ride. I do think if you’re a gen-xer, you’ll really enjoy this novel with all the references and such. I read this one quick and was curious where it would go.īut the people and their friendship wasn’t where I expected it to be. I’m being tough on this one because I had such high expectations and I love his other novels! Again, I did like it, there are elements truly standout and I thought the whole living funeral idea was very interesting. But there was something about this group of gen-xers that I kind of felt like I was an outsider looking in. And what’s interesting to me is that it doesn’t normally bother me-I can read stories about people much older and younger than me with no problem. Something else the group is very much gen-x focused so I couldn’t relate to all of their experiences as young adults in the ’90s as I was still a kid. ![]() And with they reunite, they often bicker. I really thought with the first funeral, what are they even going to say? They haven’t seen each in so long, haven’t meet Marielle’s daughter. It really served as a reminder of the importance of telling people how much they mean to you while you can because no one of us know what is in store in the future.īut again, with the story, I think a problem for me was that I just didn’t buy this friendship and their pact. Something that I could see people doing for sure. I will say throwing each other living funerals is such an interesting concept. I have friends in college that we shared great times and also impactful moments but we eventually lost touch other than Instagram likes and such and that’s totally okay. However, I kept thinking these are a prime example of people who should have probably just naturally grew apart. They all also shared the grief of losing their friend in college. I understand the nostalgia of college and youth. There’s not really a central character that holds it all together-everyone is a mess in their own way.īut I’m perplexed why these people are still friends. I do admire that Steven is presenting people with flaws. I actually wanted to read more of their relationship. I think the best out of the group are the Jordans. This is simply a case where I didn’t feel a connection. That said, I didn’t love this group of friends. I truly marvel at his ability to handle those two extremes in such a profound way. He does not shy away from serious and sentimental topics but also can present plenty of laughs too. No matter the story, the author Steven Rowley has this fantastic way of bring humor and heartbreak in almost every page. However, once Jordan receives devastating news, the group of friends will change forever. They conduct these funerals throughout the decades. The funerals idea is to remind the friends that life is worth living. She comes up with the idea to throw each other living ‘funerals’. ![]() But when Marielle experiences a life crisis, she turns back to her old friends. While Jordan and Jordy paired up in New York, the rest of the friends become distant. Their sixth friend, Alec, died of an overdose right before graduation and his death had rippling effects on the entire group. They developed a special connection when they’re all transfer students at Berkeley. The five friends are Jordan, Jordy, Naomi, Craig, and Marielle. The story has two timelines-one in the present and the other starting in college and then at every reunion. We follow the friends from when they’re in college to almost 30 years post-graduation. Some of the characters fell a little short for me. And in more exciting news, Jenna Bush Hager from the Today Show selected it for her June book club pick!Īs you can tell I had high expectations. So I was especially looking forward to his latest, The Celebrants. I adore The Editorand The Guncle-highly recommend if you haven’t read those yet. Steven Rowley is one of my favorite authors.
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