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I was really looking forward to reading this book because of the storyline but I was disappointed. The first day was like two thirds of the book. The other two days was rushed. We were in the main characters minds of them trying to sort things out but in the end there is no resolution. I don't think they still know what to do or of what's to come. But I guess you can't expect resolutions in 3 days. And I still don't know why it was called The Birthdays. It was just the father having a birthday.
I kept hoping this book would have some redeeming value so I kept reading. No plot and no direction. The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of one, is because I was curious to see what happened and nothing did.
Trying to get into the characters and were unable to care about the buildup heading into the weekend reunion. It was one I didn’t finish.
Didn't like it. Got to page 60 before DNFing it. Character's felt completely empty and their existence was pointless and they involved in pointless breeding - like reading about a bunch of soulless NPCs, each page frustrating to read, suffocating with irritation and banality.
2.5 Read for the setting ( an island in Maine), but did not empathize with any of the disfunctional characters. A grown family meets for their father's 75th anniversary, and things unravel.
This book had some definite bright spots - some nice writing and interesting characters, although none of the characters were particularly likeable. It was a fast read, though, despite the somewhat aggravating characters. I probably would've given this a 3 but I was really bothered by how the writer handled the "miscarriage" scene. When you're well into your third trimester, you don't just start bleeding and then have a D&C with no attempts to save the baby or even see if the heart is still beat...
The chapters were way too long. It would have greatly benefited from more divisions. Also the story just didn’t go anywhere. It was about a bunch of self absorbed brats in one family that just sniped at each other.Nothing was resolved and I did not like that.
Pitlor is certainly a talented author and the simplicity of the book was engrossing. There was a lot of depth to the characters yet they were easy to relate to. The story was great with the exception of the flagrant lack of resolution at the end. The only acceptable possibility is that Ms. Pitlor is setting up a second book, which I would personally look forward to, but I do not believe that that is the case. I crave more information about these characters and their future!
I loved this book... the inner-workings of this family and the way the author set up the characters and their backstories was very good. The publisher's description states it "examines modern-day marriage, pregnancy, and parenthood." It's really a book about the relationships between siblings and the siblings with the parents, and how each person in a family gets locked into certain roles. I would recommend this book to fans of Elizabeth Berg (one of my favorite writers).
I almost stopped reading this book a few times but kept hoping it would get better. It was a sad group of characters and the fact that their angst and self-absorption came to a boil at their father's seventy-fifth birthday dinner only increased my disgust with them. There wasn't a single character with which I could empathize and it was depressing to read about a family who were so separate from one another.
I really really liked this novel. A weekend in the life of a family on the brink of the new generation, it was sensitive, insightful, fun, traumatic, heartfelt, moving, difficult and above all an enjoyable read. I can picture myself alongside the family on their beach house. Just my kind of book.
If I could, I'd choose three and a half stars for The Birthday because, though Pitlor's writing gets better as the novel progresses, it takes a while for her to find her sea legs. This is a family tale in an Anne Tyler vein, with believable characters who mistrust, misunderstand, misspeak, misstep---and who, in the end, love each other and show it.
This book follows a family who are reuniting to celebrate their father's birthday. All 3 children are grown, and all 3 are dealing with very different pregnancy situations. They have to try and get along with each other, while dealing with their own situations. I liked this one, although it wasn't the most uplifting of novels. The characters were very distinct and interesting.
A truly gratifying read, one to add to the list of favourite contemporary family sagas. Thoroughly enjoyed its melancholic tone, and without overreaching for comparisons-its Chekhovian setting and direction of event that unfold over the weekend. Glad to have discovered Heidi Pitlor's talented prose, will no doubt look for her other novels!
Quite sad to start (for the first half actually!) Hoping it has a good lesson in the end?! Nope... not much. I didn't find much closure and I'm certainly not pleased with the book overall... oh well :(
An unfinished book, could never get into the characters. It has a lot of potential, but didn't live up to the possibilities
