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An old-fashioned sweeping saga of the Old South. Took a little while to get into it, but I liked the combination of historical and architectural appreciation, woven into a story of family dysfunction and resolution. Refreshing that love was represented without sordid sexual scenes- that topic was treated with respect, which I'd love to see more often in novels. I did like the exploration of the good and bad coexisting within a person- with some people leaning more in one direction or the other. Also that the psychological backgrounds were taken into consideration and negative characters were still presented with some sympathy. On occasion, I did find it tiresomely romantic that only women who grieve so much that they decide to remain in single widowhood are considered to have loved deeply. I would have liked to see that explored on a more practical level- the fact that the women might have been afraid to try again. I didn't like it presented as healthy or realistic- especially for a woman of that time period.

2023-07-23 21:44