Wednesday, June 05, 2019

The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells - Andrew Sean Greer

Greta has had some drastic changes in her life in 1985.  After her twin brothers death and a break up with her partner her depression worsens, and she seeks treatment.  This treatment has an unexpected side effect - she finds herself in a 1918 version of herself and another alternative in 1941, where each Greta has a different life with the same people surrounding her.

I think in many ways this was an interesting premise, and somehow I didn't feel connected to the characters, and the story felt a bit flat. and I wanted to know more.  You think time travelling you would be in awe of the experiences, the different types of people you would meet, the food, the drink, even reading the paper and people watching.  It just seemed like the small observations were missing. 3/5

2 comments:

John Bellen said...

I would love to have an experience like that! However, it takes a skilled writer and a special plot to pull it off in book form.

John Bellen said...

Oh, and your observations regarding food and newspapers, etc., are quite right. I would think the same. I have this feeling that food and drink especially would be quite different, more vibrant, more real.