Fiction
2021 Simon & Schuster Audio
Narrated by Julia Whelan
Finished on June 3, 2022
Rating: 3/5 (Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
The People We Keep is about a young songwriter longing to find a home in the world.
Little River, New York, 1994: April Sawicki is living in a motorless motorhome that her father won in a poker game. Failing out of school, picking up shifts at Margo’s diner, she’s left fending for herself in a town where she’s never quite felt at home. When she “borrows” her neighbor’s car to perform at an open mic night, she realizes her life could be much bigger than where she came from. After a fight with her dad, April packs her stuff and leaves for good, setting off on a journey to find a life that’s all hers.
As April moves through the world, meeting people who feel like home, she chronicles her life in the songs she writes and discovers that where she came from doesn’t dictate who she has to be.
This lyrical, unflinching tale is for anyone who has ever yearned for the fierce power of found family or to grasp the profound beauty of choosing to belong.
Meh. I don't remember where I first heard about The People We Keep, but when it popped up on Libro.fm, I decided to accept their complimentary copy. I enjoy audiobooks narrated by Julia Whelan, which is the main reason I decided to give the book a try. The book starts off slowly and it took me several chapters before I was finally invested in April's story. However, it's one of those novels that's a decent listen (thanks to the superb narration by Whelan), but I doubt it would hold my interest had I read the print copy. I've listened to several novels this year that fall into this "ho-hum" category: The Paper Palace, Leave the World Behind, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and The Pull of the Stars. One can surmise that I'm more patient and not so quick to call it quits when it comes to audiobooks, especially those with entertaining readers. More often than not, that persistence pays off, but not always.
I received a complimentary copy from Libro.fm. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This one was "ho-hum"; many reviewers seemed to have loved it but, even Julia Whelan couldn't help this story for me.
ReplyDeleteYour comment came up as anonymous and I'd love to know who you are, if you don't mind sharing. :) I wonder why so many readers loved this book...
DeleteUGH - I was in Safari on my MAC instead of Chrome. It's me Diane D!
DeleteDiane, I was going to guess it was you! Not sure why I thought that, but I think you're the only blogger I know who has read this book.
DeleteIt sounds like an engaging plot but I'd not heard of it before. I am now at the age where the phrase so-many-books, so-little-time is relevant! If I don't get into it I put it aside.
ReplyDeleteAs for the anonymous comment, I was havinig trouble commenting on any blog (including my own) using my phone. It was coming up anonymous but on my android tablet I do well. Guess for me it was a phone issue.
Tina, I was hoping for something with more depth. Yes, so many books, so little time is getting more and more relevant. I gave up on an audiobook today when I realized I was dreading my listening time on my walk. Life is too short!
DeleteTurns out the anonymous comment was Diane's. Computers. Can't live with them, can't live without them! ;)
Too bad this didn't really come to anything impressive.
ReplyDeleteHelen, there were parts that I enjoyed, but overall it wasn't anything stellar.
DeleteSo does this go into a lot about her songwriting life and music? There seems to be several novels about music lately ... and I have liked those in the past. but I will hold off for now.
ReplyDeleteSusan, a large part of the novel is about her songwirting and traveling to perform in local bars. She never becomes famous, but is known as a regular performer as she travels up and down the east coast. I read Daisy Jones & The Six a few years ago and thought that was better than this one.
Delete