Amanda's Reviews > Astor Place Vintage

I struggled with liking the characters because I didn't connect with them or their lives; I didn't like the lies, the deceptions, the affair, the pain and suffering. It's not that I don't understand pain or suffering or choosing to deceive oneself for a period of time--been there and have the scars--maybe that's why I was standing on the sidelines the whole time I was reading this, just wanting to scream at them: "Stop!!! You're only wounding yourself!" So awkward. The weird thing was that I could identify more with Olive and I am a mother who loves kids. Weird, yes?

Ok, now for the worst: the affair, the drinking, the lies, the sex (w/ and w/out consequences), the stealing, the viewpoint of God and any belief in Him or any belief system is so NEGATIVE and skewed that it cannot even be talked about except in a negative way, the violence, the pain, sexism, classism, people accepting payment of all sorts for sex, . . . it just goes on and on....

Ok, now for the good: people genuinely care for each other & take care of each other, equality among the sexes is preached (in a negative sort of way, if you count the smoking bit), people work hard to get ahead, cool vintage clothes, cool settings, being brave in the face of great adversity, perseverance, showing love for children, um, I am struggling here.

This book left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. A bit of the bad can really do that.