pithypants reviewed About Grace by Anthony Doerr
Review of 'About Grace' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Sometimes you get spoiled when you start by encountering an author's later works because they've had time to work out the kinks and hone their craft. This book – Doerr's first novel – highlights both his early gift and gaps. As with his later work, he's great at creating captivating characters and premises. Where he struggles is in having a plot with steady pacing. The middle of this book (when the protagonist lives on an island) felt like a novella grafted on to a book that didn't need it. I found myself bored in the middle chapters, and thought a skilled editor could've helped him seam this together a bit more artfully. Alas... it's still good to see an author's progression, so while I didn't find this book nearly as satisfying as Cloud Cuckoo Land or All the Light We Cannot See, it was nice to deconstruct the evolution of …
Sometimes you get spoiled when you start by encountering an author's later works because they've had time to work out the kinks and hone their craft. This book – Doerr's first novel – highlights both his early gift and gaps. As with his later work, he's great at creating captivating characters and premises. Where he struggles is in having a plot with steady pacing. The middle of this book (when the protagonist lives on an island) felt like a novella grafted on to a book that didn't need it. I found myself bored in the middle chapters, and thought a skilled editor could've helped him seam this together a bit more artfully. Alas... it's still good to see an author's progression, so while I didn't find this book nearly as satisfying as Cloud Cuckoo Land or All the Light We Cannot See, it was nice to deconstruct the evolution of his skill.