This is a hard review for me to write. I can see many (many) people loved this book, and I absolutely see what they see. The writing is stunning, no question. The story, told from the points of view of each of the female members of the Price family as if in journal entries, really drove home to me how isolated and out of their element they all were. Each member was written differently, each with their own separate, distinct personalities, and it really all went together beautifully.

My hangup with the whole thing was twofold. First, the buildup to the actual climax of the story was excruciatingly slow. The author does her due diligence in making sure we're right there with the Price family, I just failed to really connect with their day-to-day problems. Even when the major events start happening (and really you could argue that there's only two or three of those), once the rubber hits the road so to speak, the story is basically over and you're left with a sizeable chunk of the book left as an epilogue of sorts.

I also expected more inter-family drama. Spoilers ahoy: The author spends a large chunk of time setting up Mr. Price as the villain of sorts, and I surely expected more drama set up between him and the family. Ultimately, though, I'm left waiting for a shoe to drop that never quite hits the ground. The events that unfold are ultimately man vs. nature I'd argue, and Mr. Price is left as an afterthought. I felt sorely unfulfilled at the abrupt end to the Congo saga, and found the last 140 pages or so uninteresting as the Price family separates almost entirely.

Maybe this book just isn't for me. I accept that. It wasn't bad (3 stars is my meh-I-finished) rating, but I also wouldn't read it again, I don't think. Another review here stated at the end, "too much table dressing and not enough meal for me", which I wholeheartedly agree with.