Reply To: TBC: Each chapter takes on a different point of view of the women at the boarding home.
I found the format of this book to be interesting. Having each chapter devoted to a particular house resident was very engaging. It was a unique way to learn more about each character’s personality as well as their past and present lives. I much preferred this approach to books where each chapter is devoted to a different time period. I can truly get lost in those if not done very well.
I enjoyed learning about each character’s point of view but found Grace’s to be the most enlightening. When we finally learned her back story so much was explained. Just as she was the character that bound the other residents together as a group of friends she was also potentially the most dangerous given the times and how she came to be living in the United States.
It was Arlene I struggled with the most. I, like everyone else in the house, just didn’t like her. I could not find a saving grace about her. Kate did a good job creating someone everyone disliked. And in the end Grace’s survival depends on keeping creepy Arlene close at all times.
