Chrissy’s Review: Family Pictures by Jane Green

Family Pictures
written by Jane Green
published by St. Martin’s Press, 2013

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble (Nook) (print), Amazon, iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads

Did I enjoy this book: Once I hit part two, I really got into this story.

The first part was slow for me. I wasn’t sure where the story was going and it wasn’t holding my attention. Then I hit part two, and I was hooked. I won’t go into details because I don’t want to spoil the book.

The characters each have their positives and negatives. I loved the strength that Sylvie had from the very beginning. No matter what came her way, no matter how devastating, she was able to move forward. I felt bad for her. I know she tried so hard with Eve. That was a heartbreaking storyline. Maggie was annoying. I skimmed some of the “woe is me” parts of her story. I was behind Sylvie more so than Maggie. At a few parts, I just wanted to tell her to hold her head up and be there for her kids and herself. The end was good; I’m happy with the ending. It made it worthwhile.

Were some parts of book predictable? Yes. Were some points plot devices to get the story to go where it needed to? Absolutely. Did those things distract me from enjoying the story? Not one bit. The only thing that distracted me was the narration. I understand why Ms. Green used the first person for Maggie and Grace and the third person for Sylvie and Eve, but it was distracting and unnecessary. I would have preferred to have the story written in the third person from each characters’ perspective. As written, it was jarring and confusing.

With that said, Family Pictures was a good read that will keep you interested until the end.

 

Would I recommend it: Yes, I would. It is a good women’s fiction novel.

About the book – from Goodreads: NY Times bestseller Jane Green delivers a riveting novel about two women whose lives intersect when a shocking secret is revealed.

From the author of Another Piece of My Heart comes the gripping story of two women who live on opposite coasts but whose lives are connected in ways they never could have imagined. Both women are wives and mothers to children who are about to leave the nest for school. They’re both in their forties and have husbands who travel more than either of them would like. They are both feeling an emptiness neither had expected. But when a shocking secret is exposed, their lives are blown apart. As dark truths from the past reveal themselves, will these two women be able to learn to forgive, for the sake of their children, if not for themselves?