Customer Reviews

Bittersweet

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I had read several of Nevada Barr's mysteries and found them thoroughly delightful. They vary from the traditional mystery by using a park ranger in place of the usual private eye. When I picked up Bittersweet, I expected another mystery. Instead, this is a wonderful emotion filled novel. As with her mysteries, Barr takes the traditional western and gives it a twist. Her heroines face the classic struggles on the range, but the antagonists are not always nature but are often human nature. That is, two women living in 19th century Nevada have to deal with everything men do plus the problems created by the stereotypes. This book was a very fine, enchanting read which still gives me enjoyment long after I have finished it.

I tried for the last two years to purchase a copy of this book, but it was out of print. While reading Nevada Barr's mysteries I was impressed by her talent, and I liked the person behind the writing. The credits listed Bittersweet as her first novel, so I started looking for it. The search was worth the effort. The novel exposes the problems of being a woman in 1800's America as much as it tells the story of a very loving woman and her impact on another woman. What a talented writer! What a valuable subject. I definitely recommend that you read this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I picked it up on a whim, knowing nothing about it, but when I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I was really moved by the devotion and genuine love between the two main characters, and I still find myself going back and rereading certain passages. I could relate to this book on so many levels, and I recommend it to others.

of any other book I have read, deep issues are here but the book reads fast and stays with you like the smell of burning leaves in fall . . . when I grow up I hope I can write as well as Ms. Barr and I hope she never stops writing Anna Pigeon mysteries either. If you like her mysteries you will like this one too even if it is not nearly as light. The book is appropriately named as when you finish it that is just how you feel . . bittersweet.

I came to this novel as a reader of the Anna Pigeon series. As it was Nevada Barr's first novel, I expected far less than I got. There is no other word than "extraordinary" for this book. You are drawn into the period and its day-to-day small town and then desert life, in many ways like watching a movie -- visual in every detail. I was sorry to have it end and it haunted me for days. I hope the author will extend beyond the slightly formulaic Pigeon books again.

The pioneer setting and the hard-scrabble life described in Bittersweet, reminded me of Isobel Miller's now-classic lesbian novel, Patience and Sarah. Barr's book, even with a few first-novel flaws, is a far better book than Miller's and well worth reading for its very authentic picture of life in the mid-19th century for two women who love each other.

Also, I encourage any reader interested in researching these so-called Boston marriages to read one or another of Lillian Faderman nonfiction books.

This was a great portrayal of two women who struggled to make a life together during a very difficult time period. The plot was riveting and kept my interest. The characters were not portrayed as stereotypical lesbians, which was a nice change from other novels that I have read. This is a definite change of pace from the Anna Pigeon mysteries I have become used to reading by this author. Sarah and Imogene were great characters. I only have one criticism. Toward the end of the novel, I was flipping to see if I had read something wrong, due to the author's use of pronouns and the name switch that occurred. Overall a great depiction of two women who knew their own strength and used it to their advantage! The scenery was vividly described and the characters well-read.

Wow! This book was a continual surprise for me. It's really good on so many levels: well-written, great character development, beautifully crafted scenery, and a tricky plot.

Two women move west to escape persecution from their lifestyle. Unfortunately when they first move, they haven't actually done anything, but the one woman becomes entangled in the other's affairs. Though this is a novel about the love two women have for eachother the sexual feelings are secondary to simple, mutual caring.

Intrigued by the life these women "lived," I several times read the book into the wee hours of morning. It was quite a wonderful journey. I do have one criticism, which is that the end of the book was confusing. I don't want to give anything away, but what the women did to keep the ranch was one thing, the fact that the "person" changed names in the narrative was (to me at least) cumbersome reading.

Well written, but tragedy filled and depressing with no emotional or romantic payoffs!

You are right there with the characters through every tragic event that besets them but you feel as though all the moments of joy, emotional closeness or romance all happen in between chapters in a world you the reader are not invited to share in - it is only eluded to in between tragedies.

I really wanted to love this book but but instead felt kind of mad and cheated by the end of it all.

I just finished listening to the audio version of "Bittersweet." (My commutes are made so much easier with recorded books!) The title is most certainly appropriate to the story line! The characters were well developed and brought to life through the reader's individualized tones and inflections. I did NOT find it to be simply a story about two Lesbians, especially considering one character's reservations. Rather, Sarah and Imogene, together with the other characters, brought to life the prejudices and judgmental attitudes of 19th Century America. In spite of the strange twist about halfway through the book and the somewhat expected ending, I really enjoyed it. For those readers who listen to recorded books, I would highly recommend that you listen to this one!