Customer Reviews

Some Assembly Required: A Novel

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

got this book a few weeks ago, before going on vacation, and couldn't wait to dive in. when i finally had the time to read, i was sure i'd tear through it, but i found myself reading it much more slowly than anticipated because each sentence is like a gem. love her unique ability to be cuttingly funny and tragic in the same small constellation of words. loved simon's rising from the ashes, literally & figuratively, and rose's thawing...romantic optimist/sucker that i am, and wacky segundo...having had the great good fortune to spend a lot of time at the cape over many, many years, i recognized the vibe, the curmudgeonly but engaging characters, the settings (even though fictionalized). love it, can't wait for the next effort by this wonderful new author!

I live on Cape Cod, and picked this book as a light read for my book club. It didn't disappoint. It had an engaging story line with great characters. It's always fun to see how authors depict our quirky little peninsula. Lynn painted a really fun (and quite accurate) picture of our local charm.

This is a fun, smart, clever novel and the kind of book you really don't expect from a first time author. The characters, plot, dialogue all remind me of a John Irving novel. Quirky, imaginative, engaging and fun. My wife bought the book and encouraged me to read it -- I was afraid it was going to be "woman's literature" and when I saw that it was a first time author, probably overwrought. It turned out to be a great book for everyone. I'm hoping this author has another one on the way soon.

When I started this book I thought it was going to be "chick-lit". The young woman, Rose, has a journalism degree, can't get a job at a newspaper, takes work writing manuals for kitchen appliances?! Has a great boyfriend and loves her apartment....but something was missing. Out of the blue her boyfriend tells her,that while drunk at a bachelor party, he had cheated on her. But, of course "it meant nothing".
She packs up and away she goes, as does the story. She finds a small cottage in Nausset, on Cape Cod. The cast of characters start becoming a part of her life. Many subjects are touched in this story, all done with honesty, and sensitivity. Alcoholism, depression,being gay, missing persons, ? murder, and autism. Plus the town has "a great big secret"!!! Rose finds a job at the local weekly paper, and found in this "quirky" town what she was missing in her life. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will look for others by this author.

I really wanted to like this book with all the quirky characters, but in the end is just seemed like something I had read before and didn't make me wonder or think about the story after I was finished reading. I had no desire to even think about the story again. I feel badly because mine is the only 3 star review and I keep thinking I missed something? It did keep me reading but just not enough to rave about it.

I suggested this book for my Book Club for summer reading. I loved it and so did everyone else. Interesting characters that have been woven together very creatively.

A wonderful novel--I didn't want it to end. The story is filled with quirky characters vibrantly brought to life to the point that I felt they were part of my own family. The author has a gift for knowing how real people speak, feel and act. This is a remarkable debut novel - filled with wit, wisdom and most of all heart.

This is a fun book - something for everyone. Strong, earthy characters...lovely (but not too heavy) descriptions of Cape Cod...attention to relevant issues(overbuilding, "green living", autism)...a mystery and a love story, all wrapped in a kitschy, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant wonderfully cohesive novel. A bit Jodi Picoult-ish. Highly recommended!

Witty, intelligent, compasssionate, profound writing down to the last line. Her sense of detail is amazing. Lynn knows these characters like the back of her hand and brings them to life so vividly you feel like they are your friends by the end. I've never been to the Cape, but after reading this I feel like a native. Hands down, one of the best new novels of the year. I can't wait for the next one!!!

This was a quick and easy read for me. There were parts that were sarcastically funny but the seriousness at the end seemed off balance with the beginning feel of the book. The characters are very relatable, and their conversations in the book drummed up my own beliefs and values and sense of self.