Commonwealth, a book review

Honestly, the cover and title of this book made me feel so much more sophisticated while I was reading. I mean, look at it. A gentle color pallete featuring fruit and leaves adorn the front cover, accompanied by a simple font. On top of that, Commonwealth, sounds like a challenging and informative read, so I'd be lying if I denied carrying it around in public just for people to infer that I was very put-together and knowledgable in the world of reading.

Truth be told, I thought the exact same things about the girl I saw reading this book, which is why I picked it up in the first place. Trust me when I say that having people see you reading it really is a slight confidence boost, so if you're looking for an easy way to increase some sophistication in your life, I'm telling you this might just be it.

Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett

(pictured above)

My Rating: 6.5/10

Favorite Quote: "Writers get their inspiration from a lot of places. It's never one thing."

Synopsis: This story spans about 60 years, following the lives of two families. The story is set into place when Bert Cousins, who left his wife Teresa at home for the afternoon, kisses a married Beverly Keating at the christening party for Beverly's second daughter, Franny. This action leads to two divorces, and the culmination of two families as six children come together as step-siblings. For the next six decades, we learn just how people learn to grow through disappointment, love, and loss.

Review: I think I would have liked this book more if I was at an age to appreciate its story. It was a very beautifully-written novel, and the story was intriguing, with many twists and plotlines, but I just wasn't as invested into the story as I might have been if I were older. A lot of the challenges involved marriage, raising children, and how to grow up, which I just cannot relate to as a nineteen year old. Despite this fact, I think that it does have a lot of important life lessons that are important to learn as early as possible, so I definitely gained knowledge from this read, as I hoped I would.

Final Thoughts: Does your mom/aunt/grandma/godmother have a birthday coming up soon? If so, this would be an incredible gift!! It'd be the best of both worlds for you. You get to carry it around the bookstore, soaking in the confidence from appearing sophisticated, but you don't actually have to read the pages yet. Plus, you'll look like an incredible daughter/son/niece/nephew/grandchild/godchild for picking out a great gift, and you'll know who to ask to borrow a copy when you decide you're finally old enough to appreciate the story in its entirety. Ultimately, I would wait awhile before picking this up, but don't forget about it!!! It's definitely something you'd want to read in your lifetime.

i'm heading back to school this week, so who knows how much reading i'll get done, but i'm going to try my best to keep trucking along through these icredible books, and i hope you are continuing to read too! if you happen to pick up any of my suggestions, please send pictures my way (bonus points if they are aesthetically pleasing + that might even get you a special s/o on my instagram @amadisonclassic) nothing would make me happier than seeing others enjoy books that i love.

happy reading!! xoxo madison