The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells
Published: Jan 29 by Penguin Books
272 Pages
Affiliate Link: Buy on Amazon
From Publisher: A kaleidoscopic family saga told through the fractured lives of the three Moreau siblings alongside a faltering, recovering love story, The End of Loneliness is a stunning meditation on the power of our memories, of what can be lost and what can never be let go.
My Thoughts: I love family sagas so I had high hopes for this character driven exploration of fate, life, and love but by the halfway point I fizzled out on the story. This is the story of Jules, Marty and Liz, 3 siblings who weather their first tragedy when their parents are killed when they’re all still under 16 (Not a spoiler, this is in book jacket description). They’re sent to a boarding school and I must say, the author did a fantastic job of portraying the depth of sadness that all 3 experienced because, as we learned from the beginning of the story, they were close with their parents and had a happy family life. Jules is the narrator and while I liked him, it did create a situation where I didn’t feel like I got to know or understand the story from Liz and Marty’s perspectives which I would’ve liked. Especially Liz as she really struggled after their parents were killed.
I appreciated the author’s ability to wax philosophical on fate, chance and how one’s life course can be completely altered by both. However, by the halfway mark I wanted more from the story. Not a whole lot was happening outside of us getting life updates on each as the years go by. We know Jules has been in a motorcycle accident and I did wonder what contributed to that situation but I found myself skimming for the second half of the book. I liked the ending but overall, I just wanted more…more drama, conflict, tension…something. But the writing is great and if you like slower, philosophical, character explorations this would be for you.
Thanks to Penguin Books for my copy via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review
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I’m sorry this one didn’t work that well for you, Renee. As you already know, I really liked it. For me it was really just Jules’ story, so it didn’t bother me that we didn’t learn as much about the other siblings, though I agree that Liz and Marty had interesting stories, as well.
I hope your reading turns around soon and you find some books that WOW you!
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Thanks Susie, I’m happy to say it did turn around on vacation last week!
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Bummer. One of my FB book groups absolutely loved this. Sorry you didn’t enjoy it more!
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Too bad, I had high hopes for this one. Maybe I’ll still check it out. Thx for your review.
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Yes, please do, I know several others who enjoyed it more than me so you might as well
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I felt the way you did. I thought the writing was beautiful, but the meditation was too gray for me. It just felt sad from start to finish, but in a lethargic way.
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Exactly! I started to feel so impatient with the story and pace, for me it needed to be infused with a shot of something more!!
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Sorry this one didn’t quite mee your expectations,Renee.The premise sounds interesting but sad to hear it was kinda underwhelming.
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Underwhelming is a great way to describe how I felt about it! I wanted to like it much more than I did
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