This was just plain sad. So much unhappiness throughout the book. If you are looking for the potential of a good ugly cry, pick up this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced readers copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review.

This was a welcome change to what I've been reading lately. This book is a very poignant look at family relationships, and especially the women's role or expectations within said family. The story starts with Evelyn, a young woman during the war, who has dreams of continuing her job as a teacher. Evelyn wants nothing more than to get a degree and become a professor, but times being what they were she ended up having to settle and get married. They have kids, and the story then follows her daughter Laura. Laura is a worrisome creature who despite having advantages, also settles and marries. Then the story picks up with Grace, the granddaughter, and how Evelyn and Laura's resentment for their place in life effects Grace and the rest of the family.

The way the narrative all ties together is so well done. You immediately feel a connection with these women even with minimal back story. It's interesting to watch Evelyn, who never really wanted marriage, interact with her grown daughter. You get the sense that Evelyn wasn't the most nurturing mother, and that's possibly why Laura is always so concerned and nurturing to her children. Laura's little family is fairly dysfunctional. It's never portrayed as anyone in particulars fault, however as you read you get the impression that all the women internally blame themselves. I felt for these women and the roles they felt they had to play within the family dynamic, and for the fact that they wanted more than just that. It's not the happiest of endings, but I was left with a positive feeling that Grace was going to break the pattern of disappointment and resentment in her life.

This book was depressing and none of the people In it are likable, except Grace, toward the end. Three generations of women who just settled in life. Finally, Grace has the gumption and courage to move and start fresh elsewhere. The men in the novel are either hopeless drunks or just helpless. Death follows death and more despair.

One of the saddest books I have read in a while, the story of three generations of women, trapped into unfulfilling lives, was depressing. Well written but not one I could recommend since the story lines became maudlin, and the cynicism too sharp. I thought there was hope for Grace, but her self destructive relationship with an older, unappealing man put an end to any hope.

”There's no mercy in a live wire
No rest at all in freedom
Of the choices we are given it's no choice at all
The proof is in the fire
You touch before it moves away
But you must always know how long to stay and when to go

“And there ain't no talkin' to this man
He's been tryin' to tell me so
It took awhile to understand the beauty of just letting go
Cause it would take an acrobat, I already tried all that
I'm gonna let him fly”
-- Let Him Fly, Patty Griffin, Songwriters: Patty Griffin



Alma Mater,
“To thy happy children
of the future
Those of the past
send greetings ”


When Lorado Taft (1860-1936) created Alma Mater, a statue including three figures at the University of Illinois, he wanted to portray ‘Our Mother’ as a “majestic woman in scholastic robes, who rises from her throne generously greeting her children,” advancing with open arms, welcoming her children. The second and third figures, he proposed, were to be “subordinate” figures. ‘Learning’ clasping hands with ‘Labor,’ hands meeting over the back of the chair. This quote, the inscription on the statue Alma Mater appears, alone, on the first page, showing the connection and relationship of the three, as well as the elevated status of the Mother figure.

Our mothers may have welcomed us into the world, but for these three women, it doesn’t make the relationships between these three women easy, or demonstrative, or loving. Neither are they contentious or bitter, so much as they just… are.

Three generations of women, whose lives seem to be a variation on a theme, not happy but also not unhappy, melancholic in their frazzled, unappreciated, underappreciated lives that feel as though these women were always waiting for permission to live the lives they wanted, instead of the ones they ended up living. The men they ended up, they blame, as though these men had been assigned them instead of recognizing they held some responsibility for the choices they made. The feeling of all the passion for life they once had, tamped down by these men.

Evelyn had ambitions – once upon a time, and at a time when women rarely were encouraged to pursue such things as a Ph.D. It is just after the end of World War II when she meets Rusty at college, a veteran who was there courtesy of Uncle Sam, and a love affair soon follows. He leaves to return to his family farm, and soon thereafter Evelyn realizes she is carrying his child. Hastily, she marries Andrew, a professor, in hopes that he will believe this child is his, but soon after, miscarries. Eventually they will have two children, Laura and Andrew, and she will play her dutiful role as mother, but with some resentment attached for the loss of her unfulfilled dreams.

Laura doesn’t want to be like her mother, she thinks of her mother as emotionally distant, and Laura isn’t focused on pursuing a “career.” Her courtship with the man who becomes her husband, a computer genius, changes quickly when he proves to be too offensive to her long-standing friends, and they begin to distance themselves. Looking for love, or the closest substitute, she runs into an old friend of her brother, Bob, and nine months later, Grace is born. Eventually, a son, Michael will be born, as well.

As years pass, Laura struggles between helping to care for her mother, whose health is declining, with the end only a matter of time, her husband whose fondness of alcohol has become a problem, her son will eventually turn to drugs. Tensions will run high. Grace works at a health-food store, no longer living in her parent’s home. Will she also make unhealthy choices / decisions in men, or will she learn to recognize how unhealthy choices can change the course of your life.

Years ago, I read another novel by this author, which I didn’t realize until I saw the name of the book,The Year We Left Home a five star read for me. Similar to A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl, both are stories that focus on ordinary lives, lives where very little happens or changes, and yet… everything does. That is the nature of life. It changes.

Sacrifice, bitterness, resentment, forgiveness are all themes in this story. While the writing is often lovely, this did get a bit bogged down for me for a short while, but I ended up really enjoying, and appreciating this story.


Pub Date: 09 OCT 2018

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon & Schuster

Women hold a family together. They plan the social activities and family gatherings, act as a buffer between butting heads, ease the high emotions of family conflict, and provide the meals for the family table that brings generations together.

It is not an easy job, or an easy life. Especially in families afflicted with personality disorders, addictions, mental illness, anger issues, conflict--or even with the usual garden variety issues common to all families.

A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl by Jean Thompson is about three generations of women who have struggled with holding the family together even when their personal dreams are sacrificed for their family. The characters, Evelyn, Laura, and Grace, are vital and distinct while recalling to mind our own mothers and daughters.

It is a heartbreaking story that spans from WWII to the present, each generation of women hoping to find self-fulfillment and true love yet putting the interests of others first.

Each woman who reads this novel must ask herself in what way has she repeated her mother's life, in what ways has she sacrificed her dreams, and if it was worth it in the end. And do we make these choices out of societal or familial expectation or out of the love we have for our children?

I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Only Jean Thompson's beautiful prose enabled me to stick with this novel about three generations of miserable women and the men who disappoint them.

Reading this made me realize how some lives are just very sad. Haunting but lyrical, this story deeply touched me. There's a need for compassion in this world. Good book.

A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl by Jean Thompson
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Maybe, because my expectations were not very high after reading some negative reviews, I was very pleasantly surprised how much I liked this novel. The story is of three generations of women in one family, Evelyn, her daughter Laura and Laura’s daughter Grace. They all have been living in the same mid western town (specific location is never mentioned) all their lives. Evelyn married for the wrong reason, and her life was not very happy. Her daughter, Laura is trying to be a peacemaker between her alcoholic husband, Gabe and their son Michael, who is abusing drugs. Grace is the innocent bystander, who is desperately trying to hold the family together. I found this family realistic, and their struggles very believable. I thought the writing was very good, especially describing little everyday mundane moments. Of all the three women, I felt most for Grace, she had a lot on her plate.
I am not sure what he title means, but overall I enjoyed this book very much.
Thanks NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and the author, Jean Thompson for the advanced copy.

This was a great book. The character development was fantastic, and I loved the ending ;) I will definitely be reading more of Jean Thompson in the future--you have a devoted fan!

Once in a while I read a book really speaks to me. “A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl,” the story of three generations of women who live in a Midwestern college town, is this book.

The story provides an amazing character study of the lives of these three women. It details what they had hoped to get from their lives verses the choices they are forced to make because of the mores of the time and the place in which they live. This book provides a commentary how marriage affects the lives of women, and their own desires for self-fulfillment.

The writing just sings. Every word, sentence and paragraph fits together in perfect magical symmetry. The description of the college town is so vivid, that I could see every street, house, and garden.

I’ve lived in the Midwest for most of life and spent several years living in a college town. As a result I felt like I know these women, and the town where they live. Evelyn, Laura, and Grace might be my friends, my relatives, or even me. I’m going to recommend this book to all my friends and family.

REVIEW

Jean Thompson's A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl allows Thompson's brilliant writing to shine as she explores the matrilineal line of a family through the lives of Evelyn, Laura, and Grace. A central theme of this novel circles around if we are able to escape the trials of our ancestors. What is legacy? What is destiny? And, what is our own free will to shape about our future?

This book is sure to be a hit with readers who enjoy family dramas, and it comes from a writer who has a proven record of success.

PRAISE

“Jean Thompson is a brilliant novelist from the classic school of storytelling. This is a moving tale built upon a foundation of unforgettable characters, drawn with empathy and insight. A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl is a story that illustrates our present moment through a keen and unflinching look at our past. Thompson’s work centers on the Midwest, what some call ‘fly over’ country, but in her hands, we come to see that it is the center.”—TAYARI JONES, New York Times bestselling author of AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wow! First off, how have I never read Jean Thompson before?!?!? About a couple chapters into A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl, I had to look her up on Amazon because I loved her writing style and I was shocked to learn she a written a lot of books! The good news is that I now have a dozen(ish) books to add to my TBR list, but I’m kicking myself for being so late to the Jean Thompson party! Ok, with being said I LOVED A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl! I am always a sucker for novels that explore the complexities of mother/daughter relationships (as well as father and sibling bonds) and this novel does it brilliantly! I enjoyed getting three generations of the Wise family through their trials and tribulations as well as their triumphs. Jean Thompson does a fantastic job unfolding the storyline as she time hops between the past and present to give the full scope of the families lives—completely engrossing! Even if you haven’t experienced the same situations I think everyone will find this novel (whether in it’s entirety or in parts) absolutely relatable! A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl is a 4.5 star read that will stay with you long after you finish.

Can I give a novel 6 stars? This is one of the most beautiful and well-written books I’ve read this year. It is the story of 3 generations of women, each different, yet each alike. The reader is invited to glimpse into the lives of Evelyn, Laura and Grace, each etched so gracefully that I loved them all.

The author has a gift of making every word matter. Thompson uses such care that by the use of her descriptors she creates a mood within each of the narratives. Each woman is the victim of both conformity and the men around them.

Laura, stuck in the middle has to deal with the death of her mother, the sometimes disdain of her daughter, as well as the behavior of her husband and son. She also deals with a secret, one she never completely reveals. The author creates a level of tension as the reader is subtly lead towards an inevitable climax.

It is almost Shakespearean in its’ conflicts and movement toward an ending which one expects, while hoping it will not happen.

All of this is tied together with perfect closure and a sense of hope for Grace, the daughter who in retrospect truly loved her mother

I think every book group will find a tremendous amount to analyze and discuss. This is a very special novel, I thank netgalley for the opportunity to read and review it. It should not be missed!

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. It was an interesting read overall and I enjoyed the parallels among the lives of three generations of women in the Wise family.. I loved the writing and how the author weaves the lives of the three women together, even though they faced different challenges because of the times in which they lived.

A lovely literary story of three generations of women. Some readers will no doubt become impatient with what I'll call the leisurely pace, but I was really drawn to the characters who seem complex and fully realized. How interesting to see how things change -- and don't change -- over the course of time. The writing is strong and I'd like to read more from this author. Recommended for fans of Elizabeth Strout.

I was given an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
I agree with a lot of the three star reviews. I normally enjoy books about women’s interiors and emotional lives, and this book dives deeply into that territory, but i just couldn’t engage with any of the characters or the narratives but so much. It’s not horrible but there is better women’s fiction out there.

A cloud in the Shapre of a Girl is a look into the lives of three generations of women. The plot is good and the characters are well developed. I liked the book. It was a book that may make you look at the relationships in your own life a little closer. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book. the opinions are my own.

This book truly walked through the inner workings of a generational family. It showed the struggles that most families go through. In some respects it was a very hard book to read because it showed the reaction by each family member to the tragedy that was going on in the family. The struggles of each family member were real and the author did a good job of telling the story from the different family members. The book made me re-look at my interaction with family and will hopefully improve my relationships.

This book is a fantastic exploration into the lives of three generations of women. The characters and plot are so well developed that you will find something to connect to in each women’s life. I highly recommend this title.