"The Promise of a Normal Life" by Gibson portrays the struggle for normalcy with sensitivity. Through relatable characters, Gibson explores the complexities of life's expectations. While the narrative resonates emotionally, some plot developments feel contrived. Gibson's storytelling holds promise, capturing the essence of human yearning for a life less ordinary.

I really enjoyed this book. I've read others by the same author and I'm glad this is as good as then.

I did not finish this novel, it was difficult to follow. I couldn't find a good rhythm to it, but the cover is beautiful.

Loved the cover of this book and the name of it as well. I felt like this book was beautiful, and you have to read between the lines to find the beauty in this book.

What did I get from this book?
The woman has no name, and she is lost. I felt it was written in this format so we could think of ourselves? Our own life? How often do women struggle to fit in at work, school, gym, or social media? We are all lost trying to live a normal life... She goes thru the motions of finding her self, and it is a beautiful journey.

Beautifully written.

I wanted to love this short debut. It was compared to the writing of Elizabeth Strout and Marilynne Robinson so I expected it to be quiet novel; the characters self-aware and observant. The narrator is unnamed but the family members are all referred to by their first names, including her mother and father. Still, I found it difficult to keep track of the characters and the chapters too short to be transported into her home and life. Gibson's writing is lovely but, overall, it just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Had a hard time sticking with this, it felt all
Over the place. Almost seemed like short stories at times.

Coming of age stories from an American Jewish girl. I found the Passover chapter was particularly powerful, as well as the first chapter but… slowly lost interest. The first chapter about her trip to Israel was an incredible build up and yet, the chapter on Israel ends with her arrival. There isn’t one story about her summer there. There is barely any dialogue, so the narration feels like a memoir which is fine except when the main character is speaking somehow the voice doesn’t match. I don’t see the point of dividing the book into parts, years, and also chapters when the narrator going back and forth in time in almost every chapter by recalling memories. You can tell this it written by a poet but at this time I don’t know if that’s good or bad.

I was given a copy of this from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Does no one write books with narratives anymore? The last three books I've read have all been some sort of choppy-changey story things. This literally calls itself a novel on the front cover, but is actually a series of vignettes. Maybe they all add up to our main characters life? Maybe this is not about our unnamed main character, but about her mother? I don't know, but this flips from incident to incident, while our main character is so passive I would describe her as floppy. Just like real life, it doesn't add up to much and is not really that interesting, although it is so close to being a beautifully written interesting story it just sort of trails about and then finishes.

I thought this book was beautifully written: However, I don’t think it was my type of book. I am a bit of a mood reader, and was not in the right mood for a book so deep and meaningful when I read it. I think this is a strong point in the writing though, so I would encourage other readers to give the promise of a normal life a go if you enjoy books that are written poetically.

I was immediately drawn in to the story from the first scene the authors writing is so vivid her characters come to life.I will be recommending thisbook and looking forward to more from the author.Her writing is lyrical and the fact that she’s a poet shows in her language.#netgalley #skyhorsebooks

rebecca kaiser gibson's debut novel, received as an earc

the writing in this was so real that i felt completely immersed in the story. even though the narrator remains unnamed, i felt like i knew her extremely well based on the glimpses from here and there from her life. these glimpses made me appreciate the narrator's development from childhood through to navigating her adulthood. i really liked scenes that included her mother polina, because they gave such a thorough look into the complexity of her character & their relationship. the novel felt poetic in a way, which must be due to the author's background as a poet.