I don’t really have strong feelings about this story one way or another. The writing is absolutely beautiful, and the author paints a picture of times very long ago and not so long ago as the story transports the reader across multiple timelines. The characters are compelling as well. However, I found it difficult to keep track of the different characters in each timeline. And I kept waiting for something “big” to happen but it never materialized for me. A lot of potential but not fully developed for me.

This book focused on several generations of a family. The stories felt incomplete at the end. Parts of the story held my interest and other parts were slow.

3 stars
This is a coming of age story, spanning over several generations. Our cast of characters is 11 year old Sylvie, her older sister Wren, their mother Margret and their grandmother Georgia. We learn Georgia and Margaret’s story as well as Wren and Sylvie’s.

This book did drag a bit, sometimes it would pick up the pace and flow well and other times it felt like I was going to be stuck on the same chapter forever.
I thought this book ended wonderfully though, with all four women ( grown up Sylvie and Wren) together at a crucial moment in each of their lives!

This was a good read. I do wish the ending had gone a little deeper into each of the stories and maybe tied the three timelines together a little bit more.

‘In the Arkansas mountains, three generations of fiercely determined young women are poised for self-discovery in a decades-spanning novel about the bonds of family and secrets.
The halcyon days in the Ouachita Mountains are not what they appear. When the truth comes to light—about mothers, daughters, and sisters—no one in the family will ever be the same.’

Five Oaks, told from a singular point of view and alternating timelines, unfurled in such a languorous way in its depiction of generational history.
The words strung together to form sentences, paragraphs, a novel, were intricate and balm-like and purposeful. I sincerely appreciated Hensley’s style of storytelling very much and look forward to reading more of it. My only complaint is I was left a little wanting at the end, still looking for answers to these questions that linger.
No doubt about her talent though. She’s got it in spades.
 
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this arc in exchange for review.
 
Pub date: 5.27.2025.