3.5 stars. I had a difficult time rating this because it’s beautifully written, like always, but there were so many chapters written from the perspectives of people I care little of, if at all. I almost began to resent them for simply taking up space in the story.

They’re all well thought out and skillfully immersive stories that even eventually lend some spice, but I wasn’t able to appreciate them while in anxious anticipation to catch up with the main characters that I’ve missed since reading the last one.

I’m sure the character development in these stories will be integral to the plot of the last one, but I’m almost too exhausted from multitasking both over-rationalizing and reading to consider Goldfinch it if it’s like this.

The ending!! Is just cruel and I hope it’s one of those things that are resolved quickly when everyone already has enough going on without that awful trope.