Lagniappe Literature

What a moody book! Not sure if I liked this. The whole time I was reading I felt like I was forcing myself to move forward. One more chapter, I'd tell myself. And not in that good way when one normally says, "just one more page. One more chapter."  It wasn't bad but I really didn't care about the characters one way or the other. The storyline was weak, in my opinion, and each of the three characters did so much thinking between the pages. It actually became tedious. Did I have to know each and every thought? And when a secret was revealed to be a secret I wondered why it was such a big deal. Really? Rich people and their perceived problems. Everyone in this book was boring and it all felt a bit ho hum. Too ying/yang for my taste. 

A young woman and two brothers in Philly. Nora is engaged to one and BFF's with the other. Nora was raised without money and the brothers family is wealthy. Nora has dreamed of a different lifestyle but finds it difficult to fit in. She's anxious to please. Her boyfriend,  Leopold, wants a good old fashioned life of normal. Stephen, the studious BFF, isn't sure what he wants. He doesn't believe that his brother is right for Nora and Stephen feels like he's going to lose her forever. Leo is doing his best to get Nora to commit to a wedding date but trauma in Nora's life is preventing her from happiness. Not one single person is saying what they mean. Everyone just seems to be coasting on neutral, quietly dealing with their own selfish thoughts. The book mostly takes place on one day, June Sixteenth, and what a busy day it is.  First, a funeral. Next, a party to celebrate the centennial of Ulysses. Stephen and Leopold Portman's parents throw a Bloomsday party every year. Lang never truly explains why the Portman's are so obsessed with Ulysses, other than it's pretentiousness. A funeral can't stop the party. The show must go on. Geez. How I wish it hadn't!

*Won a copy of this book  through a Goodreads giveaway.