Historical Fiction

Absolution

Absolution

  • Downloads：8470
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-11-13 07:21:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Alice McDermott
  • ISBN：1250911273
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Kate Belt ，

Fast paced & event driven。 The plot was original， at least to me。 It’s about the lives and activities of the wives of contractors who lived in Vietnam during the 1960s。 It’s also about the wrongful taking of babies from poor Vietnamese families。 Fast paced and event driven。 2 1/2 stars， rounded to 3。

Bill Silva ，

A quietly moving novel， profound in its depth of feeling and sometimes heartbreaking story。 McDermott is a brilliant writer…her straightforward， economical prose communicates everything the reader needs to know about her complex characters， the evocative setting， and the ambiguity of motives， actions， and meanings explored in this engaging and illuminating narrative。 One section of the book seems a bit out of place， and the shift in voice feels jarring to me…but I’m willing to overlook a tiny fl A quietly moving novel， profound in its depth of feeling and sometimes heartbreaking story。 McDermott is a brilliant writer…her straightforward， economical prose communicates everything the reader needs to know about her complex characters， the evocative setting， and the ambiguity of motives， actions， and meanings explored in this engaging and illuminating narrative。 One section of the book seems a bit out of place， and the shift in voice feels jarring to me…but I’m willing to overlook a tiny flaw in what is otherwise a totally compelling and thoughtful novel。 。。。more

Sandy ，

4 1/2*。 Lovely and moving， beautifully written。

Michelle Wilson ，

Absolution is a quiet， character-driven novel about American women living in Vietnam in the early 60's。 Tricia， the main character， is a newlywed trying to fit in with a clique of expat women and refine her role as a "helpmate" to her career-driven husband。 Her life and the lives of the other American women seem charmed spending their evenings at parties and days shopping， but meanwhile Tricia is confronted with the harsh reality of what is going on in the streets of Vietnam。 She is "mentored" b Absolution is a quiet， character-driven novel about American women living in Vietnam in the early 60's。 Tricia， the main character， is a newlywed trying to fit in with a clique of expat women and refine her role as a "helpmate" to her career-driven husband。 Her life and the lives of the other American women seem charmed spending their evenings at parties and days shopping， but meanwhile Tricia is confronted with the harsh reality of what is going on in the streets of Vietnam。 She is "mentored" by Charlene， another American wife who claims she wants to do good， but is manipulative and selfish。 Most of the story is told by Tricia to Charlene's daughter and is divided into two parts。 I enjoyed the first part more than the second。 Although the narrator was good， at times I felt the book moved too slow and other times too quickly。 I think this book would have been better for me in print and will likely pick it up to re-read。 Thanks to Netgalley for this audiobook ARC。 。。。more

Kathleen Kelley ，

This book gives us a slice of life from 1960s Saigon from the perspective of the wives there at the time。 The story is told in the form of letters from Tricia some 60 years after leaving to Rainey， the daughter of her friend in Saigon， Charlene。 We must remember， we are reading this story through the eyes of 2023。 Things that seem so strange to us now in the 1960s were "just the way it was。" The women didn't have much say at all in their marriages or their lives。 Their job was to be a helpmeet f This book gives us a slice of life from 1960s Saigon from the perspective of the wives there at the time。 The story is told in the form of letters from Tricia some 60 years after leaving to Rainey， the daughter of her friend in Saigon， Charlene。 We must remember， we are reading this story through the eyes of 2023。 Things that seem so strange to us now in the 1960s were "just the way it was。" The women didn't have much say at all in their marriages or their lives。 Their job was to be a helpmeet for their husband， have babies， attend parties and look "perfect。" This story focuses on Charlene， who wants to help the poor， the children， the lepers in any small way she can， delivering baskets of goodies and having a seamstress make "Saigon Barbie" clothes to make money to fund her activities。 She pulls Tricia into her plans to help。 Now， the words "white savior" are in our vocabulary， but back then， Charlene just thought she was doing good in any small way she could。 I enjoyed this story， in that is just gives a glimpse of the lives of women in another place and time that we can contrast to our lives now。 。。。more

Joan Gordon ，

Wonderful！

Kidlitter ，

McDermott has produced another genius book。 The three women presented here are so different yet represent so much of American history and how the roles of women have changed since the fifties。 McDermott has a unique way of connecting reader to her characters and educating through a myriad of details - how people dressed， ate， chatted， shopped and dealt with physical realities - she doesn't smother you with her historical research but immerse you in the period。 Most of all it made me question the McDermott has produced another genius book。 The three women presented here are so different yet represent so much of American history and how the roles of women have changed since the fifties。 McDermott has a unique way of connecting reader to her characters and educating through a myriad of details - how people dressed， ate， chatted， shopped and dealt with physical realities - she doesn't smother you with her historical research but immerse you in the period。 Most of all it made me question the meaning of "inconsequential good" that well-meaning Americans perform as a plea for the world's absolution， using Vietnam， Barbie clothes and motherhood as metaphors。 And yet I know I'll go with my little bits of volunteering here and there but now I'll be a little more aware of how others may be experiencing my charity。 。。。more

Alison ，

Wow， what a story。 I thoroughly enjoyed Alice McDermott’s new book Absolution。 Her vividly wrought characters came alive through trying to ‘do good’ for those less fortunate in the steamy unsettled country of Vietnam。 Told from the perspective of conversations between shy Tricia， later in life， who was a young wife in Saigon in the early 60’s， and her pushy， aggressive accomplice Charlene’s daughter。 The story toggles back and forth between the early 1960’s and current day， where it is easier to Wow， what a story。 I thoroughly enjoyed Alice McDermott’s new book Absolution。 Her vividly wrought characters came alive through trying to ‘do good’ for those less fortunate in the steamy unsettled country of Vietnam。 Told from the perspective of conversations between shy Tricia， later in life， who was a young wife in Saigon in the early 60’s， and her pushy， aggressive accomplice Charlene’s daughter。 The story toggles back and forth between the early 1960’s and current day， where it is easier to see the mistakes made in being involved in a war in that country and the costs to all。 This is a engaging story with gorgeous writing and a plot that beautifully aligns with the definition of the title word， Absolution。 。。。more

Lisa Caccamo ，

The writing was beautiful， very insightful， but I just could not follow this book。 Just wasn’t my cup of tea I guess。 The story line seemed choppy and i just could not follow the connections between past and present。 i found myself skimming through the last 1/3 of the book。

Melissa ~ Bantering Books ，

Alice McDermott – what a fine storyteller。 Absolution is my first taste of her writing， and she's left me hungry for more。A quiet read， the novel transports us to 1963 Saigon in the midst of the Vietnam War， where two young American wives form a tenuous friendship。 I say tenuous because Charlene is a force of nature， manipulative and more than willing to break rules to accomplish her goals， and when she meets quiet， passive Tricia， she steamrolls the other woman into helping her raise money for Alice McDermott – what a fine storyteller。 Absolution is my first taste of her writing， and she's left me hungry for more。A quiet read， the novel transports us to 1963 Saigon in the midst of the Vietnam War， where two young American wives form a tenuous friendship。 I say tenuous because Charlene is a force of nature， manipulative and more than willing to break rules to accomplish her goals， and when she meets quiet， passive Tricia， she steamrolls the other woman into helping her raise money for gifts to orphaned and unwell children。The story of these two women is told 60 years later when Tricia connects with Charlene’s daughter， Rainey， and they relive their time in Saigon。 And through their shared memories， a reckoning occurs – that of the impact Charlene had on both their lives in her quest to do her inconsequential good。We all know that women had little autonomy during this time in history。 They didn’t have much of a say in the inner workings of their marriage and in their career （if they even did work outside the home）， and McDermott does an excellent job of showing not only how little power these women had but also how so many of them carried a low-level anger and frustration because of it。And this powerlessness is the reason Charlene is so determined to accomplish her altruism。 It’s really all she can do while in Vietnam， and because she has such little power in other aspects of her life， she doesn’t hesitate to bend the system， and people， to her will， all in the name of doing good。 But what’s unfortunate is that she doesn’t care if others are harmed in the process， her children included。Tricia and Charlene’s story is riveting。 And McDermott’s writing is lovely and brilliant in its introspection。 She challenges us as readers to ponder the idea of whether any good is ever too small， to the point where it’s not even worth doing。 And also， does the good work itself absolve a person of their immoral machinations？The book does end abruptly， so be prepared for the story to just sort of stop。 But I was okay with it， because McDermott only ever meant for us to have a slice of these women’s lives。 A snapshot is all she gives us， and a snapshot must satisfy us。My sincerest appreciation to Alice McDermott， Farrar， Straus and Giroux， and NetGalley for the digital review copy。 All opinions included herein are my own。 。。。more

Karen ，

McDermott is such a gem and I love reading her writing and spending time with her characters。 This story was no exception。 I loved learning more about how it was for women during Vietnam War （interesting to compare this with the Kristen Hannah book I just read too。） and I loved the themes around friendship， motherhood， family and service。 Beautiful novel。

Sharon Johnson ，

Two American women who’s lives intersect in Vietnam during the early 1960’s。

Mary ，

Looks back on two American wives in early Vietnam war era and and then years later

Lisa ，

I was pretty disappointed with this book。 Aside from their visits to the leper colony， it could’ve taken place anywhere。 I thought it would get more into the war and how that affected their lives。 A lot of time was spent on her childhood， her best friend， etc that I thought was kind of unnecessary。 It was slow but I made myself finish it。 I liked Charming Billy much better！！

Diane Cambron ，

Great story， great bookAlice McDermott has such a skill for creating memorable characters and bringing them to life。 There’s a lot of complexity here。 She taps into universal human emotions， and at the same time manages to evoke a specific time and place - VietNam during the early years of the US involvement。 Well done。

Jill Diamond ，

Love Alice McDermott’s beautiful， complicated， characters。 Her writing is just stunning。

Donnacraig5 ，

Ho hum

Carmel ，

Another beautiful book by one of my favorite authors。 So much left to think about and absorb。 As always with Alice’s novels， the storytelling is so pure and so familiar。 I loved that the story is told by these two women， their interconnectedness that began by when one was a girl and the other not quite the woman she would become， tied together by yet a third woman， tough to explain and tough to love。 Who is being absolved？

Karen ，

An engaging story that touches on the United States position in the world in the 1960s as well as women’s rights over time。 Excellent story and excellent messaging。

Maureen ，

Simply stunning

Megan Quinn ，

I didn’t love it。 Perhaps just not in the mood for this type of fiction。 The historical aspect of two women friends in early Vietnam war-era Saigon and the diplomatic tensions leading up to it was an interesting backdrop。 But the story itself reminded me somehow of Patchett’s “Tom Lake。” A story of a lady’s youth and how she ended up where she is。 It had a kind of banality to it that I couldn’t get past。 Kept waiting for the story’s turn that led to such great reviews。 Like Tom Lake， it was just I didn’t love it。 Perhaps just not in the mood for this type of fiction。 The historical aspect of two women friends in early Vietnam war-era Saigon and the diplomatic tensions leading up to it was an interesting backdrop。 But the story itself reminded me somehow of Patchett’s “Tom Lake。” A story of a lady’s youth and how she ended up where she is。 It had a kind of banality to it that I couldn’t get past。 Kept waiting for the story’s turn that led to such great reviews。 Like Tom Lake， it was just a Nope。 。。。more

Tyna ，

I appreciated Absolution， finding it readable， and thought provoking。 This is the first book I have read with a setting in Vietnam and I am interested in continuing to learn about this period of history with other literary novels。 I was born during the Vietnam war and my brother was serving as a Marine in Vietnam when I entered the world。 Absolution was so well done it left me hungry for more connections and prompted me to pre-order Kristin Hannah's next book， The Women。 *I would be interested i I appreciated Absolution， finding it readable， and thought provoking。 This is the first book I have read with a setting in Vietnam and I am interested in continuing to learn about this period of history with other literary novels。 I was born during the Vietnam war and my brother was serving as a Marine in Vietnam when I entered the world。 Absolution was so well done it left me hungry for more connections and prompted me to pre-order Kristin Hannah's next book， The Women。 *I would be interested in discovering how other readers interpreted clang clang clang goes the trolley。 。。。more

Melanie Gardner ，

4。5 rounded up。

Matthew Shelter ，

4-1/2 stars。 I’ve read 3 other books by her - Charming Billy was my favorite - but this was her first new novel in a while。 It’s as good as anything else she’s written。 She can spin these extended， set-piece scenes that go on for pages and pages， and are perfectly， beautifully drawn。

Linda ，

Another one that was inconsistent and in the end， didn’t work for me

Marne - Reader By the Water ，

ABSOLUTION by Alice McDermott （Jesse Vilinsky & Rachel Kenney， Narrators）Thanks， NetGalley and Macmillan Audio， for the advanced listening copy。If it’s wrong to read a book just because you have the perfect photo to post with it on Instagram， I don’t want to be right。 （@oh_apostrophe surely agrees with me。）I agreed to try this Vietnam-era character study because （1） my friend @inthecommonhours loved it and encouraged me， and （2） my SIL @zillart captured an orchid that matched the cover。I screwed ABSOLUTION by Alice McDermott （Jesse Vilinsky & Rachel Kenney， Narrators）Thanks， NetGalley and Macmillan Audio， for the advanced listening copy。If it’s wrong to read a book just because you have the perfect photo to post with it on Instagram， I don’t want to be right。 （@oh_apostrophe surely agrees with me。）I agreed to try this Vietnam-era character study because （1） my friend @inthecommonhours loved it and encouraged me， and （2） my SIL @zillart captured an orchid that matched the cover。I screwed my courage to the sticking place， stepped into the 10-hour audiobook， and was completely immersed。 The story of young wives who accompanied their American husbands to 1960’s Siagon is told in a series of letters written decades later。 On the surface， it’s about female friendships， marriage， and trying to make a difference。 But throughout， there’s a warning， “There's a real danger in the bestowing of gifts upon the hopeless only to inflate the ego of the one who does the bestowing。”Narrator Rachel Kenney had me in her grip from page one with the wry， self-deprecating chuckle of 80-year-old Patricia。 She later managed to capture the naivete of her younger self， the bossy Smarter-Than-Everyone Charlene， and many other characters with wildly different ages， accents， and genders。 She。 Is。 Amazing。I agree with @audiofilemagazine， “Alternately gripping， moving， and thought-provoking， this is an audiobook to savor。” 。。。more

Ann ，

I’m about Tricia’s age and lost several friends in the ill conceived Vietnam War so this was a bittersweet read for me。 This exploration of the unintended consequences of good intentions asks if empathy is sufficient for absolution。

Celia ，

Saigon in 1963。 Young， white， American wives -- wives with almost no agency -- trying to be do-gooders。 Impeccable details。

Jessica Dekker ，

DNF at halfway point。 Just find my attention constantly being taken everywhere else but this book。 :/

Nadia Zeemeeuw ，

Never yet Alice McDermott’s beautiful writing left me so indifferent。