White Ivy: A Read with Jenna Pick

I purchased this book to replace a library book that I had spilled on. I tried numerous times to read this book and just couldn't get interested in it, I read about half way.

Rather than a thriller, I would label this book a ho hummer. I almost gave up at around 70% at which point i was getting pretty tired of ivy and had pretty much abandoned any hope that anything interesting, exciting or suspenseful would ever take place. Thank goodness for the last few chapters. I didn't like any of the characters with Roux being the only possible exception.

I liked the book and it kept my interest but the main character was so very flawed. She had few redeeming qualities, if any.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in a couple of sittings. Given the overabundance of disappointing fiction out there, "White Ivy" stopped me from doing chores and truly (sadly, only for a couple of days) gave me something to look forward to with my evening treat of In the Bath with a Book.Ivy is a wonderfully flawed yet sympathetic protagonist. She makes no shortage of bad and even ultimately immoral choices, yet the reader willingly lives in her head from childhood to gawky, needy middle schooler to swanned-out beautiful adult woman, wanting to see how she's going to tackle the numerous fixes she finds herself in. The majority of these are inner-head psychological dilemmas, but as the book progresses, her dilemmas become more and more part of the physical as opposed to the metaphysical world, with potentially looming, real-time consequences.Those reviewers who have noted a similarity to Edith Wharton's "The House of Mirth" are spot-on. Edith Wharton is possibly my all-time favorite author, and I've read "House of Mirth" many times. While I would not call this a modern day reimagining of that book, if you have a level of familiarity with its characters, situations and events, you will find some delicious parallels. (In my mind, I pegged Sylvia as Bertha Dorset; Gideon as Percy; Roux as Selden; with Ivy obviously as Lily Bart; among other potential comparisons.)I give four stars instead of five only because I felt Ivy's Chinese heritage could have taken more of a front seat in the trajectory of and development of her character. Instead, I felt that Ivy could have been a member of any minority group, without substantial changes to the plot. Who she is does not seem rooted in her ethnic heritage, when it could have been very interesting to see that play a larger role. At root, this story is about money and class distinction, and the desire of the have-neithers to aspire to the life of the have-boths. Which is certainly no new trope in the world of literature, but one that always grips and fascinates regardless of the time it's set in.

I'm on the fence about my rating. May contain spoilers!While it is well written and easy to read i was bored until the last half. I was actually hoping the would be a murder or Ivy burning something down. Only the last few chapters were exciting. The author did a good job keeping you hooked and setting up pathos for Ivy due to her early years, but when she reconnects with Gideon the story drags. Its another book that I didn't like any of the characters, they were all bad people out for themselves. I'm glad it was free.