From page one, all the members of the clan are fighting, gossiping or grieving over lost chances. The first section describes soon-to-die Aunt Becky and her scathing remarks to each family member as she spitefully reads her will out loud to them. I can only stand biting humor up to a point so I was relieved when the novel took a different turn and began to focus on three different couples. (There are too MANY people in the Dark and Penhallow clan to keep straight, so it was good to be able to focus on just a few.) But I was disheartened that all of these characters seemed to more in love with love than with each other.
It came out all right in the end as each one learned to let go of their illusions and accept their loved ones, imperfections and all. The book is ultimately about the high cost of loving and the happiness of those who are willing to pay the price. Rosy, unrealistic dreams are traded in for real ones.
I loved this book so much that I was horrified at the closing scene. It was meant to be a funny conclusion to one of the secondary story lines, but the inclusion of a racial slur robbed it of its humor for me. (With the whole Dr. Seuss book banning fiasco, I'm wondering if books like this will soon be on the chopping block. I hope not because even though there is one inappropriate sentence, it has so many good life lessons to teach.)
Unlike the Anne of Green Gables' books, I would not place this title in the children's book category because of the "hell"-ing and "damn"-ing, and a few occasions where someone is in love with someone else's spouse (in a chaste sort of way). Irreverent statements about God are sprinkled throughout.
In spite of all my reservations, I'm still considering A Tangled Web one of my favorite books of 2021.
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