Ethan Joella

A Novel

Quiet Life

         I read A Little Hope last year.  I thoroughly disliked A Little Hope last year.  I’ll go ahead a post the review I wrote at the end of this one.  I don’t even think I posted the review on my blog, I found so little that was redeemable about that book.  Not that long ago (like, a few days ago), I wrote a review emphasizing how much more I enjoy plot-driven novels versus character-driven novels.  Joella is a character writer, and while some people find those books to be their cup of tea, the truth is, I don’t really like tea. 

            A Little Hope was Joella’s debut novel, and I am a firm believer that everybody should get at least two tries before I decide it’s not for me, so when this one popped up on my BOTM app, I reluctantly added it to my TBR (I wasn’t going to for the physical copy after disliking the first one so much).  This one is also a character-driven novel.  This one is also a book about people who are going through some pretty dark things in their lives.  Joella clearly enjoys writing about depressing topics.  This one is fundamentally different than his previous novel, however, because the three main characters actually had positive outcomes. 

            I won’t go further into detail, ya’ll know how much I avoid spoilers.  Joella paints a portrait for each of these three with care and compassion, turning the three individual portraits into a triptych, creating a braid of players in this heart-warming story.  The resolutions of each character’s scenario left a smile on my face, which is far different from wanting to throw the book across the room when I finished his first book.  This one was a vast improvement, and now I can look forward (with cautious optimism) to his future work. 

Kristen Claiborn

         I read A Little Hope last year.  I thoroughly disliked A Little Hope last year.  I’ll go ahead a post the review I wrote at the end of this one.  I don’t even think I posted the review on my blog, I found so little that was redeemable about that book.  Not that long ago (like, a few days ago), I wrote a review emphasizing how much more I enjoy plot-driven novels versus character-driven novels.  Joella is a character writer, and while some people find those books to be their cup of tea, the truth is, I don’t really like tea. 

            A Little Hope was Joella’s debut novel, and I am a firm believer that everybody should get at least two tries before I decide it’s not for me, so when this one popped up on my BOTM app, I reluctantly added it to my TBR (I wasn’t going to for the physical copy after disliking the first one so much).  This one is also a character-driven novel.  This one is also a book about people who are going through some pretty dark things in their lives.  Joella clearly enjoys writing about depressing topics.  This one is fundamentally different than his previous novel, however, because the three main characters actually had positive outcomes. 

            I won’t go further into detail, ya’ll know how much I avoid spoilers.  Joella paints a portrait for each of these three with care and compassion, turning the three individual portraits into a triptych, creating a braid of players in this heart-warming story.  The resolutions of each character’s scenario left a smile on my face, which is far different from wanting to throw the book across the room when I finished his first book.  This one was a vast improvement, and now I can look forward (with cautious optimism) to his future work. 

Three people experiencing grief in a small Pennsylvania town find their lives intersecting, and they help one another begin to heal. Moving, beautiful, and quiet, this story is Ethan Joella’s forte: looking at the difficulties in the lives of ordinary people. I felt seen.

Quiet Life A Novel

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