The Vacationers: A Novel by Emma Straub

TheVacationers took a lot of fortitude to get though. To be honest, I'm not sure why, I continued to read it. I didn't like any of the characters, the storyline was bland. Nothing, happens. Really, NOTHING, happens.

This book is essentially about a bunch of over indulgent, spoiled individuals who go on a family vacation. There are seven characters but it is nearly impossible to tell them apart, there is no true distinct characterization. It appears that the author took characters from the TV show "Modern Family", made them her own and attempted to develop a story around them.

Reading this book is akin to watching paint dry. Skip this read and pick up a different book. It will save you time, frustrating and money.

Grade: F


Overview: [B&N]

For the Posts, a two-week trip to the Balearic island of Mallorca with their extended family and friends is a celebration: Franny and Jim are observing their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, and their daughter, Sylvia, has graduated from high school. The sunlit island, its mountains and beaches, its tapas and tennis courts, also promise an escape from the tensions simmering at home in Manhattan. But all does not go according to plan: over the course of the vacation, secrets come to light, old and new humiliations are experienced, childhood rivalries resurface, and ancient wounds are exacerbated.