3.5/5 - Full review at emileereads: http://emileereads.com/blog/2017/7/31... 
 There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed or was very moved by, but then other parts dragged on. I think Whitehead's writing style just isn't for me. There were enough beautifully written moments, however, that I'd gladly read another one of his books before deciding for sure. 
 One of the "great" parts of Cora's story - the one that touched me the most - was (view spoiler)[ when she was hiding in the attic, (hide spoiler)] and I think that was because she was there long enough for me to actually relate to the character. ("Great" here meaning emotionally powerful, it wasn't a happy or wonderful event by any stretch of the imagination.) I felt immersed in the horrific situation. I felt claustrophobic, nauseous, and scared right along with Cora in those pages. 
 I felt detached from her at times, though, because Whitehead had this habit of stopping the story at a dramatic moment to flashback to another character that was already long gone. And then, when the flashback was over, it skipped ahead and I felt like I had missed something important. The only time I liked the flashback was when it was Cora's mother, even though it jerked me out of Cora's flight. Honestly, the mother's scene might've been my favorite in the book. It was haunting and heartbreaking; I felt like I was living some eternal moment. I just wish it had come at a different point in the story so I could've been focused on Cora, too. 
 Another thing that made this book feel a little off to me was the timing of everything. This book was pre-Civil War but I kept feeling like it was early 1900's because of the railroad engineering and the eugenics experiments (although I did appreciate that that true history was a plot point). 
 This book sometimes felt impersonal and distant when all I wanted was to be moved by the situations. However, it's an intriguing concept with many high points and I understand why so it received so many awards. If this is a book you're interested in you'll probably love it!