Wow. Just wow. This will easily make my Top Books of 2020.
I think it will largely benefit everyone to go into this as blind as possible. The only thiWow. Just wow. This will easily make my Top Books of 2020.
I think it will largely benefit everyone to go into this as blind as possible. The only thing I would note is that there could be TW for sexual assault, alcoholism and psychological abuse. I finished this two weeks ago and it hasn't left my mind since. It is completely unique and straddles a couple of genres. It's relayed in multiple formats (first person narrative, emails, screen plays, etc.) and that might bother some. It jumps around in time, but at each section there is a time marker so you can try and piece it all together.
When I got to the end, I was actually kind of stunned. I thought to myself (holy shit) and then this is either really going to annoy people or people are going to love this. I'm in the latter category. BIG TIME. Regardless of if the format sounds like it would work for you or not - I think what is another important thing to consider is just how much courage it took to write a DEBUT NOVEL in this way. The topic is very much in the news all the time right now, it brings up a lot of emotions for people and it's told from a bold perspective (both sides of the story). I wondered for a bit how I felt about this, but ultimately I think the author did it right. (Being deliberately vague on purpose, sorry.)
All in all, I would highly recommend this to everyone. I want to start a fan club for this author and I very urgently want her to publish something else ASAP. I really hope you give this a try and love it as much as I did.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Viking for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review. Also, thank you to the Buffalo Library for providing my print copy!
Five 'Best of the Year' Stars to House of Correction!!!
Raise your hands if this is the first time you've seen or heard of this book. Anyone? Well, I'mFive 'Best of the Year' Stars to House of Correction!!!
Raise your hands if this is the first time you've seen or heard of this book. Anyone? Well, I'm here to change that. This is a legal/courtroom drama that cannot be missed. I was absolutely riveted. I had never read anything by Nicci French (a husband and wife duo) before, but there was something about the premise of this that grabbed my attention and I'm so glad that I was fortunate enough to be given a copy.
So what's it about? When the book starts, you don't know much about the main character, Tabitha. You know that she is accused of murdering a neighbor because his body was found in her shed. The police believe she has the motive and means to carry out this crime. However, Tabitha cannot remember the events of that day. The more and more the reader learns about this case, the more and more unsure we are of Tabitha's innocence.
What I liked so much about Tabitha was that she was an underdog who didn't always make the best decisions, but you rooted for her anyway. When she makes the shocking decision to defend herself of the murder charge, things really get interesting. Now, it's possible that not every reader will be as into this as me, particularly because it takes a while for it to become clear the direction the authors are taking you in, but I absolutely urge you to be patient and trust me. This isn't your standard courtroom drama. It is unique and deliberately written and holy crap when the book moves into the courtroom scenes it really gets going. I was counting down the minutes to when I could get back to reading this. At a little over 500 pages, it might look cumbersome, but it is a very fast read. The authors ask for your trust in writing a book this long, but boy is the payoff huge. The ending was highly rewarding and I will be sending this book off as a gift to many friends this holiday season.
Thank you to Christina Joell and William Morrow for providing me a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Since there isn't as much press for this one, I want to provide a short summary for those reading this review. Isadora (a novelist4.5 stars rounded up
Since there isn't as much press for this one, I want to provide a short summary for those reading this review. Isadora (a novelist) and two of her sisters are going through their grandmother's belongings as she has passed away and it is their job to review what can be sold or thrown out. You know the deal, that person in your family that saves absolutely everything? Well, that's this scenario. What a nightmare, right? Well, what makes this story so special is that the granddaughters actually know some of the history behind the objects in this house because their grandmother Katherine (aka Thelma, Tommy - more on this later), made it a point to repeatedly tell her children and their children the stories of their family dating all the way back to Mary Queen of Scots up through the Civil War.
Isadora is the granddaughter who was closest to Katherine so while her sisters look at most everything as junk and something to get rid of or sell, she treasures the history in the belongings and wants to write a story on her grandmother. It is from Isadora's point of view that we learn about their grandmother's life. Beginning in the winter of 1910, at a train station where Katherine's mother, Glenna, is taking her and her younger sister out West to Montana to start a new life because Glenna is leaving their father in the dead of night due to his philandering.
The characters in this book are WOW. They are fully developed characters who are powerful, flawed, headstrong and human. There is something in here for everyone. Though Glenna is extremely unlikeable, there is something to be said about how she lived her life and the courage it took to move around the state of Montana and Nevada with the gusto she had. I most enjoyed the dynamic between the sisters, Thelma (who went by Tommy and later became Katherine), and Katherine. I could write a dissertation on their relationship, but I won't because this review already is too long. There is a lot to dislike about both sisters, but I think that's one of the other themes of this book - the humanity we all share as flawed beings. We all make mistakes and all do the best we can in the environment we are raised. The decision that Thelma makes sets both sisters on a course that will reverberate through the generations.
The largest theme discussed in the book, which caused me to ponder about my own family history, (which I unfortunately know very little about), is that what the younger generations know is all based on the stories we are told from our ancestors. If there is no written record (or if that record is difficult to obtain), we can only rely on word of mouth. With this, falsehoods can be inserted and once those falsehoods are accepted as truth, events can be altered. These tiny alterations play a big part in the history of this family and was an interesting perspective that I hadn't considered before.
If you hadn't guessed already - this was a freaking fantastic read. I haven't read historical fiction in a long time (on a genre hiatus), but this reminded me why I love reading about the past. Nostalgia is a powerful force and the history nerd in me was geeking out entirely while reading this meticulously researched book that spanned from 1910 to present times and followed each generation. Multi-generational stories are my JAM and this did not disappoint in the slightest. I read somewhere that this is loosely based on the author's family and so I can see why this book was a decade in the making.
My last thought has to do with generational stories overall, but its something I wish to note here.
There was some slight confusion as I tried to grasp whose point of view we were listening to in the beginning. Once I got the rhythm down, I didn't want to stop reading. I become increasingly annoyed with my generation when reading these books. Most of the time, we are depicted as vapid, money hungry with no regard or appreciation for the past. The steady decline in American life in large part due to loosely regulated capitalism and corporate greed makes me want to vomit. Being born in the early 80's, I remember enough about life with department stores, catalogues, corner/general stores - essentially a more small town feel. I think with advances in technology and globalization there are a lot of positives, but it makes me wish I could take a time machine and visit the world my grandparents grew up in. Make no mistake, I'm not naive enough to think their lives were perfect, but I think human beings had a lot more appreciation for their work, their reputations, their word and how they treated one another than we do now. It really makes me so sad that so many contemporaries have little to no appreciation for the hard work and sacrifices of our ancestors. How hard they worked to make our lives better and how little we regard those struggles because we are so busy living our lives. I want to make it clear that I also think we have a lot more to contend with than previous generations, particularly in a world where the 1% rules everyone else (this is before COVID), but I think the American way of life that my grandparents fought for is dying and I sincerely hope that my generation realizes this and is able to lead us to a better and happier place soon. (Didn't mean to opine for so long about this since it's a little off topic, but the book brought up some very strong feelings for me on this topic. Apologies for the soap box!)
I cannot urge you enough to read this book and I sincerely hope you do.
Thank you to Scribner and Martha McPhee for sending me a print copy to review. Thank you also to Netgalley for providing an egalley to review as well.
Loved this book. Such a well written thriller. I'm not sure what has me withholding 5 full stars??? However, it was darn close 4.75 - Rounding up to 5
Loved this book. Such a well written thriller. I'm not sure what has me withholding 5 full stars??? However, it was darn close to perfect. Maybe the pace? I'm not sure because I really didn't have any issue with the slower pace. I would have if I had read this years ago, but I'm proud that I'm a more mature reader at this point and I thought this was truly fantastic.
What's exciting about this book is that a) I had never read this author before so I have backlist to read! b) It was VERY well written and c) It was just a damn good story (one I could easily see play out on TV or in film)
I kind of got some Valentine vibes from this? The writing was vvery atmospheric (also set in Texas) and contained very complex and flawed characters. I would even go as far to say that Texas WAS a character. I'm from NY and have never visited the Lone Star State, but if it could talk it would be through these characters. I loved how well researched this was particularly with respect to people with prosthesis and all the physical and emotional symptoms they experience. I absolutely LOVED how the author moved this story along. I was fine with how it was progressing and then BAM - the Holy Shit factor came into play. And if you love strong women - there are plenty of them here.
I've read more thrillers this year than I normally do, but this one is close to being one of the best. I was very impressed and I cannot wait for the author's next book!!
Thank you to Random House Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.
Get your highlighters ready! This is one of those books where you are completely captivated by the author's w4 amazing stars for this brilliant debut!
Get your highlighters ready! This is one of those books where you are completely captivated by the author's writing. Ms. West's mastery of the written word is clearly evident and you will need to add her as an auto buy author for the future.
This is not a criticism of the book, but a warning to readers who have read the summary. This is NOT a mystery/thriller. This is very much an exploration of a place, its people and secrets that were kept long ago that have impacted future generations. That is very nondescript of course, but that's the best way I can summarize it. The reader has a magnifying glass held over the South Side of Chicago and you are witness to the King and Potter families lives and the story begins with a murder of Alice King.
The other warning I would mention is that this is not at all a fast paced read. With each chapter, the author slowly unveils the story of these characters until you get to about the 75% mark and then you are turning pages so quickly you find yourself at the end. And what an ending!
I'm in awe with how deliberate Ms. West's writing is. She had a plan on how she wanted this book to go and she stuck to it. In a world of popular, fast paced reads (and there are some fantastic ones), she danced circles around that style of book and as long as you have the patience for the wait and see approach - you will not be sorry.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Park Row and Catherine Adel West for the opportunity to read and review this book.
"Really, you're going to 'you people' me? It must be nice to look down your nose on a race of people you can shoot down in the street with no consequence."
"It doesn't matter I'm educated, that I volunteer at church. It doesn't matter I have a family that loves me, or that I don't have so much as a speeding ticket in my name, I'm black. That's what matters. Cops cover for cops. Blue covers blue. Blue doesn't cover black. And there'd be no one to speak for me."...more
My full review is still to follow, but I wanted to list the below quote from Senior Chief Petty Officer Rob O'Neill,There is no other rating to give.
My full review is still to follow, but I wanted to list the below quote from Senior Chief Petty Officer Rob O'Neill, SEAL Team Six, U.S. Navy who participated in the raid of UBL. It is perhaps what moved me the most and I have a feeling it's because of who said the words, but also that they were at the end of what was a very emotional experience. Again, my full review is still to come.
"...We went in there thinking this was a one way mission. We had our last meals with our families and our kids--I know I did--and then hand-wrote letters to our families. We had to find people and say, 'Hey, here's an envelope. If you don't see me tomorrow, you'll know what this is, and there are directions inside, but if you do see me tomorrow, give these back to me.'
People were saying to each other on the mission, 'If we know we're going to die, why are we going to go?" Then we talked about the people who jumped out of the Towers on a Tuesday morning. They didn't want to, they didn't know what was happening--all they knew was that it was 2500 degrees Fahrenheit and the better alternative than whatever hell was going on inside, in Windows of the World or at Cantor Fitzgerald, was to jump. They were not supposed to be in the fight. We all joined to be in the fight, and that's why we were going. We had that conversation about how the first ones to fight al-Qaeda were the passengers on Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. God knows how many lives they saved, but they killed themselves for the Western world. We had these conversations every night. That was why we went." (page 422)...more
I had to step away for a moment before I could write this because I was feeling very emotional trying to gather my thoughts together. This book will mI had to step away for a moment before I could write this because I was feeling very emotional trying to gather my thoughts together. This book will mean something different to everyone, but the many themes that were explored were very touching.
I enjoyed this so much and wish in a way that there could have been more of it. I was never bored and I find myself struggling to write a review that doesn't give anything away about the story. While this could be a post apocalyptic setting, the uncertainty of much of when and where allows you to draw your own conclusions and focus on the journey of the girl and her father. I liked this very bare bones approach because to me it didn't matter. What mattered was the girl and her father, their relationship with the world around them and the animals and nature that inhabited the world with them. There are some points that I think will cause people to lose interest, but I think for those willing, it is a perfect book to get lost in and just let yourself feel. I cried a couple of times while listening and the spectrum of emotions I went through was therapeutic. I particularly enjoyed listening to it at night while I was walking the dogs. It felt special to be with them in that way, surrounded by the trees and wildlife that inhabit my neighborhood and to look up at the stars in the clear, dark sky while I sat with them on the porch. It made me appreciate all that Earth provides to human kind and it also depressed me that some of the sentiments in these pages will be lost on those who choose not to listen.
In closing, I do wish I had the opportunity to read the print book versus listening to this, but I felt the audio version was very well done. It captured the silence and isolation of the girl very well and also did a good job of portraying the animals. It was expertly written and I already put a library copy on hold so I can read it again.
Thank you to Highbridge Audio and Libro.fm for providing this ALC for me to review.
What a fantastic surprise this was. An absolute must read. Highly recommend.
Imagine it's the middle of the night, your phone is ringing and it's your What a fantastic surprise this was. An absolute must read. Highly recommend.
Imagine it's the middle of the night, your phone is ringing and it's your Dad calling. You answer and your beloved father tells you he might be in some trouble. It seems he may have been the last person to see a neighbor alive...thirty years ago.
This is how our story begins.
If you love Jane Harper or Tana French, I strongly urge you to read this book. The writing captures the slow dissolution of hope in almost every character. The neighborhood where this book takes place is beautiful on the outside. Newer houses, (some with the ocean in the backyard), young and happy families, but as soon as you look closer...you see the cracks. Things are not as bright and shiny as they appear. What Ms. Allott does with each chapter is reveal slowly and expertly, the steady unraveling of each character. Bored housewives who have dreams of their own and their troubled husbands who seek solace in the wrong places. The mistakes and secrets these adults make bleed into the next generation and it is the fateful year of 1967 that we look back to in order to find out what happened to Mandy.
There could not be a more apt title for this book. The 'silence' is represented by the secrets each character keeps and what is left unsaid. Further, the 'silence' represented by the horrible atrocity committed by the Australian government in forcibly taking children from Aboriginal families and relocating them into institutions. These scenes were very difficult to read, but necessary. Timing is everything and this book found me at the most impactful time it could. Yesterday was Juneteenth, which is a point in American History that I recently learned more about and I don't recall learning about it in school. Similarly, Ms. Allott features a time in Australian history that many are not taught in school, as a backdrop to the disappearance that the plot centers around. An old history professor once said that history is written by the victor. With this book, you see a peek into a history a government has silenced by simply pretending it didn't exist (until it had to) and leaving generations of its people in the dark and many, worse off in life.
While the pace of the novel is slower (which used to be a deterrent for me), it is skillfully timed. The characters are troubled, but relatable and fully developed. My heart broke several times throughout reading this and the ending did the preceding pages complete justice. I cannot believe this is a debut author or novel. Put Ms. Allot on your list to watch. She's a real talent.
Thank you so much to Christina Joell at William Morrow Group, Edelweiss and Susan Allott for the finished copy and the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.
The Vanishing Half reminds me of The Guest Book in how well written and quotable it is. It was a very similarOne of the best books of 2020 hands down.
The Vanishing Half reminds me of The Guest Book in how well written and quotable it is. It was a very similar reading experience. I was so moved by this story and just sat in awe the entire time I read it. I think I said in my Instagram review that I was put in a zombie trance from the very first page and that is a fact.
I was fortunate enough to have won a copy of this from an Instagram contest and be included in a discussion and Q&A with other readers as well as the author. I found out about this event 4 days before it was to happen and I hadn't even started the book. (Crap!) I had no idea how I was going to get through a 350+ page book in that short of time (lately, reading time has been at a bare minimum), but luckily I was able to get it done in time and I pretty much only took a break to work and sleep. I was taking pictures of whole passages so I could write them down in my journal. It also had me thinking a lot. Any book that causes me to look internally at myself or think about a perspective different from my own and learn new things...I'm sold. Well, now I feel it is my obligation to sell this book to you.
You've seen the summary, but what the summary doesn't include is the journey you're about to go on. The story is so much more than a story of twin sisters. It's about every day people. It's about racial identity, gender identity, socioeconomic identity and so much more. Is your identity something that your appearance dictates? Or do we consciously evolve based on our surroundings? Is it something that we are born knowing? The questions are endless. This book could have easily become preachy. It could have been a book that you could mentally check a box for each hot button issue it discussed. Well, not this book. Not this piece of literary genius. To me, it did what I had hoped Such a Fun Age would do. It was a freaking master class that dared you to look in the mirror, stare at your reflection and strip the layers away of who you are.
The other thing I sit in awe of is how all the stories are woven together. Each part jumps in time and begins with a zoomed out approach of something that has nothing to do with what you just finished reading. Some general history of the town, or a house, or a movement and then bam. You're right back with the story and you get that holistic approach to bring even more context to the story. It really was just a spectacular read. I urge you to consider reading it and I hope if you do, we can discuss it!
Thanks so much to Riverhead Books and Brit Bennett for the advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Liz Moore continues her literary genius with her latest novel and it is such a relief to have my high expectations confirmed and exceeded. I think oneLiz Moore continues her literary genius with her latest novel and it is such a relief to have my high expectations confirmed and exceeded. I think one of the things I love most about Liz Moore is that her stories are multi-layered and written in such a way that you become that character so fully. You live the holistic experience of her main characters - you see through their eyes, feel their emotions and learn with their minds - everything that transpires in her books. I come away a different person after having read her work because I learn so much from her and the role of that particular character.
This book covers so many things so well: family relationships, the opioid crisis, life as a female police officer, socioeconomic disparity, etc. etc. Every theme is seamlessly woven through this story from the perspective of Michaela Fitzgerald that my eyes devoured each page as quickly as they would go. This book takes a patient reader and I'm glad that I'm more mature in my reading now that I can be content with waiting for what will unfold. Years ago, I would have been bored with following Mickey in her day to day life. (No disrespect to anyone who might have been bored - reading a book is an individual experience to us all.) The point I'm trying to make is that it makes me sad to think about all the books I missed out on, but in order to get better at something you have to practice. I'm glad I've put in the practice to appreciate this kind of book now.
One last point I would like to make - Even though both books are very different, I found myself thinking about Saint X (review here) at times. I thought the way the history of Philadelphia was sprinkled throughout the story was intensely interesting and helped flesh out this story even more. It was so atmospheric and wonderfully described that I felt like I knew those streets as well as Mickey did while she patrolled. I didn't feel that way with Claire in Saint X as she narrated her journey through the streets of NYC. Maybe this point is unfair of me, but it just highlighted to me again how well done this book really was.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Riverhead Books, and Liz Moore for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.
This is a very strong 4.5, but it comes just short of a 5.
This was the strongest thriller I've read in a long time. It had everything that makes a thrThis is a very strong 4.5, but it comes just short of a 5.
This was the strongest thriller I've read in a long time. It had everything that makes a thriller great - a realistic story, proper character development, drip drop reveals and a good (believeable) ending! I read the summary to this probably six months ago so the legal/courtroom aspects were a surprise and my favorite part. There genuinely wasn't a part of this book I didn't like. Domestic thrillers usually aren't my thing, but I wanted to give this a chance because I liked Reconstructing Amelia. I will definitely buy the author's next book for sure.
What bugs me the most about the thriller genre today are the come from nowhere twists that are used to shock the reader, but make little sense. The pacing of the story is a little slower to begin with, but you are captivated the entire time. No shock factor twists are needed because it is a well thought out and clever book. The cookie crumb trail of clues left for the reader made it hard to discern who the killer was. I had a couple of guesses and finally figured it out right before it was revealed. I really loved how it could have gone anywhere because the characters were so flawed and all seemed to have a motive.
I honestly savored each page and always looked forward to getting back to it. If I am honest, unless it was an 800+ page historical fiction novel, I can't think of another book that would have kept my interest over a three week period as well as this one.
Thanks to Edelweiss, HarperCollins and Kimberly McCreight for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.
I don't quite know what is holding me back from giving this five stars, but I suspect with some time I will come back and ad4.5 that I’m rounding up.
I don't quite know what is holding me back from giving this five stars, but I suspect with some time I will come back and adjust it up. This was a beautifully written and executed book and will be in my top books of the year post for sure. I loved the family saga aspect, I loved the characters (even the jerks), I loved the time period and most of all, I loved how this one felt. It was a story that got me right there. I don't even want to put anything regarding the summary in here because I went in blind and I felt like that worked well for me.
If you're looking for one of those books that you feel a hangover from after reading it - this is it. I cannot urge you enough to read it and find out for yourself what a talented writer and storyteller, Rachel Beanland is.
Thank you to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and Rachel Beanland for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.
5 stars!! A perfect beginning to what I hope is a very long series!! If you liked Lucy Foley's, The Guest List, you will love this one.
I absolutely AD5 stars!! A perfect beginning to what I hope is a very long series!! If you liked Lucy Foley's, The Guest List, you will love this one.
I absolutely ADORE mystery books. Have loved them since I can remember. What's even better than a mystery book? A mystery SERIES. And boy is this the one you should drop everything for and start. Ever since I received an email from Netgalley on 10/31/19 to request this book, I knew I had to read it. It gave off the Christie vibes, had a multi-dimensional female lead and there was a creepy opening scene. A blood soaked bed with no body. COUNT ME IN. Unfortunately, the publisher denied my request for an e-arc and the library copy got held up in quarantine and here we are in June. I finally get my copy!! I pushed aside all the other books I had lined up to read and BOY, WAS IT WORTH THE WAIT!!! (Plus, the second book in the series comes out in December so I guess in hindsight all the waiting worked in my favor!)
I'm not going to summarize the plot, rather I'm going to tell you just how expertly I thought this was written by debut author, Tessa Wegert. I was cold. I was wet. I was sufficiently creeped out and repulsed by character after character who seriously were terrible, terrible people. But that makes things interesting, doesn't it? Then you had flashback scenes that seriously had my heart racing. (Nothing graphic included for those who might be concerned.) I couldn't figure out who did it, but when it was revealed it made total sense. I thought the execution of this was brilliant and I cannot WAIT for the next one.
I started this book in October, but I put it aside because it wasn't the right time to read it. Too much was going on and I couldn't give the book focI started this book in October, but I put it aside because it wasn't the right time to read it. Too much was going on and I couldn't give the book focus the way I wanted to. Fast forward to January and I decided to make the intelligent decision to download the audiobook and give it a listen. This format worked much better.
I have loved politics and history for a very long time. My dream would be to work in the White House or be a US Senator, but in listening to Susan Rice I remembered I'm not nearly intelligent enough to be good for those jobs. (Similarly, this is how I remembered feeling while watching the West Wing.) I am a complete slouch compared to her. She is a truly awe-inspiring and it comes at no surprise given the house she was raised in. Her family is a true example of the American Dream and that you can put your mind to anything as long as you're willing to put in the work and are given an opportunity.
I enjoyed her experiences while working in the Obama Administration the most and found life as the UN Ambassador and later National Security Advisor fascinating. Based on everything else I have ever read about working with and for Barack Obama, I could only imagine what a pleasure it was to work in that administration. As much as I enjoyed listening to all aspects of her professional career, it also made me profoundly sad about what we are enduring today. The care and preparation in both the Clinton and Obama administrations just leaves me shaking my head at the absence of that today.
But back to the book....while I could rave about this book forever, I did find how long it was start to wear me down a little. I don't see how she could have cut anything out, but I was ready for this book to end when it did. However, I will still give it 5 stars for the amount of time that went into writing it and the research she did on her own family as well as introspection Ms. Rice provided on herself and her conduct throughout every aspect of her life. To be this honest with the reader about her shortcomings and mistakes must have been very challenging.
In conclusion, she leaves us with hope on how we can work together to bridge the political divide, but I'm afraid I have trouble feeling the same. Although I admit being discouraged, I will try my hardest to live by her example of doing the things I can to help make our country better.
Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and Susan Rice for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.
This is immediately going on my best of 2020 list. There is so much to hold on to and talk about with this very special book. I found myself 5 stars!!
This is immediately going on my best of 2020 list. There is so much to hold on to and talk about with this very special book. I found myself bereft of all hope as I read about Adunni's life, yet she continually amazed me. It opens with Adunni learning she will soon be married to a man older than her father, where she will become the third wife in her new home. To think that this practice still exists today all over the world! All Adunni wanted was to go to school and earn an education. My heart just broke for her. So many girls in this and similar situations are being robbed of opportunities and it made me so thankful that my daughter (and me too come to think of it) were saved this terrible fate. In ninth grade English, we had a unit called 'The Indomitable Spirit" and if this book were alive and kicking in 1997 when I took that course, The Girl With The Louding Voice would have been front and center. Adunni was unconquerable and that gave me hope. That kept me reading.
I read an egalley of this, but will be sure to add this to my book collection because the writing was phenomenal. My copy will be full of fluorescent highlighting because it was just that good. I absolutely urge you to read this book. Run if you have to! Abi Dare is without a doubt one of my new favorites and I will be sure to add her to my list of auto-buy authors.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Dutton Books for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.
What's really interesting about this book is that my feelings were all over the map at any given point while reading it. I was Wow. Just wow. 5 stars.
What's really interesting about this book is that my feelings were all over the map at any given point while reading it. I was fortunate enough to buddy read this with my friend, Nicole, and if you have a friend (or two), or a book club and you are looking for a good book to discuss - this is it.
The book is broken up into three parts, which was great because they were very clear stopping points to absorb what you just read and think about what might be coming. I would also recommend that you know as little about the book as possible. Going in with as clean of a slate as possible was immensely helpful and satisfying as far as the reading experience goes. As each page went by, another layer was peeled away revealing what lied beneath. For this alone, it was MARVELOUSLY paced, timed, planned - whatever you want to say. The payoff for all the waiting was HUGE and immensely "satisfying". I don't think I can think of one thing that was left open, which is a rarity these days. When do you ever get the chance at complete closure?
With Part I, I thought this is...different and intriguing. Clearly we are building a foundation for something. I liked the narrator as the voice of the "neighborhood at large". I thought this was a clever plot device. It kind of let you absorb the story, but then you had a little birdy on your shoulder whispering things that would help you gain further perspective.
With Part II, the story started to reveal itself a little more and by the end of the section I could feel my posture becoming more erect and my brain synapses firing much more rapidly. Again, pacing here was perfect. The narration was starting to irritate me a little and seemed almost controlling at times. I felt I was losing my ability to decide on my own what was going to happen because the book kept leading you right where it wanted you to go. My ability to think freely about the characters and what I thought was going to happen felt manipulated.
Part III was magnificent. Beyond brilliant. That's all I'm going to say so I don't ruin anything for anyone who might not have read it. I just sat there and looked out the window for a few minutes after it was over to absorb everything and let the tears fall. I was so grateful to the author for writing an author's note and placing it in the beginning of the book.
I could not be more thankful for the reading experience that was this book. It was such a moving experience and does all the things a true, 5 star read should. It made me mad as hell, uncomfortable, think introspectively and encouraged discussion. It was...the total package.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Therese Ann Fowler for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review. I am forever changed because of this reading experience and I intend on putting this book in front of as many people as I can. I only wish I would have read it sooner.
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