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bookofcinz's review against another edition
4.0
Lest We Find Gold is Melanie Schwapp's sophomore novel. The book follows the life of Milly from her early years to her present life with her husband. Milly has a lot going for her, well educated, a practicing nurse with a big future ahead of her. She meets her husband when he comes into the hospital for heart palpitations and since then Milly finds herself dying a little daily.
I really enjoyed this book, Melanie Schwapp really did a great job of painting such a full picture of Milly my heart ached for her and her suffering. I loved how the book was formatted, we get insight to Milly's early life with the backdrop of her current life. I particularly loved the exploration of the mother-daughter relationship, that for me was so well done. As a Jamaican, I particularly loved how Jamaican the book felt, from the descriptions, to the various cultural nuances-it was great!
My only complaint was I felt the husband's character could have been a bit more. Maybe this is me looking for a reason why some men turn out the way they do but... I also would have liked to hear more about the sister, I felt her character could have gotten some more airplay.
If you are looking for a great read, with a lead female character who is brave I highly recommend this read.
I really enjoyed this book, Melanie Schwapp really did a great job of painting such a full picture of Milly my heart ached for her and her suffering. I loved how the book was formatted, we get insight to Milly's early life with the backdrop of her current life. I particularly loved the exploration of the mother-daughter relationship, that for me was so well done. As a Jamaican, I particularly loved how Jamaican the book felt, from the descriptions, to the various cultural nuances-it was great!
My only complaint was I felt the husband's character could have been a bit more. Maybe this is me looking for a reason why some men turn out the way they do but... I also would have liked to hear more about the sister, I felt her character could have gotten some more airplay.
If you are looking for a great read, with a lead female character who is brave I highly recommend this read.
valchic868's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Drug use
novelswithnayo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
schwarzer_elch's review against another edition
2.0
Este libro me ha dejado sensaciones encontradas. Por un lado, nos ofrece un contexto social que se centra en lo local, pero que logra transmitir lo universal y, además, es habitado por una protagonista con varias capas, lo cual la vuelve harto interesante. Sin embargo, la historia repite sus propios lugares comunes y eso la vuelve densa y, por momentos, aburrida de leer. En un momento me pasó que me daba igual terminarlo o no, pues sentía que la autora no me llevaba a ningún lado y que, aunque avanzara en capítulos, estaba detenido en un solo momento narrativo.
books_beaches_images's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
When I walked in the bookstore and pulled this book from the shelves, handed my card to the cashier to swipe and walked out, I didn't know what I was in for.
I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I pulled it off my shelf and started to read it in preparation for bookclub.
I didn't know until I was barely able to see the words because my eyes were filled with tears, my heart with a florid of emotions - anger, pain, sadness, happiness, and peace that this book is going to be possibly my favorite book this year!!
It is not because It brought me home to physical places I knew personally in my childhood (i.e Hope Gardens, Palisadoes etc), it's because this book was written in such a way that I understood and I empathized with Milly. I felt her pain and I felt her moments of joy.
Often times we don't understand the decisions people make, especially those who are near and dear to us. However, this book is a reminder that things aren't always what they seem. Its a reminder to always extend grace and compassion to those who make "bad decisions ", to offer if nothing else, a listening hear and maybe forgiveness.
Sometimes the ones closest to us are the ones who hurt us, and navigating that path of walking away from what doesn't serve us, however winding, might be necessary.
The title was perfectly chosen to highlight the desire of the protagonist to acquire something of great need... but at what cost?
I wanted to fight Monty and his mother. And though I didn't agree with all of Nicole's (Milly's mother) decisions I had great compassion for her too... afterall flawed people aren't necessarily bad people , right?
Some great things about the book includes its mention of folklore songs, foods, and places. There was also a balance in the display of unconventional but possibly true love scenarios. Also, the humor was right up my alley!
Though some may finds it repetitive in parts, I don't mind that formatting because it made me feel like i was in Millys mind or that she was speaking to me and just pouring out her heart unrehearsed, just raw and bare.
Melanie Schwapps put her foot in this one!!! Love it bad!!!
I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I pulled it off my shelf and started to read it in preparation for bookclub.
I didn't know until I was barely able to see the words because my eyes were filled with tears, my heart with a florid of emotions - anger, pain, sadness, happiness, and peace that this book is going to be possibly my favorite book this year!!
It is not because It brought me home to physical places I knew personally in my childhood (i.e Hope Gardens, Palisadoes etc), it's because this book was written in such a way that I understood and I empathized with Milly. I felt her pain and I felt her moments of joy.
Often times we don't understand the decisions people make, especially those who are near and dear to us. However, this book is a reminder that things aren't always what they seem. Its a reminder to always extend grace and compassion to those who make "bad decisions ", to offer if nothing else, a listening hear and maybe forgiveness.
Sometimes the ones closest to us are the ones who hurt us, and navigating that path of walking away from what doesn't serve us, however winding, might be necessary.
The title was perfectly chosen to highlight the desire of the protagonist to acquire something of great need... but at what cost?
I wanted to fight Monty and his mother. And though I didn't agree with all of Nicole's (Milly's mother) decisions I had great compassion for her too... afterall flawed people aren't necessarily bad people , right?
Some great things about the book includes its mention of folklore songs, foods, and places. There was also a balance in the display of unconventional but possibly true love scenarios. Also, the humor was right up my alley!
Though some may finds it repetitive in parts, I don't mind that formatting because it made me feel like i was in Millys mind or that she was speaking to me and just pouring out her heart unrehearsed, just raw and bare.
Melanie Schwapps put her foot in this one!!! Love it bad!!!
elizabethgarcia's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Domestic abuse
journeyingjo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Alcoholism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
laurikas's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Oh I absolutely adored this book! And the ending - please can we talk about that ending?
P E R F E C T I O N
I found this book raw and beautiful. Very real and full of sentiment. Even though the topic was a tough one, it wasn't written in a exploitative manner, or overly dramatic either - I felt just right.
P E R F E C T I O N
I found this book raw and beautiful. Very real and full of sentiment. Even though the topic was a tough one, it wasn't written in a exploitative manner, or overly dramatic either - I felt just right.
bookofcinz's review
4.0
Lest We Find Gold is Melanie Schwapp's sophomore novel. The book follows the life of Milly from her early years to her present life with her husband. Milly has a lot going for her, well educated, a practicing nurse with a big future ahead of her. She meets her husband when he comes into the hospital for heart palpitations and since then Milly finds herself dying a little daily.
I really enjoyed this book, Melanie Schwapp really did a great job of painting such a full picture of Milly my heart ached for her and her suffering. I loved how the book was formatted, we get insight to Milly's early life with the backdrop of her current life. I particularly loved the exploration of the mother-daughter relationship, that for me was so well done. As a Jamaican, I particularly loved how Jamaican the book felt, from the descriptions, to the various cultural nuances-it was great!
My only complaint was I felt the husband's character could have been a bit more. Maybe this is me looking for a reason why some men turn out the way they do but... I also would have liked to hear more about the sister, I felt her character could have gotten some more airplay.
If you are looking for a great read, with a lead female character who is brave I highly recommend this read.
I really enjoyed this book, Melanie Schwapp really did a great job of painting such a full picture of Milly my heart ached for her and her suffering. I loved how the book was formatted, we get insight to Milly's early life with the backdrop of her current life. I particularly loved the exploration of the mother-daughter relationship, that for me was so well done. As a Jamaican, I particularly loved how Jamaican the book felt, from the descriptions, to the various cultural nuances-it was great!
My only complaint was I felt the husband's character could have been a bit more. Maybe this is me looking for a reason why some men turn out the way they do but... I also would have liked to hear more about the sister, I felt her character could have gotten some more airplay.
If you are looking for a great read, with a lead female character who is brave I highly recommend this read.
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