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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Loved this beautiful, tender story of a young girl, who escapes the London bombing of World War II and becomes connected to the family she lives with in the United States for 5 years. This touching story spans several decades of her life and how her two families become intertwined, creating the person she is to become. This one will stay with me a long time!
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
|| 2 ⭐️ ||
I made it to the end, but the longer the story went on the more bored I got. I don’t usually mind character-driven books, but the plot was just so vague and close to non-existent. And the character-focused aspect wasn’t even that amazing or deep, even though it followed several decades of their lives. The dialogue format was somewhat annoying and confusing, italics and multiple people going back and forth in each paragraph.
|| Content warnings ||
Unmarried sex on multiple occasions, most or all of it closed-door. God’s name misused a few times.
this book wrung me out like a wet towel and boy am I about to jump back into the water!!! exactly what I needed to wrap up the year. I love authors that pick such specific, heart-wrenching experiences to write about-- nothing like being hit square in the face with the heavy, metaphorical hand of the collective human experience. the bitter, the lonely, and the unsatisfying were so real and raw, and yet so!! beautiful!! this book made my heart ache. I can't wait to read it again!!
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Why do I always read books that make me fully sob on the plane lol. This one was so lovely.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This was a very slow, reflective, and peaceful book! It took me a while to finish because there wasn’t all that much action, but I loved the author’s prose. Character deaths, and the way Spence-Ash handled characters’ heartbreak and dissatisfaction with life was so beautiful. I also loved the feeling of the Gregory’s as a real family, even when their activities together weren’t described in full detail, your mind would fill in the rest. I loved how there were good times, a unified love of their cabin in Maine, and difficult times as well, like William’s fighting with his father about where to go for university. Their stories made them come alive and artificially created that warmth and comfort that comes with a family. Some of the characters’ choices didn’t always make sense to me, but I still enjoyed reading about them.
Nancy, the boys’ mother, is so sweet and was definitely my favourite character! I don’t typically read reflective, coming-of-age stories like this, but it was neat how this one was set during the Blitz.
Nancy, the boys’ mother, is so sweet and was definitely my favourite character! I don’t typically read reflective, coming-of-age stories like this, but it was neat how this one was set during the Blitz.
I read this book for Thursday Book Club . This book was historical fiction . I don't read historical fiction very often . I enjoyed this book but the characters were from Ireland .
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No