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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
3.5 stars.
I quite enjoyed the concept of this one, though at times it felt a little dry. The switch from Marianne to Halley at the end was horrendous and the final chapters I all but gave up on. Once I had all the answers, nothing else really mattered! Why even add the last section? Perhaps it was some sort of summary, perhaps it was a perfect conclusion for all the memories. I’ll never truly know. It was skim read, so if there was anything important I missed, trust that it won’t keep me up at night.
Basically, I liked this until the end.
I quite enjoyed the concept of this one, though at times it felt a little dry. The switch from Marianne to Halley at the end was horrendous and the final chapters I all but gave up on. Once I had all the answers, nothing else really mattered! Why even add the last section? Perhaps it was some sort of summary, perhaps it was a perfect conclusion for all the memories. I’ll never truly know. It was skim read, so if there was anything important I missed, trust that it won’t keep me up at night.
Basically, I liked this until the end.
Deeply moving stories, all intertwined and with their own momentum as well as the shared march forward in time. As a reader I found myself snatching for more time with each of the main characters, wanting to know them better before the story whirled away again. So, very much like real life then. Immersive and intelligent writing.
What a beautiful book! I’m autistic and have ADHD and I absorbed books as a kid, and later on I lost my imagination when I was reading and lost my love for it. I’m slowly picking it up, and while reading this, I realized my imagination was back. I could again picture places and faces in my head, how things may have looked, and I love it. Thank you, John!
But aside from that, it’s a brilliant read about strong women, who share happy but also terrible memories but it guides them through their lives in a very special way. For me it was quite an easy read, especially at the end I couldn’t stop reading. It’s exciting, educational, and very familiar for me since my grandmother and I are very alike, and she was from East Germany. Reading this felt like coming home
But aside from that, it’s a brilliant read about strong women, who share happy but also terrible memories but it guides them through their lives in a very special way. For me it was quite an easy read, especially at the end I couldn’t stop reading. It’s exciting, educational, and very familiar for me since my grandmother and I are very alike, and she was from East Germany. Reading this felt like coming home
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Born into a prosperous family on the night of the comet, Heloise marries well but the French Revolution sees her abused and beheaded. Her daughter Marianne is brought up in a convent but as she hits puberty she begins to have vivid dreams, the memories of her mother. This continues through each generation of daughters until Katya plans to find the family treasure, hidden from the revolution, the only problem is that she is behind the Iron Curtain.
It's really difficult to describe this book as it is part fantasy, part historical fiction and yet it becomes something deeply original and profound. The premise is that each female child is able to know details of the lives of her ancestors from the tragic Heloise onwards, this means they can understand multiple languages and have understanding beyond their scope. I found the historical sections excellent, Ironmonger definitely gets under the skin of Marianne but does not go into vicarious details regarding the imprisonment of Heloise. The only part I didn't really enjoy was the last couple of sections set in the future. I could just about cope with Halley and her tale set in the near future but the final section was just not my thing at all - I could see what the author was trying to say and I liked that but science fiction is most definitely not my thing!
It's really difficult to describe this book as it is part fantasy, part historical fiction and yet it becomes something deeply original and profound. The premise is that each female child is able to know details of the lives of her ancestors from the tragic Heloise onwards, this means they can understand multiple languages and have understanding beyond their scope. I found the historical sections excellent, Ironmonger definitely gets under the skin of Marianne but does not go into vicarious details regarding the imprisonment of Heloise. The only part I didn't really enjoy was the last couple of sections set in the future. I could just about cope with Halley and her tale set in the near future but the final section was just not my thing at all - I could see what the author was trying to say and I liked that but science fiction is most definitely not my thing!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No