Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Stora vackra liv by Emily Henry

16 reviews

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

What a great, big, beautiful ride Great Big Beautiful Life is. I have shed tears and laughed out loud, kicked my feet in ecstasy and ground my teeth in anticipation. I am floored by Emily Henry again.

I have so many notes to go through, but, for now I will say: this is some of Emily’s most beautiful writing. It is heartfelt and poignant. It is reflective and brutal and honest. It is tragedy and love, humour and regret.

I related to so many of these characters in different ways, from Alice’s insecurity around her mother’s feelings towards her to Hayden’s perfectionism and fear of being himself. Very real fears of me were reflected in this book, the anxiety around bringing children into this world which is cruel and dangerous and difficult. 

There are things I’d love to know more about, particularly surrounding the outcome of the
trial for Dr David
, and Jodi and
her father, including how he came to be the kooky character he is and how much he knows of Hayden and Alice
. I suppose much of that I may only know from the book, if only it were real!

I’m already raring for a reread, and I obviously need to listen to the audiobook but, for now, I leave you with some of my favourite quotes presented with absolutely no context:

“If that’s what I meant, then that’s what I would’ve said.”

“Stone-cold sober and he looks almost as drunk as I feel.”

“What if they have to care for me, for years, after I’ve stopped calling them by their nicknames or telling them I love them?”

“I don’t do this.”
“I do.”
“Fine. I do too.”

“This doesn’t have to be the greatest tragedy to ever befall anyone. It doesn’t even have to be the worst thing that’s ever happened to you.”

“Like I swallowed the sun. Like it’s breaking up every bit of darkness inside me.”

“Maybe every bit of heartbreak in life can be rearranged and used for something beautiful.”

Also, huge shout out to the Pole of Inaccessibility, which is where my heart resides most of the time.

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Optimistic aspiring writer Alice Scott & Pulitzer-winning cynic Hayden Anderson are competing to tell the life story of reclusive heiress Margaret Ives—each given only fragments of her past, bound by NDAs, and distracted by a growing tension neither expected. What begins as a high-stakes assignment soon blurs into something deeper, as the story—and their connection—threatens to become a mystery, a tragedy, or a love story… depending on who gets to tell it.

Did a combo of physical & audio (Julia Whelan did a beautiful job narrating, as she always does). I don't even know if I have the words to describe the way I feel about this book. I can't even rank it up against her other novels because it's so different - in a good way. I feel like EmHen always tackles some tough topics or subject matter in her books, something that gives her characters more substance. But the story here was so much more, her characters almost seemed like deeper, more emotional individuals? I'm probably butchering this, so let me just make it simple - I loved it. I laughed multiple times, and I really got into the Ives story. Is there a lot going on? Yes. Can it get confusing? At times, yes - but Alice even points out that the Ives family history is convoluted, so you're not left feeling like it's just a you problem. At this point, Emily Henry is an auto buy author for me, and I don't know if that will ever change. Another beautiful novel added to the list other wonderful books.

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emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

So, your mileage may vary so take the following with a grain of salt. I wanted to adore this book but I never fully clicked with it, which surprised and disappointed me. It took me a long while to engage with the story, I think because of the split focus with the past and present dual storylines. And while I liked both Alice and Hayden as characters, it felt like their relationship was sped up and superficially developed. (I would have really liked to see Hayden's POV alongside Alice's.) I had a hard time investing in them together as a couple, and the insta-lust felt like a shortcut to emotional intimacy. Margaret's backstory was interesting  and I know her life story is what brought Alice and Hayden together, but it didn't really work for me as a romantic plot device for them. Not sure if this makes any sense, but it's like there was simultaneously both too much and not enough going on in this story. There were some enjoyable moments and it did pick up towards the end. I usually really like Emily Henry but this one wasn't the book for me. 

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Once again, a great book by Emily Henry. I really loved the story telling. Just a warning, as much as love is a central theme of the book, the love story between Alice and Hayden is not a main focus so if that’s what you’re looking for, maybe this isn’t for you. 

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