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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Maybe closer to a 3.5. This book had such a unique premise and plot, I was never really sure where it was going. Interesting to get into Hope’s head and world. It probably could have been about 150 pages shorter.
The writing was very abrupt. The facts interspersed through the book were distracting and did not add to the story.
I really did not care about any of the characters.
While the premise for those book was good it just did not work for me.
I really did not care about any of the characters.
While the premise for those book was good it just did not work for me.
Another very good thriller from Claire North, with interesting themes.
What would it be like to be forgotten as soon as you are out of sight? How hard would it be to live when no-one remembers you, even to the extent of being totally neglected as a hospital patient in need of food and medication? How could you ever get and hold a job?
The other major theme is western society's pursuit of and fascination with perfection in people, and the lengths to which some will go to achieve it. And of course, how and why others will manipulate that desire for their own ends.
I was fortunate enough to win one of 20 proof copies for readers in Australia through Goodreads' giveaways. There were of course some typographical errors in the book. One mistake which appeared several times and was therefore not just a typographical error was a misquoting of a line from Byron's beautiful poem "So we'll go no more a-roving". The last line of the second verse is:
"And love itself have rest" NOT "And love itself have a rest"!!!
I do hope this was picked up and corrected before publication. The other error which grated was a reference to the poet as Lord Gordon Byron, which was pretty silly. How hard would it be to check and find that his name was George Gordon Byron, generally known as Lord Byron? Again, something which I hope was picked up before publication. When his poetry plays a not insignificant role in the unfolding story, it is reasonable to expect that the publishers could get his name right.
What would it be like to be forgotten as soon as you are out of sight? How hard would it be to live when no-one remembers you, even to the extent of being totally neglected as a hospital patient in need of food and medication? How could you ever get and hold a job?
The other major theme is western society's pursuit of and fascination with perfection in people, and the lengths to which some will go to achieve it. And of course, how and why others will manipulate that desire for their own ends.
I was fortunate enough to win one of 20 proof copies for readers in Australia through Goodreads' giveaways. There were of course some typographical errors in the book. One mistake which appeared several times and was therefore not just a typographical error was a misquoting of a line from Byron's beautiful poem "So we'll go no more a-roving". The last line of the second verse is:
"And love itself have rest" NOT "And love itself have a rest"!!!
I do hope this was picked up and corrected before publication. The other error which grated was a reference to the poet as Lord Gordon Byron, which was pretty silly. How hard would it be to check and find that his name was George Gordon Byron, generally known as Lord Byron? Again, something which I hope was picked up before publication. When his poetry plays a not insignificant role in the unfolding story, it is reasonable to expect that the publishers could get his name right.
Maybe an actual rating of 3.75 stars? When compared to "First Fifteen Lives", I think so, but by itself, it garners four stars. Again, Claire North's writing was great, I think she writes with passion and intelligence, but the themes were heavy-handed to the point of feeling like lead weights, dropping my rating.
On top of which, the fact that Hope's condition is never really explained or truly further discussed beyond her being a lab rat, seemed like an odd choice; the lack of defined mechanics took away from things slightly, for me at least.
Also, of course Hope is going to be a psychologically confusing and strange character, but even with that, her longings and desires once getting caught up with Rena and Phillipa and Perfection didn't seem to match with the other characteristics we had been given to believe she had, although we jump from her being forgotten slowly as a teenager to a woman of crime, fully forgettable, some years later, while that period of development seems like it would have been fascinating, and would have set up her characterization much more fully.
On top of which, the fact that Hope's condition is never really explained or truly further discussed beyond her being a lab rat, seemed like an odd choice; the lack of defined mechanics took away from things slightly, for me at least.
Also, of course Hope is going to be a psychologically confusing and strange character, but even with that, her longings and desires once getting caught up with Rena and Phillipa and Perfection didn't seem to match with the other characteristics we had been given to believe she had, although we jump from her being forgotten slowly as a teenager to a woman of crime, fully forgettable, some years later, while that period of development seems like it would have been fascinating, and would have set up her characterization much more fully.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
not good. not saying anything new or interesting. way too long.
slow-paced
I wanted to like this more than I did. I found that the plot was getting lost behind the stream of conscious narration of the main character. And perhaps this was on purpose, the focus on the character rather than the story, but I thought the story was so much more interesting than the somewhat crazed brain ramblings of Hope. It was all a bit choppy and jumped around, and just wasn't what I was looking for from the author whose two other books I've read I've really enjoyed. Maybe the next one!
This book was better than the First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, as it wasn’t as boring and the plot was better. However, this book still wasn’t great but I’m sure that I just don’t like Claire North’s plots/stories. Her actual writing style I don’t have a problem with, but her premises sound really interesting so I pick her books up and end up finding them slightly boring. I didn’t feel any connections to the characters in this story, but the way she explored the theme in this book of being forgotten was written very well and logical. The aspect of Perfection in this story was interesting too
This is the third book by Claire North that I've read, and I am completely impressed by this author. She has a way of developing such human characters with imperfections and faults that are realistic even in a sci-fi book.
In The Sudden Appearance of Hope, the protagonist is forgotten within minutes of leaving a person's sight. She lives a life of crime because it's easy to get away with it if no one can remember. Sounds great until you think about the lack of lasting human relations. Who are you if the only person who can form a lasting opinion of you is...you?
In The Sudden Appearance of Hope, the protagonist is forgotten within minutes of leaving a person's sight. She lives a life of crime because it's easy to get away with it if no one can remember. Sounds great until you think about the lack of lasting human relations. Who are you if the only person who can form a lasting opinion of you is...you?
IT TOOK ME OVER A WEEK TO READ THIS not because i am a slow reader or was too busy but the book itself D R A G G E D and i had to take frequent breaks to keep myself awake. the premise of this is SO GOOD, which is why i did not just stop reading! but the writing is very detached and jumbled, lots of repeated fragmented sentences, etc. disappointing, and a relief to be done with it lol.