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pixiebell_reads87's review against another edition
5.0
A book full of humanity, humour and depth. Loved it. A simple concept beautifully written with great characters.
elliemcc11's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this review copy.
As soon as I saw this book advertised I wanted to read it. I really enjoyed her previous novel [b:A Song for Issy Bradley|20588223|A Song for Issy Bradley|Carys Bray|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407105695s/20588223.jpg|26407981] because of the storyline and local setting. I think I liked this novel even more.
At the heart of this book is a daughter and her father, both trying to deal with the death of their mother and wife. The daughter, Clover, is sensitive like her Father, and at age 12 wants to understand more about the death of her mother, Becky, who died when Clover was weeks old. After a visit to a museum she decides to build her own, mostly misguided and misunderstood and fantasised, image of her mother with mementoes her father has kept. He has struggled to deal with the death of his wife and has hoarded her possessions. It is these possessions that Clover uses to build what she thinks will be an exhibition to her mother's life.
Clover has a happy life and her father and family / friends love her and that was comforting. It was through her father's flashback memories that we begin to learn a little more about Becky and how she died. I think this was pieced together really well and the slow reveals made for an interesting story.
Again this book was set in Southport (old Lancashire, now Merseyside). A town I know very well and I was easily able and enjoyed piecing the locations together. For me the setting and even some of the side notes like putting the plastic charity bag out for collection, which for some might seem too colloquial, really added to the appeal of the novel.
Overall a fabulous read I'd recommend.
As soon as I saw this book advertised I wanted to read it. I really enjoyed her previous novel [b:A Song for Issy Bradley|20588223|A Song for Issy Bradley|Carys Bray|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407105695s/20588223.jpg|26407981] because of the storyline and local setting. I think I liked this novel even more.
At the heart of this book is a daughter and her father, both trying to deal with the death of their mother and wife. The daughter, Clover, is sensitive like her Father, and at age 12 wants to understand more about the death of her mother, Becky, who died when Clover was weeks old. After a visit to a museum she decides to build her own, mostly misguided and misunderstood and fantasised, image of her mother with mementoes her father has kept. He has struggled to deal with the death of his wife and has hoarded her possessions. It is these possessions that Clover uses to build what she thinks will be an exhibition to her mother's life.
Clover has a happy life and her father and family / friends love her and that was comforting. It was through her father's flashback memories that we begin to learn a little more about Becky and how she died. I think this was pieced together really well and the slow reveals made for an interesting story.
Again this book was set in Southport (old Lancashire, now Merseyside). A town I know very well and I was easily able and enjoyed piecing the locations together. For me the setting and even some of the side notes like putting the plastic charity bag out for collection, which for some might seem too colloquial, really added to the appeal of the novel.
Overall a fabulous read I'd recommend.
textandtunes's review against another edition
2.0
Danke an NetGalley und den Harper Collins Germany Verlag, die mir ein Rezensionsexemplar zur Verfügung gestellt haben. Meine Meinung ist davon unabhängig.
Mich hat zuerst das Cover dieses Buches in den Bann gezogen. Dann habe ich den Klappentext gelesen und auch dieser klang spannend. Ein Museum. Geschichte neu erkunden... Ich liebe geschichtliche Bücher, und besonders jene zu Familiengeschichten.
Aber beim Lesen ist der Funke nicht rübergesprungen.
Clover und ihr Vater waren mir unsympathisch und sind mir fern geblieben. Ich bin echt schlecht in das Buch hineingekommen und habe nach 45% aufgehört, es richtig zu lesen, sondern habe nur noch die Seiten überflogen.
Der Stil der Autorin war mir zu platt, zu einfach.
Die Idee ist toll, und ich mochte auch die Notizbucheinträge am Ende der Kapitel.
Ich habe gehört, dass das Buch nach der Hälfte "besser" wird, aber mich hat die Geschichte einfach nicht genug interessiert. Mir hat etwas Spannung, etwas Geschwindigkeit gefehlt. Und ja, es ist ein ruhiges Buch. Aber auch die können Spannungskurven haben.
Deshalb bekommt das Buch 2/5 Sterne von mir.
+++ENGLISH+++
I didn't like the characters and found the book very boring. At 45% I started skipping pages and didn't really read it through. I like poetic and slow books, but this one just wasn't it for me. I also found the style of writing quite dull.
Mich hat zuerst das Cover dieses Buches in den Bann gezogen. Dann habe ich den Klappentext gelesen und auch dieser klang spannend. Ein Museum. Geschichte neu erkunden... Ich liebe geschichtliche Bücher, und besonders jene zu Familiengeschichten.
Aber beim Lesen ist der Funke nicht rübergesprungen.
Clover und ihr Vater waren mir unsympathisch und sind mir fern geblieben. Ich bin echt schlecht in das Buch hineingekommen und habe nach 45% aufgehört, es richtig zu lesen, sondern habe nur noch die Seiten überflogen.
Der Stil der Autorin war mir zu platt, zu einfach.
Die Idee ist toll, und ich mochte auch die Notizbucheinträge am Ende der Kapitel.
Ich habe gehört, dass das Buch nach der Hälfte "besser" wird, aber mich hat die Geschichte einfach nicht genug interessiert. Mir hat etwas Spannung, etwas Geschwindigkeit gefehlt. Und ja, es ist ein ruhiges Buch. Aber auch die können Spannungskurven haben.
Deshalb bekommt das Buch 2/5 Sterne von mir.
+++ENGLISH+++
I didn't like the characters and found the book very boring. At 45% I started skipping pages and didn't really read it through. I like poetic and slow books, but this one just wasn't it for me. I also found the style of writing quite dull.
armadillogirl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.25
indydriven's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great read with really really nice writing. Clover is a 12-year-old girl who lost her mother when she was just a few weeks old. Her father has raised her and done a fairly good job but he has not dealt with his grief from the death of Clover's mother. He is a little bit of a hoarder and has put all of Becky's personal items into a bedroom, shut the door and they have stayed there for 12 years. Clover has decided to spend her summer vacation by going through all of those belongings, itemizing them and making them into a little bit of a museum showcasing her mother. She plans on doing this while her father is out of the house at work and she wants to find out what her mother was really like. Her father is reluctant to talk about her mother because he is still filled with grief and so she is hoping by discovering who her mother is she might be able to determine who she will grow into. There are other characters in the book that play fairly large roles, for example there is Becky's brother who has mental health Issues, Clover's grandfather, and a potential girlfriend for Clover's dad. I gave this book A five star rating because it was well written, the story itself was very interesting, and all of the characters were extremely likable. The ending was fabulous and you just felt like you had spent several hours with some really nice people by the time I finished reading it.
cathiestrover's review against another edition
3.0
There's a more than a hint of Rachel Joyce here- quirky, entertaining but dealing with very sad subject matter. I liked 12 year old Clover, her dad Darren, their odd family and their attempts to make sense of life's tragedies and take pleasure in small everyday minutiae. Somehow, though, I rather feel I've read stories like this before.
alexandrahope91's review against another edition
4.5
4.5 stars
Well that was heartbreaking! Byeeeeeeeee
The writing was beautiful, the characters touched my heart. And I’m being overly sentimentally cliché about it, because this book planted itself in my soul like a little sinewy viney plant that wouldn’t stop growing.
This novel follows a father-daughter relationship that has been shadowed by grief. Clover tries to puzzle together the past, while Darren fills in the missing pieces with his inner thought monologues. His flashbacks interweave through present seamlessly, painting a picture of the past that gives context for the life he is currently struggling through. We see Clover growing up in Darren’s eyes. He’s incredibly proud of her, and yet, it’s tinged with nostalgia and worry. They’re both haunted by the past in different ways; one of them can’t forget, and the other longs to know more.
I guess my only complaint is plot. This book doesn’t *need* a huge plot, because it’s more about relationships. However, it does read slightly anticlimactic. But then again, I love it so much, I barely even care about that. Maybe only half a star’s worth.
I emphatically recommend this, yes I do.
Well that was heartbreaking! Byeeeeeeeee
The writing was beautiful, the characters touched my heart. And I’m being overly sentimentally cliché about it, because this book planted itself in my soul like a little sinewy viney plant that wouldn’t stop growing.
This novel follows a father-daughter relationship that has been shadowed by grief. Clover tries to puzzle together the past, while Darren fills in the missing pieces with his inner thought monologues. His flashbacks interweave through present seamlessly, painting a picture of the past that gives context for the life he is currently struggling through. We see Clover growing up in Darren’s eyes. He’s incredibly proud of her, and yet, it’s tinged with nostalgia and worry. They’re both haunted by the past in different ways; one of them can’t forget, and the other longs to know more.
I guess my only complaint is plot. This book doesn’t *need* a huge plot, because it’s more about relationships. However, it does read slightly anticlimactic. But then again, I love it so much, I barely even care about that. Maybe only half a star’s worth.
I emphatically recommend this, yes I do.
findingthefantasticstory's review against another edition
4.0
This is just a very cute book about a father and daughter learning to live with the loss of their love/mother. It was quite slow but it ended up getting interesting as you learnt more about the characters and their backstory.
anaclaracp's review against another edition
4.0
A quiet book about grief and the search for someone's personality through the things they used to own.
There's a lot of sadness in this book, but also a lot of happiness. I wasn't expecting it to deal with some of the things it dealt with near the end, but I think it's really important and we should have more books about these subjects that explore them more deeply.
I loved the writing, the characters, and the slow paced day-to-day aspect of it, but I do wish some things were better tied up, like Dagmar, and that some of Darren's chapters didn't feel so dragged out.
There's a lot of sadness in this book, but also a lot of happiness. I wasn't expecting it to deal with some of the things it dealt with near the end, but I think it's really important and we should have more books about these subjects that explore them more deeply.
I loved the writing, the characters, and the slow paced day-to-day aspect of it, but I do wish some things were better tied up, like Dagmar, and that some of Darren's chapters didn't feel so dragged out.
maireador20's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 This book left me with a warm, contented feeling. A sweet story, with appealing characters, some beautiful descriptive passages and a comforting, familiar arc, I really enjoyed reading it and found myself looking forward to making time to pick this book up each day.