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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
53. Another sensitive story from a wonderful writer. As with her other stories the author moves from one narrator to another so each has their own voice and thoughts. Excellent read.
So, I just recently watched that movie "Chef", about that chef who went from a fancy shmancy chef at a fancy pants restaurant to a food truck owner and a better dad and a Twitter user...anyway, the point here is that I found that movie to be REALLY heartwarming and charming. And since it is a movie almost entirely composed of male characters (and lots of fart jokes), this was not something that I was expecting! (But....Sofia Vergara...).
Long story short, something about this story hit the same sort of chord with me...while the plot of almost any romance is typically pretty cut and dry (from a 30,000 foot view, anyway), this one was just suspenseful enough and...sweet. And there was so much "overcoming" and "reprioritizing" that it was refreshing and surprisingly not treacly or saccharine.
Maybe my favorite Jojo Moyes book so far...if you can suspend your disbelief for over 300 pages and are looking for a quick romp from one end of the UK to the other with a band of tragically misfitted young people and a giant, smelly, drooling dog named Norman, this might be a book that belongs on your 'to-read' shelf.
Some good quotes:
"Rich is paying every single bill on time without thinking about it. Rich is being able to have a holiday or get through Christmas without having to borrow against January and February. Actually, rich would be just not thinking about money all the bloody time."
-good to remember and be grateful for being able to support ourselves.
"Everyone I've ever met who was worth knowing was a bit different in school. You just need to find your people..Your tribe. You know, you spend your whole life feeling like you don't quite fit in anywhere. And then you walk into a room one day, whether it's at university or an office or some kind of club, and you just go, 'Ah. There they are.' And suddenly you feel at home."
"Because she knew that something happened to you when your mother didn't hold you close, or tell you all the time that you were the best thing ever, or even notice when you were home: a little part of you sealed over. You didn't need her. You didn't need anyone. And without even knowing you were doing it, you waited. You waited for anyone who got close to you to see something they didn't like in you, something they hadn't seen initially, and to grow cold and disappear too, like so much sea mist. Because there had to be something wrong, didn't there, if even your own mother didn't really love you?...Because even if the whole world was throwing rocks at you, if you had your mother at your back, you'd be okay. Some deep-rooted part of you would know you were loved. That you deserved to be loved."
"Sometimes, she told herself, life was a series of obstacles that just had to be negotiated, possibly through sheer act of will. She stared out at the muddy blue of the endless sea, gulped in the air, lifted her chin, and decided that she could survive this. She could survive most things. It was nobody's right to be happy, after all."
"The law of probability combined with the law of large numbers states that to beat the odds, sometimes you have to repeat an event an increasing number of times in order to get you to the outcome you desire. The more you do, the closer you get. Or, as I explain it to Mum, basically, sometimes you just have to keep going.
I've taken Norman into the garden and thrown the ball for him eighty-six times this week. He still never brings it back.
But I think we'll get there."
Long story short, something about this story hit the same sort of chord with me...while the plot of almost any romance is typically pretty cut and dry (from a 30,000 foot view, anyway), this one was just suspenseful enough and...sweet. And there was so much "overcoming" and "reprioritizing" that it was refreshing and surprisingly not treacly or saccharine.
Maybe my favorite Jojo Moyes book so far...if you can suspend your disbelief for over 300 pages and are looking for a quick romp from one end of the UK to the other with a band of tragically misfitted young people and a giant, smelly, drooling dog named Norman, this might be a book that belongs on your 'to-read' shelf.
Some good quotes:
"Rich is paying every single bill on time without thinking about it. Rich is being able to have a holiday or get through Christmas without having to borrow against January and February. Actually, rich would be just not thinking about money all the bloody time."
-good to remember and be grateful for being able to support ourselves.
"Everyone I've ever met who was worth knowing was a bit different in school. You just need to find your people..Your tribe. You know, you spend your whole life feeling like you don't quite fit in anywhere. And then you walk into a room one day, whether it's at university or an office or some kind of club, and you just go, 'Ah. There they are.' And suddenly you feel at home."
"Because she knew that something happened to you when your mother didn't hold you close, or tell you all the time that you were the best thing ever, or even notice when you were home: a little part of you sealed over. You didn't need her. You didn't need anyone. And without even knowing you were doing it, you waited. You waited for anyone who got close to you to see something they didn't like in you, something they hadn't seen initially, and to grow cold and disappear too, like so much sea mist. Because there had to be something wrong, didn't there, if even your own mother didn't really love you?...Because even if the whole world was throwing rocks at you, if you had your mother at your back, you'd be okay. Some deep-rooted part of you would know you were loved. That you deserved to be loved."
"Sometimes, she told herself, life was a series of obstacles that just had to be negotiated, possibly through sheer act of will. She stared out at the muddy blue of the endless sea, gulped in the air, lifted her chin, and decided that she could survive this. She could survive most things. It was nobody's right to be happy, after all."
"The law of probability combined with the law of large numbers states that to beat the odds, sometimes you have to repeat an event an increasing number of times in order to get you to the outcome you desire. The more you do, the closer you get. Or, as I explain it to Mum, basically, sometimes you just have to keep going.
I've taken Norman into the garden and thrown the ball for him eighty-six times this week. He still never brings it back.
But I think we'll get there."
I did like this book. I would give it a 3 and a half if I could. It was better than a 3 but not as emotionally touching as Me Before You. All in all, a good read, though.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
A bit too much of a typical romance novel for me. It was reminiscent of Little Miss Sunshine with a quirky family road trip plot-line, but it just relied on conventional chick lit themes too often to really draw me in.
Another good read by Jojo Moyes. She's the kind of storyteller who lures you in and you're thinking "this will be a quick, light read" but halfway through you're bawling because she's just put her finger on some hard truth about the human condition. I really enjoy her writing. And I'm sure this one will be a movie soon. Perfect for the big screen.
This was a breezy read. I enjoyed the focus on family and social dynamics, not solely the romantic relationship. This was a fast and compelling book for me, which I needed to pull me out of a slump; I’d been slogging through a slow-paced book for two weeks. This one came at the right time for me!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying