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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Oh my goodness what a book this one is going to take me a while to digest before I can write the review
This novel is the story of two people meeting in a London pub and what happens to them over the years
This is a very British book very well anchored in London. It’s nice to read about ordinary British people. As of the books I’ve read about London recently have focused on gang related violence this book looks at normal people and their struggles with life one young girl who travels from Ireland and knowingly pregnant and has to give up the baby the other when she meets him is a young man boxing. The book deals with the ordinary I’ve life poverty and alcoholism. Some of the subjects dealt with the novel are quite weighty but the author managers to treat them with subtlety and poise
The story is set over a number of decades and I particularly enjoyed the way that it showed how central London has changedover time
The author has a clear flowing writing style, the novel was a joy to read.
The author has great skill in the way that she describes personal characteristics and the way that her characters developed over time these are real people you really feel you understand them and the way that they behave
I very much enjoyed reading this book. It might not have been a book that I would pick up on a bookstore but I’m very glad I found it on NetGalley UK.
I read an early copy on NetGalley UK in return for a review the kids published on the 5th of September 2024 by Atlantic books
This will appear on Goodreads, NetGalley UK and my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com. After publication it will also appear on Amazon UK.
This novel is the story of two people meeting in a London pub and what happens to them over the years
This is a very British book very well anchored in London. It’s nice to read about ordinary British people. As of the books I’ve read about London recently have focused on gang related violence this book looks at normal people and their struggles with life one young girl who travels from Ireland and knowingly pregnant and has to give up the baby the other when she meets him is a young man boxing. The book deals with the ordinary I’ve life poverty and alcoholism. Some of the subjects dealt with the novel are quite weighty but the author managers to treat them with subtlety and poise
The story is set over a number of decades and I particularly enjoyed the way that it showed how central London has changedover time
The author has a clear flowing writing style, the novel was a joy to read.
The author has great skill in the way that she describes personal characteristics and the way that her characters developed over time these are real people you really feel you understand them and the way that they behave
I very much enjoyed reading this book. It might not have been a book that I would pick up on a bookstore but I’m very glad I found it on NetGalley UK.
I read an early copy on NetGalley UK in return for a review the kids published on the 5th of September 2024 by Atlantic books
This will appear on Goodreads, NetGalley UK and my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com. After publication it will also appear on Amazon UK.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of my highlights this year.
Millie and Pip are Irish but meet in London in their late teens. We follow their story till they are in their sixties. Life is complicated, non-linear, not easy - you live through every part of their lives through the pages.
If you like London, you’ll enjoy all the locations used through the book as the characters move back and forth from Notting Hill to the City. Told over 40 years, it’s also an interesting history of the Irish in London during these decades - this felt very real to me, and I was not surprised to see the lengthy list of references at the back of the book - very impressive for a fiction read.
It’s one of those books that you try to read slowly as you don’t want it to end.
Millie and Pip are Irish but meet in London in their late teens. We follow their story till they are in their sixties. Life is complicated, non-linear, not easy - you live through every part of their lives through the pages.
If you like London, you’ll enjoy all the locations used through the book as the characters move back and forth from Notting Hill to the City. Told over 40 years, it’s also an interesting history of the Irish in London during these decades - this felt very real to me, and I was not surprised to see the lengthy list of references at the back of the book - very impressive for a fiction read.
It’s one of those books that you try to read slowly as you don’t want it to end.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes