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elovve's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book thanks to one of my professor and I had to admit I wasn't prepared for that. I felt way too much things reading this book and I don't even know what touched me the most: the final words of Rosamond, the terrible story, or the saddest end ever. It felt like reading poetry at some point.
itsgoodtobea's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bettyvd's review against another edition
2.0
2,5 ster. Mooi van toon, maar Coe wil het allemaal net iets te veel doen kloppen. Familiesaga verteld door een oude vrouw.
milamoon's review against another edition
3.0
Tre stelle e mezzo, a dire il vero.
L'escamotage narrativo di raccontare il passato (ossia l'intera vicenda) a partire da una selezione di 20 fotografie che parlano di tutta una vita è interessante, soprattutto per chi, come me, lavora con le immagini.
Si, forse è la cosa più interessante.
Anche il resto funziona ed è ben orchestrato, ma manca quell'affezione o identificazione nei personaggi che generalmente mi fa amare un romanzo per sempre.
L'escamotage narrativo di raccontare il passato (ossia l'intera vicenda) a partire da una selezione di 20 fotografie che parlano di tutta una vita è interessante, soprattutto per chi, come me, lavora con le immagini.
Si, forse è la cosa più interessante.
Anche il resto funziona ed è ben orchestrato, ma manca quell'affezione o identificazione nei personaggi che generalmente mi fa amare un romanzo per sempre.
julesjim's review against another edition
4.0
Getting closer to read all of his books. Very moving, but I've missed the political aspects of his previous ones.
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
This was an intriguing read which touches on memory, mother/daughter relationships, and the power of photo's. An old lady Rosamund dies leaving a series of cassette tapes addressed to Imogen one of her beneficiaries, a niece who is blind but cannot be traced. Her other niece Gill who is dealling with her affairs listens with her adult daughters to the tapes. The tapes are Rosamunds descriptions of family photos over a 50 year period which explain about Imogen's mother, grandmother and great grandmother. I won't say any more but it had me gripped to the very end and similar to the Poliakoff film a few years back it really plays on the power of images in old black and white and colour snaps brilliantly creating a great sense of time place and drama.
406knits's review against another edition
2.0
I found myself really drawn by the premise of this novel. The reader meets Rosamond through her voice, just as Imogen would have done, as she is blind. We begin by following Gill, Rosamond's niece, shortly after Rosamond's death. Gill comes across recorded tapes Rosamond had made for Imogen to listen to. Imogen, who Gill had only met once, had a strange connection to Gill's aunt Rosamond. In an attempt to find Imogen, Gill listens to the tapes.
It was an extremely interesting perspective, to have Coe develop characters and a backstory through an old lady narrating photos from her life to someone she had only met a few times. That part, I felt, was done masterfully. But the story itself? It was good, without being wonderful; it was interesting, without being exciting; it was slow without being torturous. After putting the novel down, I had a hard time convincing myself to pick it back up. When I was reading it, it was an easy read. However, because it was so hard to convince myself to pick it back up, I'm only giving it a rating of 2/5.
It was an extremely interesting perspective, to have Coe develop characters and a backstory through an old lady narrating photos from her life to someone she had only met a few times. That part, I felt, was done masterfully. But the story itself? It was good, without being wonderful; it was interesting, without being exciting; it was slow without being torturous. After putting the novel down, I had a hard time convincing myself to pick it back up. When I was reading it, it was an easy read. However, because it was so hard to convince myself to pick it back up, I'm only giving it a rating of 2/5.
shelfimprovement's review against another edition
2.0
I really want to enjoy the story that is told here, but I can't get into Coe's narration. It's chunky and doesn't hold my attention.
hiroto's review against another edition
3.0
I can now say I have at least read one J.Coe book ! This one was chosen to me by one of my new coworkers, she adores this story. I can see why, and even thought it is not my cup of tea, I totally get why she was floored by this one.
This is the kind of book you'll love to discuss in book clubs : family secrets, originality of the narration, 3d characters.
It just didn't do it for emotionnaly (i am known for my hard-as-f heart after all).
This is the kind of book you'll love to discuss in book clubs : family secrets, originality of the narration, 3d characters.
It just didn't do it for emotionnaly (i am known for my hard-as-f heart after all).