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jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
Traveling back & forth in place & time, A Question Mark is Half a Heart tells Elin's story. Elin grew up in the 70's & 80's on Gotland, a small Swedish island, where her days were filled with hanging out with her best friend Fredrik and helping out at the small local grocery store. She tried to avoid her mother since her mother was often moody & distant due to money issues. Flash forward to NYC in 2017 where Elin is married with a teenaged daughter and working as a fashion photographer. Elin has kept her past a secret from her family. They don't even know that she is originally from Sweden. Elin has a deep guilt from something in her past in Gotland she has been trying to run from every since. Over the course of the novel Elin faces up to her past as more of it is revealed to us, the reader bit by bit. At times, I found myself frustrated by Elin and her unwillingness to open up to her family. There were so many walls that could have toppled down with just some honest conversations or not being afraid to reach out. I recommend this to fans of literary fiction.
What to listen to while reading...
Heart it Races by Architecture in Helsinki
Take the "A" Train by Duke Ellington
Summertime by Louis Armstrong
This Little Light of Mine by Elizabeth Mitchell
I Know You Know by Esperenza Spalding
Angel of the Morning by Juice Newton
Blame it on Me by George Ezra
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
What to listen to while reading...
Heart it Races by Architecture in Helsinki
Take the "A" Train by Duke Ellington
Summertime by Louis Armstrong
This Little Light of Mine by Elizabeth Mitchell
I Know You Know by Esperenza Spalding
Angel of the Morning by Juice Newton
Blame it on Me by George Ezra
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
emderosa's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nataschasbokhylla's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Even If this was Well written story! I had a hard time with the lying and keeping secrets. I know that the whole idea with the book but it's something Im very much against. Keeping secrets and bad communication will never and in something good. I love how it's tied up in the end however and how bring up secrets never end up being a good solution.
bookgirl4ever's review against another edition
4.0
Imperfect people who love each other. They just don't speak the same language.
wwwilma's review against another edition
3.0
En läsvärd bok. Den brast på sina plan, såsom att vissa delar var för orealistiska, men den var skriven på lätt hand och skön att läsa
gerwigverse's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the free ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.
The cover and summary of this one piqued my interest as soon as I saw it. As I started to read the book, thought, I couldn't help but feel a bit underwhelmed, and often disappointed. The pace felt so slow for me, and I couldn't get in touch with most of Elin's motives and attitudes. It was so hard to connect with most of the characters as well. I didn't like it, overall. Just not my cup of tea.
The cover and summary of this one piqued my interest as soon as I saw it. As I started to read the book, thought, I couldn't help but feel a bit underwhelmed, and often disappointed. The pace felt so slow for me, and I couldn't get in touch with most of Elin's motives and attitudes. It was so hard to connect with most of the characters as well. I didn't like it, overall. Just not my cup of tea.
deethereader's review
4.0
A story of Elin told in a dual timeline. The past Elin where she lived a poor and difficult life with her mother and 2 siblings and then her current life where she is a successful photographer that she dedicates so much of her life to that she has alienated her husband and daughter.
As a child Elin struggled to understand why her mother wouldn’t have her father back after he was imprisoned and why her best friends father was spending so much time at their house.
After a horrible accident occurs Elin flees her home town and moves to her dads. There she begins her new life and never talks about it again. Not until she receives something in the mail that triggers long buried memories.
After pushing and prodding from her daughter Elin starts to open up about her past and what happened. She also returns to her home town and there the truth comes out and it’s not what Elin had always believed.
I struggled to connect with present day Elin as she appeared to be a self absorbed workaholic with past secrets that she was not willing to share. However as the story progressed she became more likeable. Her husband Sam tried his hardest to to connect with Elin as does her daughter but she always was too busy and distracted by work.
I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed but in saying that there was closure to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As a child Elin struggled to understand why her mother wouldn’t have her father back after he was imprisoned and why her best friends father was spending so much time at their house.
After a horrible accident occurs Elin flees her home town and moves to her dads. There she begins her new life and never talks about it again. Not until she receives something in the mail that triggers long buried memories.
After pushing and prodding from her daughter Elin starts to open up about her past and what happened. She also returns to her home town and there the truth comes out and it’s not what Elin had always believed.
I struggled to connect with present day Elin as she appeared to be a self absorbed workaholic with past secrets that she was not willing to share. However as the story progressed she became more likeable. Her husband Sam tried his hardest to to connect with Elin as does her daughter but she always was too busy and distracted by work.
I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed but in saying that there was closure to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
anneliesbl's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ik werd er helemaal ingezogen, mooi en verdrietig boek.