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heidieckert's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoy Jojo Moyes' novels, and while she tends to use the same format - part historical fiction with a modern story that fits it all together - each book is something different. Each time when the book changes from the historical tale to the modern story, I do get a little sad and want to hold on to those original characters. In this book, as with the others, I did enjoy the modern aspect as well. Both stories were intertwined very nicely, but there were some loose ends that I would have liked to have tied up or at least acknowledged. I enjoyed reading the story. Moyes' characters are always very well-written and well-developed. They are very real and often relatable, making the reader yearn to find out what happens to them. As other reviewers mentioned, the end left a little bit to be desired. After the whole story and getting to know the characters, I thought it would be a bit different. But life is unexpected and being true to life is something Moyes does well. Other reviews also mentioned the epilogue being confusing. I agree as well. I really do not know what the epilogue meant, but I do wish it would have been a less cryptic end to an otherwise engaging and enjoyable book.
ancapavlovova's review against another edition
1.0
As much as I love Jojo Moyes books, I hated this one... I couldn't engage in the story, it had a weird, slow flow. I couldn't manage to feel something for any of the characters. Finished it, but really bored.
tbrandread's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
beasleymomtwo's review against another edition
2.0
I tried really hard to finish this book but even a break away didn't help. I don't know what it was about it that didn't hold my interest but while reading I found my mind wondering and it was hard to stay focused on the many characters. When you get to part 2 it is a whole new list of characters and still I couldn't get into it. I love Jojo Moyers other books especially her Me Before You book.
bibliobethreads's review
4.0
Regular visitors to my blog will probably know that I'm a big fan of Jojo Moyes ever since she came to my awareness with books like Me Before You and The Girl You Left Behind, but recently I have decided to read her back catalogue of work, this book being the first. Foreign Fruit was first published in 2003 and is set in two time periods, contemporary and the 1950's but inter-links seamlessly to form a fascinating and compelling story. We start off in the 1950's, in the sleepy seaside town of Merham, where everybody seems to know each others business, and keeping any kind of secret is practically impossible. We meet two girls, Lottie, who loves the town, is steady and reliable and has grown up with the Holden family as an evacuee during the war, and Celia, the Holden's flighty and slightly rebellious daughter, who feels restricted by the holds of the town and her family and longs to break away.
This opportunity comes sooner than expected when a little excitement comes to the town in the form of a group of bohemians including an actress (shock horror!) who take over a property called Arcadia in the town and proceed to shake things up a little in the town, much to the horror of its inhabitants. In the end, after a slight scandal, Celia escapes to London, and Lottie remains with the Holden family. Fast forward a little while and Celia returns from London to visit the family with her new fiance Guy, which creates a host of problems for Lottie, and changes everything for both families and for Lottie in particular forever.
We then get a switch in the story to contemporary times, where the author introduces us to a woman called Daisy who has a young child and is having a terrible time. Her long-term boyfriend and father of her child has disappeared unable to cope with the demands of a baby, and Daisy is left alone literally holding the baby. To distract her from her personal issues, she has taken on a commission to re-decorate and re-design a house called Arcadia (yep, the same one in the 50's story, glad you're keeping up!) as a top class hotel, for a shrewd businessman who has taken over ownership of it. But when the old house comes back to life, some old problems start to rear their ugly heads along with it, and Daisy also finds herself re-evaluating her life and her choices.
Jojo Moyes as always pulls the reader in with a beautiful and convoluted plot that keeps the pages turning without ever becoming dull. I loved the array of characters that were presented and how the author made me feel part of the story rather than an outsider looking in. If I had to choose I would probably say that I preferred the 1950's element of the story more than the contemporary as the time period just seemed to come alive on the pages, but I loved our contemporary character Daisy and felt sorry for her struggles as a single working mother, which feels very current and relevant by today's standards! I also enjoyed the authors representation of some characters in a sleepy seaside town, where idle gossip and sticking your nose into everyone else's business is standard, to get a bit of entertainment and to relieve the dullness and monotony of life. It did take a little while for the story to get a bit of momentum, but as soon as it did, I was hooked and had to read on to see how it would all play out. While I still prefer Me Before You and The Girl You Left Behind by this author, this is a great read and one I would recommend for any fans of her work.
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.com
This opportunity comes sooner than expected when a little excitement comes to the town in the form of a group of bohemians including an actress (shock horror!) who take over a property called Arcadia in the town and proceed to shake things up a little in the town, much to the horror of its inhabitants. In the end, after a slight scandal, Celia escapes to London, and Lottie remains with the Holden family. Fast forward a little while and Celia returns from London to visit the family with her new fiance Guy, which creates a host of problems for Lottie, and changes everything for both families and for Lottie in particular forever.
We then get a switch in the story to contemporary times, where the author introduces us to a woman called Daisy who has a young child and is having a terrible time. Her long-term boyfriend and father of her child has disappeared unable to cope with the demands of a baby, and Daisy is left alone literally holding the baby. To distract her from her personal issues, she has taken on a commission to re-decorate and re-design a house called Arcadia (yep, the same one in the 50's story, glad you're keeping up!) as a top class hotel, for a shrewd businessman who has taken over ownership of it. But when the old house comes back to life, some old problems start to rear their ugly heads along with it, and Daisy also finds herself re-evaluating her life and her choices.
Jojo Moyes as always pulls the reader in with a beautiful and convoluted plot that keeps the pages turning without ever becoming dull. I loved the array of characters that were presented and how the author made me feel part of the story rather than an outsider looking in. If I had to choose I would probably say that I preferred the 1950's element of the story more than the contemporary as the time period just seemed to come alive on the pages, but I loved our contemporary character Daisy and felt sorry for her struggles as a single working mother, which feels very current and relevant by today's standards! I also enjoyed the authors representation of some characters in a sleepy seaside town, where idle gossip and sticking your nose into everyone else's business is standard, to get a bit of entertainment and to relieve the dullness and monotony of life. It did take a little while for the story to get a bit of momentum, but as soon as it did, I was hooked and had to read on to see how it would all play out. While I still prefer Me Before You and The Girl You Left Behind by this author, this is a great read and one I would recommend for any fans of her work.
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.com
lisaterry83's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely LOVED this story. Jojo Moyes hasn’t written a bad one yet, at least not one I’ve read. I have fallen in love with the characters in all of her stories.
dommdy's review against another edition
2.0
I’m not sure how I feel about this book. I was invested in the characters in the first part of the story, much less so the later timeline. It seemed an abrupt switch to me. I never got a feeling for Daisy, even with descriptions of her working I never got a sense of her design abilities.
I wanted to know more about Guy and Celia and Lottie during the years missing from the first timeline, not sure if that’s the right term. I would’ve enjoyed knowing more about the fate of the artists and eccentrics that lived in Arcadia at that time.
Maybe it’s just me, but the story seemed disjointed and I didn’t care much about any of the characters in the end. I was glad it was over.
I wanted to know more about Guy and Celia and Lottie during the years missing from the first timeline, not sure if that’s the right term. I would’ve enjoyed knowing more about the fate of the artists and eccentrics that lived in Arcadia at that time.
Maybe it’s just me, but the story seemed disjointed and I didn’t care much about any of the characters in the end. I was glad it was over.
kszr's review against another edition
3.0
Writing was engaging, but plot was too obvious. Didn't really care in the end.