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katykelly's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I'm in two minds about this book. It reminded me of Wonder (R. J. Palacio) but is marketed (somewhat inexplicably in my opinion) at an adult market. Wonder takes the multiple narrator approach to a boy with physical deformities starting school for the first time. What Milo Saw has Milo Moon at its centre. A nine year old boy with pinhole vision that will eventually disappear altogether.
You would expect this vision to be central to the story. But I don't think it is. There are a few scenes that focus on Milo's sight and his situation, but in reality I thought the main stories could have been written about any nine year old boy and his family. The stories around Milo are featured much more strongly.
The two story arcs to Milo's family feature his mother and his great-grandmother. After an 'accidental' house fire, his great-grandma is soon put into a home, Forget Me Not Homes. Milo's dad has left them all for another woman, and his mother now sole breadwinner. Her own sadness and love life is the second part of the book. Milo observes both and tries his best to help both women.
Milo sees problems in the care home - can he get anyone to believe him and save his beloved great-grandma? And can he help stop his mother comfort-eating?
Each of these three shares the narration and it's a well-told and enjoyable story, with people to root for. To loathe. To admire. I particularly disliked Milo's dad before we met him - he buys a pet pig for the son he's going to leave? Leaves his own grandma with the wife he's about to leave? Really? What a situation to leave them in!
Milo; I tried to suspend my disbelief at his precocious language and understanding, to enjoy the book. His condition is sad and I really didn't feel enough was made of it.
Could easily be read by an audience similar to Wonder's, not just adults. Despite the flaws as I see them, I really liked the book. I just think it could have been better and made more of its unique points.
I'm in two minds about this book. It reminded me of Wonder (R. J. Palacio) but is marketed (somewhat inexplicably in my opinion) at an adult market. Wonder takes the multiple narrator approach to a boy with physical deformities starting school for the first time. What Milo Saw has Milo Moon at its centre. A nine year old boy with pinhole vision that will eventually disappear altogether.
You would expect this vision to be central to the story. But I don't think it is. There are a few scenes that focus on Milo's sight and his situation, but in reality I thought the main stories could have been written about any nine year old boy and his family. The stories around Milo are featured much more strongly.
The two story arcs to Milo's family feature his mother and his great-grandmother. After an 'accidental' house fire, his great-grandma is soon put into a home, Forget Me Not Homes. Milo's dad has left them all for another woman, and his mother now sole breadwinner. Her own sadness and love life is the second part of the book. Milo observes both and tries his best to help both women.
Milo sees problems in the care home - can he get anyone to believe him and save his beloved great-grandma? And can he help stop his mother comfort-eating?
Each of these three shares the narration and it's a well-told and enjoyable story, with people to root for. To loathe. To admire. I particularly disliked Milo's dad before we met him - he buys a pet pig for the son he's going to leave? Leaves his own grandma with the wife he's about to leave? Really? What a situation to leave them in!
Milo; I tried to suspend my disbelief at his precocious language and understanding, to enjoy the book. His condition is sad and I really didn't feel enough was made of it.
Could easily be read by an audience similar to Wonder's, not just adults. Despite the flaws as I see them, I really liked the book. I just think it could have been better and made more of its unique points.
fluffyllama789's review
4.0
I was lucky enough to receive this book through a Goodreads giveaway. I particularly liked the characters, especially Milo, and the point of view changes throughout gave you insight into the four main characters enabling you to really connect with them. Several important issues occurred in this book, for example, neglect in care homes and Milo's deteriorating sight, however they were dealt with sensitivity and humour. I really enjoyed this book which was a well paced and easy to read, although I would have liked a few more chapters at the end.
jorunehah's review against another edition
5.0
Sweet and honest. You get let down by every single adult and learn to love them anyways by the end.
esseve's review against another edition
4.0
Mucize'yi sevenler çok yüksek ihtimalle İğne Deliğinden Dünya'yı da sevecektir bence.
michalice's review
3.0
Days after finishing What Milo Saw I am still tying to process my thoughts about this book. I went into What Milo Saw with no idea what retinitis pigmentosa was, but as the story began we are told what it is and how it affects Milo. Although I couldn't relate to Milo, I did feel sorry for him. Without my glasses my eyesight is just about manageable, but having to see the world through a tiny hole, not seeing tings clearly and struggling constantly is something I don't know how people cope with.
What Milo Saw was a book I found hard to really get into, and a lot of that was my own feelings and not really anything else. When I began reading I was very interested in seeing where this all led, but as the book progressed and things were getting weird I could see where it was going, so instead of my focus being on the book, it was on my feelings of anger, of sadness, and of disbelief. I have gone through what Milo goes through with his Nan, and imagining my Nan being in his Nan's place was far too easy for me. My focus and emotional connection was for his Nan, and not for Milo, which I think defeated the object of the book for me. I honestly can't remember much about what happens in the pages of the book.
Final Verdict
What Milo Saw was an interesting read, but for me it was overshadowed by my feelings.
What Milo Saw was a book I found hard to really get into, and a lot of that was my own feelings and not really anything else. When I began reading I was very interested in seeing where this all led, but as the book progressed and things were getting weird I could see where it was going, so instead of my focus being on the book, it was on my feelings of anger, of sadness, and of disbelief. I have gone through what Milo goes through with his Nan, and imagining my Nan being in his Nan's place was far too easy for me. My focus and emotional connection was for his Nan, and not for Milo, which I think defeated the object of the book for me. I honestly can't remember much about what happens in the pages of the book.
Final Verdict
What Milo Saw was an interesting read, but for me it was overshadowed by my feelings.
librafiction's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 stars.
!!WARNING!! My review can contain SPOILERS!!
The story was very beautiful. I just want that to be clear. The problem is that the chapters of Milo sometimes didn’t give me the vibes of a nine-year old, but Tripi’s chapters every now and then did. I understand that he can’t speak full proper English yet, but when he’s thinking he’d think in his own language, so the sentences shouldn't feel that… childish.
Some other things that made me rate the book only 3 stars, include the fact that Milo’s condition really doesn’t play a big part in this story. The title, cover and the blurb made it seem very important, so it was a little disappointing there. I also found it rather weird that Milo called his parents kissing ‘dirty things’, but he had seen a lot since then, hadn't he? After Al’s pictures and Fat Mike with Lana… it’s weird he still refers to his parents kissing as ‘dirty’.
Again, the story was really nice, but it’s not necessarily a sad book or really touching. Over all, three stars and I would probably recommend :)
!!WARNING!! My review can contain SPOILERS!!
The story was very beautiful. I just want that to be clear. The problem is that the chapters of Milo sometimes didn’t give me the vibes of a nine-year old, but Tripi’s chapters every now and then did. I understand that he can’t speak full proper English yet, but when he’s thinking he’d think in his own language, so the sentences shouldn't feel that… childish.
Some other things that made me rate the book only 3 stars, include the fact that Milo’s condition really doesn’t play a big part in this story. The title, cover and the blurb made it seem very important, so it was a little disappointing there. I also found it rather weird that Milo called his parents kissing ‘dirty things’, but he had seen a lot since then, hadn't he? After Al’s pictures and Fat Mike with Lana… it’s weird he still refers to his parents kissing as ‘dirty’.
Again, the story was really nice, but it’s not necessarily a sad book or really touching. Over all, three stars and I would probably recommend :)
neveroutofbooks's review
5.0
This tackles so many issues in such a gentle way. What a beautiful book.
clare_tan_wenhui's review against another edition
4.0
Both the plot and language are rather simple, though the earnest narration from Milo's point of view was indeed touching, reminding me of how I miss my own gramps.
dozylocal's review
4.0
4.5 stars
Super sweet with a touch of sadness. The story of Milo and his quest to get his gran back home and expose the truth about the nursing home where she currently finds herself. Along the way he makes a new friend and we learn where Milo's dad is and why his mom spends a lot of her time eating Hobnobs and watching the holiday channel. We also learn that it actually did start unraveling because of what Milo saw...
Super sweet with a touch of sadness. The story of Milo and his quest to get his gran back home and expose the truth about the nursing home where she currently finds herself. Along the way he makes a new friend and we learn where Milo's dad is and why his mom spends a lot of her time eating Hobnobs and watching the holiday channel. We also learn that it actually did start unraveling because of what Milo saw...
bianca89279's review
4.0
I've received this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly, I'm not quite sure how to rate this novel.
It's got all the ingredients that usually work on/for me: a precocious child, family problems, older people, a refugee, unexpected acts of kindness and it's even written in the third person.
In many ways, it's very similar to one of my favourite books- My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman. But I didn't like it as much as the one mentioned above.
Milo, our protagonist, is 9 years-old and he suffers from a degenerative eye disease, that will eventually render him blind.He's a bit of a loner; he lives with his unhappy, recently separated mum, and his father's 92-year-old grandmother, whom Milo loves dearly, but who's not easy to look after. After a fire incident, Sandy, Milo's mum decides to put Gran into a nursing home.
Things start to unravel from them on, as Milo misses his Gran very much and is determined to bring her back home. His eyesight may be diminishing, but he's very good at noticing things that most people don't. And he notices that things weren't quite as they seemed at Forget Me Not - the nursery home where Gran was living. Will Milo be able to get Gran back home?
I thought the writing was strong and very competent. The narration alternates between Milo, who's the main storyteller and Gran, Milo's mum, Sandy and Tripi, the Syrian refugee cook at Forget Me Not.In my opinion, Sandy and Gran's POVs didn't add too much to the story and weren't terribly insightful. I think, if taken out, the pace of the story would have been a bit better, as at times, it felt a bit sluggish.
A couple of times I did think that Milo sounded way too grown-up. I also had a bit of an issue with the pet pig, as I didn't find it very believable that Milo would be able to get away with hiding it under his coat without anyone noticing at the nursing home. Also, he leaves Hamlet, the pig, with Gran and for a couple of days nobody notices anything? A bit hard to believe. How about its bodily functions? How about food, don't they eat a lot? Hamlet sounded more like a cat. It's probably just me, I'm sure many won't have any issues with the pet pig.
While visiting Gran, Milo meets Tripi, the cook. A friendship of sorts ensues. Other secondary characters come on board, one of them being Al/Clouds, a relative from Scotland, who's an undercover journalist and who's paying rent to live in Gran's room in Milo and his mum's place.
Things get worse before they get better.
This is a good novel.Many will find it heart-warming and emotional. But that's just the thing. Given the plot and the characters, I should have been an emotional wreck, because it really had themes that really tug at my heartstrings, but "What Milo Saw" didn't quite manage to do that.
Nevertheless, it's still a 3.5 - 4 stars novel.
Looking forward to seeing other readers' opinion.
Recommended: If you liked [b: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry|23604559|My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry|Fredrik Backman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427161168s/23604559.jpg|25003015] and if you like feel good stories with precocious kids.
Cover: 5 stars
Honestly, I'm not quite sure how to rate this novel.
It's got all the ingredients that usually work on/for me: a precocious child, family problems, older people, a refugee, unexpected acts of kindness and it's even written in the third person.
In many ways, it's very similar to one of my favourite books- My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman. But I didn't like it as much as the one mentioned above.
Milo, our protagonist, is 9 years-old and he suffers from a degenerative eye disease, that will eventually render him blind.He's a bit of a loner; he lives with his unhappy, recently separated mum, and his father's 92-year-old grandmother, whom Milo loves dearly, but who's not easy to look after. After a fire incident, Sandy, Milo's mum decides to put Gran into a nursing home.
Things start to unravel from them on, as Milo misses his Gran very much and is determined to bring her back home. His eyesight may be diminishing, but he's very good at noticing things that most people don't. And he notices that things weren't quite as they seemed at Forget Me Not - the nursery home where Gran was living. Will Milo be able to get Gran back home?
I thought the writing was strong and very competent. The narration alternates between Milo, who's the main storyteller and Gran, Milo's mum, Sandy and Tripi, the Syrian refugee cook at Forget Me Not.In my opinion, Sandy and Gran's POVs didn't add too much to the story and weren't terribly insightful. I think, if taken out, the pace of the story would have been a bit better, as at times, it felt a bit sluggish.
A couple of times I did think that Milo sounded way too grown-up. I also had a bit of an issue with the pet pig, as I didn't find it very believable that Milo would be able to get away with hiding it under his coat without anyone noticing at the nursing home. Also, he leaves Hamlet, the pig, with Gran and for a couple of days nobody notices anything? A bit hard to believe. How about its bodily functions? How about food, don't they eat a lot? Hamlet sounded more like a cat. It's probably just me, I'm sure many won't have any issues with the pet pig.
While visiting Gran, Milo meets Tripi, the cook. A friendship of sorts ensues. Other secondary characters come on board, one of them being Al/Clouds, a relative from Scotland, who's an undercover journalist and who's paying rent to live in Gran's room in Milo and his mum's place.
Things get worse before they get better.
This is a good novel.Many will find it heart-warming and emotional. But that's just the thing. Given the plot and the characters, I should have been an emotional wreck, because it really had themes that really tug at my heartstrings, but "What Milo Saw" didn't quite manage to do that.
Nevertheless, it's still a 3.5 - 4 stars novel.
Looking forward to seeing other readers' opinion.
Recommended: If you liked [b: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry|23604559|My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry|Fredrik Backman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427161168s/23604559.jpg|25003015] and if you like feel good stories with precocious kids.
Cover: 5 stars