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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
paperbackmo's review
3.0
This book was really easy to read and get into.
Mentioned in my Middle Grade/YA recommendation video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nHauiYya4I
I thought the way the author wrote the the ending was really good.
His vision isn't actually central to the story, its more about the interactions and relationships with the people in his life.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Mentioned in my Middle Grade/YA recommendation video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nHauiYya4I
I thought the way the author wrote the the ending was really good.
His vision isn't actually central to the story, its more about the interactions and relationships with the people in his life.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
hellsbell's review against another edition
4.0
this was one of those books I love to read. sweet, sad, funny and a motley crew of characters to get tangled up with.
really enjoyable!
really enjoyable!
shaxx's review against another edition
4.0
Sice bych se obešla bez Tripiho a Petrose, kteří mi přišli jako zbytečný prvek, ale zbytek byl skvělý. Díky knize jsem si vzpomněla na svou babičku, která už tu není a za ty vzpomínky jsem ráda. A ač nadávám na své oči, které mají momentálně -4,25 dioptrií, musela jsem si říct, že jsem na tom ještě dobře oproti Milovi. A prasátko Hamlet na závěr, prostě super.
sallyworfolk's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
andrea1306's review against another edition
5.0
Quando un libro mi cattura dalla sola trama e dal titolo so già che lo amerò.
Infatti è successo.
Il libro è molto attuale e racconta la vita di una famiglia, come potrebbe essere la mia o la tua.
I protagonisti sono tutti molto curati nel dettaglio e ognuno di loro combatte o sta convivendo con qualcosa, qualcosa che spesso arriva del loro passato.
Il libro scorre molto bene, a volte ho notato di far fatica a stare dietro alla linearità della trama per via dei numerosi flashback però è una storia che rimane.
Una parte del finale si poteva intuire da un certo punto del libro mentre un altro parte, se vogliamo, era davvero imprevedibile.
Mi è sembrato di leggere un Final Fantasy versione cartacea con tutti questi personaggi che si perdono e si ritrovano, ognuno con la loro particolare storia.
Infatti è successo.
Il libro è molto attuale e racconta la vita di una famiglia, come potrebbe essere la mia o la tua.
I protagonisti sono tutti molto curati nel dettaglio e ognuno di loro combatte o sta convivendo con qualcosa, qualcosa che spesso arriva del loro passato.
Il libro scorre molto bene, a volte ho notato di far fatica a stare dietro alla linearità della trama per via dei numerosi flashback però è una storia che rimane.
Una parte del finale si poteva intuire da un certo punto del libro mentre un altro parte, se vogliamo, era davvero imprevedibile.
Mi è sembrato di leggere un Final Fantasy versione cartacea con tutti questi personaggi che si perdono e si ritrovano, ognuno con la loro particolare storia.
milokronenburg's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
juliwi's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes it's hard to pinpoint exactly why a novel draws you in, what it is that makes you decide to pick it up and dedicate to it. This is the case for me with What Milo Saw. It's not a read I'd normally gravitate to but after finishing it I'm really glad I did take the plunge with it. Thanks to Little, Brown, Sphere and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
A great word to describe the first impression of this novel is the word 'lovely'. For some this word falls a bit flat, but I think it is a perfect descriptor sometimes. What Milo Saw is a beautiful book which takes its time to tell an adorable story with a wide cast of characters. However, below the surface there is a lot more going on than the narration betrays. Whether it's ageing, getting divorced or the pressures of everyday life, What Milo Saw picks up on a whole range of topics which can hit really close to home. Macgregor manages to have these themes run through her novel very subtly, each of them serving the novel's main narrative while also getting space of their own. Each of the characters is used by Macgregor to explore one of these by shifting narrator between chapters and it works surprisingly well. The only potential down point is that the ending of the novel felt almost too quick, as if the whole narrative was tied together too neatly. But then all the story lines did get their own endings, each in their own way.
I really enjoyed reading What Milo Saw and couldn't wait to get back to it every time I had to put it down. Milo is a main character you can really get attached to and the rest of the characters are all written in a very emotional but recognizable way.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/review-what-milo-saw-by-virginia.html
A great word to describe the first impression of this novel is the word 'lovely'. For some this word falls a bit flat, but I think it is a perfect descriptor sometimes. What Milo Saw is a beautiful book which takes its time to tell an adorable story with a wide cast of characters. However, below the surface there is a lot more going on than the narration betrays. Whether it's ageing, getting divorced or the pressures of everyday life, What Milo Saw picks up on a whole range of topics which can hit really close to home. Macgregor manages to have these themes run through her novel very subtly, each of them serving the novel's main narrative while also getting space of their own. Each of the characters is used by Macgregor to explore one of these by shifting narrator between chapters and it works surprisingly well. The only potential down point is that the ending of the novel felt almost too quick, as if the whole narrative was tied together too neatly. But then all the story lines did get their own endings, each in their own way.
I really enjoyed reading What Milo Saw and couldn't wait to get back to it every time I had to put it down. Milo is a main character you can really get attached to and the rest of the characters are all written in a very emotional but recognizable way.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/review-what-milo-saw-by-virginia.html
nuggetbyzoe's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
I connected with the characters so well, although there was so much going on and so many issues all at once - I could still keep up with it!
I loved the storyline and all of the different issues involved and I actually wept through this book hahaha!
Such a great read, that I definitely didn't expect! :)
I connected with the characters so well, although there was so much going on and so many issues all at once - I could still keep up with it!
I loved the storyline and all of the different issues involved and I actually wept through this book hahaha!
Such a great read, that I definitely didn't expect! :)
melanie55's review against another edition
5.0
I adored this book. I wasn't able to put it down until I'd finished! The protagonist is nine year old Milo who suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa. It gives the character a unique perspective on the story which I found really involving. I think it's a brilliant concept. I was rooting for all of the characters - I loved Lou and Sandy and most definitely Tripi. I thought Tripi's subplot was beautiful and sad - and still remarkably relevant. They were all wonderfully fleshed out characters and even some of the minor characters like Mr Overend intriguing. It's a real must read I'd recommend to everyone - but be ready to cry!