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chrysalis11's review
4.0
A warm, delightful book with a host of charming characters. The story is heartwarming and definitely one for all ages. Milo Moon wins hearts and how! An endearing tale that will leave you with a smile on your face.
jasmijn02's review
4.0
'If you loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, this is for you', zoals de cover zegt, dat is misschien wat te veel eer. Het duurde best even voor ik echt goed in het verhaal zat, en hoofdrolspeler Milo is ook net wat minder toegankelijk dan zijn evenknie in Curious. Maar desondanks een fijn boek, met een prachtige apotheose in het verzorgingshuis van zijn oma. Het boek had daar mogen eindigen.
bethadele's review against another edition
5.0
Virginia Macgregor has created a cast of memorable and loveable characters. From 9 year old Milo, the little boy with Retinitis Pigmentosa, who sees things other people miss through his reduced visual field; to Tripi, a Syrian refugee searching for his lost sister and a better safer life; to Nurse Thornbill, a greedy and unsympathetic woman; to Petros, a man with a secret; to Mr Overland, the whistling neighbour who stares out his window all day and night; and others who make up this heart warming, touching tale.
A commentary of how dismissive we can be as a society, particularly of the young and the elderly. How selfish we can be. But also how all it takes is for someone to lovingly open our eyes to seeing what is really there and what isn't. What Milo Saw will make you laugh and sigh. Sorrowful and hopeful in equal measures this is a truly beautiful story of family, love and the details that hide nestled amongst the bigger picture.
A commentary of how dismissive we can be as a society, particularly of the young and the elderly. How selfish we can be. But also how all it takes is for someone to lovingly open our eyes to seeing what is really there and what isn't. What Milo Saw will make you laugh and sigh. Sorrowful and hopeful in equal measures this is a truly beautiful story of family, love and the details that hide nestled amongst the bigger picture.
kim4673's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
verityw's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know whether it was because I read this so soon after reading - and loving - Wonder, but this didn't really do it for me as much as I thought it would. My copy was a hardback library edition - so was too big to take to work, which partly accounts for how long it took me to read it, but also it just didn't grab me. There's a lot of good ideas in it, but for some reason, it just didn't all click into place for me as I read it.
ETA - coming back to this some months later, and it's stayed with me more than I thought it would. I still don't think it's perfect, but I do think it's sweet and Milo's quest to unmask injustice is well done. I've upgraded it to four stars.
ETA - coming back to this some months later, and it's stayed with me more than I thought it would. I still don't think it's perfect, but I do think it's sweet and Milo's quest to unmask injustice is well done. I've upgraded it to four stars.
kcsunshine25's review against another edition
5.0
What a lovely, sweet, well observed story. Comparisons will be drawn with the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, in that it is a young boy with a disability who seeks to uncover a wrong doing.
The story is told mostly from Milo's point of view with interludes from his mum Sandy, Gran Lou and Tripi a homeless refugee that Milo befriends.
Milo's beloved Gran has to live in a care home because at 9 years old and being only partially sighted he can't look after her anymore. I absolutely loved the relationship between Milo and Lou. It was just how a grandma/grandson relationship should be. He dotes on her, she dotes on him. It was a very special bond.
I have had the unfortunate experience of a number of care homes and sadly the events described by Virginia MacGregor are all too common place. The crap food. The lack of tolerance. The medication to make them sleep. The stealing and bruises too.
I don't have any experience of teacup pigs, but I think I would rather like one.
Milo, bless him with his degenerative eye condition, is an observer. A caring soul who is old beyond his years with a heart of pure gold.
What Milo Saw is well written with a good pace and a story that flows perfectly. All the threads are neatly tied up at the end - more or less!
It's a book that would be perfectly suitable to older children wanting to get out of standard children's book fodder into something a little more grown up.
I received an ARC for an honest review.
The story is told mostly from Milo's point of view with interludes from his mum Sandy, Gran Lou and Tripi a homeless refugee that Milo befriends.
Milo's beloved Gran has to live in a care home because at 9 years old and being only partially sighted he can't look after her anymore. I absolutely loved the relationship between Milo and Lou. It was just how a grandma/grandson relationship should be. He dotes on her, she dotes on him. It was a very special bond.
I have had the unfortunate experience of a number of care homes and sadly the events described by Virginia MacGregor are all too common place. The crap food. The lack of tolerance. The medication to make them sleep. The stealing and bruises too.
I don't have any experience of teacup pigs, but I think I would rather like one.
Milo, bless him with his degenerative eye condition, is an observer. A caring soul who is old beyond his years with a heart of pure gold.
What Milo Saw is well written with a good pace and a story that flows perfectly. All the threads are neatly tied up at the end - more or less!
It's a book that would be perfectly suitable to older children wanting to get out of standard children's book fodder into something a little more grown up.
I received an ARC for an honest review.
piperbunny's review
4.0
Such a sweet story. Humorous and shocking in places. I did have a couple of tears at the end. Very well written, the start seemed to go backwards and forwards a bit Milo - Nursing Home - Milo - Nursing Home, but it soon picked up pace. I enjoyed how it was written from Milo's perspective and through his eyes, not seeing everything.
nyiestra's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
namedines's review against another edition
3.0
What Milo Saw by Virginia Mcgregor
3.5 stars
This was such a lovely and moving book! And, though I was able to sort of figure out where the story was going, it was, nonetheless, an enjoyable read, that kept me entertained, and it still managed to have some surprising features.
Nine-year-old Milo has retinitis pigmentosa: his eyes are slowly failing and he will eventually go blind. But for now he sees the world through a pin hole and notices things other people don't. When Milo's beloved ninety-two-year-old great grandmother (who he calls Gran) succumbs to dementia and moves into a nursing home, Milo soon realises there's something wrong at the home. The grown-ups won’t listen when he tries to tell them, so with some friends to help, Milo sets out on a mission to expose the nursing home.
One of the main focus of this book is the nursing home and its residents, as well as Milo's relationship with his Gran, Lou.
It tackles what I like to believe only happens with some nursing homes, because it's needed to keep in mind that, sometimes, they're the only and best opinion. That being said, I do think, even with what was happening, the writing was respectfully, and, for that reason, I did really like that each resident of the nursing home had their own individual personality.
As someone whose grandmothers are older than others I know, and with whom I don't have a really close and affectionate relationship, it was extremely charming to read about Milo and his Gran's one. So sweet and pure, Milo has this sort of extreme need to take care of her, that is absolutely incredible to read about.
I felt like there was respect in the way Milo's disability was written and addressed throughout the story. He was aware of his struggles and we (readers) were exposed to such, but it never stopped him from living and doing whatever he wanted to do.
However, I don't know to what extent Milo was a believable nine-year-old boy. Maybe, I no longer remember nor know how kids behave. He seemed too expeditious to a child, especially with his eye problem, because he always walked from one place to the other alone, without adult supervision. Also, his perseverance and the extreme need to take care of his Gran seemed, to me, too much. I mean, it shouldn't be his job. He's just a kid, he should play and be with people of his age, which was something we didn't get to see.
My favorite aspect of this book, and the one that surprised me the most, was the character of Tripi, a Syrian refugee who is looking for his sister who got lost when they were escaping their country. It was so interesting to read about, and it’s a strong feature that definitely adds a new layer and dimension to the book and the story.
There's also Sandy, Milo's mother, which brings some more adult life issues, like financial struggles or the spilt of the family.
The book is all written in third person, but, throughout it, we get the perspectives of Milo, Lou, Tripi and Sandy. These multiple points of view help us understand the story of all the characters and their view on what's happening. If it only had Milo's perspective, it wouldn't have the depth that the adults' ones bring. They're the various sides of the story. A character leads us to believe that an event happened a certain way, but with the different perspectives we get the full picture. Thus contributes to the multidimensionality of the intervening characters.
The ending is satisfying; everything is all nicely wrapped up and all the characters get what you wished for them and expected . Recently, I've actually been growing to really enjoy this sort of writing formula for the ending where we get to see sort of the characters’ future. It conveys that feeling of remaning with them, even after the story itself is over, because we continue to know about their lives.
3.5 stars
This was such a lovely and moving book! And, though I was able to sort of figure out where the story was going, it was, nonetheless, an enjoyable read, that kept me entertained, and it still managed to have some surprising features.
"Milo curled his thumb and forefinger together to make a small hole and held his fingers up to Al’s eyes. 'Look through here. That’s what I see. Kind of, only worse.'
'Wow, that must be amazing.'
Milo shrugged. 'Not really.'
'I mean, it makes you focus, doesn’t it? I bet you see all kinds of stuff that other people miss.'"
Nine-year-old Milo has retinitis pigmentosa: his eyes are slowly failing and he will eventually go blind. But for now he sees the world through a pin hole and notices things other people don't. When Milo's beloved ninety-two-year-old great grandmother (who he calls Gran) succumbs to dementia and moves into a nursing home, Milo soon realises there's something wrong at the home. The grown-ups won’t listen when he tries to tell them, so with some friends to help, Milo sets out on a mission to expose the nursing home.
One of the main focus of this book is the nursing home and its residents, as well as Milo's relationship with his Gran, Lou.
It tackles what I like to believe only happens with some nursing homes, because it's needed to keep in mind that, sometimes, they're the only and best opinion. That being said, I do think, even with what was happening, the writing was respectfully, and, for that reason, I did really like that each resident of the nursing home had their own individual personality.
As someone whose grandmothers are older than others I know, and with whom I don't have a really close and affectionate relationship, it was extremely charming to read about Milo and his Gran's one. So sweet and pure, Milo has this sort of extreme need to take care of her, that is absolutely incredible to read about.
I felt like there was respect in the way Milo's disability was written and addressed throughout the story. He was aware of his struggles and we (readers) were exposed to such, but it never stopped him from living and doing whatever he wanted to do.
However, I don't know to what extent Milo was a believable nine-year-old boy. Maybe, I no longer remember nor know how kids behave. He seemed too expeditious to a child, especially with his eye problem, because he always walked from one place to the other alone, without adult supervision. Also, his perseverance and the extreme need to take care of his Gran seemed, to me, too much. I mean, it shouldn't be his job. He's just a kid, he should play and be with people of his age, which was something we didn't get to see.
"'I’m not a kid, you know,' said Milo, standing up.
'Of course not. That’s why you’re going to do the adult thing and go home – you are going to go the extra mile.'
'The extra mile?'
'Make an effort.'"
My favorite aspect of this book, and the one that surprised me the most, was the character of Tripi, a Syrian refugee who is looking for his sister who got lost when they were escaping their country. It was so interesting to read about, and it’s a strong feature that definitely adds a new layer and dimension to the book and the story.
There's also Sandy, Milo's mother, which brings some more adult life issues, like financial struggles or the spilt of the family.
The book is all written in third person, but, throughout it, we get the perspectives of Milo, Lou, Tripi and Sandy. These multiple points of view help us understand the story of all the characters and their view on what's happening. If it only had Milo's perspective, it wouldn't have the depth that the adults' ones bring. They're the various sides of the story. A character leads us to believe that an event happened a certain way, but with the different perspectives we get the full picture. Thus contributes to the multidimensionality of the intervening characters.
The ending is satisfying; everything is all nicely wrapped up and all the characters get what you wished for them and expected . Recently, I've actually been growing to really enjoy this sort of writing formula for the ending where we get to see sort of the characters’ future. It conveys that feeling of remaning with them, even after the story itself is over, because we continue to know about their lives.
"As Milo shifted his head and focused in on the images through the small 'O' of his vision, he felt kind of lucky that he didn’t have to see it all. At least he only got a bit of the grey sky and the grey pavements and the grey leafless trees. People who saw everything at once must feel drowned by the world. All Milo had to do was to move his head and focus on something else and pretend the bad bits weren’t there."
georgeisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found myself invested invested in the characters and the plot; albeit some of it was quite predictable but I still enjoyed it. Every character was different which I liked. Quite the page turner!