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nderiley's review against another edition
4.0
Another winner by Claire North! A fun exploration into potential negatives of social media while delving into what life might be like if you were perfectly forgettable
itsfreelancer's review against another edition
4.0
I love Claire North. Have I mentioned it before? It should be written on stone. Her books her gold. Solid.
The Sudden Appearance of Hope is an interesting read. But Claire did refine her writing in the previous books. What do you do when someone forgets you the moment they look away? Now that's a gift I'd ask my Santa for. In reality though, you'd be lonely as hell.
But oh the possibilities of crime and one night stands!
What starts as a pretty beginning for a petty thief soon turns out to be worldwide hunt for revenge and self discovery. I loved the character of Hope Arden. In a world, where time stops for none, it stopped for her. This is a helluva tale of a single girl taking on a behemoth, making the wrong decisions, changing her life, schooling herself in discipline and above all, find a place for herself.
This is the first fiction novel where I came upon the darknet. I'm pretty sure other books cover it too but I haven't read those yet. If you do not know what the darknet is, google it and possibly stay away. I came upon darknet a couple of years ago when I was researching on some illegal ideas. Nevertheless, the dark web is free for you to wander through. But be assured, that you are being monitored. I digress.
The Sudden Appearance of Hope is a beautiful story of a girl who is capable of immeasurable things.
The Sudden Appearance of Hope is an interesting read. But Claire did refine her writing in the previous books. What do you do when someone forgets you the moment they look away? Now that's a gift I'd ask my Santa for. In reality though, you'd be lonely as hell.
But oh the possibilities of crime and one night stands!
What starts as a pretty beginning for a petty thief soon turns out to be worldwide hunt for revenge and self discovery. I loved the character of Hope Arden. In a world, where time stops for none, it stopped for her. This is a helluva tale of a single girl taking on a behemoth, making the wrong decisions, changing her life, schooling herself in discipline and above all, find a place for herself.
This is the first fiction novel where I came upon the darknet. I'm pretty sure other books cover it too but I haven't read those yet. If you do not know what the darknet is, google it and possibly stay away. I came upon darknet a couple of years ago when I was researching on some illegal ideas. Nevertheless, the dark web is free for you to wander through. But be assured, that you are being monitored. I digress.
The Sudden Appearance of Hope is a beautiful story of a girl who is capable of immeasurable things.
vanya's review against another edition
5.0
On the surface this is a book about heists, social media, and a girl no one can remember.
Below the surface it is a book about identity, loneliness, purpose and worthiness.
I highly recommend this book, it's so good. It's interesting and exciting, well written. The characters are done well and the story it tells is important.
Below the surface it is a book about identity, loneliness, purpose and worthiness.
I highly recommend this book, it's so good. It's interesting and exciting, well written. The characters are done well and the story it tells is important.
slwest382's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
barefootmegz's review against another edition
1.0
My experience reading The Sudden of Appearance of Hope was entirely unenjoyable, and memorable only for its extraordinary “what if” concept (Claire North is REALLY good with her far-out what-ifs).
If this concept – the idea of a person who is completely forgettable, remembered by nobody after ten seconds of turning away – had been dwelt on more, and all the other fluff cut out or more refined, I could have enjoyed the book.
As it stands, The Sudden Appearance of Hope reads like the skeleton of a novel – the drafts, the planning, before starting. Half-sentences, un-sentences, and abstract ideas without foundation abound; and while these may be good devices in poetry or short stories, in a novel they become annoying.
The book is full of “I am my feet I am my breath” sentences when Hope is trying to center herself, and it is obsessive about definitions! Every few pages has a word randomly being defined, but this is never brought back to Hope: the obsession with definitions is never defined within the constructs of her character. It honestly seems more like a way to reach a word-count than to develop the plot or the character.
North attempts to ask hard-hitting questions about perfection, social media, and relationships; but she never really hits hard enough. Ultimately, her questions derail her plot and character more than adding to them.
The author’s powers of observation are beyond compare, and I do love her manner of describing people and events – just another reason I think she should branch into short stories (if she has not already). The thing is simply that short stories and novels are not merely longer or shorter versions of the other. This narrative style belonged in a short.
If this concept – the idea of a person who is completely forgettable, remembered by nobody after ten seconds of turning away – had been dwelt on more, and all the other fluff cut out or more refined, I could have enjoyed the book.
As it stands, The Sudden Appearance of Hope reads like the skeleton of a novel – the drafts, the planning, before starting. Half-sentences, un-sentences, and abstract ideas without foundation abound; and while these may be good devices in poetry or short stories, in a novel they become annoying.
The book is full of “I am my feet I am my breath” sentences when Hope is trying to center herself, and it is obsessive about definitions! Every few pages has a word randomly being defined, but this is never brought back to Hope: the obsession with definitions is never defined within the constructs of her character. It honestly seems more like a way to reach a word-count than to develop the plot or the character.
North attempts to ask hard-hitting questions about perfection, social media, and relationships; but she never really hits hard enough. Ultimately, her questions derail her plot and character more than adding to them.
The author’s powers of observation are beyond compare, and I do love her manner of describing people and events – just another reason I think she should branch into short stories (if she has not already). The thing is simply that short stories and novels are not merely longer or shorter versions of the other. This narrative style belonged in a short.
dr_kat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.75
it was slow to get into. It is long, longity, long-long. It is hard to wade through the oddball author choices for Hope’s endless reflections and navel gazing.
But I also think this book is brilliant. I kept finding myself relating Hope’s invisible-ness with how I often feel in my life. And I really wanted Byron to have the answers for Hope. I did. Byron’s story conclusion was necessary but I didn’t want it for her.
Hope’s narrative is so, so sad … and yet, I kept reading and felt hopeful. I finished the book feeling better about things. Felt satisfied and content.
This is now the second Claire North novel that has moved me beyond my imaginings. Absolutely recommend!
But I also think this book is brilliant. I kept finding myself relating Hope’s invisible-ness with how I often feel in my life. And I really wanted Byron to have the answers for Hope. I did. Byron’s story conclusion was necessary but I didn’t want it for her.
Hope’s narrative is so, so sad … and yet, I kept reading and felt hopeful. I finished the book feeling better about things. Felt satisfied and content.
This is now the second Claire North novel that has moved me beyond my imaginings. Absolutely recommend!
rpych2's review against another edition
3.0
The Sudden Appearance of Hope was a pretty good book, I’d rate it 3.5 and round down at this point. The concept was so interesting, anyone that Hope encounters immediately forgets her when she leaves. Claire North’s writing was great as usual, and her style does a great job of drawing me into the story. However, I thought the plot was a bit slow at times, and I struggled to get through parts of it. And it was much lighter on the sci-fi elements than The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, which I really liked.
This wasn’t what I expected it to be really, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was very high on the social commentary, especially what society seems to perfect and how that impacts a person sees themselves. It was a really interesting concept, and had some really good ideas to it. But there were just some parts I struggled through, and it brought the rating down a bit.
This wasn’t what I expected it to be really, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was very high on the social commentary, especially what society seems to perfect and how that impacts a person sees themselves. It was a really interesting concept, and had some really good ideas to it. But there were just some parts I struggled through, and it brought the rating down a bit.