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writingwwolves's review
5.0
I have stayed up until 3am on a weekday to finish this beauty and I am completely heart broken with the cliff hanger ending - Joanna Briscoe's writing was stunningly addictive and I found it hard to ever put the book down. The story was so full of everything. Her writing jumped from present to past perfectly and the character development was amazing. I smiled, cried and was infatuated with this book, it will be one that remains on my shelves for many years to come.
aquaflame64's review
5.0
I won this book in a good reads contests and I'm really looking forward to reading this book. I can't wait for it to get here.
thepurplebookwyrm's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
22/06/2021:
I'm glad I re-read this, and will keep this one on in my library for now.
It definitely offers a different perspective on iffy age-gap relationships: I'd say Cecilia and James' relationship constitutes a true "edge case", existing within the greyer areas of consent, exploitation... and yes genuine attachment. It had quite poignant things to say about obsession, trauma and memory, without it quite being about sexual abuse or grooming (for a change). And whilst it doesn't change the way I now see/conceptualise my own experiences, I found this particular literary examination of such things useful and cathartic as well.
On the other hand, I really didn't care for the strong maternity theme - but then I never do so that's that. And I didn't really understand the point of a couple of the sub-plots either.
I'm glad I re-read this, and will keep this one on in my library for now.
It definitely offers a different perspective on iffy age-gap relationships: I'd say Cecilia and James' relationship constitutes a true "edge case", existing within the greyer areas of consent, exploitation... and yes genuine attachment. It had quite poignant things to say about obsession, trauma and memory, without it quite being about sexual abuse or grooming (for a change). And whilst it doesn't change the way I now see/conceptualise my own experiences, I found this particular literary examination of such things useful and cathartic as well.
On the other hand, I really didn't care for the strong maternity theme - but then I never do so that's that. And I didn't really understand the point of a couple of the sub-plots either.
greatgatsbys's review
4.0
I loved this. I relate to Cecelia on a spiritual level. Her relationship with James Dahl is so well written. So many times, I just took a moment to think about how Briscoe captured my feelings so perfectly. The format is a bit complicated at times with all the time jumps, hence the 4 stars rather than 5. The rest of it is great.
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