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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really loved this book. The prose was just so beautiful. I could really feel the protagonist as a real person . However i did not really care too much about the parts about the cathedral and the protagonist‘s father. I also sometimes wished to see more of the other characters, like the wife, but I do understand that the protagonist was very preoccupied with his own thoughts and fears about his daughter.
Edit 27/04/17:
I've been thinking about this book quite a bit since I've read it and I have finally come to terms with the fact that I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I did. My problems I had with this book (the unnecessary storylines, the iffy writing etc.) just stick out to me more than the things I liked. Oh well.
I've been thinking about this book quite a bit since I've read it and I have finally come to terms with the fact that I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I did. My problems I had with this book (the unnecessary storylines, the iffy writing etc.) just stick out to me more than the things I liked. Oh well.
I'm so disappointed! I was sure I'd love this book.
It’s told from the point-of-view of a stay-at-home dad. I appreciate that perspective because it’s not one we see often. It definitely made me think, especially the scene that takes place at a swimming pool. Dad can’t go into the girls’ locker room with his preteen daughter, so he waits for her near the locker room door and gets reported to management for “staring at children.” Being a stay-at-home dad to daughters has some unique challenges for sure. His life becomes even more challenging when he learns that both of his children may have a mystery illness that causes them to stop breathing without warning. It's such a unique premise!
This is the second Sarah Moss book I’ve read. I’m curious about her nonfiction, but I won’t read any more of her fiction. Her topics are super interesting, but I don’t love her writing style. It’s long-winded and repetitive. This book didn’t have enough action to fill 300+ pages.
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It’s told from the point-of-view of a stay-at-home dad. I appreciate that perspective because it’s not one we see often. It definitely made me think, especially the scene that takes place at a swimming pool. Dad can’t go into the girls’ locker room with his preteen daughter, so he waits for her near the locker room door and gets reported to management for “staring at children.” Being a stay-at-home dad to daughters has some unique challenges for sure. His life becomes even more challenging when he learns that both of his children may have a mystery illness that causes them to stop breathing without warning. It's such a unique premise!
This is the second Sarah Moss book I’ve read. I’m curious about her nonfiction, but I won’t read any more of her fiction. Her topics are super interesting, but I don’t love her writing style. It’s long-winded and repetitive. This book didn’t have enough action to fill 300+ pages.
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I'm half way through, but can't go on.
I like Moss's writing style but god, every character is either dreary or obnoxious. I really struggled with the material from the father and grandfather, which gave the novel a disjointed feel. The reader was lurched from morose family drama to historical ramblings about Coventry Cathedral.
I really didn't like Miriam's character. I know that sounds awful (as a child who nearly died), but good lord, she was in hospital for twelve days, not twelve months! I know, I know, I know ... she's a teenager, they like to whinge, but the parents didn't seem like they were about to give her a sense of perspective.
I was probably greatly influenced in my dislike of Miriam by my knowledge of children who spend months, sometimes years, in hospital and don't carry on like this obnoxious brat. Check out www.postpals.co.uk and you'll see what I mean.
I like Moss's writing style but god, every character is either dreary or obnoxious. I really struggled with the material from the father and grandfather, which gave the novel a disjointed feel. The reader was lurched from morose family drama to historical ramblings about Coventry Cathedral.
I really didn't like Miriam's character. I know that sounds awful (as a child who nearly died), but good lord, she was in hospital for twelve days, not twelve months! I know, I know, I know ... she's a teenager, they like to whinge, but the parents didn't seem like they were about to give her a sense of perspective.
I was probably greatly influenced in my dislike of Miriam by my knowledge of children who spend months, sometimes years, in hospital and don't carry on like this obnoxious brat. Check out www.postpals.co.uk and you'll see what I mean.
This was a strange read. I enjoyed the way the story interwove the story of Adam's family crisis with the story of how the new Coventry Cathedral was built but it felt tenuously linked at best.
Si la portada ya es bonita, el interior la supera con creces. Algunas cosas sobran, pero en general es una novela preciosa. Leedlo, simplemente leedlo.
What an amazing and thought provoking book on life, health and the deviations and changes we make in the search for happiness.
I was relieved, to say the least, to find after reading this book that I wasn't disappointed by it. YouTube hype can often ruin a book for me, but luckily this one passed with flying colours. It might not be one of my favourite books I've ever read, and it's too early to say if it will be in my 2016 favourites list, but it was definitely a highly entertaining read.
The book follows the narrator Adam, a stay-at-home dad who receives a phone call from his 15 year old daughter Miriam's headteacher to say she has collapsed at school. Miriam's heart stops and she stops breathing, but is luckily brought back by a teacher who performs CPR. However, the reason for her collapse is shrouded in mystery, and from here we follow Adam and his family, and witness how they try and deal with this situation and the fear that it may happen again.
Sarah Moss is a truly excellent writer, and has a real way with words. At times the narrative lapses into stream of consciousness territory, but luckily this didn't put me off, instead managing to emotively communicate Adam's heartbreak and fear with regards to Miriam's health. Moss also managed to effectively capture Adam's frustration and the isolation he feels surrounded by his other young daughter Rose and his wife Emma, as each family member has a completely different way of dealing with Miriam's situation.
I really liked that Moss drew a great deal of attention towards Adam's status as the primary caregiver to his family. I feel as though this kind of gender-bias sexism towards men who aren't the family breadwinner is still rife today, and is something that is rarely talked about, so I thoroughly enjoyed Moss's portrayal of Adam's often-isolated perspective.
One element of the book that I didn't particularly enjoy however were the chapters on Coventry Cathedral, written from the perspective of Adam when he was trying to take his mind off his familial situation by throwing himself into project work for a local university. Although some of these chapters were interesting (e.g. chapters on the bombing of the cathedral itself), most of the time these little asides took me out of the flow of the story and I found my mind wandering off. Although I can understand why Moss included them, I just felt like they didn't capture me in the way they did for other people.
Overall though I am very happy that I read this book, and I will definitely be checking out more of Sarah Moss's work because I think her writing style is fantastic.
The book follows the narrator Adam, a stay-at-home dad who receives a phone call from his 15 year old daughter Miriam's headteacher to say she has collapsed at school. Miriam's heart stops and she stops breathing, but is luckily brought back by a teacher who performs CPR. However, the reason for her collapse is shrouded in mystery, and from here we follow Adam and his family, and witness how they try and deal with this situation and the fear that it may happen again.
Sarah Moss is a truly excellent writer, and has a real way with words. At times the narrative lapses into stream of consciousness territory, but luckily this didn't put me off, instead managing to emotively communicate Adam's heartbreak and fear with regards to Miriam's health. Moss also managed to effectively capture Adam's frustration and the isolation he feels surrounded by his other young daughter Rose and his wife Emma, as each family member has a completely different way of dealing with Miriam's situation.
I really liked that Moss drew a great deal of attention towards Adam's status as the primary caregiver to his family. I feel as though this kind of gender-bias sexism towards men who aren't the family breadwinner is still rife today, and is something that is rarely talked about, so I thoroughly enjoyed Moss's portrayal of Adam's often-isolated perspective.
One element of the book that I didn't particularly enjoy however were the chapters on Coventry Cathedral, written from the perspective of Adam when he was trying to take his mind off his familial situation by throwing himself into project work for a local university. Although some of these chapters were interesting (e.g. chapters on the bombing of the cathedral itself), most of the time these little asides took me out of the flow of the story and I found my mind wandering off. Although I can understand why Moss included them, I just felt like they didn't capture me in the way they did for other people.
Overall though I am very happy that I read this book, and I will definitely be checking out more of Sarah Moss's work because I think her writing style is fantastic.
I found the middle class privileged neurotic narration of this book mind bogglingly frustrating. Everything about them annoyed me - from moaning incessantly about the NHS, to forgiving minor characters their failings because awww poor them they don't know any better being uneducated and working for minimum wage - I hated the whole family. I did enjoy the grandfathers story but it was so small and unfinished that it couldn't redeem this book past it's one star rating. All I wanted was for one of them to die, after drudging through the whole book I didn't mind which one of them bit the dust (it could have ended with all of them dying in a 'tragic' plane crash on their way to the spur of the minute holiday they decided to take because y'know... they can afford it. Adam can save all the bitching about how his wife paid for it all and wank about it later, after emptying the washing machine and doing the dishes, eating a fresh croissant from the good bakery and puréeing some organic veg, ugh) I just wanted a death, just one lousy death to cheer me up at the end of a dull nagging annoying book that epitomises white privilege, and I didn't even get that. Boo!