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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
An interesting day to day story of a family who's trust into Hospital time.
With the eldest daughter suddenly taken to hospital, the family have to carry on the day to dayness of life, while coping with the added extra.
It's a good time capsule of the current state of NHS British Health Care System. Being set in present day, it feels like the book is taking place this week. With references to the war in Syria and the government.
If you have ever been put into hospital life you will find a lot in this book that hits g=home. Even if you have only gone to visit someone.
Hospital time and lack of rest, saying you don;t get better in hospital, you go home for that. You just become safe to be discharged.
I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator to be very good. His gravel voice added to the exhaustion you felt through the writing.
With the eldest daughter suddenly taken to hospital, the family have to carry on the day to dayness of life, while coping with the added extra.
It's a good time capsule of the current state of NHS British Health Care System. Being set in present day, it feels like the book is taking place this week. With references to the war in Syria and the government.
If you have ever been put into hospital life you will find a lot in this book that hits g=home. Even if you have only gone to visit someone.
Hospital time and lack of rest, saying you don;t get better in hospital, you go home for that. You just become safe to be discharged.
I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator to be very good. His gravel voice added to the exhaustion you felt through the writing.
Best book of the year so far. Read signs for lost children by Sarah moss last month and this is even better!
Adam’s daughter Miriam stops breathing one day while at school, and now Adam has to live with the knowledge that he can’t trust his daughter’s body to keep itself alive.
I really liked this slow (apart from its dramatic beginning) meditation on what it means to live with the fear of death, and what, in the light if that, is important in life – even if it took me a little while to get fully into it.
One thing Sarah Moss does well – and uses often in her books – is weaving multiple stories together around the main plot. In Night Waking, for example, I absolutely loved the sub-story. In this one, however, not so much. There are two sub-stories (they are not really plots), one that tells the story of how Coventry Cathedral was built (because Adam is writing the text for an app for the cathedral) and one of his father’s youth in America before settling in England with his mother, and I was not much invested in either of them. I did find it interesting to read about the bombing of the town and the cathedral during WWII, and this sub-story complements the main plot well, but the whole process of designing the new cathedral was honestly slightly boring, and I never really understood the point of the grandfather’s sub-story.
This one reminds me of Night Waking in several ways beyond the sub-stories. They both share themes of history and the past and the influence it has on the present. They share themes of academia (and its shortcomings) too. And they especially share themes of modern mother- and fatherhood, which Moss explores with enormous skill. But overall, I just don’t think Tidal Zone lives up to the brilliance of Night Waking (my absolute favourite of her books so far), despite the many similarities.
Well, I had never thought I’d read a Moss novel that I didn’t love to bits, but here we are! It is, however, as brilliantly written and researched as her other works (this is my fifth of her books), and I do think it’s a good read.
True rating is probably 3.75 stars.
/NK
I really liked this slow (apart from its dramatic beginning) meditation on what it means to live with the fear of death, and what, in the light if that, is important in life – even if it took me a little while to get fully into it.
One thing Sarah Moss does well – and uses often in her books – is weaving multiple stories together around the main plot. In Night Waking, for example, I absolutely loved the sub-story. In this one, however, not so much. There are two sub-stories (they are not really plots), one that tells the story of how Coventry Cathedral was built (because Adam is writing the text for an app for the cathedral) and one of his father’s youth in America before settling in England with his mother, and I was not much invested in either of them. I did find it interesting to read about the bombing of the town and the cathedral during WWII, and this sub-story complements the main plot well, but the whole process of designing the new cathedral was honestly slightly boring, and I never really understood the point of the grandfather’s sub-story.
This one reminds me of Night Waking in several ways beyond the sub-stories. They both share themes of history and the past and the influence it has on the present. They share themes of academia (and its shortcomings) too. And they especially share themes of modern mother- and fatherhood, which Moss explores with enormous skill. But overall, I just don’t think Tidal Zone lives up to the brilliance of Night Waking (my absolute favourite of her books so far), despite the many similarities.
Well, I had never thought I’d read a Moss novel that I didn’t love to bits, but here we are! It is, however, as brilliantly written and researched as her other works (this is my fifth of her books), and I do think it’s a good read.
True rating is probably 3.75 stars.
/NK
4.5
I listened to the audio book of this and really, really enjoyed it. Moss' main character Adam is brilliantly created - he feels deeply real, full of love, resentment, anxiety and fear - and the story of how he (and his family) adjust to having a sick daughter is gorgeously rendered. The two sub-stories: one about the rebuilding of the Coventry Cathedral after WW2 and the other about Adam's fathers wanderings as a young man are occasionally meandering - I just wanted to spend more time with the family.
I listened to the audio book of this and really, really enjoyed it. Moss' main character Adam is brilliantly created - he feels deeply real, full of love, resentment, anxiety and fear - and the story of how he (and his family) adjust to having a sick daughter is gorgeously rendered. The two sub-stories: one about the rebuilding of the Coventry Cathedral after WW2 and the other about Adam's fathers wanderings as a young man are occasionally meandering - I just wanted to spend more time with the family.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book about a family rebuilding their ideas and assumptions about life when 15-year-old Miriam collapses and stops breathing.
This was really enjoyable and I loved how the story built up the picture of a pretty ordinary British family that had a bad thing happen and now have to figure out how to move on and continue living, despite having a bad cloud above them reminding them of life’s fragility. I really enjoyed Adam’s narration and some of the things he brought into the life about some of the difficulties he faced about being a stay-at-home dad. We learn about sexism in the workplace all the time but I definitely think there were times Adam experienced the same thing being a house husband, which is still quite rare even in today’s society - such as when he was accused of being a pervert because he was waiting for his daughter at the swimming pool. Some of Adam’s observations about his role, his wife’s role as breadwinner and just how he adjusted to Miriam’s sitaution really got me thinking.
I went back and forth between liking and disliking Miriam. At times she was a bit up herself but her precociousness was also a little bit admirable at times. I don’t think I had such strong beliefs when I was 15. Rose was a very believable eight-year-old from her usual childish antics to the way she reacted to Miriam being allowed to stay in bed all day and ‘watch TV’ while she still had to go to school. The family as a whole was pretty great and for the most part I really enjoyed how they communicated with each other and how Adam and Emma spoke about things in a mature and truthful way to Miriam and Rose.
The little story about Adam’s dad and his eventual journey to England was enjoyable though my attention did waver a bit when Adam went on about Coventry Cathedral.
Overall, an enjoyable story, great and engaging writing style and I’m glad I picked it up!
This was really enjoyable and I loved how the story built up the picture of a pretty ordinary British family that had a bad thing happen and now have to figure out how to move on and continue living, despite having a bad cloud above them reminding them of life’s fragility. I really enjoyed Adam’s narration and some of the things he brought into the life about some of the difficulties he faced about being a stay-at-home dad. We learn about sexism in the workplace all the time but I definitely think there were times Adam experienced the same thing being a house husband, which is still quite rare even in today’s society - such as when he was accused of being a pervert because he was waiting for his daughter at the swimming pool. Some of Adam’s observations about his role, his wife’s role as breadwinner and just how he adjusted to Miriam’s sitaution really got me thinking.
I went back and forth between liking and disliking Miriam. At times she was a bit up herself but her precociousness was also a little bit admirable at times. I don’t think I had such strong beliefs when I was 15. Rose was a very believable eight-year-old from her usual childish antics to the way she reacted to Miriam being allowed to stay in bed all day and ‘watch TV’ while she still had to go to school. The family as a whole was pretty great and for the most part I really enjoyed how they communicated with each other and how Adam and Emma spoke about things in a mature and truthful way to Miriam and Rose.
The little story about Adam’s dad and his eventual journey to England was enjoyable though my attention did waver a bit when Adam went on about Coventry Cathedral.
Overall, an enjoyable story, great and engaging writing style and I’m glad I picked it up!
An absolutely beautiful read by Sarah Moss; a writer I will now follow with interest.
I was a bit worried reading a book about an unknown medical issue might make me anxious, but I really rather loved this book. I could have done without the cathedral building (not necessary for the plot in my opinion). The father subverting gender rolls was a nice change of pace. I also really enjoyed the way the children were written. Overall for anyone who enjoys a character driven book and doesn't mind the ending not being tied up in a bow.
A profound, witty and beautiful take on the current social issues of our time and the uncertainty of life and death.
Absolute perfection.
Absolute perfection.