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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
In a colonial mountain town in India, a lonely tourist from the UK, Mr Hilary Bird, finds himself staying in a mission house after hopping on a blue train to escape the heat of the Indian plains far below. He has fled his life in Britain with no plan in mind and no future in sight, and seems to be almost sleepwalking through the motions of being a tourist in this strange, vibrant new atmosphere, caught up in his search for meaning, his memories of what went wrong in his life in the past and why things have turned out as they have. The hill town of Ooty, so far away from home, both familiar and exotic simultaneously, seems like it might be the perfect balm he needs to remedy his confusion and depression with modern life, particularly as he gets to know locals Jamshed, Priscilla and the Padre, but is it really what it seems to this preoccupied, solitary man?
I didn’t feel much engagement or interest in the characters by the end of the book which is why it ultimately left me unsatisfied on a personal level, but I did feel sympathy for the situation of the characters - there was a confluence of chance events which ended in fortune for some and misfortune for others, and I found it interesting to watch that play out - there are multiple perspectives which were interesting, as the reader gets to witness mistakes in judgement, and the mismatch between expectations and hopes of different characters, which felt very real and well done. I found this book to be well written and a thoughtful commentary on modern life, though purely because it didn’t resonate particularly with me personally I have rated it 2/5 stars.
My thanks to Granta publications, the author and to #NetGalley for the arc to review.
#TheMissionHouse #CarysDavies #GrantaPublications #bookreviews #arcs #booklove #bookstagram
I didn’t feel much engagement or interest in the characters by the end of the book which is why it ultimately left me unsatisfied on a personal level, but I did feel sympathy for the situation of the characters - there was a confluence of chance events which ended in fortune for some and misfortune for others, and I found it interesting to watch that play out - there are multiple perspectives which were interesting, as the reader gets to witness mistakes in judgement, and the mismatch between expectations and hopes of different characters, which felt very real and well done. I found this book to be well written and a thoughtful commentary on modern life, though purely because it didn’t resonate particularly with me personally I have rated it 2/5 stars.
My thanks to Granta publications, the author and to #NetGalley for the arc to review.
#TheMissionHouse #CarysDavies #GrantaPublications #bookreviews #arcs #booklove #bookstagram
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
mysterious
reflective
“That there was a point to everything, and that there was no point at all.” - Cary’s Davies, The Mission House
This book grew on me. The first hundred pages just seemed pointless and full of the mundane happenings of loosely interwoven lives. It took me awhile to get “into” the story. But soon all the pieces clicked together and I was invested. I wanted to see how it played out and couldn’t put the book down. Like the above quote from early in the book, the story had no point but there was a point to everything.
This book grew on me. The first hundred pages just seemed pointless and full of the mundane happenings of loosely interwoven lives. It took me awhile to get “into” the story. But soon all the pieces clicked together and I was invested. I wanted to see how it played out and couldn’t put the book down. Like the above quote from early in the book, the story had no point but there was a point to everything.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
It was alright. I will probably forget about it by tomorrow though as I didn’t feel any of the characters stuck with me.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes