Scan barcode
margaret21's review against another edition
3.0
A book by Jane Gardam is always a treat: 'Old Filth' had me in thrall a while back, so I was eager to get stuck into Faith Fox. And at first I was hooked. The various voices in the novel: worthy women from the Surrey stockbroker belt, a disparate group existing in eccentric poverty on the North York Moors, a lone 11 year old, an elderly and somewhat cantankerous couple, a widowed doctor all rang true as I read the tale from each of their very different points of view. We never meet the woman whose past underpins the entire story. Holly Fox dies in childbirth on line one of the book, leaving a baby daughter. What is to happen to her provides the book with its plot line.
Finally though, I was disappointed. Not by the writing - never that. But the plot seems to depend on ever more unbelievable vignettes, as the characters in some cases become caricatures of themselves. Coincidence and happenstance occur on every page, and the ending, when it comes, leaves me feeling that nothing, nothing at all has been resolved for ... oh more than three or four days maybe. Which is not an unrealistic outcome with this motley crew of characters.
Somewhere under all this excess is a fine novel struggling to get out. For me, this was a good, but ultimately disappointing read.
Finally though, I was disappointed. Not by the writing - never that. But the plot seems to depend on ever more unbelievable vignettes, as the characters in some cases become caricatures of themselves. Coincidence and happenstance occur on every page, and the ending, when it comes, leaves me feeling that nothing, nothing at all has been resolved for ... oh more than three or four days maybe. Which is not an unrealistic outcome with this motley crew of characters.
Somewhere under all this excess is a fine novel struggling to get out. For me, this was a good, but ultimately disappointing read.
lzad's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
catladyreba's review against another edition
2.0
Duped. Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. All right, that may be a bit dramatic on my part, but honestly, I was so annoyed with this book. I clearly did not read the reviews well enough, and this book was not what I was expecting, to say the least. I may have liked it more if I was clearer on the premise going in, but I was so frustrated reading it, that I couldn't get past my reality of the story, versus my expectations. I have learned my lesson, and will be more careful when reading reviews.
bookpossum's review
4.0
We all react to grief and shock in different ways. That is what this book deals with: often amusingly, but with a more serious current running below the light touch of the story. Faith is a baby whose mother dies giving birth to her, and the book covers the first three months of her life as she is cared for in a rather ramshackle way by a variety of people. She is only a bit player in the story, and yet is central to what is happening.
A lovely, touching story, beautifully told.
A lovely, touching story, beautifully told.
libbykerns's review
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
i wanted to like it more than i did. dolly and toots were the highlight of the novel, imo
wordnerdy's review against another edition
I have never read any Jane Gardam, but this book's description was interesting--unfortunately said description was also totally inaccurate. I was expecting a story about a little girl being raised by a bunch of eccentrics after her mother dies in childbirth, but on page 150 she was still just a tiny baby and it seemed this book was more a commentary on middle class British culture and social mores. I am sure if you are more familiar with said culture, this book is a lot more interesting, but I found it somewhat dull and gave up.
alexandracpedro's review against another edition
4.0
This book explores various aspects of society at large rather than the life of Faith Fox herself. Through a series of mundane events, Jane Gardam is able to expose all the contradictory and hypocritical actions we take every day. All the characters seem to want to do their best but, for one reason or another, are almost always incapable of doing so. What stands to me the most after closing the last page of this book is the overlooked importance of sticking to our words. In terms of the author's writing style, one can only marvel at Jane Gardam's abilities to create multidimensional characters and to write realistic dialogue. I recommend this book to people who are into social commentary and do not mind the fact that the book focuses more on dialogue than on plot.
sungmemoonstruck's review against another edition
4.0
More a 3.5 than a 4, but I'm rounding up.
When Holly Fox dies in childbirth, neither her grieving mother Thomasina or her husband Andrew can bring themselves to care for her daughter Faith, leaving Faith to be shuttled between an assortment of family members and friends, all with their own small tragedies and comedies.
I started this book expecting it to be more of a found family story following Faith through her childhood but was able to readjust my expectations once I realized how delightfully Gardam skewers her characters and their views of the world. Her distinctive voice brings all the characters and settings to life, from the comfortably moneyed inhabitants of Surrey to the doomed religious commune on the northern moors. It's very funny in parts but also very sharp when capturing the fallout of grief and lust and made me curious to pick up more of Gardam's titles, particularly her best-known one, Old Filth.
When Holly Fox dies in childbirth, neither her grieving mother Thomasina or her husband Andrew can bring themselves to care for her daughter Faith, leaving Faith to be shuttled between an assortment of family members and friends, all with their own small tragedies and comedies.
I started this book expecting it to be more of a found family story following Faith through her childhood but was able to readjust my expectations once I realized how delightfully Gardam skewers her characters and their views of the world. Her distinctive voice brings all the characters and settings to life, from the comfortably moneyed inhabitants of Surrey to the doomed religious commune on the northern moors. It's very funny in parts but also very sharp when capturing the fallout of grief and lust and made me curious to pick up more of Gardam's titles, particularly her best-known one, Old Filth.