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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
Life is too short to spend it with books you don't enjoy.
So Clare Empson's "Him" is a book about a woman who apparently meets the love of her life in college and then leaves him, marries someone else, and has children. But she never stops missing the other guy and keeps reading old letters and looking at pictures of him.
I did not find out why she broke up with Lucian in the first place and what happened when she met him again fifteen years later that led to her having a breakdown and got her to a psychiatric clinic.
Because I stopped reading after about a third of the book.
It felt to me like Catherine (the protagonist) kept wining about her life-decisions and not telling anybody what happened that was so horrible that she didn't have a choice.
Maybe it would have all made sense by the end of the book but I didn't want to spend any more time with Catherine and her problems.
Consigo definir este livro como uma daquelas leituras que eu não esperava de todo vir a gostar tanto. Dei por mim a comprar este livro por impulso, a chegar à livraria dar de caras com ele e quando me apercebi já o tinha comprado. Parece algo completamente normal para uma amante de livros, mas foi uma escolha por impulso que resultou muito bem comigo (o que ultimamente tem sido muito, mas mesmo muito raro). O Amor da Minha Vida acabou por ser um livro que me surpreendeu, superou as expectativas e ainda deixou um gostinho amargo quando terminou, eu queria mais. Os principais temas que são falados nos livros vão desde amor, violência física e psicológica, segredos nas relações, morte, sexo, depressão, suicídio, drogas, álcool, depressão, etc. Temas muito pesados e que mexem connosco, que nos fazem pensar e refletir imenso. Trata-se de uma leitura que nos emociona. É uma mistura de emoções, é uma leitura incrível, que me deixou agarrada desde a primeira página.
O Amor da Minha Vida é uma história cheia de obsessões, amor e muita culpa. Acaba por ser um pouco meio dramático e com aquela vibe mais obscura. Contado de dois pontos de vista diferentes, a autora conseguiu fazer o leitor agarrar-se à história com unhas e dentes desde o primeiro capítulo. Com capítulos curtos que variam entre passado e o presente, ao início pensei que poderia tornar a leitura chata e mais aborrecida, não foi de todo o caso. As ligações entre passado entre futuro e presente foram bem planeadas e acabam por fazer sentido com a história, ajudando assim no desenvolvimento do enredo. Com ligações fortes entre personagens, senti que tudo havia um motivo para estar na história. As personagens tiveram um crescimento e desenvolvimento incrível enquanto a ação decorria.
Na minha opinião é um livro que tem tudo o que é preciso para agradar um fã do género literário de thriller: obscuro, muito psicológico, intrigante, misterioso, cheio de drama, obsessões, mentiras, culpa e vergonha. É uma boa dose para nos fazer gostar imediatamente de um livro. Não será um livro perfeito, existem alguns erros, dei por mim a achar algumas partes um pouco óbvias. Contudo, a escrita da autora, as personagens e o enredo acabam por abafar o que existe de menos positivo. Uma leitura fluída, na minha opinião conseguimos terminar este livro num dia ou menos. Os capítulos mais curtos facilitam imenso na hora de avançar na história, aviso já que quando terminarem o livro muito provavelmente irão querer mais. Pelo menos eu quis que houvesse mais, por isso, estou a pensar ler mais livros da autora, acredito que vou gostar dos seus outros livros.
Para mim, é mais um daqueles livros que não consigo colocar por palavras o que sinto quanto a ele. Já terminei a leitura dele faz tempo, ainda penso nele às vezes, volta e meia sinto vontade para o reler. Prefiro deixá-lo lá, já o li sei a sua história e existem mais livros por descobrir. Contudo, tenho quase a certeza que se for reler este livro vou com certeza gostar imenso da leitura, mais ou tanto como a primeira vez. É incrível, é daqueles livros que facilmente recomendaria a um fã iniciante de thrillers. Recomendo.
Chylę czoła przed Clare Empson (to jej debiut!), gdyż napisała bardzo dojrzałą, doskonałą pod względem literackim, przejmująco smutną powieść, którą - mimo, że akcja nie pędzi tutaj na łeb, na szyję - czyta się z wielkim zaciekawieniem. Podczas lektury każdej z tych 400 stron, czytelnik koniecznie chce się dowiedzieć, co przydarzyło się bohaterce i czy jej związek z bogatym, uprzywilejowanym facetem - miłością jej życia, naprawdę nie ma szans na kontynuację. Już w pierwszych rozdziałach odgadłam, jakie wydarzenie mogło wpłynąć na nagłe zakończenie obiecującej relacji na linii Catherine - Lucian. Rozwiązanie wszystkich wątków było jednak zaskakujące i nieoczywiste. Za to ogromny plus!
Absolutnie nie nastawiajcie się na thriller, to dramat obyczajowy z odrobiną suspensu, powieść bardzo nastrojowa, przepełniona nostalgią. Mnie przypadła do gustu i chętnie przeczytam kolejne historie, które wyjdą spod pióra Empson.
Head to the blog to check out my full review now
Fifteen years ago Catherine met Lucian and they had a passionate love affair, they were going to be together forever but something happened and destroyed them. Catherine is now married to Sam with two children and has moved on, or so she thought because Lucian is back and her life can still be very different. Will going back change anything?
The story is told through two main characters Catherine and Lucian, they are in flashbacks of four months prior to the event and fifteen years ago.
A good psychological thriller full of obsession and lies. Very enjoyable, but a little drawn out for my liking.
The book alternates between the present, four months ago and fifteen months earlier, with the chapters detailing what happened in the recent past also switching between the points of view of Catherine and Lucian. I always enjoy novels with convoluted plot-lines and had no trouble following the various timelines and perspectives which all felt distinct from one another. At first, the Catherine we are introduced to are in hospital seems cold, seemingly choosing not to communicate with her family and friends as she relives the story of her and Lucian. They met fifteen years ago at university and fell deeply and passionately in love with one another. She is away from home for the first time and as the adored only child of two loving parents she is still naive, uncomplicated and optimistic.
Lucian is rich, entitled and urbane but despite being from very different worlds, they understand each other and form what would seem to be an all-consuming relationship. However, just as their happiness seems assured, Catherine ends it suddenly, without any sort of an explanation and though both move on with their lives, the fire of their love is never truly extinguished. The chapters set four months ago first show Catherine's life with her family after their recent move to the country (and as I live in Dorset, I did enjoy seeing some familiar place names) and it appears blissful but not all is as it seems. She and Lucian are reunited and it is these scenes which are the most illuminating, allowing us to see how the preceding years have shaped both Catherine and Lucian before events eventually lead to her current day predicament.
When they meet again it is immediately apparent that they are still irrevocably drawn to one another and yet there is always an undercurrent of doubt to their reconciliation. Throughout the book there are little hints as to what caused Catherine to leave him so suddenly and I suspect many readers will guess the truth before she realises it herself. As the novel progresses, the ominous feeling that their tentative joy will be short-lived becomes almost overwhelming as something must cause her to withdraw from life. The short chapters and frequent timeline changes meant I raced through the book, completely invested in every stage of their relationship and desperate to discover what momentous event causes her to snap out of life.
Although the complicated relationship between Catherine and Lucian forms the main focus of Him, there is also a fascinating exploration of the juxtaposition between Lucian's tightly-knit group of privileged companions and those who enter their circle but are destined to always remain outsiders. The lives of the immensely wealthy friends brought to mind The Great Gatsby and Vile Bodies - the impressive mansions and decadent parties are ultimately just a veneer as the the struggles and dark secrets of these bright young things eventually prove to be inescapable.
This is an intricate tale of a love affair so obsessive that it is not only Catherine and Lucian whose lives have been defined by it - others become caught in their slipstream, unable to tear themselves away from one or both of them. They cause deep hurt to those around them but despite their flaws, I couldn't help but be drawn to them, their burning passion irresistible even to readers, it would seem. Throughout the book there is an almost oppressive sense of foreboding but even so, the eventual disclosure of the truth proves to be devastating.
Him is probably better described as domestic noir rather than a psychological thriller with the suspense coming not from high octane thrills but from the complex, assured plot which leads to the inexorable unveiling of dark secrets. Clare Empson's bittersweet debut is intelligent and addictive; I highly recommend it.
