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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I absolutely loved this book. The writing, scenes & characterization was amazing. I loved the alternating storylines. And although a hate bittersweet endings I enjoyed it.
Another great read from Lisa Jewell! She’s officially a favorite author. Her stories are major page turner, her characters are so well drawn and the endings are full circle and emotional—all a recipe for a great book for me. Also, I listened to the one and the narrator was amazing!! Did all the male and female characters well and had this awesome sexy raspy voice. Highly recommend!
I found Betty and her story to be a bit frustrating, but Arlette's story kept me hooked
My initial impression of this book was that it was a sweet, historical cozy mystery, but as I read further along I realized it had unexpected heart and depth.
The book flips between dual stories of a young woman in 1995 and her grandmother in the 1920s, tied through a mystery the granddaughter is trying to solve about her family’s past. Their stories, unbeknownst to either of them, have many parallels as they set out from Guernsey to try life in London. They both learn, for good or bad, that one person’s actions can reverberate across the lives of many.
I think you could take away something simplistic in saying that one of the women made better choices that led to a better life, but there is more meat on this bone. How does one protect themselves from the dangers of life? What are the constraints on freedom in different time periods? What do we owe those we love? Does it matter if they love us back?
So many questions and, in this reader’s opinion, Lisa Jewell isn’t moralistic enough to offer us easy answers. Like any of us, each of these women does the best she can with what she’s given and the rest is out of her direct control.
The book flips between dual stories of a young woman in 1995 and her grandmother in the 1920s, tied through a mystery the granddaughter is trying to solve about her family’s past. Their stories, unbeknownst to either of them, have many parallels as they set out from Guernsey to try life in London. They both learn, for good or bad, that one person’s actions can reverberate across the lives of many.
I think you could take away something simplistic in saying that one of the women made better choices that led to a better life, but there is more meat on this bone. How does one protect themselves from the dangers of life? What are the constraints on freedom in different time periods? What do we owe those we love? Does it matter if they love us back?
So many questions and, in this reader’s opinion, Lisa Jewell isn’t moralistic enough to offer us easy answers. Like any of us, each of these women does the best she can with what she’s given and the rest is out of her direct control.
Lisa Jewell has created an interesting story of 20-something Betty, leaving her home island of Gurnsey for the city of London to see what life has in store for her while trying to find the mysterious Clara Pickle, the woman her step-grandmother has left all her money to. The story takes Betty into 1920s London and a world of Jazz clubs and intrigue she didn’t think her grandmother was capable of.
Unfortunately the novelty of the plot is all this novel has going for it. With flat, unrealistic characters, improbable romances with little chemistry, and little that leaves you invested in the outcome. I had high hopes for this book, but it did not deliver.
Obviously, as a Jewell book, this novel falls in the chick-lit, light side of literature. I didn’t come to this book expecting it to be a great workth (10) of literature like The Luminaries (also released in the US on 10.13) but I did expect a little more from it. Chick-lit lives and dies on the lovability of its characters and the reality of the romances. Betty starts of realistic and her relationship with grandmother Arlette makes the first third of this novel live up to what I thought the whole novel would be.
But. When Betty movies to London things just get weird. There’s the somewhat irrelevant side story and rockstar Dom Jones. The tepid kind of sort of romance with John Brightly, and the odd assortment of neighbors that seem to be thrown in as a caricature of what people expect to read about city life that lack the description to make them believable.
Then there’s the flashback to Arlette’s story, which held up a little longer than Betty’s but eventually fell in the trap of “hurry up and make a plot” and the characters started to fall apart, with an almost unbelievable rape side story that really caused the whole thing to take a strange (and confusing) turn.
The writing is done well and there are some chapters that make things interesting, but overall I finished the story more grateful it was over than excited about the outcome.
Unfortunately the novelty of the plot is all this novel has going for it. With flat, unrealistic characters, improbable romances with little chemistry, and little that leaves you invested in the outcome. I had high hopes for this book, but it did not deliver.
Obviously, as a Jewell book, this novel falls in the chick-lit, light side of literature. I didn’t come to this book expecting it to be a great workth (10) of literature like The Luminaries (also released in the US on 10.13) but I did expect a little more from it. Chick-lit lives and dies on the lovability of its characters and the reality of the romances. Betty starts of realistic and her relationship with grandmother Arlette makes the first third of this novel live up to what I thought the whole novel would be.
But. When Betty movies to London things just get weird. There’s the somewhat irrelevant side story and rockstar Dom Jones. The tepid kind of sort of romance with John Brightly, and the odd assortment of neighbors that seem to be thrown in as a caricature of what people expect to read about city life that lack the description to make them believable.
Then there’s the flashback to Arlette’s story, which held up a little longer than Betty’s but eventually fell in the trap of “hurry up and make a plot” and the characters started to fall apart, with an almost unbelievable rape side story that really caused the whole thing to take a strange (and confusing) turn.
The writing is done well and there are some chapters that make things interesting, but overall I finished the story more grateful it was over than excited about the outcome.
What a fantastic book. Betty’s grandmother has died and she has left some inheritance to a woman no one knows. She finds out information about her grandmother along the way that surprises her.
The book is told in two year zones, one is in the 1920’s, it is Arlette’s story (Betty’s grandmother) and the other is set in the 1990’s and is Betty’s story of trying to find the mystery benefactor of the will in London.
I really enjoyed this book and loved turning the pages to see what would happen next in Arlette and Betty’s stories.
The book is told in two year zones, one is in the 1920’s, it is Arlette’s story (Betty’s grandmother) and the other is set in the 1990’s and is Betty’s story of trying to find the mystery benefactor of the will in London.
I really enjoyed this book and loved turning the pages to see what would happen next in Arlette and Betty’s stories.
This book was pretty good. I love most of Lisa Jewell's books and this one didn't disappoint. It alternated between two women told in different periods, 1920 and 1995 respectively. The contemporary Betty is the step granddaughter of Arlette who has passed away. Betty was the caretaker of Arlette and when she died left an inheritance to a mysterious woman Clara Pickle. We find out eventually who this woman was but the meat of the story isn't really the mystery it's just the juiciness of women's lives 70 years apart. I liked the pop star references and the affairs of the heart. It was more or less a chick novel but one with substance. I wouldn't call it a quick read but it wasn't dense either. Just what I needed while being snowed in during the storm of 2013. That and a lot of hot chocolate with extra fluff.
https://superfluousreading.wordpress.com/2017/07/04/before-i-met-you-by-lisa-jewell
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No