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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Toffee is an underrated book. I happened to find it at Waterstone's in Kensington, a signed copy, the last time I was in London, just before the worldwide shutdown. I finally had the chance to read it - and it was amazing.
Allison wants to forget where she's run from. With a horrid burn on her face, her mobile and backpack getting stolen, she finds solace in what she thinks is an abandoned house. However, living in the dilapidated house is an elderly woman who mistakes Allison as her old friend "Toffee". Allison plays along, slowly getting to know the Cornish town, the woman, and the ebb and flow of her dementia. she makes her own mistakes - but one thing is certain - Allison won't go back to her father.
This is the story, written in verse, of a young adult who's had enough. She is done with her father's abuse, being abandoned by a series of his girlfriends who get to leave when she has to stay. She finds her way to where his last long-time girlfriend has fled, only to find out that she has already moved on. This is when Alli ends up in the garden, and before long, a tenuous friendship is forged.
It really is a sad and hopeful book, all at once. Allison is a strong young woman, despite everything that's happened to her. She is determined and resilient. She finds her place - and though I wish I had more sense of a conclusion at the end, at least there is more peace.
Allison wants to forget where she's run from. With a horrid burn on her face, her mobile and backpack getting stolen, she finds solace in what she thinks is an abandoned house. However, living in the dilapidated house is an elderly woman who mistakes Allison as her old friend "Toffee". Allison plays along, slowly getting to know the Cornish town, the woman, and the ebb and flow of her dementia. she makes her own mistakes - but one thing is certain - Allison won't go back to her father.
This is the story, written in verse, of a young adult who's had enough. She is done with her father's abuse, being abandoned by a series of his girlfriends who get to leave when she has to stay. She finds her way to where his last long-time girlfriend has fled, only to find out that she has already moved on. This is when Alli ends up in the garden, and before long, a tenuous friendship is forged.
It really is a sad and hopeful book, all at once. Allison is a strong young woman, despite everything that's happened to her. She is determined and resilient. She finds her place - and though I wish I had more sense of a conclusion at the end, at least there is more peace.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-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:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Dementia, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Sarah Crossan's style of writing in verse. I allows the story to flow really well. This extract has wet my appetite to read the full book.
Ganz unerwartet für mich das bisher beste Buch des Jahres.
Felt like I literally cried my way through most of this book, not gonna lie.
First book by this author and far from disappointing. Sad but heartwarming and I loved the fact it was poetry. It was so engaging.
I am not who I say I am,
and Marla isn't who she thinks she is.
I am a girl trying to forget.
She is a woman trying to remember.
Allison has run away from home, and with nowhere to live, finds herself hiding out in the shed of what she thinks is an abandoned house. But the house isn't empty. An elderly woman named Marla, with dementia, lives there – and she mistakes Allison for an old friend from her past called Toffee.
Allison is used to hiding who she really is, and trying to be what other people want her to be. And so, Toffee is who she becomes. After all, it means she has a place to stay. There are worse places she could be.
But as their bond grows, and Allison discovers how much Marla needs a real friend, she begins to ask herself - where is home? What is a family? And most importantly, who am I, really?
I didn't think I'd like a book written in verse until I read Crossan's 'Weight of Water' which I loved. This is just as good! The characters leap off the page and the writing is fabulous, I loved it!
and Marla isn't who she thinks she is.
I am a girl trying to forget.
She is a woman trying to remember.
Allison has run away from home, and with nowhere to live, finds herself hiding out in the shed of what she thinks is an abandoned house. But the house isn't empty. An elderly woman named Marla, with dementia, lives there – and she mistakes Allison for an old friend from her past called Toffee.
Allison is used to hiding who she really is, and trying to be what other people want her to be. And so, Toffee is who she becomes. After all, it means she has a place to stay. There are worse places she could be.
But as their bond grows, and Allison discovers how much Marla needs a real friend, she begins to ask herself - where is home? What is a family? And most importantly, who am I, really?
I didn't think I'd like a book written in verse until I read Crossan's 'Weight of Water' which I loved. This is just as good! The characters leap off the page and the writing is fabulous, I loved it!
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes