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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
I have had this book on pre-order for more than a year and was lucky enough to get an advance reader copy of this book through Good Reads. I hovered between giving in a 4 or 5 stars (I don't give out many fives) and plunked for a 5 because I'd been waiting for it for so long, I've given her previous books 4 stars and I think this is better - I stayed up later than I should have done with a 3.50am alarm call because I was desperate to finish it.
I loved Lucy Dillon's three previous books (hence the long-standing pre-order for this one) and there's been a long gap - over two years - since the last one. A Hundred Pieces of Me is a longer novel and less a straight forward chick lit where everything gets resolved - some people would probably call it more "mature" but I'd just say that it has more depth and nuance.
I don't want to say too much about the plot, because there's a long reveal and really it's best not to know too much about it - and as the blurb for the book is very non-committal about the plot details and the book isn't out yet, I'll stick to saying that Gina has had a tough time and is looking to rebuild her life but to do that she needs to deal with her past.
There are gaps in your knowledge about Gina's past that are slowly revealed in flash back - I was desperate to know what had happened and thought that the revelations were handled very well. Gina was very easy to sympathise with and identify with - even though I don't have any of the past that she has (I've had a spate of books recently where I couldn't care less what happened to the heroine, so this was a lovely relief!) - and her friendship with Naomi is very realistic and well drawn. As with the last three books there is still a dog connection, but this one is subtler I think.
Overall, all the familiar bits of Lucy Dillon's previous books are here, but better - I can see why this has taken longer to appear because it is an evolution from the previous books, but I think it is the better for it. I wanted a bit more romance and different ending for Gina, but I think that ultimately the book was about more about Gina and her journey and that the ending reflected the story that she was on and the place in her life that she had reached.
This deserves to do really well for Lucy Dillon, I hope it does and that we don't have to wait as long for her next book.
I don't usually do comparisons but I'd say that if you like Isabel Wolff - and in particular her novel Behaving Badly - then I'd say that you'll like this.
Oh and thank you to the publisher and Good Reads for the book.
I loved Lucy Dillon's three previous books (hence the long-standing pre-order for this one) and there's been a long gap - over two years - since the last one. A Hundred Pieces of Me is a longer novel and less a straight forward chick lit where everything gets resolved - some people would probably call it more "mature" but I'd just say that it has more depth and nuance.
I don't want to say too much about the plot, because there's a long reveal and really it's best not to know too much about it - and as the blurb for the book is very non-committal about the plot details and the book isn't out yet, I'll stick to saying that Gina has had a tough time and is looking to rebuild her life but to do that she needs to deal with her past.
There are gaps in your knowledge about Gina's past that are slowly revealed in flash back - I was desperate to know what had happened and thought that the revelations were handled very well. Gina was very easy to sympathise with and identify with - even though I don't have any of the past that she has (I've had a spate of books recently where I couldn't care less what happened to the heroine, so this was a lovely relief!) - and her friendship with Naomi is very realistic and well drawn. As with the last three books there is still a dog connection, but this one is subtler I think.
Overall, all the familiar bits of Lucy Dillon's previous books are here, but better - I can see why this has taken longer to appear because it is an evolution from the previous books, but I think it is the better for it. I wanted a bit more romance and different ending for Gina, but I think that ultimately the book was about more about Gina and her journey and that the ending reflected the story that she was on and the place in her life that she had reached.
This deserves to do really well for Lucy Dillon, I hope it does and that we don't have to wait as long for her next book.
I don't usually do comparisons but I'd say that if you like Isabel Wolff - and in particular her novel Behaving Badly - then I'd say that you'll like this.
Oh and thank you to the publisher and Good Reads for the book.
Really enjoyed this book - it's an interesting idea, after a relationship breakdown, the main character moves to a new flat and rather than unpacking, decides she will keep just 100 items. Hence the title. This proves to be a cleansing process, helping her to move on from the relationship and stand on her own two feet again. Her life moves in new directions and she makes some new friends she never would have guessed she'd have in her life. I found it a very enjoyable read and would recommend.
Very predictable...and I don't like British authors. Other than that, it was just ok. I liked the dog.
4/5 stars
This book has an interesting premise:
A divorced woman, name Gina, had to choose 100 most of her worth keeping items to be kept at her new house. Hence, the title: A Hundred Pieces of Me. Each chapter begins with an item chosen by Gina, the stories behind the item, flashbacks of her younger days to the present.
This book is a real burner to me; it is slow but it feels SO real, full of mysteries & I kept wondering what actually happened to Gina, her past, why is her mother like that, why did she and Kit break up, why why God why.
I liked how perfect each chapter unravels the questions. I loved seeing Gina's development; from a bold woman to a fragile sadistic creature and how she became bold again. Eventhough this book is a little bit tedious, however, I liked how realistic it is, I can easily connect myself with the story. The realness of this story made me 'ugh kenapa real sangat'. Some parts had me sobbing, a normal sobbing, not a hysterical one. Some parts hurt my heart so much, I desperately wanted Gina to be happy at the end.
I gotta admit that some parts of this book didnt really click, like the conversations between Nick and Gina at the earlier chapters (but thank God their characters weave perfectly throughout the story). However this book is great, undeniably great. Dillon did an amazing job :)
This book has an interesting premise:
A divorced woman, name Gina, had to choose 100 most of her worth keeping items to be kept at her new house. Hence, the title: A Hundred Pieces of Me. Each chapter begins with an item chosen by Gina, the stories behind the item, flashbacks of her younger days to the present.
This book is a real burner to me; it is slow but it feels SO real, full of mysteries & I kept wondering what actually happened to Gina, her past, why is her mother like that, why did she and Kit break up, why why God why.
I liked how perfect each chapter unravels the questions. I loved seeing Gina's development; from a bold woman to a fragile sadistic creature and how she became bold again. Eventhough this book is a little bit tedious, however, I liked how realistic it is, I can easily connect myself with the story. The realness of this story made me 'ugh kenapa real sangat'. Some parts had me sobbing, a normal sobbing, not a hysterical one. Some parts hurt my heart so much, I desperately wanted Gina to be happy at the end.
I gotta admit that some parts of this book didnt really click, like the conversations between Nick and Gina at the earlier chapters (but thank God their characters weave perfectly throughout the story). However this book is great, undeniably great. Dillon did an amazing job :)
Short review:
If you like romance, self-discovery, drama, and a very slow-paced story, this is a book you'll probably enjoy. If you don't like all of those things, or if you dislike any one of those things, you might enjoy this book but I don't think you'll love it.
Long review:
A Hundred Pieces of Me had a lot of aspects that I liked. The story had a very satisfying conclusion and the plot was very evenly spread out throughout the book -- not super slow in the beginning and then hastily tied together at the end. The imagery was stunning while not being overbearing. The details of each scenario were also so specific I remember thinking that the author must have experienced these things herself to be able to express the emotions associated with them so well. I also thought the way Gina's relationship evolved with the dog, Buzz, was so beautiful and touching. The conflicts she has with her mother were also very well-written.
On the other hand, I did not like the romantic relationships in it at all. It felt predictable and very cliché and I didn't think the sex scenes were very purposeful (I actually skipped over them). Another issue I had was that sometimes I was just reading to wait for something to happen, which almost inclined me to stop reading the book. To be perfectly honest, I also didn't really like Gina. She was a good character for the most part, but at times I just felt like she was petty or too sarcastic or flirtatious. That being said, I didn't feel like her emotions or reactions to things were always unrealistic, it just left a bad taste in my mouth.
All in all, it definitely wasn't a waste of time but I wouldn't recommend this book to many of my friends.
If you like romance, self-discovery, drama, and a very slow-paced story, this is a book you'll probably enjoy. If you don't like all of those things, or if you dislike any one of those things, you might enjoy this book but I don't think you'll love it.
Long review:
A Hundred Pieces of Me had a lot of aspects that I liked. The story had a very satisfying conclusion and the plot was very evenly spread out throughout the book -- not super slow in the beginning and then hastily tied together at the end. The imagery was stunning while not being overbearing. The details of each scenario were also so specific I remember thinking that the author must have experienced these things herself to be able to express the emotions associated with them so well. I also thought the way Gina's relationship evolved with the dog, Buzz, was so beautiful and touching. The conflicts she has with her mother were also very well-written.
On the other hand, I did not like the romantic relationships in it at all. It felt predictable and very cliché and I didn't think the sex scenes were very purposeful (I actually skipped over them). Another issue I had was that sometimes I was just reading to wait for something to happen, which almost inclined me to stop reading the book. To be perfectly honest, I also didn't really like Gina. She was a good character for the most part, but at times I just felt like she was petty or too sarcastic or flirtatious. That being said, I didn't feel like her emotions or reactions to things were always unrealistic, it just left a bad taste in my mouth.
All in all, it definitely wasn't a waste of time but I wouldn't recommend this book to many of my friends.
Dragana u epizodi: Prerasla sam ovaj žanr
Ovo je knjiga koju ne bih pročitala do kraja da sam od onih koji napuštaju knjige koje im se ne dopadaju.
Ovo je knjiga u kojoj jedan od likova na 156. strani nosi blistavo belu košulju, da bi na 160. strani košulja magično i misteriozno postala plava.
Ovo je knjiga koja je imala zanimljivu ideju na početku - Đina Belami započinje novi život posle bolesti i razvoda i odlučuje da se oslobodi svih suvišnih stvari koje poseduje i sačuva samo sto njoj zaista značajnih predmeta. Međutim, ta ideja o predmetima i ne samo fizičkom, već i duhovnom oslobađanju se gubi kako radnja odmiče. Ostaje samo naizmenično vraćanje u prošlost na početku svake glave, da bismo imali uvid u događaje koji su prethodili sadašnjim, i neki tugaljiv osećaj sadašnjosti koji prati Đinu do 300 i neke strane i koji se prenosi i na čitaoca. Radnja se odvija previše sporo, postaje veoma simpatična i zanimljiva na stotinak poslednjih strana, i sve padne u vodu kada spisateljica zabiberi kraj.
Ovo je knjiga za one koji uživaju u ljubavnom žanru, mada na skali između romantike i depresije kazaljka uglavnom pokazuje ovu drugu, tamnu stranu. Sama spisateljica kaže da je ovo "lična priča koju je ponekad bilo vrlo teško pisati", što u meni izaziva iskreno poštovanje i saosećanje, ali mi je ubuduće praktičnije da pogledam film iste tematike koji traje sat i po, nego da sve to proživljavam na 468 strana.
Ovo je knjiga koju ne bih pročitala do kraja da sam od onih koji napuštaju knjige koje im se ne dopadaju.
Ovo je knjiga u kojoj jedan od likova na 156. strani nosi blistavo belu košulju, da bi na 160. strani košulja magično i misteriozno postala plava.
Ovo je knjiga koja je imala zanimljivu ideju na početku - Đina Belami započinje novi život posle bolesti i razvoda i odlučuje da se oslobodi svih suvišnih stvari koje poseduje i sačuva samo sto njoj zaista značajnih predmeta. Međutim, ta ideja o predmetima i ne samo fizičkom, već i duhovnom oslobađanju se gubi kako radnja odmiče. Ostaje samo naizmenično vraćanje u prošlost na početku svake glave, da bismo imali uvid u događaje koji su prethodili sadašnjim, i neki tugaljiv osećaj sadašnjosti koji prati Đinu do 300 i neke strane i koji se prenosi i na čitaoca. Radnja se odvija previše sporo, postaje veoma simpatična i zanimljiva na stotinak poslednjih strana, i sve padne u vodu kada spisateljica zabiberi kraj.
Ovo je knjiga za one koji uživaju u ljubavnom žanru, mada na skali između romantike i depresije kazaljka uglavnom pokazuje ovu drugu, tamnu stranu. Sama spisateljica kaže da je ovo "lična priča koju je ponekad bilo vrlo teško pisati", što u meni izaziva iskreno poštovanje i saosećanje, ali mi je ubuduće praktičnije da pogledam film iste tematike koji traje sat i po, nego da sve to proživljavam na 468 strana.
Čini mi se da imam sreće u odabiru knjiga, jer ne znam kad sam poslednji put pročitala lošu knjigu.
Ova knjiga menja život, verujte mi. Toliko sam se isplakala kada sam saznala da je ovo priča same spisateljice (mislim meni nije teško da plačem nad knjigama da budem iskrena).
Njena priča nas uči zašto je važno živeti u trenutku, ne osvrtati se celog života na greške i ne kriviti sebe za sve što pođe po zlu. Svaki život je neizvesan, nikada nećemo moći da znamo šta sledeći dan donosi, sreća i tuga su delovi svačijeg života, a naše negodovanje nikako ne pomaže da se ta dva izjednače, već sami sebi stvarano disbalans u kome tuga preovlađuje.
PROČITAJTE AKO:
~ste prošli kroz bolan raskid
~treba vam dokaz da ste voljeni
~ste izgubili voljenu osobu
~ne znate kako da se nosite sa bolnim trenucima
~krivite sebe i za sitnice
~ne znate kako da imate bolji odnos sa članom porodice
~živite život samo u zoni komfora
~ne znate kako da se nosite sa promenama
Sve u svemu, ako vam je teško i treba vam uteha (znate ono nismo sami u svetu, postoji neko drugi ko se oseća ovako ili mu je i gore, meni to pomaže).
Uživaćete.
Ova knjiga menja život, verujte mi. Toliko sam se isplakala kada sam saznala da je ovo priča same spisateljice (mislim meni nije teško da plačem nad knjigama da budem iskrena).
Njena priča nas uči zašto je važno živeti u trenutku, ne osvrtati se celog života na greške i ne kriviti sebe za sve što pođe po zlu. Svaki život je neizvesan, nikada nećemo moći da znamo šta sledeći dan donosi, sreća i tuga su delovi svačijeg života, a naše negodovanje nikako ne pomaže da se ta dva izjednače, već sami sebi stvarano disbalans u kome tuga preovlađuje.
PROČITAJTE AKO:
~ste prošli kroz bolan raskid
~treba vam dokaz da ste voljeni
~ste izgubili voljenu osobu
~ne znate kako da se nosite sa bolnim trenucima
~krivite sebe i za sitnice
~ne znate kako da imate bolji odnos sa članom porodice
~živite život samo u zoni komfora
~ne znate kako da se nosite sa promenama
Sve u svemu, ako vam je teško i treba vam uteha (znate ono nismo sami u svetu, postoji neko drugi ko se oseća ovako ili mu je i gore, meni to pomaže).
Uživaćete.
Lucy Dillon is one of my favourite authors ever! Her books always pull me in so easily and always contain a dog along the line which always helps in keeping me interested. When I found out that she had written a new book I simply had to have it and I am so glad that I took the time to read it!
A hundred pieces of me really touched me, I didn't realise this as I was reading the book but by the time I was nearly done I was looking at things differently, I noticed my dogs behaviour much more than I had before and noticed the many seasonal changes in nature as they happened. I also took the time throughout the story to really ask myself the reasons why I loved the people I'm close to and that play a big part in my life, it helped put things in perspective better and overall has made me happier as a person
This book is based around Gina who has just been divorced by her husband Stuart due to him having an affair, I didn't particularly like Stuart even though he did all the right things most of the time he just seemed very robotic and emotionless, he also didn't seem to take notice of who Gina really was and wanted to be. He was too selfish and self centred, those types of people should have to go to classes to show them there are more important things in life beside themselves! Each chapter starts off as a flashback of Gina's previous experiences which really helps you understand her life and decisions she makes and has made in the past.
I appreciated the set up of the chapters and the book as a whole but the ending really caught me off guard, it wasn't meant to end the way it did, I had to read the ending 3 times to really try and understand why Lucy had done it, I suppose it does make sense I just wish it had ended differently.
Gina was a very likeable person, sometimes I found myself annoyed because she was too cautious about some things, and I couldn't believe she didn't like dogs! What kind of person doesn't like dogs? As a whole though she was such a loveable character
This book is very different to any of Lucy Dillon's books I have ever read before. It touches on controversial subjects such as cancer, loss of loved ones, divorce and animal cruelty. Even though these events are true to life and hard to deal with, this book was very easy to read and I found that even though some of these topics are very upsetting Lucy wrote about them in a way which can help the reader understand them better but also isn't turned off about the subjects completely.
Overall a hundred pieces of me touched my heart, it was a lot deeper than lost dogs and lonely hearts but definitely worth reading, it really changes your look on important parts of your life
A hundred pieces of me really touched me, I didn't realise this as I was reading the book but by the time I was nearly done I was looking at things differently, I noticed my dogs behaviour much more than I had before and noticed the many seasonal changes in nature as they happened. I also took the time throughout the story to really ask myself the reasons why I loved the people I'm close to and that play a big part in my life, it helped put things in perspective better and overall has made me happier as a person
This book is based around Gina who has just been divorced by her husband Stuart due to him having an affair, I didn't particularly like Stuart even though he did all the right things most of the time he just seemed very robotic and emotionless, he also didn't seem to take notice of who Gina really was and wanted to be. He was too selfish and self centred, those types of people should have to go to classes to show them there are more important things in life beside themselves! Each chapter starts off as a flashback of Gina's previous experiences which really helps you understand her life and decisions she makes and has made in the past.
I appreciated the set up of the chapters and the book as a whole but the ending really caught me off guard, it wasn't meant to end the way it did, I had to read the ending 3 times to really try and understand why Lucy had done it, I suppose it does make sense I just wish it had ended differently.
Gina was a very likeable person, sometimes I found myself annoyed because she was too cautious about some things, and I couldn't believe she didn't like dogs! What kind of person doesn't like dogs? As a whole though she was such a loveable character
This book is very different to any of Lucy Dillon's books I have ever read before. It touches on controversial subjects such as cancer, loss of loved ones, divorce and animal cruelty. Even though these events are true to life and hard to deal with, this book was very easy to read and I found that even though some of these topics are very upsetting Lucy wrote about them in a way which can help the reader understand them better but also isn't turned off about the subjects completely.
Overall a hundred pieces of me touched my heart, it was a lot deeper than lost dogs and lonely hearts but definitely worth reading, it really changes your look on important parts of your life
Love, love, love this book! Uplifting and sad, inspirational and thought provoking. I'm doing the 100 days of happy challenge at the minute and this is loosely based on that. I do really want to get a Polaroid camera now aswell to instantly capture my happy moments.
Recommended by my book club and I can honestly say what a fantastic read!
Recommended by my book club and I can honestly say what a fantastic read!