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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
funny
reflective
sad
Just lovely
Just a lovely read on grief. Spalding manages to capture the essence of grief while keeping things light (but not TOO light!)
Just a lovely read on grief. Spalding manages to capture the essence of grief while keeping things light (but not TOO light!)
My heart goes out to the author, who clearly knows what it is like to lose someone you love dearly.
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
Grave Talk was an extremely different read for me. It is a book about grief and how others deal with it. There isn't a central romance really between the two characters talking and so it should be depressing, but somehow it comes out hopeful and healing.
Alice lost her husband to a heart attack and now only has a grave to visit. As she is standing there to visit him on his birthday having a slight emotional breakdown, she looks up to see Kermit the Frog, or at least a man dressed like him. Ben lost his brother, who is buried in the grave next to Alice's husband. Because Ben's brother was a pretty big jokester, it is in the will that Ben show up to the grave one day out of the year dressed in a costume that Ben has planned out. Much to Ben's humiliation but Harry is probably having a great time of it looking down from on high.
Alice and Ben really have nothing in common, other than the fact they have both lost someone very close to them recently. In a strange way, they can open up to each other in ways they haven't been able to with other people. For the next ten years, they meet at the graves of their loved ones, Ben in some silly costumes and Alice wearing her grief. They talk about the previous year and help each other set challenges for the next one.
I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. There is no romantic connection between Alice and Ben but they form a bond and become family. Each helps the other overcome some of the things in their lives that are holding them back from really moving on and living. Their conversations had a sweet amount of humor to them to offset the sorrow and I found myself connecting to both characters hoping they would find ways to move on with their lives.
Overall this was solid story that I think anyone who has lost someone close to them before their time can possibly relate to. I enjoyed how different it was from all of my normal reading habits.
I am a HUGE fan of Steve West and love his voice, that was the main reason I requested this book. His voice fit Ben so well and really helped me connect with him. The slight accent, the tone of his voice, the cadence of his speech just work for me. His voice melts me like butter on toast. Imogen Church is also a very accomplished narrator with a prolific catalogue. she did great conceiving Alice's emotions and vulnerabilities. I really connected with Alice and I'm sure more of that was because of Imogen's performance. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Performance: ★★★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★
Diction: ★★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★★
Sound Effects: limited at the introduction
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
Grave Talk was an extremely different read for me. It is a book about grief and how others deal with it. There isn't a central romance really between the two characters talking and so it should be depressing, but somehow it comes out hopeful and healing.
Alice lost her husband to a heart attack and now only has a grave to visit. As she is standing there to visit him on his birthday having a slight emotional breakdown, she looks up to see Kermit the Frog, or at least a man dressed like him. Ben lost his brother, who is buried in the grave next to Alice's husband. Because Ben's brother was a pretty big jokester, it is in the will that Ben show up to the grave one day out of the year dressed in a costume that Ben has planned out. Much to Ben's humiliation but Harry is probably having a great time of it looking down from on high.
Alice and Ben really have nothing in common, other than the fact they have both lost someone very close to them recently. In a strange way, they can open up to each other in ways they haven't been able to with other people. For the next ten years, they meet at the graves of their loved ones, Ben in some silly costumes and Alice wearing her grief. They talk about the previous year and help each other set challenges for the next one.
I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. There is no romantic connection between Alice and Ben but they form a bond and become family. Each helps the other overcome some of the things in their lives that are holding them back from really moving on and living. Their conversations had a sweet amount of humor to them to offset the sorrow and I found myself connecting to both characters hoping they would find ways to move on with their lives.
Overall this was solid story that I think anyone who has lost someone close to them before their time can possibly relate to. I enjoyed how different it was from all of my normal reading habits.
“The barriers we think are a foot thick are sometimes paper-thin to the people who know us.”
Narration:
I am a HUGE fan of Steve West and love his voice, that was the main reason I requested this book. His voice fit Ben so well and really helped me connect with him. The slight accent, the tone of his voice, the cadence of his speech just work for me. His voice melts me like butter on toast. Imogen Church is also a very accomplished narrator with a prolific catalogue. she did great conceiving Alice's emotions and vulnerabilities. I really connected with Alice and I'm sure more of that was because of Imogen's performance. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Performance: ★★★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★
Diction: ★★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★★
Sound Effects: limited at the introduction
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death