Reviews with content warning for Miscarriage - This Must Be the Place

If you’re looking for your next engaging family drama (heavy on the drama) then may I suggest Maggie O’Farrell’s This Must Be The Place? This was my fifth of O’Farrell’s works and my second favourite so far after Hamnet. It follows a wide cast of characters across several intertwined families, touching on things like fame, divorce, infidelity, forgiveness, with plenty of skeletons in closets! The two main characters are Claudette and Daniel, but we hear from basically all the ‘supporting characters’ in their lives - however briefly their lives might have intersected. For the most part this works really well, I love seeing different facets of a character revealed by a different view point. But there was one chapter near the end where I think O’Farrell got a bit carried away, including too much detail from a minor character’s life which muddied things a bit - preparation for a different novel perhaps? The insight into her process for this novel at the end was fascinating, as she wanted to take the linear narrative and chop it up, which she does, but it’s still very easy to follow I thought! Her writing is clear, engaging and emotive, and I found myself devouring huge chunks at a time. I think it’s a good one to read if you’re feeling slumpy, as it’s got that addictive quality!

Content Warnings

sshabein's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is the third Maggie O'Farrell book I've read this year (the others being her memoir, I AM, I AM, AM; the other, HAMNET), and by the end of next year, it wouldn't surprise me if I read the rest of her books.

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE is not only a great title (and one of my favorite songs), but the writing here is so, so good. A dozen+ characters all realized so fully. Loved it wholeheartedly.

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garlinds's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4.0

I always forget how much I love family sagas until I pick one up. In this novel, Maggie O'Farrell weaves together the relationship between Daniel and Claudette in such a beautiful and heartbreaking way.

I fell in love with the characters and their complexities, despite the frustration they caused. I enjoyed how the chapters of this book read like a series of interwoven short stories as each character crossed paths with one another, offering a fresh perspective to the story. And though I got a bit mixed up as the story jumped back and forth in time, I liked how the book explored how our pasts are linked to our futures.

Thank you to @fictionmatters for selecting this as the May book club pick! As always, last weekend's discussion took my reading of this book to a whole new level.

This was my first Maggie O'Farrell, and it certainly won't be my last!

Content Warnings

womanwill's review against another edition

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challenging emotional 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

4.25

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