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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
hopeful
sad
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
A beautifully written tragedy
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was warned, but for some reason was unprepared for just how beautiful and devastating and uplifting and heartbreaking this book would be. I sobbed through at least the last 15 pages.
BELOW REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED ON ABOOKORTEN.CO.UK
There are certain books which I’m really excited to read, and yet I have to wait until I’m in the right mood. In August I went to an event in my hometown where Sarah Winman was interviewed by Simon Savidge about this book. I knew that I was going to love it, but it was a while before I was driven to pick it up. It was worth waiting for that right moment though, because I really, really loved this book. My copy is filled with scribbles and highlights.
This is a book in several parts. First is a brief prologue of sorts, in which we meet Dora in 1950, and while her section is the shortest her effect on this story is enormously important. At a raffle she wins a reproduction of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and hangs it in pride of place. The rest of the book comes in two halves: one belongs to Ellis in 1996, and the next is Michael’s starting in 1989. This is the story of their lives together, their friendship and the love between them; the story of Ellis’ marriage to Annie, and of how he lost them both.
This novel also got me in the heart over and over again. I don’t think I’d be able to hold a conversation about this book without tearing up a little. Sarah Winman so clearly evokes specific times and places and intensely heartfelt experiences. The characters are a select group, but every one of them is created in full and vivid colour, their temperaments and vices so gently clear and so lovingly described.
The less you know about this book before going in, the better, I think. It is a brutal, honest, raw exploration of what it means to be a human being and to experience love. For a book of fewer than 200 pages it contains a breathtakingly large story, which stretches to encompass such beauty. There is love and heartbreak and grief and survival. And there are always sunflowers.
"What’s a complement? Ellis asked.
Complementing colours are ones that make the other stand out. Like blue and orange, said his mother, as if reciting off the page.
Like me and Ellis, said Michael.
Yes, she smiled. Like you two. "
BELOW REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED ON ABOOKORTEN.CO.UK
There are certain books which I’m really excited to read, and yet I have to wait until I’m in the right mood. In August I went to an event in my hometown where Sarah Winman was interviewed by Simon Savidge about this book. I knew that I was going to love it, but it was a while before I was driven to pick it up. It was worth waiting for that right moment though, because I really, really loved this book. My copy is filled with scribbles and highlights.
This is a book in several parts. First is a brief prologue of sorts, in which we meet Dora in 1950, and while her section is the shortest her effect on this story is enormously important. At a raffle she wins a reproduction of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and hangs it in pride of place. The rest of the book comes in two halves: one belongs to Ellis in 1996, and the next is Michael’s starting in 1989. This is the story of their lives together, their friendship and the love between them; the story of Ellis’ marriage to Annie, and of how he lost them both.
This novel also got me in the heart over and over again. I don’t think I’d be able to hold a conversation about this book without tearing up a little. Sarah Winman so clearly evokes specific times and places and intensely heartfelt experiences. The characters are a select group, but every one of them is created in full and vivid colour, their temperaments and vices so gently clear and so lovingly described.
The less you know about this book before going in, the better, I think. It is a brutal, honest, raw exploration of what it means to be a human being and to experience love. For a book of fewer than 200 pages it contains a breathtakingly large story, which stretches to encompass such beauty. There is love and heartbreak and grief and survival. And there are always sunflowers.
"What’s a complement? Ellis asked.
Complementing colours are ones that make the other stand out. Like blue and orange, said his mother, as if reciting off the page.
Like me and Ellis, said Michael.
Yes, she smiled. Like you two. "
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes