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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Such beautiful writing. Actually in love with the writing. Not my favourite story though.
Listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed that it was read by the author so you know that it's read the way she wants you to hear it.
I would consider reading the actual book in the future to see if I enjoy it more that way. Some books are meant to be held.
Listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed that it was read by the author so you know that it's read the way she wants you to hear it.
I would consider reading the actual book in the future to see if I enjoy it more that way. Some books are meant to be held.
emotional
sad
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Car accident
3.5 ⭐⭐⭐✨
I must admit I'm conflicted with this one. Maybe I took too long to finish it, or maybe it was the pace that threw me off, but I wasn't really "in" the story without being completely "out" either.
The writing was too fast-paced for my liking; a lot of things happen in a few paragraphs and it's easy to get mixed up since the timeline of the story is scattered here and there depending on the author's mood.
As for the characters, I liked them but didn't have the time to grow attached.
The main "plot twist" happening right in the middle of the book frustrated me and didn't make me want to read the second half, since the outcome was already revealed. However, I did like the main idea and how the author managed to talk about sensitive subjects without depending on shock value to share a message.
I guess the style of the novel just wasn't for me.
I must admit I'm conflicted with this one. Maybe I took too long to finish it, or maybe it was the pace that threw me off, but I wasn't really "in" the story without being completely "out" either.
The writing was too fast-paced for my liking; a lot of things happen in a few paragraphs and it's easy to get mixed up since the timeline of the story is scattered here and there depending on the author's mood.
As for the characters, I liked them but didn't have the time to grow attached.
The main "plot twist" happening right in the middle of the book frustrated me and didn't make me want to read the second half, since the outcome was already revealed. However, I did like the main idea and how the author managed to talk about sensitive subjects without depending on shock value to share a message.
I guess the style of the novel just wasn't for me.
3.5/5
What could I say? This was a beautiful, heart warming, bittersweet story of friendship, love, loss and memories. We follow two central characters, Ellis and Michael, who meet as young boys in Oxford in the sixties. The innocence and closeness of their friendship gradually transcends into something more than that. However, as Ellis grows older, he meets Annie, falls in love and marries her and it’s very interesting to see the dynamics between the three take shape.
This novel is split into two sections, the first is from Ellis’s perspective, and the second is from Michael’s. The novel opens with Ellis, as a much older man, and in disjointed vignettes we get glimpses into his past and the events that transpired which have led up to that point. As is the fragmented nature of memory, the novel, as a whole is almost a collection of moments and it does take a while to get used to. Whilst I enjoyed Ellis’s section, there were several questions that remained unanswered and it was really Michael’s voice that lifted this novel for me. The second half fills in all the gaps and whilst it still is told in a non linear, disjointed format of memories, you really start to decipher the entire story.
Sarah Winman captures the tenderness of love and heartbreak, be it platonic or romantic with such skill, beauty and emotional depth. She captures the intangible nature of memory, of the quiet moments and decisions that ultimately shape one's life, the bittersweet sadness in recollecting a happy moment, of a time and space that can be reimagined only in one’s head and of the human capacity and complexities of love. And all of this is beautifully realised. Her language is sparse and yet brims with metaphor, a true testament of less being more.
What could I say? This was a beautiful, heart warming, bittersweet story of friendship, love, loss and memories. We follow two central characters, Ellis and Michael, who meet as young boys in Oxford in the sixties. The innocence and closeness of their friendship gradually transcends into something more than that. However, as Ellis grows older, he meets Annie, falls in love and marries her and it’s very interesting to see the dynamics between the three take shape.
This novel is split into two sections, the first is from Ellis’s perspective, and the second is from Michael’s. The novel opens with Ellis, as a much older man, and in disjointed vignettes we get glimpses into his past and the events that transpired which have led up to that point. As is the fragmented nature of memory, the novel, as a whole is almost a collection of moments and it does take a while to get used to. Whilst I enjoyed Ellis’s section, there were several questions that remained unanswered and it was really Michael’s voice that lifted this novel for me. The second half fills in all the gaps and whilst it still is told in a non linear, disjointed format of memories, you really start to decipher the entire story.
Sarah Winman captures the tenderness of love and heartbreak, be it platonic or romantic with such skill, beauty and emotional depth. She captures the intangible nature of memory, of the quiet moments and decisions that ultimately shape one's life, the bittersweet sadness in recollecting a happy moment, of a time and space that can be reimagined only in one’s head and of the human capacity and complexities of love. And all of this is beautifully realised. Her language is sparse and yet brims with metaphor, a true testament of less being more.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
hopeful
reflective
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:
Complicated