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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a wonderfully emotional and gripping read, I felt I had to get to the end to understand what was happening with Will and Laura but also I didn't want it to finish.
The nostalgia of the wartime memories and courtship of Elsa and Will was stunning to read and I felt really captured the very complex political scene at the time for refugees and Jews that has perhaps been brushed over more now.
However it was Laura's past that truly struck deep with me; her experiences of her childhood and the absence of that safe, loving relationship with a parent and the after effects of that on her sense of self and purpose was heartbreakingly real and well written.
This is a unique and captivating book, with such a clever premise I kept thinking of it after I had finished.
The nostalgia of the wartime memories and courtship of Elsa and Will was stunning to read and I felt really captured the very complex political scene at the time for refugees and Jews that has perhaps been brushed over more now.
However it was Laura's past that truly struck deep with me; her experiences of her childhood and the absence of that safe, loving relationship with a parent and the after effects of that on her sense of self and purpose was heartbreakingly real and well written.
This is a unique and captivating book, with such a clever premise I kept thinking of it after I had finished.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
1=DNF 2-3 Entertaining 3 Worth reading 4 Worth reading twice 5 Life-changing.
If you want a well-plotted book focusing on relationships written competently, then this will do the trick. I read it in a day, I was so drawn in.
Things I liked: Laura "before" (ie most of the book); the way the note with the cow worked; the flow of the narrative; using Bath as a setting instead of, say, London.
Things I didn't like:
If you want a well-plotted book focusing on relationships written competently, then this will do the trick. I read it in a day, I was so drawn in.
Things I liked: Laura "before" (ie most of the book); the way the note with the cow worked; the flow of the narrative; using Bath as a setting instead of, say, London.
Things I didn't like:
- How Laura was endlessly expecting to fail. I get that this is her character, but it was laid on just a bit thick
- The resolution. Everyone ends up happy essentially via a sciency deus ex machina. There's an implication that Laura could only be fixed
by getting a do-over . I get that she did the workby going to see her Dad, but we don't really see any result in her original world. . Not everybody ends up happy in real life, but they might end up wiser, and I'd like that to be recognised.It looks like Laura's hard work battling her demons was wiped away. - The naive science-fiction aspect.
How different worlds were able to communicate via machines. This plays on the mysteriousness of radio and clocks for the average punter. In general I was disappointed that the plot relied so much on factors outside human control.
My greatest disappointment was that characters were not really the authors of their own fates, or only insofar as they were prepared to cooperate with the technical forces at play. So the story is essentially determining what the real rules of some more universal game are, and then it all works out. So often characters just felt they had to be somewhere.
So this book ultimately throws little light onto our existence but is an undeniably pleasant diversion.
Imaginative and heartwarming....
This is such an imaginative and hearwarming read. I really enjoyed reading this book and fell in love with both of the main characters, Will and Laura.
I very much like books set during the Second World War and especially one with a dual time line, between the past and the present. I also particularly liked how their relationship developed between the characters and how both characters changed and grew individually.
The book is set in Bath both during the war and in the present day. The story is set around Will, who fell in love with Elsa, a Jewish refugee fleeing her homeland in Austria. The story also follows Laura, a young girl suffering with anxiety who ends up working as a care assistant and is tasked with making an assessment on Will and his state of mind and living arrangements.
Their relationship and both of their stories are revealed across the pages, with the book never coming up short on twists and turns and a definite sense of mystery and intrigue. The book cover and title also had me coming back to it and pondering its meaning and significance during and after reading.
Although, the book is a little hard to read in places due to tackling the issue of anxiety, it also provides a sense of hope and perseverance .
Furthermore, I enjoyed reading it and will award this book 4.5 stars in total. I found the ending to be a little unexpected and slightly rushed and confusing.
Overall though, this is a great read with a magical twist.
This is such an imaginative and hearwarming read. I really enjoyed reading this book and fell in love with both of the main characters, Will and Laura.
I very much like books set during the Second World War and especially one with a dual time line, between the past and the present. I also particularly liked how their relationship developed between the characters and how both characters changed and grew individually.
The book is set in Bath both during the war and in the present day. The story is set around Will, who fell in love with Elsa, a Jewish refugee fleeing her homeland in Austria. The story also follows Laura, a young girl suffering with anxiety who ends up working as a care assistant and is tasked with making an assessment on Will and his state of mind and living arrangements.
Their relationship and both of their stories are revealed across the pages, with the book never coming up short on twists and turns and a definite sense of mystery and intrigue. The book cover and title also had me coming back to it and pondering its meaning and significance during and after reading.
Although, the book is a little hard to read in places due to tackling the issue of anxiety, it also provides a sense of hope and perseverance .
Furthermore, I enjoyed reading it and will award this book 4.5 stars in total. I found the ending to be a little unexpected and slightly rushed and confusing.
Overall though, this is a great read with a magical twist.
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved this book at the start, but then it slowed down, and then it got weird. Really did not love the ending, it came fully out of left field for me and also just felt like a stretch. Other than that though, the writing style was really beautiful, and I didn't mind the historical flashbacks which is saying something for me!
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
informative
reflective
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:
No