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3.6 AVERAGE

mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No

Awful

"My mother said I was at an awkward age. I didn't feel especially awkward, so I presumed she meant that it was awkward for them."
Grace’s precociousness was adorable and at times LOL funny—"It appeared that Jesus pulled a much bigger crowd if He provided garibaldis"—but I got a bit bored when the allegory became a bit too didactic and started feeling as judgmental as the neighbors on the Avenue. More subtlety would have made for a better morality tale. However, the little girl on the cover of this audio version could not be any cuter! And I definitely agree with her description of her local library: "It smelled of unturned pages and unseen adventures, and on every shelf were people I had yet to meet, and places I had yet to visit." Exactly!

book_chat_girl's review

3.0

Loved the author's writing style - sentence after enjoyable sentence drew the scenes and the characters, and the point of view of the young narrator, Grace, had me laughing. Not sure whether it was my own distraction, but I had some trouble following the story as some of the main plot points were told obliquely by the many adult characters, whom I had a little trouble keeping straight between use of first names (when they were narrating about others) and when Grace referred to them by Mr/Mrs (surname). Lots of moments for small and large injuries to others and possible redemptions...overall, an interesting reading experience and I would welcome reading more by this author.
funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I didn't love this book. The beginning was slow and the literary style didn't match the 10 year old narrator. The second third picked up but I didn't love the ending.

3.5/5
I’d heard that The Trouble with Goats and Sheep is the perfect summer read, which is why I picked it up during this heat wave we’re experiencing in Finland. And indeed, it was easy to relate to the atmosphere when you were sweating in the sun like the characters in the story. Characters, which I found to be really fascinating, as well as the setting – a tightly knit, small community in the 70s England. The past that burdens the residents and the missing of one of them offer a great base for the story, but there are two things that left me cold: in the beginning it took a long time for me to get invested and the end is too open for my liking. I want clear conclusions, but it felt like the novel wasn’t quite finished. So I'm slightly disappointed, even though for most of the book I was truly enjoying myself.

I loved this book from start to finish. It is so well written it completely transports you back to the summer of 1976. It is quirky but I loved the child's perspective. I can't wait to read Joanna Cannon's next book
beccamunchkin's profile picture

beccamunchkin's review

3.0

I wanted to hate this book, but it grew on me. At first there were too many characters to keep straight and the writing felt strange and stiff. I got used to the writing, and figured out who some of the characters were, but for much of the book I was still having to stop and flip back to figure out which neighbor was which. The good thing here was the fairly interesting story; the mystery of it was revealed fairly nicely, though wrapped up a little too pat in the last 20 pages or so. Grace and stilly were pretty stock characters, and some of what they did or happened to them was incredibly obviously coming, but there were twists in other places.
Also now I want biscuits. Some day someone should go through and count all the mentions of sweets and biscuits and cakes because I’m pretty sure there were about 6,000.

Lovely book. So many characters. Grace and Tilly are adorable. A grown up Harriet the Spy. I wish I'd kept a chart in the beginning to keep track of the characters and their house numbers.

A charming read. Part man at the helm, part curious incident, with added custards creams and angel delight. The disappearence of Mrs Creasy during the 1976 heatwave is making the residents of the Avenue very fearful that their secrets will be revealed. Two 10 year olds, Grace and Tilly, decide to spend their summer searching for the missing woman and God. A very exciting debut novel.