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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
I'm honestly not sure exactly how I felt about this book. Overall, I enjoyed it. It was a quick read, and it was refreshingly different in its structure and tone.
The book jumps around a lot in terms of time period, starting with Harriet's birth, immediately followed by her in the present-day at age 78. The chapters continue to alternate time periods and landmark moments in Harriet's life throughout the rest of the novel.
I really loved the tone of the chapters that flashed back. They were written so differently from the chapters of her in the present -- even when they were offering glimpses into more tragic portions of her history, there was a lightness and playfulness to them. I think the fact that the entire book wasn't written in that way made them particularly impactful.
I guess my gripes come in a couple of forms. One was my confusion over Bernard's role in the story. While he was obviously an incredibly crucial part of Harriet's life story, his actual involvement to the story in the present day didn't make much sense to me, and I was unclear of the purpose that it served, and what exactly was going on with him.
The other is, while I really enjoyed Harriet's story, and the way that the flashbacks provided missing pieces to the puzzle of her life story, I wasn't sure what the reader was supposed to get out of them by the end. What is the point of knowing where you went wrong in life, if there's nothing that can be done about it?
I think overall I would have liked more of a sense of resolution, or just a more direct correlation between her past and it's implications on the present.
The book jumps around a lot in terms of time period, starting with Harriet's birth, immediately followed by her in the present-day at age 78. The chapters continue to alternate time periods and landmark moments in Harriet's life throughout the rest of the novel.
I really loved the tone of the chapters that flashed back. They were written so differently from the chapters of her in the present -- even when they were offering glimpses into more tragic portions of her history, there was a lightness and playfulness to them. I think the fact that the entire book wasn't written in that way made them particularly impactful.
I guess my gripes come in a couple of forms. One was my confusion over Bernard's role in the story. While he was obviously an incredibly crucial part of Harriet's life story, his actual involvement to the story in the present day didn't make much sense to me, and I was unclear of the purpose that it served, and what exactly was going on with him.
The other is, while I really enjoyed Harriet's story, and the way that the flashbacks provided missing pieces to the puzzle of her life story, I wasn't sure what the reader was supposed to get out of them by the end. What is the point of knowing where you went wrong in life, if there's nothing that can be done about it?
I think overall I would have liked more of a sense of resolution, or just a more direct correlation between her past and it's implications on the present.
Quirky, funny, sad, unpredictable. Seventy-eight year old Harriet Chance is being visited by her deceased husband. Those around her think she is moving into dementia, but truly Bernard is back trying to make amends. As the book unfolds, the reader is taken on a journey through the hope deferred life of the girl who dreamed of a career in law. Life and pregnancies resulting in two children and a driven husband took the aspirations on a different path that Harriet really never saw clearly until the day she died. This was a quick, easy read, perfect for a rainy day during the quarantine of the Covid-19 pandemic.
With a Greek-chorus-like narrative style and a nonlinear approach, This is Your Life, Harriet Chance! by Jonathan Evison works. Harriet Chance is a charming, sympathetic seventy-eight year old main character. Even more importantly, Harriet is human, with eccentricities and faults of her own, and with a mixed-up, messy life in which many people will find some point they relate to.
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2015/09/this-is-your-life-harriet-chance.html
Reviewed based on a copy received through a publisher’s giveaway. Thank you Shelf Awareness.
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2015/09/this-is-your-life-harriet-chance.html
Reviewed based on a copy received through a publisher’s giveaway. Thank you Shelf Awareness.
Easy read, and very well written book about ones own mortality and the choices we make.
Loved how this book was laid out, bouncing around to different stages in Harriet Chance's life and revealing bit by bit how she got to the place where she is today. Quirky as Jonathan's books usually are :) Refreshing writing style chronicling the life of Harriet and her children.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Hmm. Not sure what I missed, but I did not find this book "funny, moving, wistful or wise" as reviewed by Jess Walter. I found the main character to be hopeless, unlikeable, unable to learn from past mistakes, unforgiving (of herself and others) until "why bother?". Blech. Nothing redeeming about this one, imo.
This reader was excellent. I thought this was going to be a bit more humorous, but basing a review on my preconceptions is unfair. This book was very sad, to my mind. Nothing ever turns out the way you think it will.
What a tedious read. Predictable. I couldn't wait for this to be over. Gave it 2 stars because I applaud there being a story about seniors who are still living their lives and not just sitting in retirement homes.