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A review by saarahn
As If I Were a River by Amanda Saint
3.0
Three journeys woven into one.
A book intended for serious people, the tale follows the lives of three women: Kate, Laura and Una. We are introduced to them as separate people, but as the tale develops we see the nature of their relationship.
We follow them, we see their lives as they spiral out of control - from their happier moments (falling in love) to their worst (losing someone). We see it all. As a reader this is what I most appreciated, Saint's characters are explored in depth, we are able to see more than what is at the surface. There were characters like Ken who I had a number of opinions about- all of which conflicted.. I can't say I loved any character. When you see someone at their worst, you require a sort of equilibrium with their good moments and I don't think that was the case for any of the characters. Though, I feel Laura came close, not earlier on whilst in her innocence and naivety, but later when she discovered her independence.
Speaking (or rather, writing) of Laura, I desired to know more about her, and her willingness to commit the all-important action seemed foolish since she had no actual plans in regard to using her 'new' or 'potential degree'.
In the same way, the secrets Kate discovers were a huge let down. We learn that maybe there's hope for her. The suspense built up by Una's letters was huge...but the result didn't fulfil its potential. I wished for scandal, but what we got was heroism. I simply can't see the prospect of a mother very much in love with her family giving them up.
Though this theme of loss (especially the loss of love is consistent throughout the novel, broadening on a range of other characters' experiences. This is another style of Saints' that I liked, she refused to keep any character on the sidelines. Only too often do we read books where there is a far more interesting character (than the protagonists) who are ignored or mentioned briefly. In spite of this, I did want to know what pushed Jimmy to be unfaithful to his wife, believe me I know (in huge detail) her bad traits, though I feel these fail to justify his actions satisfactorily. Oh well, like Kate, perhaps we will not find an explanation. Additionally, I'd have liked to know of Ken's childhood....I understand that the tale was not about him but the heart wants what it wants...
I recommend this to anyone looking for a long read, there is no humour or comedy. Though I do recall smiling at the American tourist looking for Elton John. We may be English but that doesn't mean we can give you the address to any other Englishman! I have not yet had this experience, but I've heard of it before.
I'm afraid the reasoning behind the title escapes me, I cannot connect the title to the tale told. Though, I do like the cover: it's very fitting. In the book we are given mere glimpses of the characters and it's up to us to connect the dots. And we also quickly begin to understand that there is no 'true' picture pf anyone. Our tales and memories can become distorted.
I received this novel through NetGalley.
A book intended for serious people, the tale follows the lives of three women: Kate, Laura and Una. We are introduced to them as separate people, but as the tale develops we see the nature of their relationship.
We follow them, we see their lives as they spiral out of control - from their happier moments (falling in love) to their worst (losing someone). We see it all. As a reader this is what I most appreciated, Saint's characters are explored in depth, we are able to see more than what is at the surface. There were characters like Ken who I had a number of opinions about- all of which conflicted.. I can't say I loved any character. When you see someone at their worst, you require a sort of equilibrium with their good moments and I don't think that was the case for any of the characters. Though, I feel Laura came close, not earlier on whilst in her innocence and naivety, but later when she discovered her independence.
Speaking (or rather, writing) of Laura, I desired to know more about her, and her willingness to commit the all-important action seemed foolish since she had no actual plans in regard to using her 'new' or 'potential degree'.
In the same way, the secrets Kate discovers were a huge let down. We learn that maybe there's hope for her. The suspense built up by Una's letters was huge...but the result didn't fulfil its potential. I wished for scandal, but what we got was heroism. I simply can't see the prospect of a mother very much in love with her family giving them up.
Though this theme of loss (especially the loss of love is consistent throughout the novel, broadening on a range of other characters' experiences. This is another style of Saints' that I liked, she refused to keep any character on the sidelines. Only too often do we read books where there is a far more interesting character (than the protagonists) who are ignored or mentioned briefly. In spite of this, I did want to know what pushed Jimmy to be unfaithful to his wife, believe me I know (in huge detail) her bad traits, though I feel these fail to justify his actions satisfactorily. Oh well, like Kate, perhaps we will not find an explanation. Additionally, I'd have liked to know of Ken's childhood....I understand that the tale was not about him but the heart wants what it wants...
I recommend this to anyone looking for a long read, there is no humour or comedy. Though I do recall smiling at the American tourist looking for Elton John. We may be English but that doesn't mean we can give you the address to any other Englishman! I have not yet had this experience, but I've heard of it before.
I'm afraid the reasoning behind the title escapes me, I cannot connect the title to the tale told. Though, I do like the cover: it's very fitting. In the book we are given mere glimpses of the characters and it's up to us to connect the dots. And we also quickly begin to understand that there is no 'true' picture pf anyone. Our tales and memories can become distorted.
I received this novel through NetGalley.