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A review by bookellys
Ana by Joanne Louise Hardy, James Redfield
3.0
After hearing about ANA, a novel based on tragic and shocking true events, and the fact that the protagonist was from Nottingham (my home town) I felt compelled to read this book. Having flagging this as one of my most anticipate wishlist books, the author very kindly reached out and sent me a free copy of the eBook which I have really enjoyed reading.
In the book we follow Ana as she stumbles through life, trying her best but meeting some real hurdles and challenges along the way.
This felt a bit like a book of 2 parts for me - the first being the detailed recounting of the many events and situations that Ana found herself and got herself into. Some parts of the book are hard to read because you don’t want to imagine those things happening to a person, let alone the compounded impact of these all happening to one person. That said, this element of the book was a 4 star for me.
The second part (last third I’d say) was more of a spiritual enlightenment, but felt a little disconnected from the main life story which is why I settled on 3 stars overall. I was expecting there to be a bit more reflection, remorse, accountability, and recognition that she didn’t always help herself (though absolutely appreciate in many of the situations Ana was a victim) but it felt a bit rushed and squeezed into the more spiritual element towards the end.
I loved the little nods to Nottingham, and the inclusion of Skegness - I could picture it all so clearly from my own memories too! Overall this is a good read; I don’t want to say it’s enjoyable as it feels weird say I enjoyed reading about the horrible situations, but it’s a book that you can easily settle down with a slip through the pages. If you’ve got it sitting on your Kindle or bookshelf, it’s one to think about opening up next!
In the book we follow Ana as she stumbles through life, trying her best but meeting some real hurdles and challenges along the way.
This felt a bit like a book of 2 parts for me - the first being the detailed recounting of the many events and situations that Ana found herself and got herself into. Some parts of the book are hard to read because you don’t want to imagine those things happening to a person, let alone the compounded impact of these all happening to one person. That said, this element of the book was a 4 star for me.
The second part (last third I’d say) was more of a spiritual enlightenment, but felt a little disconnected from the main life story which is why I settled on 3 stars overall. I was expecting there to be a bit more reflection, remorse, accountability, and recognition that she didn’t always help herself (though absolutely appreciate in many of the situations Ana was a victim) but it felt a bit rushed and squeezed into the more spiritual element towards the end.
I loved the little nods to Nottingham, and the inclusion of Skegness - I could picture it all so clearly from my own memories too! Overall this is a good read; I don’t want to say it’s enjoyable as it feels weird say I enjoyed reading about the horrible situations, but it’s a book that you can easily settle down with a slip through the pages. If you’ve got it sitting on your Kindle or bookshelf, it’s one to think about opening up next!