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A review by margaret21
At Hawthorn Time by Melissa Harrison
4.0
There's much to enjoy about this book. I relished the descriptions of countryside: whether the litter-strewn countryside of the demi-countryside at the edges of towns and motorways, or the fully rural landscape. Melissa Harrison's observations of plant and bird life - minutely different with each passing day - are satisfying. Village life, for good and not-so-good, is described with clear-eyed realism.
Characters too ring true. The vagrant Jack is decribed with sympathy and warmth, and while other characters may be less sympathetic - Howard for instance - all are described with compassion and are believable.
Each vignette in the book feels real. I believed in Kitty and her attempts to embrace a life in which she is to some extent still a tourist. I warmed to young Jamie as he tries to make sense of a less than satisfactory personal and working life. Even Howard's prevarications over the new life he struggles to feel at one with interested and involved me.
Only the plot as a whole failed to convince me. It takes until the very last chapter for the main characters to come together, in a totally unexpected way. The book - intentionally -doesn't answer several of the questions it poses. But I was left with the impression of a plot that was as unsatisfactory and unresolved as life itself. And perhaps this was the point. I'll read other books by Melissa Harrison that come my way. But it's her talent as a nature writer, and as a describer of character that interests me, rather then her skills as a story teller.
Written a month later, as an addendum to my original review. I've changed my mind about the unsatisfying nature of the plot. It's a 'slice of life', and as such has stayed with me, and had me wondering about the characters in the weeks since I originally read the book.
Characters too ring true. The vagrant Jack is decribed with sympathy and warmth, and while other characters may be less sympathetic - Howard for instance - all are described with compassion and are believable.
Each vignette in the book feels real. I believed in Kitty and her attempts to embrace a life in which she is to some extent still a tourist. I warmed to young Jamie as he tries to make sense of a less than satisfactory personal and working life. Even Howard's prevarications over the new life he struggles to feel at one with interested and involved me.
Only the plot as a whole failed to convince me. It takes until the very last chapter for the main characters to come together, in a totally unexpected way. The book - intentionally -doesn't answer several of the questions it poses. But I was left with the impression of a plot that was as unsatisfactory and unresolved as life itself. And perhaps this was the point. I'll read other books by Melissa Harrison that come my way. But it's her talent as a nature writer, and as a describer of character that interests me, rather then her skills as a story teller.
Written a month later, as an addendum to my original review. I've changed my mind about the unsatisfying nature of the plot. It's a 'slice of life', and as such has stayed with me, and had me wondering about the characters in the weeks since I originally read the book.