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jenbsbooks's Reviews (2.41k)
I got to page 150, about 1/3 of the way and this just wasn't keeping my interest the way the first book did. Really, there are only two characters from book 1; Wil and Eleanor. It's all new location, all new relationships ... and I'm not liking the characters and the situation is just negative without much hope of a resolution (I assume eventually in book 3 there will be, but I don't think I can stick it out that long).
One thing that has NOT changed is the unique names ... Drakta, Annan, Ashan, Edvard, Staven, Emmad, Aronee, Zeaad, Allute, Alliet, Aronee, Hannia, Faenan, Kotaah, Emir, Arsaalan, Kiarash, Tameez, Fasseil, Zanntal, Gelareh, Aafsoon ...
Saw the word "purloined" here ... it fits much better here than last time I saw it (Harris and Me). I've also noticed "for all intents and purposes" in many of my reads of late. It was in here.
One thing that has NOT changed is the unique names ... Drakta, Annan, Ashan, Edvard, Staven, Emmad, Aronee, Zeaad, Allute, Alliet, Aronee, Hannia, Faenan, Kotaah, Emir, Arsaalan, Kiarash, Tameez, Fasseil, Zanntal, Gelareh, Aafsoon ...
Saw the word "purloined" here ... it fits much better here than last time I saw it (Harris and Me). I've also noticed "for all intents and purposes" in many of my reads of late. It was in here.
I liked this. 3.5 stars. Included in KindleUnlimited, text and audio, and I also had a physical copy picked up a library sale. I went with the audio version primarily - Amy McFadden narrating. She's a good narrator, but her voice is so distinct that I have to REALLY space her out so that my mind doesn't mix things up.
This had several format presentations ... lots of letters, emails, journal entries, group texts (the latter reminded me a bit of [book:Anonymous Mom Posts|63416757]). In audio, some of the "reference" To: From: Subject: email addresses, etc ... could get a little repetitive and tedious (not as bad as in Ready Player One though, where there were long strings of numbers, IP addresses, etc). Most of the text was 1st person/past tense.
I don't know how much of this I'll really remember in the long run. It was a pretty cute story. No proFanity. Some sex, but nothing explicit. I enjoyed the relationships and situations (Annie and her mother, Annie and Moe, the background with Harper ... and her dog and the hilarious undercover trip to the dog park).
Simple chronological chapters. 48 + an epilogue. No TOC in the physical, which isn't that big a deal here, as the chapters don't have headers or anything.
No real notes, words noticed (no smirking or scowling!) ... a couple phrases, the was the "let out a breath she didn't know she was holding" and "for all intents and purposes" (I'd just had a book that said that several times, here it was just once).
I must admit, when there aren't author's notes or discussion questions I feel a little ... like I'm missing something that might make me appreciate it more.
This had several format presentations ... lots of letters, emails, journal entries, group texts (the latter reminded me a bit of [book:Anonymous Mom Posts|63416757]). In audio, some of the "reference" To: From: Subject: email addresses, etc ... could get a little repetitive and tedious (not as bad as in Ready Player One though, where there were long strings of numbers, IP addresses, etc). Most of the text was 1st person/past tense.
I don't know how much of this I'll really remember in the long run. It was a pretty cute story. No proFanity. Some sex, but nothing explicit. I enjoyed the relationships and situations (Annie and her mother, Annie and Moe, the background with Harper ... and her dog and the hilarious undercover trip to the dog park).
Simple chronological chapters. 48 + an epilogue. No TOC in the physical, which isn't that big a deal here, as the chapters don't have headers or anything.
No real notes, words noticed (no smirking or scowling!) ... a couple phrases, the was the "let out a breath she didn't know she was holding" and "for all intents and purposes" (I'd just had a book that said that several times, here it was just once).
I must admit, when there aren't author's notes or discussion questions I feel a little ... like I'm missing something that might make me appreciate it more.
That I was able to read this Kindle book (no audio) this quickly says something for the book ... it caught my attention, kept my interest. There are sequels and I plan to read them, BUT I'm frustrated at the cliffhanger ending here, lack of ending. Things were getting so exciting and I could see I didn't have that much of the book left. How will the author wrap things up?? Oh, she won't. Literally leaves us with someone at the door ... and book 2 starts up there. Even in a series, I like my book to have a storyline that wraps up for that book at least. Here, nothing, it's just set up for the sequel.
Nothing was super surprising ... while we/the reader don't know exactly who Wil is at the start, we have an idea. The reveal isn't all that revealing. His actions along the way were interesting. Hard to know what his plan really was. I cared about the characters, got emotional a time or two.
Not sure how to label this ... it's not really historical, this isn't our Earth/World, it's not exactly fantasy in my opinion, or I guess I usually expect something a little preternatural (magic, creatures, etc) in fantasy. This had shades of [book:Froi of the Exiles|10165727] and possibly [book:The Burning Bridge|144349], I'm sure some others too. I haven't read this type of book for a while, so it was a nice change.
The names though ... very Utah/Unique spellings (Utah gets mocked for that, this IS a Utah author). Dantib, Annan, Hegleh, Refigh, Imirillia, Safeerah, Aemogen, Edythe, Hastian, Gaulter Alden, Blaike, Aurreym Haide, Ceiliurah, Aedon, Aramesh, Arimel, Zarbadast, Calafort, Shaamil, Briant, Emaad, Danth, Claira, Seraagh, Rion, Anoir, Crispin, Bylja Svain ... our MCs are Wil and Eleanor. Honestly, I was surprised it wasn't "Aleanyor"... Eleanor is too plain a name!
There was a statement "When you're a good man, being a good king follows naturally" ... and I had to think, um, not always! Then one of the characters did question that, right along the lines of what I was thinking.
I appreciated the thoughts on the training of the soldiers "you would find yourself surprised with their abilities (in their own trades, not swordsmanship), maybe better understand how to incorporate their natural strengths to teach them weaponry."
"A dark night is never the time to make a decision."
The title ... of course is now associated with the Netflix mini-series (and the book it's based on). I was a little surprised when it WAS CHESS (and other associations) here.
Caught one typo - breath when it should have been breathe "You can't breath-even under a cloth"
Included in KindleUnlimited, text only, not one that has made it into the libraries (although here locally in Utah, I think there might be a physical copy).
... per the cliffhanger, I'll continue on, but I am unhappy about the hanging. I figured I'd come write my review, because book 2 probably won't stand out as a separate story at all, just a continuation. I totally understand that's what a series is, but I like a single resolved loop within the ongoing storyline.
Nothing was super surprising ... while we/the reader don't know exactly who Wil is at the start, we have an idea. The reveal isn't all that revealing. His actions along the way were interesting. Hard to know what his plan really was. I cared about the characters, got emotional a time or two.
Not sure how to label this ... it's not really historical, this isn't our Earth/World, it's not exactly fantasy in my opinion, or I guess I usually expect something a little preternatural (magic, creatures, etc) in fantasy. This had shades of [book:Froi of the Exiles|10165727] and possibly [book:The Burning Bridge|144349], I'm sure some others too. I haven't read this type of book for a while, so it was a nice change.
The names though ... very Utah/Unique spellings (Utah gets mocked for that, this IS a Utah author). Dantib, Annan, Hegleh, Refigh, Imirillia, Safeerah, Aemogen, Edythe, Hastian, Gaulter Alden, Blaike, Aurreym Haide, Ceiliurah, Aedon, Aramesh, Arimel, Zarbadast, Calafort, Shaamil, Briant, Emaad, Danth, Claira, Seraagh, Rion, Anoir, Crispin, Bylja Svain ... our MCs are Wil and Eleanor. Honestly, I was surprised it wasn't "Aleanyor"... Eleanor is too plain a name!
There was a statement "When you're a good man, being a good king follows naturally" ... and I had to think, um, not always! Then one of the characters did question that, right along the lines of what I was thinking.
I appreciated the thoughts on the training of the soldiers "you would find yourself surprised with their abilities (in their own trades, not swordsmanship), maybe better understand how to incorporate their natural strengths to teach them weaponry."
"A dark night is never the time to make a decision."
The title ... of course is now associated with the Netflix mini-series (and the book it's based on). I was a little surprised when it WAS CHESS (and other associations) here.
Caught one typo - breath when it should have been breathe "You can't breath-even under a cloth"
Included in KindleUnlimited, text only, not one that has made it into the libraries (although here locally in Utah, I think there might be a physical copy).
... per the cliffhanger, I'll continue on, but I am unhappy about the hanging. I figured I'd come write my review, because book 2 probably won't stand out as a separate story at all, just a continuation. I totally understand that's what a series is, but I like a single resolved loop within the ongoing storyline.
This was just okay for me - some of it may be bad timing on my part. First in a series, but I don't think I'll continue on. Text included in KU, purchased the audio during a sale back in 2022. Ray Porter is a great narrator, but at times his books/voice (thus story/characters) tend to run together in my mind. I also don't love his voicing of women. Here the prologue/epilogue were 3rd person/Dirk's POV, with the rest of the book 1st person, Rex's POV. All past tense.
A lot of action ... not a lot of aliens. While I was listening to the audiobook, I was comparing things to other books/movies (3 Body Problem, Resident Alien, Monarch/Legacy of Monsters, Indiana Jones, Unknowns~Pokemon). Father and friend lost years earlier. Bridge. Little clues. Hexagon tile keys. Kidnapping, chases, murder. There was a lot of smirking going on (x16). A scowl (my son hates that word, so I tend to notice it). Lots of "rifling" through things (x5 ... felt like lots). Route ... pronounced "root" (just another thing I note). Crevasse. Dias. Sneaked. No ProFanity.
Things really came to a crash there at the end, a few reveals (ones I wasn't expecting ... one was "acceptable" to me, the other seemed too far-fetched). Definitely a set-up for a sequel, but I just hadn't really some to care about the characters or the story/situation to continue on (especially if I'd have to buy the audio (AudibleExclusive) ... although the text is included in KU and the add-on audio is reasonable ($1.99, $3.01).
A lot of action ... not a lot of aliens. While I was listening to the audiobook, I was comparing things to other books/movies (3 Body Problem, Resident Alien, Monarch/Legacy of Monsters, Indiana Jones, Unknowns~Pokemon). Father and friend lost years earlier. Bridge. Little clues. Hexagon tile keys. Kidnapping, chases, murder. There was a lot of smirking going on (x16). A scowl (my son hates that word, so I tend to notice it). Lots of "rifling" through things (x5 ... felt like lots). Route ... pronounced "root" (just another thing I note). Crevasse. Dias. Sneaked. No ProFanity.
Things really came to a crash there at the end, a few reveals (ones I wasn't expecting ... one was "acceptable" to me, the other seemed too far-fetched). Definitely a set-up for a sequel, but I just hadn't really some to care about the characters or the story/situation to continue on (especially if I'd have to buy the audio (AudibleExclusive) ... although the text is included in KU and the add-on audio is reasonable ($1.99, $3.01).
I liked this. A lot. 4.5 stars. A good story that drew me in, made me care about the characters. That being said, it hit some personal things that were slightly painful/uncomfortable, which can impact overall "enjoyment" somewhat.
This was included in KindleUnlimited, text and audio. I went with the audio, narrated by the author. She's a great narrator too (I made that comment about the last book of hers. Just read one before, but I'm putting her other books on my list). She's a little "quiet" ... I had to turn my volume all the way and still struggled to hear a bit at times. Very British in accent and some terms ... "Loo Roll" for toilet paper. I actually haven't heard that one before although it's perfectly logical.
There are two storylines ... the POV of Emma (mother of three, as the book starts off, she's fallen into an exhausted sleep on a bed in Ikea) and Thurston (older gentleman, recently lost his wife). Both are told in 3rd person/Past tense. At times I wondered it I would have preferred a male narrator for the Thurston chapters ... it might have made a bit more of a separation in the audio. The two POVs tended to run together a bit being narrated in the same voice.
Now I'm NOT one who requires/looks for trigger warnings - but there were a few things that hit a little close to home. Emma's son Reggie ... similar to one of my boys (we ended up pulling out of high school to do online school. The worries about anxiety/depression.) Happily my son is doing quite well now, but it still brought back memories of tougher times in the past. At one point Emma mentions wishing she could clone herself. The movie "Multiplicity" is a family favorite. So many times I thought we needed multiple of Hubs and all he does. This one hit me a little ... not at a great place emotionally myself, and the sad fact that one of me is more than enough. There are the usual family struggles, between husband and wife, siblings, situation with a daughter, situation with a friend ... with the latter, when is it "accepted" to "give up" and not fight? Then there's Thurston. His situation reminded me a bit of "A Man Called Ove" except he wasn't nearly as grumpy. Similar situation, pondering taking the end of his life into his own hands. He just wants to be with his wife again. Suicide was a fairly central part of his storyline. Dealing with death ... death that has happened (also Emma's father), is anticipated, is desired ...holding on or letting go.
I didn't have many notes/quotes - profound thoughts, but that IS a lot harder in audio than if I am reading the book myself. I'll have to watch the quotes section here on GR to see if more get added. It's still new, just published a few months ago (Jan2024).
There was some proFanity (x14) ... some slight sexual stuff, a lot of it was pretty funny. I noted the word "hectoring" ... I feel like I heard it for the first time last month (Into Thin Air ... I think it was much more noticeable NOT in an English accent). Crazy I've seen if a few times since then! A mention of Zumba. A few smirks and scowls. There was a song at the very end ... spoken, not sung (these are just random things/words I notice). I liked this. A lot. 4.5 stars. A good story that drew me in, made me care about the characters. That being said, it hit some personal things that were slightly painful/uncomfortable, which can impact overall "enjoyment" somewhat.
This was included in KindleUnlimited, text and audio. I went with the audio, narrated by the author. She's a great narrator too (I made that comment about the last book of hers. Just read one before, but I'm putting her other books on my list). She's a little "quiet" ... I had to turn my volume all the way and still struggled to hear a bit at times. Very British in accent and some terms ... "Loo Roll" for toilet paper. I actually haven't heard that one before although it's perfectly logical.
There are two storylines ... the POV of Emma (mother of three, as the book starts off, she's fallen into an exhausted sleep on a bed in Ikea) and Thurston (older gentleman, recently lost his wife). Both are told in 3rd person/Past tense. At times I wondered it I would have preferred a male narrator for the Thurston chapters ... it might have made a bit more of a separation in the audio. The two POVs tended to run together a bit being narrated in the same voice.
Now I'm NOT one who requires/looks for trigger warnings - but there were a few things that hit a little close to home. Emma's son Reggie ... similar to one of my boys (we ended up pulling out of high school to do online school. The worries about anxiety/depression.) Happily my son is doing quite well now, but it still brought back memories of tougher times in the past. At one point Emma mentions wishing she could clone herself. The movie "Multiplicity" is a family favorite. So many times I thought we needed multiple of Hubs and all he does. This one hit me a little ... not at a great place emotionally myself, and the sad fact that one of me is more than enough. There are the usual family struggles, between husband and wife, siblings, situation with a daughter, situation with a friend ... with the latter, when is it "accepted" to "give up" and not fight? Then there's Thurston. His situation reminded me a bit of "A Man Called Ove" except he wasn't nearly as grumpy. Similar situation, pondering taking the end of his life into his own hands. He just wants to be with his wife again. Suicide was a fairly central part of his storyline. Dealing with death ... death that has happened (also Emma's father), is anticipated, is desired ...holding on or letting go.
I didn't have many notes/quotes - profound thoughts, but that IS a lot harder in audio than if I am reading the book myself. I'll have to watch the quotes section here on GR to see if more get added. It's still new, just published a few months ago (Jan2024).
There was some proFanity (x14) ... some slight sexual stuff, a lot of it was pretty funny. I noted the word "hectoring" ... I feel like I heard it for the first time last month (Into Thin Air ... I think it was much more noticeable NOT in an English accent). Crazy I've seen if a few times since then! A mention of Zumba. A few smirks and scowls. There was a song at the very end ... spoken, not sung (these are just random things/words I notice).
Had the title tie-in (a few times). No discussion questions (I would have liked some - I could probably find some if I Google, I just don't get around to doing that). Table of Contents matched for the audio to kindle copy, and did include the POV (they did switch every other chapter, Emma/odds, Thurston/evens).
This was included in KindleUnlimited, text and audio. I went with the audio, narrated by the author. She's a great narrator too (I made that comment about the last book of hers. Just read one before, but I'm putting her other books on my list). She's a little "quiet" ... I had to turn my volume all the way and still struggled to hear a bit at times. Very British in accent and some terms ... "Loo Roll" for toilet paper. I actually haven't heard that one before although it's perfectly logical.
There are two storylines ... the POV of Emma (mother of three, as the book starts off, she's fallen into an exhausted sleep on a bed in Ikea) and Thurston (older gentleman, recently lost his wife). Both are told in 3rd person/Past tense. At times I wondered it I would have preferred a male narrator for the Thurston chapters ... it might have made a bit more of a separation in the audio. The two POVs tended to run together a bit being narrated in the same voice.
Now I'm NOT one who requires/looks for trigger warnings - but there were a few things that hit a little close to home. Emma's son Reggie ... similar to one of my boys (we ended up pulling out of high school to do online school. The worries about anxiety/depression.) Happily my son is doing quite well now, but it still brought back memories of tougher times in the past. At one point Emma mentions wishing she could clone herself. The movie "Multiplicity" is a family favorite. So many times I thought we needed multiple of Hubs and all he does. This one hit me a little ... not at a great place emotionally myself, and the sad fact that one of me is more than enough. There are the usual family struggles, between husband and wife, siblings, situation with a daughter, situation with a friend ... with the latter, when is it "accepted" to "give up" and not fight? Then there's Thurston. His situation reminded me a bit of "A Man Called Ove" except he wasn't nearly as grumpy. Similar situation, pondering taking the end of his life into his own hands. He just wants to be with his wife again. Suicide was a fairly central part of his storyline. Dealing with death ... death that has happened (also Emma's father), is anticipated, is desired ...holding on or letting go.
I didn't have many notes/quotes - profound thoughts, but that IS a lot harder in audio than if I am reading the book myself. I'll have to watch the quotes section here on GR to see if more get added. It's still new, just published a few months ago (Jan2024).
There was some proFanity (x14) ... some slight sexual stuff, a lot of it was pretty funny. I noted the word "hectoring" ... I feel like I heard it for the first time last month (Into Thin Air ... I think it was much more noticeable NOT in an English accent). Crazy I've seen if a few times since then! A mention of Zumba. A few smirks and scowls. There was a song at the very end ... spoken, not sung (these are just random things/words I notice). I liked this. A lot. 4.5 stars. A good story that drew me in, made me care about the characters. That being said, it hit some personal things that were slightly painful/uncomfortable, which can impact overall "enjoyment" somewhat.
This was included in KindleUnlimited, text and audio. I went with the audio, narrated by the author. She's a great narrator too (I made that comment about the last book of hers. Just read one before, but I'm putting her other books on my list). She's a little "quiet" ... I had to turn my volume all the way and still struggled to hear a bit at times. Very British in accent and some terms ... "Loo Roll" for toilet paper. I actually haven't heard that one before although it's perfectly logical.
There are two storylines ... the POV of Emma (mother of three, as the book starts off, she's fallen into an exhausted sleep on a bed in Ikea) and Thurston (older gentleman, recently lost his wife). Both are told in 3rd person/Past tense. At times I wondered it I would have preferred a male narrator for the Thurston chapters ... it might have made a bit more of a separation in the audio. The two POVs tended to run together a bit being narrated in the same voice.
Now I'm NOT one who requires/looks for trigger warnings - but there were a few things that hit a little close to home. Emma's son Reggie ... similar to one of my boys (we ended up pulling out of high school to do online school. The worries about anxiety/depression.) Happily my son is doing quite well now, but it still brought back memories of tougher times in the past. At one point Emma mentions wishing she could clone herself. The movie "Multiplicity" is a family favorite. So many times I thought we needed multiple of Hubs and all he does. This one hit me a little ... not at a great place emotionally myself, and the sad fact that one of me is more than enough. There are the usual family struggles, between husband and wife, siblings, situation with a daughter, situation with a friend ... with the latter, when is it "accepted" to "give up" and not fight? Then there's Thurston. His situation reminded me a bit of "A Man Called Ove" except he wasn't nearly as grumpy. Similar situation, pondering taking the end of his life into his own hands. He just wants to be with his wife again. Suicide was a fairly central part of his storyline. Dealing with death ... death that has happened (also Emma's father), is anticipated, is desired ...holding on or letting go.
I didn't have many notes/quotes - profound thoughts, but that IS a lot harder in audio than if I am reading the book myself. I'll have to watch the quotes section here on GR to see if more get added. It's still new, just published a few months ago (Jan2024).
There was some proFanity (x14) ... some slight sexual stuff, a lot of it was pretty funny. I noted the word "hectoring" ... I feel like I heard it for the first time last month (Into Thin Air ... I think it was much more noticeable NOT in an English accent). Crazy I've seen if a few times since then! A mention of Zumba. A few smirks and scowls. There was a song at the very end ... spoken, not sung (these are just random things/words I notice).
Had the title tie-in (a few times). No discussion questions (I would have liked some - I could probably find some if I Google, I just don't get around to doing that). Table of Contents matched for the audio to kindle copy, and did include the POV (they did switch every other chapter, Emma/odds, Thurston/evens).
So ... I didn't love this, but I also can't really say anything specific negative about it. It just seemed a little simplistic a story, one I almost wondered why it was being told. This is where the author's interview at the end helped up the appreciation. Paulsen states that (paraphrased) while this is a novel, it's really non-fiction, it's basically what happened to him when he was young.
It was all just a little ambiguous ... no specific time/year is given (as often is in books), just stated that during "a war" (the assumption is ww2?) the boy's father (like in "Harris and Me" ... we are never given the boy's name, he is just "the boy" throughout) is gone to war, the mother is working and brings home "Uncle Casey" who really isn't his uncle, and the boy finds his mother and the man on the couch together making sounds he doesn't understand but doesn't like ... the writing IS simplistic like that, which I guess is representative of the way a 5-year old might think (this is from his POV). Reminiscent of "the secret" (parent's divorce) mentioned in Hatchet. The prologue here mentions how he "was sent to live with his grandmother" and that repeats three or four times in just a few pages (because it's not that simple, each time it's said he gives a few more background details). I'm sure there is something to discuss here ... some writing technique ...
I picked this one up because I am a Gary Paulsen fan (my boys and I enjoying the Hatchet series). I had a copy of the physical book donated for my LittleFreeLibrary, and I thought I'd give it a quick read before offering it up. It's short/quick. I had also happened to hear someone on one of my Facebook groups mention it, saying the strong relationship between the grandmother/grandson touched her. Me ... not quite so much. Similar to "Harris and Me" (also the story of a young boy, although older than 5 years, going to stay with extended family for the summer), and I think I preferred the latter. Just a little more going on.
It IS so crazy to think about the different times ... sure, just put a five year old with a note pinned to him onto a train to travel several states away on his own. I'm not sure if I figured out the relationship between the grandmother and the boy's mother (why they weren't talking) ... but didn't re-read/re-listen to clarify (I remember one section going into the grandmother's history, but then it saying ALL her children had died, but then this seemed to cover years at one point ... which also makes me wonder about the sequels? I'm not really planning on continuing on).
There are a few covers - don't love any. The physical book here has the realistic (real? was this made into a movie, can't see anything on that) faces of grandmother and the boy. Included in AudiblePlus, the narrator was a woman ... might have made more sense to have it be male, but then again it was more of an omniscient narrator overlooking it and telling the story, 3rd person/Past tense. The ebook was also on Hoopla, but I'm a Kindle snob. No library had the Kindle copy, and I didn't feel like it would be worth $4, especially as I did already have the text/physical book to glance through.
While this is YA, and a simple story, I do feel like IF I were to study it closer, make notes, discuss it with bookclub ... I'd probably find some things worthy of a deeper delve. Just based on my quick listen though, it's not really one that will stay with me.
It was all just a little ambiguous ... no specific time/year is given (as often is in books), just stated that during "a war" (the assumption is ww2?) the boy's father (like in "Harris and Me" ... we are never given the boy's name, he is just "the boy" throughout) is gone to war, the mother is working and brings home "Uncle Casey" who really isn't his uncle, and the boy finds his mother and the man on the couch together making sounds he doesn't understand but doesn't like ... the writing IS simplistic like that, which I guess is representative of the way a 5-year old might think (this is from his POV). Reminiscent of "the secret" (parent's divorce) mentioned in Hatchet. The prologue here mentions how he "was sent to live with his grandmother" and that repeats three or four times in just a few pages (because it's not that simple, each time it's said he gives a few more background details). I'm sure there is something to discuss here ... some writing technique ...
I picked this one up because I am a Gary Paulsen fan (my boys and I enjoying the Hatchet series). I had a copy of the physical book donated for my LittleFreeLibrary, and I thought I'd give it a quick read before offering it up. It's short/quick. I had also happened to hear someone on one of my Facebook groups mention it, saying the strong relationship between the grandmother/grandson touched her. Me ... not quite so much. Similar to "Harris and Me" (also the story of a young boy, although older than 5 years, going to stay with extended family for the summer), and I think I preferred the latter. Just a little more going on.
It IS so crazy to think about the different times ... sure, just put a five year old with a note pinned to him onto a train to travel several states away on his own. I'm not sure if I figured out the relationship between the grandmother and the boy's mother (why they weren't talking) ... but didn't re-read/re-listen to clarify (I remember one section going into the grandmother's history, but then it saying ALL her children had died, but then this seemed to cover years at one point ... which also makes me wonder about the sequels? I'm not really planning on continuing on).
There are a few covers - don't love any. The physical book here has the realistic (real? was this made into a movie, can't see anything on that) faces of grandmother and the boy. Included in AudiblePlus, the narrator was a woman ... might have made more sense to have it be male, but then again it was more of an omniscient narrator overlooking it and telling the story, 3rd person/Past tense. The ebook was also on Hoopla, but I'm a Kindle snob. No library had the Kindle copy, and I didn't feel like it would be worth $4, especially as I did already have the text/physical book to glance through.
While this is YA, and a simple story, I do feel like IF I were to study it closer, make notes, discuss it with bookclub ... I'd probably find some things worthy of a deeper delve. Just based on my quick listen though, it's not really one that will stay with me.
Well, unfortunately, my overall experience with this was negative. Still rating it 3* , as the story/writing wasn't bad, but there were some pet peeves that just rubbed me the wrong way.
The text was included in KindleUnlimited, with audio available for an add-on of just over $3. I went ahead and paid for the audio. The narrator wasn't bed, but I didn't really care for her voices. Moreover, as the book shifted from Florence's 1st person narrative, to Andrew's third person POV ... it just felt strange to be to have it be in the exact same voice. I think having a different narrator for Andrew's portions would have improved things for me. I'd find my mind drifting, and the "voice" in both the writing, and the narration, was so similar that as I'd come back to the book, it would take me a while to figure out if it was Florence or Andrew's POV. I had to wait for the "I" statement, or the "Andrew ..." to determine. There were no headers for POV shifts, and further in the book, a single chapter would feature both. Looking at the Kindle, when this happened, there was a *-----* visual to separate (just a pause in the audiobook).
I really didn't like the shift between POVs, one 1st person one 3rd person. I didn't care for the whole Book 1 and Book 2 buildup ... I mean I guess we needed to get to know the characters to care about them, but ... I just never really connected. There seemed to be too many attempts to connect it to the movie Titanic ... the having Florence painted, and he wants her to shift her shirt to see her true skin tone (make us think of Jack sketching Rose naked) and Florence grabbing a certain piece of jewelry (similar to the one featured in the movie?) As with all historical pieces, I do appreciate learning little factual (or I assume they are, should research) tidbits ... I'm not remembering which here, but there were some data drops that were of interest.
All past tense, until the very end, when there was an awkward shift to present tense.
There were "three books" or sections, with multiple chapters in each part. HUGE PET PEEVE ... the Audible "chapters" hardly paired to the Kindle copy ... in Audible, there are just numerical chapters, chronological 1-57. No distinction of the three sections, no indication that "chapter 57" is actually the "Afterward" ... as something happened that I wanted to reference in the text, I noted it was "chapter 48" only to turn to the Kindle copy and have that be absolutely useless information in helping me find that spot. In Kindle ... there are NO chronological chapters listed at all, just the three "books" and chapter headings. The chapter headings seemed to be newspaper headlines (A quick info/title grabber with a date) ... were these real newspaper headings??? I felt sure that the author's note at the end, where it was told a little which characters were based on real people and or the real events of our MCs ... but the headers weren't addressed. The headers would have been better in the Audible version than the useless "chapter" numbers.
One thing I note in books, is if a song is sung by the character, is it sung or spoken by the narrator. I can understand the issues either way. Here, there were a number of musical moments, all spoken. While I'm not sure I would have appreciated a sudden switch to singing, the spoken songs definitely felt lacking.
It was clean, no proFanity, nothing explicitly sexual, although Andrew does get dragged to "a den of iniquity" where "her breasts pressed into his chest like boules" ...I noticed the word "boules" (and the correct pronunciation, bool rhymes with fool) as it's a sourdough term (the round loaf). "Carnegie" was also stated several times, with the traditional pronunciation. Quite a bit of smirking and scowling going on. No "roiling" of ocean waters or emotions, which surprised me a little (it's in 80% of reads).
So while I can see that many would enjoy this book and appreciate the history set in an easier to read novelization, I was pushing to finish and was glad I was done. I would have appreciated some discussion questions, maybe to bring out some things I hadn't thought of, make me delve a little deeper. I felt like there were unanswered questions, things we were left wondering.
The text was included in KindleUnlimited, with audio available for an add-on of just over $3. I went ahead and paid for the audio. The narrator wasn't bed, but I didn't really care for her voices. Moreover, as the book shifted from Florence's 1st person narrative, to Andrew's third person POV ... it just felt strange to be to have it be in the exact same voice. I think having a different narrator for Andrew's portions would have improved things for me. I'd find my mind drifting, and the "voice" in both the writing, and the narration, was so similar that as I'd come back to the book, it would take me a while to figure out if it was Florence or Andrew's POV. I had to wait for the "I" statement, or the "Andrew ..." to determine. There were no headers for POV shifts, and further in the book, a single chapter would feature both. Looking at the Kindle, when this happened, there was a *-----* visual to separate (just a pause in the audiobook).
I really didn't like the shift between POVs, one 1st person one 3rd person. I didn't care for the whole Book 1 and Book 2 buildup ... I mean I guess we needed to get to know the characters to care about them, but ... I just never really connected. There seemed to be too many attempts to connect it to the movie Titanic ... the having Florence painted, and he wants her to shift her shirt to see her true skin tone (make us think of Jack sketching Rose naked) and Florence grabbing a certain piece of jewelry (similar to the one featured in the movie?) As with all historical pieces, I do appreciate learning little factual (or I assume they are, should research) tidbits ... I'm not remembering which here, but there were some data drops that were of interest.
All past tense, until the very end, when there was an awkward shift to present tense.
There were "three books" or sections, with multiple chapters in each part. HUGE PET PEEVE ... the Audible "chapters" hardly paired to the Kindle copy ... in Audible, there are just numerical chapters, chronological 1-57. No distinction of the three sections, no indication that "chapter 57" is actually the "Afterward" ... as something happened that I wanted to reference in the text, I noted it was "chapter 48" only to turn to the Kindle copy and have that be absolutely useless information in helping me find that spot. In Kindle ... there are NO chronological chapters listed at all, just the three "books" and chapter headings. The chapter headings seemed to be newspaper headlines (A quick info/title grabber with a date) ... were these real newspaper headings??? I felt sure that the author's note at the end, where it was told a little which characters were based on real people and or the real events of our MCs ... but the headers weren't addressed. The headers would have been better in the Audible version than the useless "chapter" numbers.
One thing I note in books, is if a song is sung by the character, is it sung or spoken by the narrator. I can understand the issues either way. Here, there were a number of musical moments, all spoken. While I'm not sure I would have appreciated a sudden switch to singing, the spoken songs definitely felt lacking.
It was clean, no proFanity, nothing explicitly sexual, although Andrew does get dragged to "a den of iniquity" where "her breasts pressed into his chest like boules" ...I noticed the word "boules" (and the correct pronunciation, bool rhymes with fool) as it's a sourdough term (the round loaf). "Carnegie" was also stated several times, with the traditional pronunciation. Quite a bit of smirking and scowling going on. No "roiling" of ocean waters or emotions, which surprised me a little (it's in 80% of reads).
So while I can see that many would enjoy this book and appreciate the history set in an easier to read novelization, I was pushing to finish and was glad I was done. I would have appreciated some discussion questions, maybe to bring out some things I hadn't thought of, make me delve a little deeper. I felt like there were unanswered questions, things we were left wondering.
I liked this. Super short, only-on-Audible ... unlike the Amazon "collections" of short stories that have a Kindle copy and audio included as part of prime, this Plus program inclusion, Audible Original Stories... is only audio. I'm sure the author wrote it down, that narrator Ed Harris (who I am familiar enough with his acting career to totally picture him the whole time I was listening) read from ... but there's no Kindle/ebook copy. I missed having it. I prefer audio, I like listening while multi-tasking, but I still want to SEE things, make notes/highlights, have the text there for reference. I missed it SO much (I have a print version on hand for 95% of my audio). Here, I was struggling a bit with the names, keeping track of who was who (WHO was The Heron nickname? Ok, Gibson. Then there's the billionaire guy ... started with an O (Osterman... I need print to remember names), then the "agent" and the "killer" (Musgrove, Welsh)? Spelling? I don't know. I had to go back and relisten to a portion a few times because my mind kept wandering and I wasn't sure who was who. There were some other people (one woman) but mainly it's the four fellows.
Told in a basic 3rd person, past tense - our omniscient narrator Ed tells the story.
I've read enough thriller/mysteries that it's really hard to catch me with a twist. I'm always looking, guessing ... and this one was pretty predictable in my opinion. I liked it though. There was an interesting little play on "The Heron" (not only Gibson compared to one, but also Welsh).
Without my Kindle copy, I can't check words ... there was some proFanity. Some sex, murder.
There are quite a few short stories with this author and Ed ... I'll likely give them a try too (but might need to space them out so the stories don't run together in my mind).
Told in a basic 3rd person, past tense - our omniscient narrator Ed tells the story.
I've read enough thriller/mysteries that it's really hard to catch me with a twist. I'm always looking, guessing ... and this one was pretty predictable in my opinion. I liked it though. There was an interesting little play on "The Heron" (not only Gibson compared to one, but also Welsh).
Without my Kindle copy, I can't check words ... there was some proFanity. Some sex, murder.
There are quite a few short stories with this author and Ed ... I'll likely give them a try too (but might need to space them out so the stories don't run together in my mind).
While I was immersed in this (kindle copy included in KU, audio in AudiblePlus ... I went with the audio but did refer to the text a bit) I was enjoying it. I'm often second guessing everything in "thrillers" and anticipating twists. This kept me guessing, I wasn't sure where it was heading. It kept my interest and I think it was a 4* as I wrapped up. But then I started to think back on it, and some of the inconsistencies and how unlikely so many of the events were ... I think I had to drop the stars some. SPOILER that it was grandma all along, that she had snuck out of the hospital and killed Elsa ... really? That little Ellie managed to get away, get found by tweakers who took her far away and then left her at the one place that didn't have tv to notice the search for the missing child. How she was just "kept" by the family with no one questioning it ever. That the police sergeant had been compromised/blackmailed and was hiding things. The whole crazy commune background. That this murder mystery could be to quickly solved after 24 years with just the uncovering of a backpack to jumpstart things. And how much money did the girls have to just drop everything and go off on their Scooby-do adventures? Unlimited funds and amazing access and discoveries ... Usually I get this judgmental WHILE reading and it absolutely affects my view of the book. Here ... I was into it and liking it, until I actually stopped to think about things. So ... don't. Suspend disbelief and you'll likely enjoy it more ;)
I liked the title tie-in. There are a few different cover images, and I like them all.
Written in 1st person/present tense, POV of Lily Jorgenson. Starting in 1998 when Lily was 12 years old. In chapter 6, it jumps to the "present" ... 24 years later in the US (the first five chapters were in Australia). Much later, there are some "journal entries" from Elsa (the mother) pre-1998 (1st person, past tense). Just basic chronological chapters (64 of them) ... the few that had headers, that information isn't included in the Table of Contents (which would be helpful if looking for specific parts, rather than having to manually check each chapter (ie, chapter 40 is Elsa/Journal/1997).
As this has both American and Australian characters, both accents were used ... but there were times when there were odd (British? incorrect?) pronunciations from Lily (American) ... quietens, macrame was pronounced ma-com-ray.
No proFanity, some sex and domestic violence, and of course, a suspected murder/missing woman and child.
I liked the title tie-in. There are a few different cover images, and I like them all.
Written in 1st person/present tense, POV of Lily Jorgenson. Starting in 1998 when Lily was 12 years old. In chapter 6, it jumps to the "present" ... 24 years later in the US (the first five chapters were in Australia). Much later, there are some "journal entries" from Elsa (the mother) pre-1998 (1st person, past tense). Just basic chronological chapters (64 of them) ... the few that had headers, that information isn't included in the Table of Contents (which would be helpful if looking for specific parts, rather than having to manually check each chapter (ie, chapter 40 is Elsa/Journal/1997).
As this has both American and Australian characters, both accents were used ... but there were times when there were odd (British? incorrect?) pronunciations from Lily (American) ... quietens, macrame was pronounced ma-com-ray.
No proFanity, some sex and domestic violence, and of course, a suspected murder/missing woman and child.
As I started this up, it was just okay for me. As have been a couple others I've read by this author (and I have a couple more waiting for me. Several included in KU w/text and audio and I grabbed some physical copies at a library sale). As the story progressed though, I got pulled in, and had a few connections, and will think back on this one fondly.
This had a "How I Met Your Mother" feel ... where Ted is talking to the two kids on the couch, about how he met their mother? Same thing(ish) ... addressing the reader as YOU, and that you being a child he's telling a story to. We readers are just along for the ride. 30 chapters. 1st person past tense.
It's not really a spoiler as it's covered in the blurb - but our MC/narrator falls in love with his best friend's gal. Years pass, there are the struggles that everyone goes through. In a way ... this set up was depressing, which I think is why I struggled with the start. I can't say things really got a lot better, but there were just some connections and I really didn't know where the story was going to go. It wasn't predictable, which can keep the interest.
... one of the connections was "one of my colleagues, who was also in her forties, had recently had a seizure in the middle of a department store. A dozen tests later, it was determined she didn’t have epilepsy or a brain tumor. In fact, her doctors couldn’t find a single thing that was wrong with her. It was, they speculated, just one of those random things that mostly seemed to happen to people who were no longer young." That's pretty much me ... except I'm a bit older, and have had two now.
... other connections ... our MC mentions a "goal" of a 100mile bike ride (brings it up a couple times). Hubs is doing such a race next week. Hubs had noted the word "preternatural" in a recent read we'd done together as very uncommon. I told him I see it a lot (but then I read paranormal). It was here in this text ... I had screenshot it and send it to him. Per the title tie-in "I don’t care if lovers swear it to each other and the devout sling it around as a future reward for their faithfulness. As far as I’m concerned, forever is the worst long time. At least with adversity and illness, there’s a general idea of what to expect. We don’t know a damn thing about the uncharted horrors of eternity." I definitely have some thoughts on "forever" and eternity that coincide. And while this is all fiction, the MC brings up "Surely this recollection is somewhat inaccurate, but I suspect that there’s no such thing as absolute truth" which is something I struggle with in many non-fiction books. Again ... from this fictional feature "Every event is different to those who have lived it, those who have witnessed it, and those who only later read of it." Very good points to remember.
This had some discussion questions at the end of the Kindle and physical book (not in audio). I don't know that these ones really prompted me to probe further, perhaps because I already had?
Additional things to think about with health issues and end of life care ...
I went with the audio ... there was a tiny bit of music playing as the initial credits began. Tonight, by Pitball? Just instrumental (and I was seeing the scene from Pitch Perfect). This music did NOT extend to the narration, for which I was grateful. But it was a fun little "name that tune" moment.
There were a few words that seemed to be mispronounced (I realize this can be regional, etc.) In chapter25 "until you fell asleep" it was "felled" (I rewound three times). Scootch was pronounced strangely (can't find it to review). "For all intents and purposes" was said four times ... not an uncommon phrase, but four times in a single book? I guess maybe it's just something our MC says/thinks.
No proFanity and so little sex, and I hadn't really realized it had happened! ;)
This had a "How I Met Your Mother" feel ... where Ted is talking to the two kids on the couch, about how he met their mother? Same thing(ish) ... addressing the reader as YOU, and that you being a child he's telling a story to. We readers are just along for the ride. 30 chapters. 1st person past tense.
It's not really a spoiler as it's covered in the blurb - but our MC/narrator falls in love with his best friend's gal. Years pass, there are the struggles that everyone goes through. In a way ... this set up was depressing, which I think is why I struggled with the start. I can't say things really got a lot better, but there were just some connections and I really didn't know where the story was going to go. It wasn't predictable, which can keep the interest.
... one of the connections was "one of my colleagues, who was also in her forties, had recently had a seizure in the middle of a department store. A dozen tests later, it was determined she didn’t have epilepsy or a brain tumor. In fact, her doctors couldn’t find a single thing that was wrong with her. It was, they speculated, just one of those random things that mostly seemed to happen to people who were no longer young." That's pretty much me ... except I'm a bit older, and have had two now.
... other connections ... our MC mentions a "goal" of a 100mile bike ride (brings it up a couple times). Hubs is doing such a race next week. Hubs had noted the word "preternatural" in a recent read we'd done together as very uncommon. I told him I see it a lot (but then I read paranormal). It was here in this text ... I had screenshot it and send it to him. Per the title tie-in "I don’t care if lovers swear it to each other and the devout sling it around as a future reward for their faithfulness. As far as I’m concerned, forever is the worst long time. At least with adversity and illness, there’s a general idea of what to expect. We don’t know a damn thing about the uncharted horrors of eternity." I definitely have some thoughts on "forever" and eternity that coincide. And while this is all fiction, the MC brings up "Surely this recollection is somewhat inaccurate, but I suspect that there’s no such thing as absolute truth" which is something I struggle with in many non-fiction books. Again ... from this fictional feature "Every event is different to those who have lived it, those who have witnessed it, and those who only later read of it." Very good points to remember.
This had some discussion questions at the end of the Kindle and physical book (not in audio). I don't know that these ones really prompted me to probe further, perhaps because I already had?
Additional things to think about with health issues and end of life care ...
I went with the audio ... there was a tiny bit of music playing as the initial credits began. Tonight, by Pitball? Just instrumental (and I was seeing the scene from Pitch Perfect). This music did NOT extend to the narration, for which I was grateful. But it was a fun little "name that tune" moment.
There were a few words that seemed to be mispronounced (I realize this can be regional, etc.) In chapter25 "until you fell asleep" it was "felled" (I rewound three times). Scootch was pronounced strangely (can't find it to review). "For all intents and purposes" was said four times ... not an uncommon phrase, but four times in a single book? I guess maybe it's just something our MC says/thinks.
No proFanity and so little sex, and I hadn't really realized it had happened! ;)