Will read and release!

Cleaning out my bookshelf, passing this on to Trekwoman.

Enjoy!!

Is it just me or is the jacket image creeping you out, too? I'm very excited to read this one, and think I will hang onto it for October when the wind howls through the leafless trees and gives me the willies. Perfect scary book reading month!

For a first novel, I thought the author did an absolutely incredible job. I loved her prose. I take a little bit of issue with the way the plot zigged back and forth via Ann, Alice, Elspeth through history.. one moment Alice was in her twenties and the next she'd be in college, giggling with the same girlfriend who remained a pal throughout the storyline. That was confusing.

I fully did not expect the plot point concerning John (and that's all I will say here), though the reason for her shock in the train loo became apparent fairly early on. I mean, you could guess at that.

Such a wonderful book I'll be buying my own copy.. new! And I may even spring for the hardcover.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

[R] Sending off to fulfill a wish. Surprise! Enjoy!!

Woo-hoo!!! It's my lucky day! I was just reading someone else's raves about Maggie O'Farrell's writing, and surprise...here's a wishlist book! Awesome! Thanks, Trekwoman! :')

Alice makes a trip home to Scotland to visit her sisters, but shortly after arriving she witnesses something disturbing that causes her to abruptly turn around and return home to London. A few hours later, she's in the hospital in a coma after walking into the pathway of a car. Was it an accident or did she do it on purpose? As her family tries to make sense of the accident, the reader witnesses flashbacks into Alice's past which may give a clue as to the circumstances of what actually happened.

The format of this book takes a bit of getting used to. The time frames jump around in seemingly random order and with various viewpoints. It's a bit disconcerting and confusing at first, but if you can get past that, it's a decent story which gradually unfolds. But it's also incredibly sad, and I'm not sure how I felt about the ending.

Sending off to PBS member. Enjoy! :')

You have found a BookCrossing book! Please take a brief moment to journal your thoughts upon reading this book. Then, if you'd like, re-release the book (to a friend, a stranger, or back out into the wild). That way you can track its travels & its readers throughout the world!