Carol

this book can't make up it's mind. It deals with adult themes (death, murder, alcoholism, emotional neglect) but the characters are so thinly drawn it must be written for children. Very unconvincing characters, a ten year old who acts like a much younger child and a very unlikely friendship. At the end, nothing really gets resolved! Maybe it sort of works if you know nothing about 10 year olds.

You couldn't get further away from Hogwarts if you tried, yet the same strain of storytelling genius runs through-that's about the only similarity I can find. JK could have easily decided to hang up her typewriter forever and rest on her HP laurels-good for us she didn't. This woman can't half tell a yarn.

Mills and Boon this isn't-I'd be putting at least a 15+ rating on this book.

Hope she's started the next one.



btw, really surprised about the number of one star reviews-maybe they're from people who are struggling with the book because they haven't seen the film yet?

I found a lot to like about this book and I was sorry when I finished. I liked the unreliable first person narrative which made me shout at her more than once, not to "do it"; it's good to have this response to a book character. OK, at times it was a bit predictable but it did take on some fairly hefty themes. Some themes were just glimpsed at tantalisingly making me wonder what she does next year or down the line when facing another major life crisis-does she do it again? We can't be sure. And other members of the family? They might all do anything.
I would give this book a go, you wont be bored, you have to find out what happens in the end.