wendoxford's review
3.0
A hauntingly written novella about life choices. It is minimalist in every sense - sharp writing conjures up an entire picture of present and past, responsibilities and dreams. Whilst I enjoyed the writing I didn't much like the content and Tess the protagonist whose mid-life wobble seemed unconvincing and indulgent.
zjdhudson's review
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
boezaaah's review
4.0
"He looks up and smiles again and in that instant he is a man with no past, who wishes only to love his wife, standing there in front of him."
This book has always sat in my favourite section of my local bookstore. I was always fascinated by the title, but never intended on picking it up. Until the day I had a mere $10 in my pocket, with every other book in that bookstore well and truly over $20, and I decided to pick it up. This book is only 57 pages, so naturally, I assumed it could either be the greatest 57 pages ever or that it would fall completely flat and I'd regret wasting $10 on it. Thankfully, it was engaging and I think it spoke of a valuable topic. What would have come of my life if I had chosen to go down that path? What could have been?
This was a quick read which I'm glad to have read, and I would recommend picking it up if you've got 20 minutes to spare!
This book has always sat in my favourite section of my local bookstore. I was always fascinated by the title, but never intended on picking it up. Until the day I had a mere $10 in my pocket, with every other book in that bookstore well and truly over $20, and I decided to pick it up. This book is only 57 pages, so naturally, I assumed it could either be the greatest 57 pages ever or that it would fall completely flat and I'd regret wasting $10 on it. Thankfully, it was engaging and I think it spoke of a valuable topic. What would have come of my life if I had chosen to go down that path? What could have been?
This was a quick read which I'm glad to have read, and I would recommend picking it up if you've got 20 minutes to spare!
cloudsovergeorgia's review
3.0
i'm fascinated by stories of recommitting at the moment. i can't help but associate this with rainbow rowell's landline, maybe just because of where i'm at in life.
eri_123's review
4.0
Seeming brief, but the point of this story is that this length is all that is required. Anna Funder is an artist.
nkmeyers's review
4.0
I sympathize a bit with the reviewers (esp pearl necklace) who are turned off by the the protagonist's demographic and her midlife concerns, but the gotcha scene in the care home was so damn funny that this gets four stars from me.
Generational turn-abouts are in more than fair play here and Funder's depiction of Tess' observations of her milieux feel wryly accurate.
Generational turn-abouts are in more than fair play here and Funder's depiction of Tess' observations of her milieux feel wryly accurate.