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emmabeckman's review against another edition
4.0
Aww this was such a cute read! Definitely a great one for this self-isolating time. They do talk about death and grief, but even that was truly comforting to read. I think the epistolary format is a cozy and reassuring novel format in itself, which is why books like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is often regarded as comforting.
For this novel in particular, I really liked the two distinct voices in the letters. I also really loved the ending!! None of the plot points really came out of the blue for me, but I think that also makes it comforting. To read their point of view about actions and knowing that they weren't going to make any dumb decisions. It was super quick to read also, and I would definitely recommend it to people who want to curl up with a cozy book.
For this novel in particular, I really liked the two distinct voices in the letters. I also really loved the ending!! None of the plot points really came out of the blue for me, but I think that also makes it comforting. To read their point of view about actions and knowing that they weren't going to make any dumb decisions. It was super quick to read also, and I would definitely recommend it to people who want to curl up with a cozy book.
margiebentley's review against another edition
5.0
What a beautiful story, the best I've read in awhile.
carpediemcaryn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
michellerenee30's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.75
madalynmetzger's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
kelly_inthe419's review
5.0
Could I learn to appreciate the sort of song the girl sang, I asked Karen. You don't need to, she said. You have enough pleasure from the music you do understand, you don't need more. Perhaps this is right. There are only so many raspberries a man can eat.
I've been wanting to read this book for quite some time and am so glad I finally did. This is such a beautiful story of friendship and love and fidelity and family. It is both heartbreaking and heartwarming in it's sincerity. It is told lovingly through letters between Tina Hopgood, an English farmer's wife, and Anders Larsen, the curator at a Danish museum. What starts as a letter to the former curator who discovered an ancient mummified corpse of the Tollund Man when Tina was just a girl, leads to something new and unexpected. As a mature woman, Tina has questions but soon finds that Professor Glob is deceased. Instead, she receives a warm note from Larsen, and so begins their correspondence.
The bonds between the two grow ever stronger as they discuss not just the Tollund Man but their lives and loves and loss. And how many raspberries have they missed along their respective journeys through life. As their lives unfold over the course of many months we learn of their families and dreams and disappointments, and in turn, they learn and grow with each other.
This debut novel from Anne Youngson was a delightful epistolary novel. I loved the letters and the gradual development of friendship and love between the two characters as they helped nurture and support one another. The ending is ambiguous but also perfect, leaving the reader to wonder just what happens from here.
As the two discuss, there are many paths a life can take, as summed up in this lovely quote.
Whenever I pick raspberries, I go as carefully as possible down the row, looking for every ripe fruit. But however careful I am, when I turn around to go back the other way, I find fruit i had not seen approaching the plants from the opposite direction.
I've been wanting to read this book for quite some time and am so glad I finally did. This is such a beautiful story of friendship and love and fidelity and family. It is both heartbreaking and heartwarming in it's sincerity. It is told lovingly through letters between Tina Hopgood, an English farmer's wife, and Anders Larsen, the curator at a Danish museum. What starts as a letter to the former curator who discovered an ancient mummified corpse of the Tollund Man when Tina was just a girl, leads to something new and unexpected. As a mature woman, Tina has questions but soon finds that Professor Glob is deceased. Instead, she receives a warm note from Larsen, and so begins their correspondence.
The bonds between the two grow ever stronger as they discuss not just the Tollund Man but their lives and loves and loss. And how many raspberries have they missed along their respective journeys through life. As their lives unfold over the course of many months we learn of their families and dreams and disappointments, and in turn, they learn and grow with each other.
This debut novel from Anne Youngson was a delightful epistolary novel. I loved the letters and the gradual development of friendship and love between the two characters as they helped nurture and support one another. The ending is ambiguous but also perfect, leaving the reader to wonder just what happens from here.
As the two discuss, there are many paths a life can take, as summed up in this lovely quote.
Whenever I pick raspberries, I go as carefully as possible down the row, looking for every ripe fruit. But however careful I am, when I turn around to go back the other way, I find fruit i had not seen approaching the plants from the opposite direction.
youguadareadwithme's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kmthomas06's review against another edition
5.0
I adore epistolary novels - there is something about a story that can reveal itself only through letters between characters that impresses me and also make me feel like I am a part of the story. This is a quiet, lovely story of two lonely people that find each other at the exact right moment in their lives. Tina and Anders share their hopes, fears, and sorrows with each other in their letters and remind each other than it is never to late to choose a different path. I didn't even mind the somewhat ambiguous ending because as open ended as it may seem, I know how it ends (and if I'm wrong, I don't want to know).