thebooktrail88's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely character driven novel about mothers and daughters. The city of Brighton is the backdrop but the focus is on the fictional Queenie's Paradise ?Hotel which seemed so real I might try and find it next time I'm in Brighton.
Chocked full of emotion this one. Keep the hankies at the ready. But through the tears, it was the laughter that really shone for me and the lovely descriptive writing. Describing the grey sky as being ' the colour of old men's underpants' for example made me chuckle as did thinking of a chair ' designed by Cath Kidston on LSD'
A favourite line however (and there are many) is this one: He came from a country called Newcastle and Tily would never understand a word he said either. I'm from Newcastle and this set me off, laughing and crying in equal measure.
This novel is sad, uplifting, charming and so much more
ruthie_the_librarian's review against another edition
5.0
I really, really enjoyed this book. I find Ruth's style of writing really appeals to me, and this book was just lovely to read.
The best parts, for me, were young Tilly. She's brilliantly written - very much alive as a character in your mind as you read, and so funny and sweet. I loved her take on the world, and her mishearing & misunderstanding of words was very funny (and realistic!) Older Tilly (Tilda) took longer to grow on me, and initially felt like an entirely different person, but I began to see the two as one as I continued to read.
Some of the other, extra characters are also wonderful, even with just very small roles & I particularly loved Mrs O'Flaherty.
The only character who didn't quite feel right was Tilly's mother, Grace. I did feel she began to be explained a little more as the book went on, but her diary entries were just missing a little something for me - I'm not sure what - but perhaps it was just that she was such a complex person, and suffering so very deeply, that it's hard to convey that through just a few diary entries.
I found myself slowing my reading pace, because although I wanted to race to the end, I also didn't want the book to end. It felt very nostalgic, as the time period for Tilly's childhood felt familiar to me, and it was also very emotional because there's a lot of darkness within the story. But it remains uplifting and funny, with a great balance. The piecing together of the puzzle of Tilly's childhood is really well done, drawn out slowly (but not painfully so) and gently written. Definitely one I'd recommend, and a lovely book to start the year with.
Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an ARC.
The best parts, for me, were young Tilly. She's brilliantly written - very much alive as a character in your mind as you read, and so funny and sweet. I loved her take on the world, and her mishearing & misunderstanding of words was very funny (and realistic!) Older Tilly (Tilda) took longer to grow on me, and initially felt like an entirely different person, but I began to see the two as one as I continued to read.
Some of the other, extra characters are also wonderful, even with just very small roles & I particularly loved Mrs O'Flaherty.
The only character who didn't quite feel right was Tilly's mother, Grace. I did feel she began to be explained a little more as the book went on, but her diary entries were just missing a little something for me - I'm not sure what - but perhaps it was just that she was such a complex person, and suffering so very deeply, that it's hard to convey that through just a few diary entries.
I found myself slowing my reading pace, because although I wanted to race to the end, I also didn't want the book to end. It felt very nostalgic, as the time period for Tilly's childhood felt familiar to me, and it was also very emotional because there's a lot of darkness within the story. But it remains uplifting and funny, with a great balance. The piecing together of the puzzle of Tilly's childhood is really well done, drawn out slowly (but not painfully so) and gently written. Definitely one I'd recommend, and a lovely book to start the year with.
Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an ARC.
nerdygnome's review against another edition
4.0
I have such mixed feelings about this book! My rating is probably somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. I love the misfit characters and the overall story, loved the unfolding of the mother and discovering her motives. I think I loved the foundation but just wanted more depth from it, more emotion, more history. Even when Tilda was supposedly raging, it somehow felt flat. And I definitely needed more from Daniel to buy into his sudden and committed affection for Tilda. This could have been a five-star book for me but in the end, it lands as an entertaining, albeit sometimes confusing, read. I'm rounding it up to 4 out of gratitude for being unique and saving me from a run of very similar and predictable books.
edennn_lee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
bibliobabe94's review against another edition
4.0
An intriguing story, told from two periods of her life. Emotionally wrenching at times, Definitely a book to make you think about how you perceive other people's actions.
thewoollygeek's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful story about family and hiding truths. I love the fact we see the perspectives of Tilly as a child as well as an adult. I thought this wasn’t quite as good as the author’s previous works but thoroughly enjoyed this.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review
mfields81's review against another edition
2.0
This book was just boring. I really didn’t connect to the main character and therefore I had a really hard time caring about what happened to her.
anjreading's review against another edition
2.0
Hogan has written two previous books, which I gave two stars and four stars to respectively. I really didn’t enjoy this book, never felt engaged with the characters or storyline, and was relieved to finish it. Does that mean I should give another book of hers a chance? Two duds, one enjoyable read. At any rate, this story moves between Tilda and Tilly – the same woman, but her present-day middle-aged life interspersed with her rocky childhood.
jonellz's review against another edition
5.0
Ruth Hogan is my new favorite author! This lovely book is the right balance of funny, sad, and whimsical. Can't wait to read her next book.