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lottie1803's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lindseypeapod's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
kayleigh5041's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
abeissel's review
challenging
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.75
thepagelady's review against another edition
3.0
There is a lot packed into this novel's secrets, guilt, grief, drug use and full of family drama! The characters are fantastic but they are also either odd or crazy at times. Pure hasn't had the easiest life and has dealt with some things no sixteen year old should have but I still enjoyed her character and found I could understand her. As the story builds more secrets are revealed and so does the dark and creepy feel. There were a few spots where I thought the story slowed down a bit but there were some great twists! Overall it was a great read!
victoria_2002's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Major TW for SA and SH!
I adored the writing style this author used, it felt easy to read while also being captivating. That being said there was some underlying fat phobia that I was not at all a fan of. The characters were fleshed out and didn’t feel one sided at all. It is a slow start but the suspense and overall creepy/eery vibe to the book kept me reading. Most of the twists didn’t really feel shocking, but there was one twist I didn’t guess. Despite the twists not feeling shocking I think the ending was satisfying and tied everything up nicely.
I adored the writing style this author used, it felt easy to read while also being captivating. That being said there was some underlying fat phobia that I was not at all a fan of. The characters were fleshed out and didn’t feel one sided at all. It is a slow start but the suspense and overall creepy/eery vibe to the book kept me reading. Most of the twists didn’t really feel shocking, but there was one twist I didn’t guess. Despite the twists not feeling shocking I think the ending was satisfying and tied everything up nicely.
booksbybindu's review against another edition
4.0
‘The Gone and the Forgotten’ is a part coming of age tale intertwined with a gothic narrative mixed with crime fiction! I wouldn't know where to place this category wise but I do know I was fascinated by it and devoured it over two days. It was tense, dark, foreboding and oh so compelling.
After her grandmother’s death and her mother’s attempted suicide, Prue goes to stay with her Aunt Ruth on an isolated island in Shetland for the summer. When she arrives she is greeted with a large manse filled to the rafter with plants, a jittery Aunt and a grandmother-in-law (call me Ronnie!) who is an expert cocktail maker. Prue is hoping that she will finally get some answers about her missing father and other family secrets but Ruth keeps putting it off. Then all the strange happenings keep occurring in the house and the rumours around the island of her Uncle killing his teenage girlfriend, maybe Prue has bitten off more than she can chew!
A lot was going on in this book! It was a steady building of tension for about two-thirds of the book and then bam! you are hit with all of the action. I felt maybe there was a bit too much going on in the final section but then I did find it all very enjoyable. I actually googled whether there were trees on Noost and I got this picture!
So now in my head, their house is yellow! Wonder if this was the inspiration or not?
Let me know if you read this one!
After her grandmother’s death and her mother’s attempted suicide, Prue goes to stay with her Aunt Ruth on an isolated island in Shetland for the summer. When she arrives she is greeted with a large manse filled to the rafter with plants, a jittery Aunt and a grandmother-in-law (call me Ronnie!) who is an expert cocktail maker. Prue is hoping that she will finally get some answers about her missing father and other family secrets but Ruth keeps putting it off. Then all the strange happenings keep occurring in the house and the rumours around the island of her Uncle killing his teenage girlfriend, maybe Prue has bitten off more than she can chew!
A lot was going on in this book! It was a steady building of tension for about two-thirds of the book and then bam! you are hit with all of the action. I felt maybe there was a bit too much going on in the final section but then I did find it all very enjoyable. I actually googled whether there were trees on Noost and I got this picture!
So now in my head, their house is yellow! Wonder if this was the inspiration or not?
Let me know if you read this one!
nina_reads_books's review against another edition
4.0
In the summer of 1993, sixteen year old Prue is forced to spend her holidays on a remote island off Scotland with her Aunt Ruth and Uncle Archie. Her mother has attempted suicide and while she is recovering Ruth insists that Prue stay with her enticing her with promises to tell her about all the family secrets including the identity of Prue’s father. Once on the island, Prue soon discovers that there are more secrets including that her uncle was the only suspect in the disappearance of a local girl around twenty years ago. So, who was Evelyn O'Hara and what did Archie have to do with it? As Prue gets closer to some of the locals the truth threatens to upend her whole world.
Listening to this on audio I was blown away by the Scottish accent of the narrator and how much this voice added to the atmosphere of the story. The Gone and the Forgotten was part coming of age story, part mystery. In fact it was almost gothic like in its mystery elements which I really quite enjoyed. The old house owned by Archie’s wealthy family was full of plants grown by Archie’s mother who makes her own beauty products and tonics. The secret passages and priest holes dotted throughout. The woods surrounding the house where Evie O’Hara went missing. The crows that appear at the house ominously. Ruth’s secrecy around her paintings. Archie’s obsession with taking photos of near naked women as part of his art. The many secrets that Prue slowly begins to unravel about her family. All these elements combined really well to give an eerie vibe with a dark psychological tone.
There are a bunch of bombshells dropped and while I had some inklings about the ending I didn’t quite get it all right. This was a genuinely engaging book that I enjoyed. I’d definitely recommend this as an audio read.
Listening to this on audio I was blown away by the Scottish accent of the narrator and how much this voice added to the atmosphere of the story. The Gone and the Forgotten was part coming of age story, part mystery. In fact it was almost gothic like in its mystery elements which I really quite enjoyed. The old house owned by Archie’s wealthy family was full of plants grown by Archie’s mother who makes her own beauty products and tonics. The secret passages and priest holes dotted throughout. The woods surrounding the house where Evie O’Hara went missing. The crows that appear at the house ominously. Ruth’s secrecy around her paintings. Archie’s obsession with taking photos of near naked women as part of his art. The many secrets that Prue slowly begins to unravel about her family. All these elements combined really well to give an eerie vibe with a dark psychological tone.
There are a bunch of bombshells dropped and while I had some inklings about the ending I didn’t quite get it all right. This was a genuinely engaging book that I enjoyed. I’d definitely recommend this as an audio read.
whats_amelia_reading's review against another edition
3.0
CW: rape, suicide, depression, drug abuse, alcohol abuse
This story follows 16-year-old Prue in 1993 following her grandma's death and her mother's suicide attempt. She spends her school holidays on a remote island with her Aunt Ruth, Uncle Archie (whom she hardly knows), and his mother, Ronnie. Prue decides to stay with them to find out who her father is from her aunt. While there, she discovers her uncle is suspected of murdering a local girl, Evie, twenty years earlier. She brings it upon herself to find out the truth of these situations. In doing so, she also finds out the truth about how her younger sister was killed.
I was intrigued to read this book based on the description and the fact that I loved Whitfield's previous book, People of Abandoned Character. However, I did not find myself enjoying this book until the last 25% of it, when the twists and turns and reveals happened (all of which I loved!!).
The beginning of the book was intriguing, but the middle was very slow and nothing seemed to really happen. Prue stays with her aunt solely to find out about who her father was, yet nothing is really mentioned until it is revealed who he is. Something is mentioned at the start about the case of her younger sister's murderer potentially being released, yet nothing is mentioned until then end, when it is revealed what actually happened. These things seemed like such important topics that would be explored throughout the entire book, but they only really popped up at the end. They were also dealt with a very rushed manner.
The murder of Evie was better dealt with, as it was mentioned throughout the whole book in different ways. However, again, the reveal at the end seemed quite rushed.
The characters are (I'm assuming) written to be unlikeable. I liked that, though it also became tiring because I just wanted a couple more characters to root for.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. I think it was a great effort on Whitfield's part, as I LOVED the reveals, but just didn't hit me like her previous book did.
I would like to thank Head of Zeus and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a voluntary and honest review.
This story follows 16-year-old Prue in 1993 following her grandma's death and her mother's suicide attempt. She spends her school holidays on a remote island with her Aunt Ruth, Uncle Archie (whom she hardly knows), and his mother, Ronnie. Prue decides to stay with them to find out who her father is from her aunt. While there, she discovers her uncle is suspected of murdering a local girl, Evie, twenty years earlier. She brings it upon herself to find out the truth of these situations. In doing so, she also finds out the truth about how her younger sister was killed.
I was intrigued to read this book based on the description and the fact that I loved Whitfield's previous book, People of Abandoned Character. However, I did not find myself enjoying this book until the last 25% of it, when the twists and turns and reveals happened (all of which I loved!!).
The beginning of the book was intriguing, but the middle was very slow and nothing seemed to really happen. Prue stays with her aunt solely to find out about who her father was, yet nothing is really mentioned until it is revealed who he is. Something is mentioned at the start about the case of her younger sister's murderer potentially being released, yet nothing is mentioned until then end, when it is revealed what actually happened. These things seemed like such important topics that would be explored throughout the entire book, but they only really popped up at the end. They were also dealt with a very rushed manner.
The murder of Evie was better dealt with, as it was mentioned throughout the whole book in different ways. However, again, the reveal at the end seemed quite rushed.
The characters are (I'm assuming) written to be unlikeable. I liked that, though it also became tiring because I just wanted a couple more characters to root for.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. I think it was a great effort on Whitfield's part, as I LOVED the reveals, but just didn't hit me like her previous book did.
I would like to thank Head of Zeus and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a voluntary and honest review.