angrim712's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.5
jessalynn_librarian's review
3.0
The cover makes it look much fluffier than it is. It's a fairly fast-paced but often dark novel, with a not-quite-likable but still sympathetic protagonist. There were a few minor elements that didn't quite work for me, like the interspersed sections of a boy's journal, but overall it was engaging and a decent read.
thereadingknitter's review
3.0
This book was pretty good. A little weird but not as weird as the first two that I read from this author. It was about a girl who writes stories for the newspapers and her life.
duffymn's review
4.0
I was introduced to Amanda Eyre Ward at the Squaw Valley Writer's conference in 2013, and when she read her work, her writing resonated with me. We both write short, short chapters.
This book was well-written and I enjoyed the multi-faceted storyline. Personally, I love her chapter lengths, and feel I have a kindred spirit when it comes to writing :)
I had a difficult time at first with the alternating storylines, as I thought one voice was someone entirely else. But the stories meshed well in the end.
All in all, a good, quick summer read that had me thinking about right and wrong, on a couple levels.
This book was well-written and I enjoyed the multi-faceted storyline. Personally, I love her chapter lengths, and feel I have a kindred spirit when it comes to writing :)
I had a difficult time at first with the alternating storylines, as I thought one voice was someone entirely else. But the stories meshed well in the end.
All in all, a good, quick summer read that had me thinking about right and wrong, on a couple levels.
literaryfeline's review against another edition
4.0
http://www.literaryfeline.com/2007/06/forgive-me-by-amanda-eyre-ward.html
sarahbowman101's review against another edition
2.0
A few years ago, I read Sleep Toward Heaven by the same author after receiving a free trade copy at a conference. I loved the book, and thought it to be a wonderfully written complex story with three flawed but still amazing female main characters. I even bought the book for Gina, someone without a lot of time to read, so you know I really liked it. So I thought I’d try another and was really disappointed. This book sucked. This book reads like the book I would have written as a 16 year old, filled with all the I’m-so-cool-cliches of a hard living female journalist who even survives a beating in Mexico (totally unrealistic scene) and then goes on to prove herself in South Africa (cuz she’s still down with the people of the earth and all that)! I finished it in part to see if it redeemed itself in the end. It didn’t.
pussreboots's review against another edition
4.0
Forgive Me is Amanda Eyre Ward's third novel. It's a powerful piece about forgiveness and love in the aftermath of apartheid and the hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Protagonist Nadine Morgan is a journalist who specializes in covering dangerous events. After she is mugged and beaten in Mexico City the TRC's hearing on the death of Jason Irving draws her back to South Africa after a decade's absence.
Overall I enjoyed the story but it has its weak points. The attack in Mexico City and Nadine's sudden appearance in Cape Cod to recuperate was too abrupt and unexplained. Even Nadine seems pulled out the story by the plot needing her to be Cape Cod to recover and to meet important characters.
Later, the journal entries of Jason Irving which are there to tell his part of the story broke the narrative flow for me. Nadine's descriptions of this wonderful journal doesn't mesh with Jason's mediocre writing nor does Jason's ramblings add much to the already poignant story.
My favorite of the book is Dr. Hank Duarte. He was a believable and charming love interest for Nadine although for the first half of the book I though he could do better than Nadine. She may be a good journalist but she is lousy at empathy and has to learn it through her return visit to Cape Town.
Despite the minor flaws with the book, I did enjoy it and found myself sucked in.
Protagonist Nadine Morgan is a journalist who specializes in covering dangerous events. After she is mugged and beaten in Mexico City the TRC's hearing on the death of Jason Irving draws her back to South Africa after a decade's absence.
Overall I enjoyed the story but it has its weak points. The attack in Mexico City and Nadine's sudden appearance in Cape Cod to recuperate was too abrupt and unexplained. Even Nadine seems pulled out the story by the plot needing her to be Cape Cod to recover and to meet important characters.
Later, the journal entries of Jason Irving which are there to tell his part of the story broke the narrative flow for me. Nadine's descriptions of this wonderful journal doesn't mesh with Jason's mediocre writing nor does Jason's ramblings add much to the already poignant story.
My favorite of the book is Dr. Hank Duarte. He was a believable and charming love interest for Nadine although for the first half of the book I though he could do better than Nadine. She may be a good journalist but she is lousy at empathy and has to learn it through her return visit to Cape Town.
Despite the minor flaws with the book, I did enjoy it and found myself sucked in.
duffymn's review against another edition
4.0
I was introduced to Amanda Eyre Ward at the Squaw Valley Writer's conference in 2013, and when she read her work, her writing resonated with me. We both write short, short chapters.
This book was well-written and I enjoyed the multi-faceted storyline. Personally, I love her chapter lengths, and feel I have a kindred spirit when it comes to writing :)
I had a difficult time at first with the alternating storylines, as I thought one voice was someone entirely else. But the stories meshed well in the end.
All in all, a good, quick summer read that had me thinking about right and wrong, on a couple levels.
This book was well-written and I enjoyed the multi-faceted storyline. Personally, I love her chapter lengths, and feel I have a kindred spirit when it comes to writing :)
I had a difficult time at first with the alternating storylines, as I thought one voice was someone entirely else. But the stories meshed well in the end.
All in all, a good, quick summer read that had me thinking about right and wrong, on a couple levels.
rebekahcraft's review against another edition
3.0
Quick, easy and enjoyable read. This book was similar to a lifetime movie because it was a love story that was a bit far fetched, yet very predictable. Gives some good general information on the history of apartheid in South Africa.