janiev's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it.
I wish I had the proper words to describe this book. I suggest you just jump in and go along with it. I really did not know what was going on or where I was being taken, but it was so worth it in the end.
This is one of those books that sticks with you long after you read it.
I wish I had the proper words to describe this book. I suggest you just jump in and go along with it. I really did not know what was going on or where I was being taken, but it was so worth it in the end.
This is one of those books that sticks with you long after you read it.
0rdinaryreader's review against another edition
5.0
Probably the best book I have read so far this year. Lyrical, magical, and deeply beautiful. A hidden gem!
bree_of_the_woods's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Car accident, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
constant_reader_19's review against another edition
4.0
Very glad I bought this book. It started off a bit slow to me....then grew into a poignant story that I could not put down. Loved it! Well done, Mr. Gurley.
cubaitlubin's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Received a text reading "Hey... I just read a weird and I think wonderful book.... you may be the only person who I could recommend this book too. It's magic and time travel, and death and weirdness… I'm sending the title your way in case you're bored and want to try it out."
This book is all that and more! Pacific Northwest, moody/surreal settings, intergenerational connections, abstract afterlife concepts, dreams... A perfectly compellingly Caitlin read.
This book is all that and more! Pacific Northwest, moody/surreal settings, intergenerational connections, abstract afterlife concepts, dreams... A perfectly compellingly Caitlin read.
andymoon's review against another edition
5.0
Instantly hooked and was absorbed throughout the whole book about a girl who's ripped through time, again and again. I liked the fantasy aspects (rift, dream realms). Beautifully written, especially descriptions of the valley. Contemporary yet otherworldly, spanning three generations of the family. The ending wrapped up nicely, connecting everything from the realms to the beasts, valley keeper, and sea. One of the best books this year thus far.
rainbowsick's review against another edition
5.0
First of all, this book has such a beautiful book cover, I'd have probably bought it straight away if I saw it in a shop.
Anyway, I really loved this book! I read it in two days (could have easily finished it in one night if I started earlier...). I was entirely sure what to expect from this book, but it was honestly so beautifully done. The book deals with depression, anxiety, alcoholism, grief and lots of other issues but it feels so natural and realistic. I felt so connected with the characters like I felt so deeply for Eleanor, and her depression was so raw and believable. It's one of those books that just resonates, you know? I feel like it's gonna stay with me for a long time. It made me cry on several occasions too, which is always a good sign.
There are fantasy elements to it, which build over the course of the book. I'm not a massive fan of fantasy type things, but it was well written and I got absorbed into it easily. The idea of time-travel or different timelines can be quite confusing in some books but this was done very well.
I really highly recommend this book! Definitely one of my favourite books I've read in a long time.
Anyway, I really loved this book! I read it in two days (could have easily finished it in one night if I started earlier...). I was entirely sure what to expect from this book, but it was honestly so beautifully done. The book deals with depression, anxiety, alcoholism, grief and lots of other issues but it feels so natural and realistic. I felt so connected with the characters like I felt so deeply for Eleanor, and her depression was so raw and believable. It's one of those books that just resonates, you know? I feel like it's gonna stay with me for a long time. It made me cry on several occasions too, which is always a good sign.
There are fantasy elements to it, which build over the course of the book. I'm not a massive fan of fantasy type things, but it was well written and I got absorbed into it easily. The idea of time-travel or different timelines can be quite confusing in some books but this was done very well.
I really highly recommend this book! Definitely one of my favourite books I've read in a long time.
expatamber's review against another edition
4.0
This was a real page-turner! Strangely haunting in the best way possible and definitely more than I expected. At times, it was overwhelmingly depressing, but I felt compelled to keep reading. The imaginatively innocent yet profound story sucked me in and simply refused to let go. It lost some of the initial momentum but still managed to leave me awestruck by the end. The writing is brilliant and gushing with dark imagery and raw emotion. Overall, a wonderfully woven and mystical tale of one family's struggle to reset the delicate balance of life after extreme loss.
*I received this free copy in return for an honest review, and opinions are mine alone.
Full review: http://casualreadersbookclub.blogspot.com/2014/09/giveaway-review-eleanor.html
*I received this free copy in return for an honest review, and opinions are mine alone.
Full review: http://casualreadersbookclub.blogspot.com/2014/09/giveaway-review-eleanor.html
kathleenelaine's review against another edition
1.0
I really tried with this book but I think that it’s just not the story for me. I stopped around 50% completed.
I have a really hard time with the first part of the book with the type of trauma that’s shown. I wish that the book came with trigger and content warnings as the events that happened are triggering. What truly made me stop was that I just didn’t care about the characters. The different timelines and stories made it really confusing to find out who the main protagonist was. Was it Eleanor? Was it Agnes? Was it Esmeralda? Was it Eleanor? Then once it got into the story of the main protagonist, I just didn’t care at all by that point. I had lost interest.
Maybe I’ll try again in the future, but I’m not too sure.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC of this book.
I have a really hard time with the first part of the book with the type of trauma that’s shown. I wish that the book came with trigger and content warnings as the events that happened are triggering. What truly made me stop was that I just didn’t care about the characters. The different timelines and stories made it really confusing to find out who the main protagonist was. Was it Eleanor? Was it Agnes? Was it Esmeralda? Was it Eleanor? Then once it got into the story of the main protagonist, I just didn’t care at all by that point. I had lost interest.
Maybe I’ll try again in the future, but I’m not too sure.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC of this book.
darquedreamer's review against another edition
5.0
Eleanor is powerful and emotionally raw. Jason Gurley delivers a story that is both heartbreaking and thought provoking all at once. This one is full of deep symbolism and imagery, and will take you on a journey of sadness and anger, entwined in a fantasy world.
The Plot: Eleanor begins in the year 1962 centered around Eleanor, her husband Hob, and her daughter Agnes. We witness, what we know in this day and age, to be depression in Eleanor. In 1963 Eleanor goes for a swim in the ocean, never to return. The story jumps to her daughter, Agnes, and her husband Paul and twins Esmerelda and Eleanor. It is during this time we witness another tragedy and lose Esmerelda. Another story jump takes us 8 years in to the future, and it is here where we witness the heartbreaking after effects of Esmerelda's death. Eleanor, now 14, is the center of the story, left to deal with her mother's depression and alcoholism, when she begins disappearing and reappearing in strange worlds uncontrollably. It is these strange "in-between places" that may just help put her family back together.
I don't know that I have ever been so emotionally affected by a book before Eleanor. Eleanor brings to light issues of depression, postpartum depression, and alcoholism. From the beginning, we can see that the Eleanor of 1963 is suffering from depression."Her attacks come all the time now, but she finds quiet, dark places- such as the closet floor, behind Hob's hanging shirts and sweaters- and cries there, where nobody can see her." (Gurley, 21). It is obvious that it is not well understood at that time, but Gurley did such an exquisite job of conveying it in the first chapter of the story that I understood why Eleanor felt she only had one option.
Later we see how this time period and this act has left a lasting impression on Agnes. I could feel the emotional scarring she had from losing her mother at such a young age. Things didn't feel quite right between her and her children because of this. It is because of her childhood and the depression already present in Agnes that she resorts to alcoholism after the tragic accident.
Reading the scene where we lose Esmerelda was probably the hardest thing I have EVER had to read! I felt the loss alongside Agnes and Eleanor. I understood why the depression and emotional scarring later in the story would result from the accident. I also understood why Agnes grew to resent Eleanor afterward (though I hated Agnes for feeling that way).
Years after the accident, Gurley shows us the immense strain left on the family. Paul has moved out, Eleanor feels lost and alone, and Agnes has turned in to a 24/7 alcoholic. Paul still loves his daughter, but there is a strain between them because Eleanor feels responsible for taking care of her mother. "I'm the only thing keeping her from drinking until she's dead." (Gurley 163). Agnes is passed out about 90% of the time and, when she is awake, she spews anger and hatred toward Eleanor. She blames her for the accident and nothing convinces her to stop drinking. "Her mother takes only a few days to return to her habits, the fright of Eleanor's disappearance not a powerful enough catalyst to disrupt the routine." (Gurley, 122).
There is so much symbolism in this book representing the struggles of depression and the feeling of helplessness. It's not just a "sci-fi" novel. Eleanor brings light to tragedy and emotional imbalances that are sometimes beyond our control. We see this played out when Eleanor enters the dreams of her parents from the "in-between". We feel this when we are shown how Agnes suffered from postpartum depression. "She feels as if they are unevenly matched: he is ecstatic to be a father and cannot understand why Agnes is not similarly excited." (Gurley 316). And we see this through the eyes of a 14 year old who is not only living with all this tragedy and going through normal teenage hormones and changes, but also going through something so bizarre and supernatural, that only the memories of the past can help her through.
You will not make it through this one with dry eyes. Jason Gurley has written something exquisitely and emotionally powerful with Eleanor. I have a heavy heart after reading this one, and, though, I did not discuss the "sci-fi" aspect of the book much, I feel that it was fantastically written and gives the book the necessary symbolic imagery and coping mechanisms needed to fully comprehend the complexity of the heartbreaking struggles that not only live and breathe in this book, but also exist throughout the real world.
Thank you to Blogging For Books for providing this free copy in exchange for my honest review.
The Plot: Eleanor begins in the year 1962 centered around Eleanor, her husband Hob, and her daughter Agnes. We witness, what we know in this day and age, to be depression in Eleanor. In 1963 Eleanor goes for a swim in the ocean, never to return. The story jumps to her daughter, Agnes, and her husband Paul and twins Esmerelda and Eleanor. It is during this time we witness another tragedy and lose Esmerelda. Another story jump takes us 8 years in to the future, and it is here where we witness the heartbreaking after effects of Esmerelda's death. Eleanor, now 14, is the center of the story, left to deal with her mother's depression and alcoholism, when she begins disappearing and reappearing in strange worlds uncontrollably. It is these strange "in-between places" that may just help put her family back together.
I don't know that I have ever been so emotionally affected by a book before Eleanor. Eleanor brings to light issues of depression, postpartum depression, and alcoholism. From the beginning, we can see that the Eleanor of 1963 is suffering from depression."Her attacks come all the time now, but she finds quiet, dark places- such as the closet floor, behind Hob's hanging shirts and sweaters- and cries there, where nobody can see her." (Gurley, 21). It is obvious that it is not well understood at that time, but Gurley did such an exquisite job of conveying it in the first chapter of the story that I understood why Eleanor felt she only had one option.
Later we see how this time period and this act has left a lasting impression on Agnes. I could feel the emotional scarring she had from losing her mother at such a young age. Things didn't feel quite right between her and her children because of this. It is because of her childhood and the depression already present in Agnes that she resorts to alcoholism after the tragic accident.
Reading the scene where we lose Esmerelda was probably the hardest thing I have EVER had to read! I felt the loss alongside Agnes and Eleanor. I understood why the depression and emotional scarring later in the story would result from the accident. I also understood why Agnes grew to resent Eleanor afterward (though I hated Agnes for feeling that way).
Years after the accident, Gurley shows us the immense strain left on the family. Paul has moved out, Eleanor feels lost and alone, and Agnes has turned in to a 24/7 alcoholic. Paul still loves his daughter, but there is a strain between them because Eleanor feels responsible for taking care of her mother. "I'm the only thing keeping her from drinking until she's dead." (Gurley 163). Agnes is passed out about 90% of the time and, when she is awake, she spews anger and hatred toward Eleanor. She blames her for the accident and nothing convinces her to stop drinking. "Her mother takes only a few days to return to her habits, the fright of Eleanor's disappearance not a powerful enough catalyst to disrupt the routine." (Gurley, 122).
There is so much symbolism in this book representing the struggles of depression and the feeling of helplessness. It's not just a "sci-fi" novel. Eleanor brings light to tragedy and emotional imbalances that are sometimes beyond our control. We see this played out when Eleanor enters the dreams of her parents from the "in-between". We feel this when we are shown how Agnes suffered from postpartum depression. "She feels as if they are unevenly matched: he is ecstatic to be a father and cannot understand why Agnes is not similarly excited." (Gurley 316). And we see this through the eyes of a 14 year old who is not only living with all this tragedy and going through normal teenage hormones and changes, but also going through something so bizarre and supernatural, that only the memories of the past can help her through.
You will not make it through this one with dry eyes. Jason Gurley has written something exquisitely and emotionally powerful with Eleanor. I have a heavy heart after reading this one, and, though, I did not discuss the "sci-fi" aspect of the book much, I feel that it was fantastically written and gives the book the necessary symbolic imagery and coping mechanisms needed to fully comprehend the complexity of the heartbreaking struggles that not only live and breathe in this book, but also exist throughout the real world.
Thank you to Blogging For Books for providing this free copy in exchange for my honest review.