lindasdarby's review against another edition
3.0
This book was depressing. Well written but so grim. I need to read a book that isn't going to make my want to slit my wrists.
agjuba's review against another edition
5.0
I was initially interested in reading this book (and requested it from LibraryThing Early Reviewers) because of its WWI setting. With 2014 being the centenary of the start of the "Great War", I'm fascinated by that cataclysm which seemed to spark all the other cataclysms of the 20th century.
In its description of life and sentiment and outlook, "Wake" did not disappoint. The author did a great job of including quotidian details that made the book a rich account of a life that is very different from ours now!
What a pleasant surprise, though, to find that it was also a powerful lesson in the need to tell one's story and the redemptive power of having been heard and acknowledged! As a social worker who makes a living by listening to peoples' stories, this need to talk and the value of simple acknowledgement was especially meaningful. As an example, the scene between Mrs Kempton and Ada, the grieving mother, is brilliant.
Each of these lessons - what life was like post-WWI and the need to talk about one's experiences - is contained within a compelling narrative plot that drove me to read the book almost in one setting.
Highly recommended!
In its description of life and sentiment and outlook, "Wake" did not disappoint. The author did a great job of including quotidian details that made the book a rich account of a life that is very different from ours now!
What a pleasant surprise, though, to find that it was also a powerful lesson in the need to tell one's story and the redemptive power of having been heard and acknowledged! As a social worker who makes a living by listening to peoples' stories, this need to talk and the value of simple acknowledgement was especially meaningful. As an example, the scene between Mrs Kempton and Ada, the grieving mother, is brilliant.
Each of these lessons - what life was like post-WWI and the need to talk about one's experiences - is contained within a compelling narrative plot that drove me to read the book almost in one setting.
Highly recommended!
ray_klee's review against another edition
4.0
Inhaled this book in 3 days. Totally surprised me how much I enjoyed it.
sacidve's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
fredicia's review against another edition
4.0
Wake is the story of three women who try to reconcile their changed lives after the soldiers in their family return or don't return from World War II. We have a sister, a lover, and a mother that try but don't know how to deal with this gaping hole that their men had previously occupied. Some deal with it better than others, but I can say that all three of them have a somewhat satisfying ending.
Speaking of the ending... I'm a bit confused. You see, I finished this around two months ago and I've been putting off a review, because, well, was that really the ending? It left me hanging and going "what? what? where is the period?(The last sentence of my book is missing a punctuation mark.)" I understand that it was intentional, but it just seemed too unfinished. I was so into it, and it was so bloody abrupt that I was thrown for a loop.
Maybe that was the plan? I was ridiculously emotionally invested into the book, and it was a book well worth it. It was a roller coaster of events. It's not a plot book, and there was just as much impact as car chases and shootouts while being character driven. The only book I can think of comparing this to is Fall on Your Knees by Ann Marie Macdonald, or I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb.
If you liked either of those books, then give this book a try.
Speaking of the ending... I'm a bit confused. You see, I finished this around two months ago and I've been putting off a review, because, well, was that really the ending? It left me hanging and going "what? what? where is the period?(The last sentence of my book is missing a punctuation mark.)" I understand that it was intentional, but it just seemed too unfinished. I was so into it, and it was so bloody abrupt that I was thrown for a loop.
Maybe that was the plan? I was ridiculously emotionally invested into the book, and it was a book well worth it. It was a roller coaster of events. It's not a plot book, and there was just as much impact as car chases and shootouts while being character driven. The only book I can think of comparing this to is Fall on Your Knees by Ann Marie Macdonald, or I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb.
If you liked either of those books, then give this book a try.
barkylee15's review against another edition
4.0
I received this copy through Netgalley, and I found it to be an incredibly fast read. It started a bit slow and the switch between narratives made it difficult to follow at first but I soon became involved in each of the women's lives and how Post-WWI affected them. It is not as often that you find books about the Great War or the aftermath and I thought this to be refreshing. Overall, I would give this a 3.75 for an interesting read but it just didn't leave me with a long-lasting impression and the ending was far to abrupt for my taste.
tangerine7199's review against another edition
3.0
Rather disappointing. I wish it wasn't written in the present tense
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
This book is set in the week before the Unknown soldier is interred at Westminster Abbey on 11/11/1920. It describes how the war has affected primarily three women, Ada a mother who cannot come to terms with the loss of her son, hettie who works as a dancer for hire and whose brother is shellshocked, and Evelyn an embittered daughter of the aristocracy who has lost the love of her life and whose brother Ed (a major character) served and is emotionally scarred. All the stories and characters interweve and I was surprised at the end that I was moved by it even though as I came to the end I wasn't expecting to be so, therefore the book pulled me in. I did feel a bit that it was a melting pot of everything that could be in a WW1 book being included from clairvoyance, to the upper class girl slumming it, to the major dramatic incident which I won't mention, but overall it was very engaging and readable , appeared to be well researched and gave a really interesting picture of life after the war and it's different affects on individuals particularly the women left behind. For a first novel very good and will read more of her books.
lazygal's review against another edition
1.0
My first DNF of the year - this story of several World War I women, old and young, single and married, childless and mothers, went on for too long (25% per my Kindle) without giving me something to grasp onto and continue reading.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.