chrissireads's review against another edition
reflective
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
kba76's review against another edition
4.0
Settling down to read this I was, like quite a lot of readers, irritated by the situation that Vivian was placed in at the start of the novel. She could seem unlikeable, but I felt desperately sorry for this passionate and loving woman and how she was constrained by her time. The interweaving of historical detail was skilful, and I was absorbed by this once it all got going. The relationship between Howard and Vivian, though 'wrong' felt so right. Loved it!
julie7's review against another edition
1.0
Found the characters extremely unlikeable, hence could not engage with the story at all.
A little bit lame for my liking.
A little bit lame for my liking.
luby's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
_callielimb's review against another edition
4.0
What. A. Book. Slow to start but the last two hundred pages are amazing.
Publication date is June 4th 2015. My full review will be up around then.
Publication date is June 4th 2015. My full review will be up around then.
cazzer's review against another edition
3.0
Very slow but I did want to know what happened but feel it was about 7 times longer than it needed to be
amyvl93's review against another edition
3.0
Adele Parks is a really popular contemporary fiction writer, but I hadn’t ever picked up any of her novels. My Mum lent me If You Go Away, which is Parks’ first foray into historical fiction. It follows two characters; Vivian, a debutante who is forced into a loveless marriage to cover up her ‘indiscretions’ during her season and Howard, a playwright who gains notoriety for refusing to enlist in the First World War for no…real reason. Their paths cross when Vivian finds herself running her husband’s country home, and Howard returns to his home village. This isn’t a novel that does anything particularly new; once Vivian loses her snobbery and gets her hands dirty she discovers new things about herself she’s never known…once Howard views The Front with his own eyes he begins to reconsider his thoughts on the war. However, it’s a fairly light, easy read; and Parks does do a good job at evocative passages about the First World War.