aimzog's review against another edition
2.0
This book was hard work, but I refuse to leave a book I start unfinished. It seemed all over the place, switching backward and forwards. Even after finishing I’m still thinking what was that all about!
kbranfield's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
The Kindness by Polly Samson is a novel about an older woman/younger man whose relationship falls apart when their young daughter falls ill. Spanning nearly 23 years, much of the past is revealed through flashbacks and a great deal of suspense surrounds the fate of the couple's daughter.
In the beginning, Julia and Julian's relationship is quite idyllic and the two are deeply in love. Their romance had a bit of rocky beginning since Julia was still married to her abusive husband and Julian had not yet finished college. Neither of them were too concerned about their eight year age gap, but it is a point of contention for Julian's over protective mother. The birth of their daughter Mira completes their family but their relationship falters when Julian purchases his old family home Firdaws without consulting Julia. Unfortunately, when Mira falls ill, their once close bond cannot withstand the stress and Julian returns to Firdaws alone to grieve his loss.
Most of the novel is written from Julian's point of view. He is deeply depressed and living alone at Firdaws. His loss is keenly felt and his family and friends are growing increasingly concerned about him. It is obvious he is quite grief stricken, but there are many questions about what he is mourning since neither Mira nor Julia are mentioned except through flashbacks. As Julian tries to make it through his days, he reminisces about his relationship with Julia, whom he deeply loves. He is overjoyed at Mira's birth but after he moves to Firdaws, he becomes her primary caregiver since Julia's career keeps her in town most of the week. Mira's mysterious illness comes and goes and although they take her to a local doctor, her symptoms are too vague to reach a conclusive diagnosis. Julian eventually becomes impatient with her frequent bouts of sickness and in the present, he is obviously wracked with guilt for not being more concerned about her health.
The last hundred pages are written from Julia perspective and the entire truth is finally revealed. Her dysfunctional past makes her a mostly sympathetic character but some of her decisions are hard to understand. The secrets she has been keeping are quite shocking and completely unexpected.
Although beautifully written with very descriptive prose, The Kindness is a rather difficult novel to follow. The pacing is rather slow and the abrupt transitions between past and present are confusing. The narrative is exquisitely detailed but many of these details do not really add anything to the plot. While the main "mystery" is completely resolved, the conclusion is a little ambiguous and the fate of some of the characters is unclear.
In spite of these issues, The Kindness is a enjoyable read. Polly Samson brings the characters' emotions and the various settings vibrantly to life. The plot twists are brilliantly executed and it is only through hindsight that seemingly innocuous events begin to make sense. A leisurely paced novel that fans of literary fiction should add to their summer reading list.
The Kindness by Polly Samson is a novel about an older woman/younger man whose relationship falls apart when their young daughter falls ill. Spanning nearly 23 years, much of the past is revealed through flashbacks and a great deal of suspense surrounds the fate of the couple's daughter.
In the beginning, Julia and Julian's relationship is quite idyllic and the two are deeply in love. Their romance had a bit of rocky beginning since Julia was still married to her abusive husband and Julian had not yet finished college. Neither of them were too concerned about their eight year age gap, but it is a point of contention for Julian's over protective mother. The birth of their daughter Mira completes their family but their relationship falters when Julian purchases his old family home Firdaws without consulting Julia. Unfortunately, when Mira falls ill, their once close bond cannot withstand the stress and Julian returns to Firdaws alone to grieve his loss.
Most of the novel is written from Julian's point of view. He is deeply depressed and living alone at Firdaws. His loss is keenly felt and his family and friends are growing increasingly concerned about him. It is obvious he is quite grief stricken, but there are many questions about what he is mourning since neither Mira nor Julia are mentioned except through flashbacks. As Julian tries to make it through his days, he reminisces about his relationship with Julia, whom he deeply loves. He is overjoyed at Mira's birth but after he moves to Firdaws, he becomes her primary caregiver since Julia's career keeps her in town most of the week. Mira's mysterious illness comes and goes and although they take her to a local doctor, her symptoms are too vague to reach a conclusive diagnosis. Julian eventually becomes impatient with her frequent bouts of sickness and in the present, he is obviously wracked with guilt for not being more concerned about her health.
The last hundred pages are written from Julia perspective and the entire truth is finally revealed. Her dysfunctional past makes her a mostly sympathetic character but some of her decisions are hard to understand. The secrets she has been keeping are quite shocking and completely unexpected.
Although beautifully written with very descriptive prose, The Kindness is a rather difficult novel to follow. The pacing is rather slow and the abrupt transitions between past and present are confusing. The narrative is exquisitely detailed but many of these details do not really add anything to the plot. While the main "mystery" is completely resolved, the conclusion is a little ambiguous and the fate of some of the characters is unclear.
In spite of these issues, The Kindness is a enjoyable read. Polly Samson brings the characters' emotions and the various settings vibrantly to life. The plot twists are brilliantly executed and it is only through hindsight that seemingly innocuous events begin to make sense. A leisurely paced novel that fans of literary fiction should add to their summer reading list.
ruthlemon08's review against another edition
3.0
I read this because a neighbour, Jerry, mentioned that his former neighbour had written a character of him into one of her books and used his exact name (without permission). It’s not a book I would have found without Jerry and it didn’t wow me. I could see flickers of the village where I, Jerry and the author all live/d but the characters were not particularly believable and some of the language in their speech was just not how people speak. A few overused phrases and metaphors too. Saw the twists coming a mile off and wasn’t really gripped and didn’t really feel invested in any of the individuals in the book.
debbiejane's review against another edition
2.0
I did not connect with the characters in this love story - and so I didn’t really care enough about what happened. However, I enjoyed the writing. Just not for me.
dan78's review against another edition
2.0
I would never have picked this book up if it wasn't for my Book Club and I'm honestly exhausted from reading it!
A bunch of self centred characters do their best to make themselves miserable (and all those around them)
Constant flashbacks, annoying narrative and boring plot!
We've much to discuss at our next Zoom meeting!
A bunch of self centred characters do their best to make themselves miserable (and all those around them)
Constant flashbacks, annoying narrative and boring plot!
We've much to discuss at our next Zoom meeting!
sarah_faichney's review against another edition
5.0
First work of Polly Samson's I have read and I enjoyed it very much. An engaging story with many twists and turns, told with such beautiful prose.
readerofthings's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
Originally, I was going to give it just two stars, but the ending was interesting. The first two thirds are depressing and slow. The first large chunk of the book is told from the perspective of Julian, a man whose partner has left him and removed all traces of herself from his house. He had a 3 year old daughter with her and it is not initially clear if the daughter died before she left or if she took the child with her. He is working his way through grief for this family he clearly loved. We learn a little bit about their history through flash-backs. There is also a bit about the slightly complicated relationship with his mother and her partner, as well as this woman Katie who is always hovering around Julian and just reeks of desperation.
About halfway to 2/3 through, we jump forward in time and the story is told through a different person's perspective. It was here that I thought it finally got interesting. While emotional, it wasn't told through a haze of grief. Secrets were revealed that shed light on why people did or did not do certain things in the past.
The very end of the story leaves things open-ended. You find out how a few of the characters reconnect, but are left hanging without knowing if others ever do or how they would react to each other.
I did like the neat turn of perspective. It just goes to show that there are always two sides to a story and that no one on the outside can ever truly know all that goes on in a relationship. It was well-written, but was just a bit too depressing to me and did not have enough of a hook in the first half to keep me avidly reading until the very end when the narrator changed.
Originally, I was going to give it just two stars, but the ending was interesting. The first two thirds are depressing and slow. The first large chunk of the book is told from the perspective of Julian, a man whose partner has left him and removed all traces of herself from his house. He had a 3 year old daughter with her and it is not initially clear if the daughter died before she left or if she took the child with her. He is working his way through grief for this family he clearly loved. We learn a little bit about their history through flash-backs. There is also a bit about the slightly complicated relationship with his mother and her partner, as well as this woman Katie who is always hovering around Julian and just reeks of desperation.
About halfway to 2/3 through, we jump forward in time and the story is told through a different person's perspective. It was here that I thought it finally got interesting. While emotional, it wasn't told through a haze of grief. Secrets were revealed that shed light on why people did or did not do certain things in the past.
The very end of the story leaves things open-ended. You find out how a few of the characters reconnect, but are left hanging without knowing if others ever do or how they would react to each other.
I did like the neat turn of perspective. It just goes to show that there are always two sides to a story and that no one on the outside can ever truly know all that goes on in a relationship. It was well-written, but was just a bit too depressing to me and did not have enough of a hook in the first half to keep me avidly reading until the very end when the narrator changed.
booktwitcher23's review against another edition
2.0
Although well written, this novel was almost unremittingly miserable.
prancealot88's review
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
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