ave_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
This was a surprise find in a neighbor’s moving-out pile, and a delicious read.
“Expectation” follows three longtime friends in their respectively unhappy adulthoods. It’s not a feel-good female friendship book: the women are often resentful, jealous, and hurt each other and themselves. But it is clear that their actions are a result of their environment, the expectations and measures of success that society and they have set up for themselves. The theme of activism throughout is a reminder of all the things women have to fight for, and how easy it is to become hopeless in those fights.
Anna Hope’s writing is magnetic. I felt oddly nostalgic for many of the scenes in this book, despite never having experienced them. It will resonate anyone trying to figure out how to live the life they have, when it’s different from the one they planned.
This was a surprise find in a neighbor’s moving-out pile, and a delicious read.
“Expectation” follows three longtime friends in their respectively unhappy adulthoods. It’s not a feel-good female friendship book: the women are often resentful, jealous, and hurt each other and themselves. But it is clear that their actions are a result of their environment, the expectations and measures of success that society and they have set up for themselves. The theme of activism throughout is a reminder of all the things women have to fight for, and how easy it is to become hopeless in those fights.
Anna Hope’s writing is magnetic. I felt oddly nostalgic for many of the scenes in this book, despite never having experienced them. It will resonate anyone trying to figure out how to live the life they have, when it’s different from the one they planned.
lisareadsallthetime's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
booksaremyparadise's review
emotional
reflective
medium-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
3.5
I really loved the premise of this book, but wasn't 100% convinced by the execution. Like I was totally here for the female friendships and the discussions of motherhood and how tiny decisions can shape your life forever. And it the end it did make me very emotional and I even shed a tear or two. But I didn't love the cheating storyline, because why? I mean, yes, people are messy and imperfect but that could've bee shown in another way (like it was with Cate and Lissa). Another thing that felt cheap was how Hannah just managed to magically get pregnant in the end without a problem. What message does that send out to women who actually can't get pregnant? I understand that she really wanted a child but there are other options like adoption for someone it can't happen naturally. Why was that never even discussed? Honestly, the more I think about it, the more problems I have with this book. (I still enjoyed it though)
carla_z's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
alicemiranda00's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Only got properly invested in the last third. Couldn’t relate to their friendships with each other but could relate to the bits about change and growth
isakohlmann's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.5
mpr2000's review against another edition
5.0
This is a story to make us remember to fight for our dreams, that’s never too late to pursue our younghood wishes.
Once a year, I sit for a while and balance my life; the hopes and dreams I have and had, and decide if I should change my direction or if I am fulfilling my dreams. This book is about the Expectations we have on our life when we are young compared to the life we are having as an adult. It’s not always what we dreamed, but the important is that we are happy with our situation and how we are now.
This is the story of three best friends that had been friends for a long time, they are in a crucial point in their lives where none of them is happy. They know they should start making changes, but the fear of the unknown is keeping them blocked in the same place, making them unhappy and the ones surrounding them. The story is told between the three characters in the present and some of their memories together from the past, that will make the reader understand more their personalities.
This is a quick read, but so real and natural that I can’t stop returning to the pages I’ve just read to continue feeling the connection with these three characters. Because they are so well written that you feel part of the gang, another friend, not a mere spectator of the story. This had been a human and delicate story that is full of layers; feminism, friendship, motherhood, marriage… a really long list!
In the end I couldn’t stop but to drop a tear, the author did an amazing work with this book, I would recommend you to take a deep breath and start reading, I am sure you’ll feel identified with the characters and their problems, and maybe you’ll get the energy to change your life too!
Because Expectation could change to real, it only depends on you!
Once a year, I sit for a while and balance my life; the hopes and dreams I have and had, and decide if I should change my direction or if I am fulfilling my dreams. This book is about the Expectations we have on our life when we are young compared to the life we are having as an adult. It’s not always what we dreamed, but the important is that we are happy with our situation and how we are now.
This is the story of three best friends that had been friends for a long time, they are in a crucial point in their lives where none of them is happy. They know they should start making changes, but the fear of the unknown is keeping them blocked in the same place, making them unhappy and the ones surrounding them. The story is told between the three characters in the present and some of their memories together from the past, that will make the reader understand more their personalities.
This is a quick read, but so real and natural that I can’t stop returning to the pages I’ve just read to continue feeling the connection with these three characters. Because they are so well written that you feel part of the gang, another friend, not a mere spectator of the story. This had been a human and delicate story that is full of layers; feminism, friendship, motherhood, marriage… a really long list!
In the end I couldn’t stop but to drop a tear, the author did an amazing work with this book, I would recommend you to take a deep breath and start reading, I am sure you’ll feel identified with the characters and their problems, and maybe you’ll get the energy to change your life too!
Because Expectation could change to real, it only depends on you!
novellenovels's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rubywarhol's review against another edition
4.0
This was the first book in a while that I read without skipping pages or skimming over certain paragraphs. Every word adds weight to the story and feels meaningful. Although there are many descriptions of mundane activities that might not seem relevant at first, they end up making you understand the characters better. You can grasp and feel the atmosphere of each scene through vivid descriptions of the weather, sounds, smells, sensations. Anna Hope depicts the little joys and painful moments of everyday life in an eloquent but relatable manner.
The big topics are friendship, jealousy, memories, regret, or the thought of regret, self-care, happiness, getting older, and struggling with relationships and families.
I felt like the ending was cut a bit short and leaves some things open to imagination, but it left me with a good feeling regardless.
There is also some potential bisexual representation in it, although I wish the author (or the character) had been more open about it. I'm not going to give details in order not to spoil anything, but the character who loved people of two different genders never openly called themselves bisexual.
The book is full of beautiful words and sentences that moved me, but here are some of my favourite quotes:
Cate looks around at her table, at her guests, and she feels happy - suddenly and completely happy. There is no future to fear, no past to regret, only this, only a series of moments, strung along, like lit globes on a string - there is warmth, there is food, there is comfort. (p. 205)
For the moment - this small moment, with this small hand in hers - this knowledge does not hurt, but she knows there is pain waiting for her, on the other side of this. She knows it will come. (p. 208)
It is as though she has taken half a step outside her skin, to a place where things are weightless, where there is only the logic of desire. She feels no guilt, only interest. She wonders if it would be this easy to murder. (p. 227)
Outside, it is cold. Inside, the room glows, golden. Time is somewhere else. She could live here, she thinks, and - in this moment - she could love this man. (p. 250)
Cate and Lissa murmer their love back, for this is what marriage does - it flows out beyond the couple, engendering love, engendering life, making us believe, even for an afternoon, in a happy ending, or at least, at the very least, in the expectation that a story will continue as it should. (p. 263)
All I am, thinks Lissa, is a collection of lines. There is nothing real inside. Like those bodies her mother drew, all those years ago on the pavements of Tufnell Park. As though it were prophecy - this hollowness. There is only the outline left. (p. 267)
If she is alone, while Tom naps in the buggy, if the weather is fine she simply sits on a bench in the sun. When he wakes there is often a short gap of time in which he comes to himself, in which he looks out at the world from his seat, not looking for her, not looking for anyone. She sits behind him, letting him have this moment, a minute when she is not immediately there hovering over him. It occurs to her that is begins so early, this process of letting go - of not inserting yourself between your child and the sun. (p. 281)
It is not an ending or a new beginning. Or perhaps it is. But if it is an ending, it is not clean, or neat - it is simply the part where one pattern joins another. It is made of blood and sinew and bone. (p. 316)
The big topics are friendship, jealousy, memories, regret, or the thought of regret, self-care, happiness, getting older, and struggling with relationships and families.
I felt like the ending was cut a bit short and leaves some things open to imagination, but it left me with a good feeling regardless.
There is also some potential bisexual representation in it, although I wish the author (or the character) had been more open about it. I'm not going to give details in order not to spoil anything, but the character who loved people of two different genders never openly called themselves bisexual.
The book is full of beautiful words and sentences that moved me, but here are some of my favourite quotes:
Cate looks around at her table, at her guests, and she feels happy - suddenly and completely happy. There is no future to fear, no past to regret, only this, only a series of moments, strung along, like lit globes on a string - there is warmth, there is food, there is comfort. (p. 205)
For the moment - this small moment, with this small hand in hers - this knowledge does not hurt, but she knows there is pain waiting for her, on the other side of this. She knows it will come. (p. 208)
It is as though she has taken half a step outside her skin, to a place where things are weightless, where there is only the logic of desire. She feels no guilt, only interest. She wonders if it would be this easy to murder. (p. 227)
Outside, it is cold. Inside, the room glows, golden. Time is somewhere else. She could live here, she thinks, and - in this moment - she could love this man. (p. 250)
Cate and Lissa murmer their love back, for this is what marriage does - it flows out beyond the couple, engendering love, engendering life, making us believe, even for an afternoon, in a happy ending, or at least, at the very least, in the expectation that a story will continue as it should. (p. 263)
All I am, thinks Lissa, is a collection of lines. There is nothing real inside. Like those bodies her mother drew, all those years ago on the pavements of Tufnell Park. As though it were prophecy - this hollowness. There is only the outline left. (p. 267)
If she is alone, while Tom naps in the buggy, if the weather is fine she simply sits on a bench in the sun. When he wakes there is often a short gap of time in which he comes to himself, in which he looks out at the world from his seat, not looking for her, not looking for anyone. She sits behind him, letting him have this moment, a minute when she is not immediately there hovering over him. It occurs to her that is begins so early, this process of letting go - of not inserting yourself between your child and the sun. (p. 281)
It is not an ending or a new beginning. Or perhaps it is. But if it is an ending, it is not clean, or neat - it is simply the part where one pattern joins another. It is made of blood and sinew and bone. (p. 316)