kba76's review against another edition
4.0
In ‘February’ we follow Helen at various points in her life. We see her in the present, in her role as grandmother, as a young woman and as a wife whose husband is one of the many killed when the oil rig he is working on collapses.
It felt like rummaging through one of those memory boxes. Some recollections were more vivid than others, but they combine to form a picture of one woman and her life.
What was evident throughout this story is that Helen is not, in many ways, a remarkable woman. She lives her life and deals with what life throws at her with stoicism, but throughout we are given a picture of resilience and strength.
This is not a fast-moving story, rather ideas are unravelled and we slowly come to understand this character.
It felt like rummaging through one of those memory boxes. Some recollections were more vivid than others, but they combine to form a picture of one woman and her life.
What was evident throughout this story is that Helen is not, in many ways, a remarkable woman. She lives her life and deals with what life throws at her with stoicism, but throughout we are given a picture of resilience and strength.
This is not a fast-moving story, rather ideas are unravelled and we slowly come to understand this character.
sm_almon's review against another edition
5.0
This was a beautiful and compelling book; I read it in one evening because I felt like I couldn't put it down. The author, Lisa Moore, made me feel like I was right next to all the characters throughout the novel, and it was an emotional experience. I will definitely check out her other novels.
vlsmith889's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book, start to finish. I was completely enveloped within the character of Helen, and wept like a baby throughout most of the book, to be honest. Moore made the grief, the sense of loss, palpable and all of the water imagery and symbolism was incredibly powerful. Definitely one of my favourite books of all time.
thursamaday's review against another edition
3.0
This was kinda like a stream of consciousness to me. Sometimes hard to follow, but it feels so true. I liked how it really put me in Nova Scotia, it's a bit hard to read about being widowed at about the same age I am now. It's worth a read to better know Canada.
brogan7's review against another edition
2.5
Read this for our Wednesday morning book club at work...but concluded it was pretty terrible. For someone who decides to write about a woman who is widowed young, she seems to have very little interest in the realities of deep grief, economic insecurity and what it's like to rebuild a life from half way through.
Disappointing.
Disappointing.
ladylucky's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. I am from Newfoundland and vividly remember the day of the sinking of the Ocean Ranger. A tragedy that no Newfoundlander will ever forget.
However, this book is really not about that. Well, not really. It is about nothing but a series of jumpy, bizarre leaps from one disjointed scene to another It is about the widow of one of the men who went down with the Ocean Ranger. But the writer does not portray her in any sort of a light that the reader can relate to. She could have easily been portrayed in a deep, empathetic light. Instead, she just seems totally unstable and devoid of any depth. And please, can somebody explain the use of quotation marks to this author? Because without them, the conversations are painful to follow.
However, this book is really not about that. Well, not really. It is about nothing but a series of jumpy, bizarre leaps from one disjointed scene to another It is about the widow of one of the men who went down with the Ocean Ranger. But the writer does not portray her in any sort of a light that the reader can relate to. She could have easily been portrayed in a deep, empathetic light. Instead, she just seems totally unstable and devoid of any depth. And please, can somebody explain the use of quotation marks to this author? Because without them, the conversations are painful to follow.
melindor's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
albyscout's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
1.0
This book was way too hard to get through. The way it switched from past to present so quickly without actually progressing in the story drove me nuts.
shelleyanderson4127's review against another edition
3.0
Deceptively gentle writing, this is a well-written story of a heart breaking and mending and carrying on. Helen O'Mara, pregnant, loses her beloved husband when his oil rig goes down during a violent storm off Newfoundland. Beautiful details of daily life and the courage it takes to live it.