bbrewer14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Nora is in Australia and needs her granddaughter Jess to come home. Jess is in London, struggling to maintain a home and a job. She returns reluctantly to Australia to be with the grandmother who raised her. Polly (Nora’s daughter and Jess’s mother) is caught in the middle of the world Nora created for her as an anxious and ambivalent parent who doesn’t know how to be a mother despite her yearnings. Surrounded by a multitude of characters from the 1950s and 2018, the author takes the reader on a journey through the loss of a mother and her 3 children, the search for a missing infant, the unsolved mystery and years of speculation and rumors to the impact it has 50 yrs later on the family. Nora leaves clues behind that intrigue her journalist granddaughter and lead to an investigation that ends with a twist you won’t expect.
A wonderful book that thrives on artistic depictions of scenery, comparisons to well known literature to help set scenes, and the base desires of humans to seek what they yearn despite the cost to others. Loved the ending and the journey getting there was long but beyond worthwhile. Highly recommend and will be reading more from this author.
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicide, Child death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Murder, Death, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Infertility, and Suicide
onemumreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Murder
Minor: Grief and Infertility
graceolivia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Spoiler
It really frustrated me that Nora was never considered to be incredibly manipulative, Jess seems to forgive her instantly for taking her away from her mother. Polly felt like she should have been the main character, I was far more interested in her thoughts and experiences. It seemed odd that her and Jess never had a proper conversation about why she actually left her with Nora. The pillow lie (x2) never gets acknowledged and apparently multiple people knew Isobel was innocent and said nothing. Marcus seemingly either forgives Meg for killing his best friend and his brothers girlfriend or doesn’t figure out it was her, either way it’s not believable. The idea that the whole thing happened as a snap decision to ‘punish’ Isobel also doesn’t make sense as it doesn’t align with Megs personality, it would be far more believable that Nora did it.Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Infertility, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
kiwichill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Grief, Infidelity, Death, Child death, Death of parent, and Suicide
Moderate: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Grief, and Miscarriage
aneeley's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Miscarriage, Child death, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Animal death, Death, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
queencariad's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, and Child death
kimveach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Infertility, Classism, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Murder, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
tamara_joy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, Child death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent, Infidelity, Animal death, Infertility, and Miscarriage
rosyburrow's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Child death and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicide and Miscarriage
lilifane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I just love her stories, the dual timeline, the multi-generational family mysteries, the amazing settings and atmosphere. This one is no exception.
When you've read Kate Morton before, you will anticipate certain plot twists and revelations. And even if you haven't, I think the main mystery in this book is pretty obvious and easy to guess rather quickly. This was the reason I thought it would only be a 4-star book for me. But then towards the end, more details were revealed than I could dream of, and I was left broken-hearted (also a recurring experience with Kate Morton novels).
This book is long, though, and it has taken me quite long to finish it. It's very slow and character focused, which I love. But in addition to that, it also has a book within a book. Since I love this narrative device, I was pleasantly surprised that it was included here. Plus, it's a true crime novel about the events of the main story. And the way this true-crime book was written just blew me away. I had the same feeling I had when I read In Cold Blood, which had left a lasting impression on me when I read it a few years ago.
The themes in this book were a little too close to home sometimes. A lot of complicated mother-daughter-dynamics. Great exploration of motherhood from several points of view, and also great representation of women who don't want to become mothers. And as a bonus, a love letter to stories and storytelling and how much it can influence people's lives and memories.
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Suicide, Child death, Gaslighting, Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: War, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Medical content