Reviews

The Gentle Art Of Forgetting by Richard Easter

laurenleyendolibros's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is magic. Really! While I was reading it started to snow. That’s not strange you say, it’s January! Well, it is fairly strange in Madrid. The last time we had enough snow to build a snowman was eleven years ago. I read more, the snow got worse. The worst snow in half a century (the city was almost declared a disaster area) and the worst snow I’ve ever seen. Snow fell for 18 hours straight at the worst point, and then… as I read the last pages of this book (about snow)… it stopped. 

I’m not even exaggerating for dramatic effect! 

Is it a good book though? YES! 

He’s done it again! Or… before? 

I read Don’t You Want Me? a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it, so immediately downloaded this from BookSirens. It’s technically #2 in the trilogy but it doesn’t matter, it stands alone. I loved it! 

Jane Dawn wakes up in a hut in a snowy forest. She doesn’t know how she got there but she has her typewriter to help her remember and the snow to help her forget. What else can I say? It sounds mysterious, it sounds confusing, but it all becomes clear when you read. And you’ll want to keep reading! 

It’s completely different from DYWM, which was a crime thriller set in 1981. I don’t even know how to describe this book! Magical realism? Yes, in parts. Tragic fictional biography? Also. Love story? Above all. 

I loved this book because it was so fresh! It was so unlike anything I’ve read. And there were so many details that I didn’t guess, so the mystery and the story in general wasn’t ruined. 

I also liked the connections to DYWM (Jane works as a waitress in a cocktail bar!) and I questioned the title of the former book but now see it was out of Easter’s control – he’s obsessed. 

If you will allow me a small word of complaint at the end of this glowing review: ‘thank you’ is a two-word phrase! ‘Thankyou’ appears 12 times in this book! I won’t even start on ‘Tupperwear’. 

Anyway, will I be reading the rest of the trilogy (and everything else Easter has written)? How soon can I finish this review? 

Thank you BookSirens for this ARC! 

Good news: these books are available on Kindle Unlimited! Please give them a go! 

pvn's review

4.0

This novel (and the previous in the series) is unique in it's structure and approach, and in good ways. It's also genre defying since it can be put in multiple categories. Easter shows a lot of talent, and does a great job of keeping interesting by making it a bit of an intellectual read. Recommended.

I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!!