Scan barcode
waywithwords's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. The two different possible Away story lines were really just two short stories pushed together as a gimmick, and I ended up completely skipping the Home portions in the last half of the book as they were boring and completely unnecessary to the plot. This was definitely disappointing to me as I have really enjoyed all of Dunant's historical fiction novels.
katheastman's review against another edition
3.0
There is a really interesting premise behind this book. One woman, Anna, a single mother living in London, ups and walks out of her life for a long weekend in Florence. You pick up her story towards the end of her time there. Initially, I was disappointed by this. The fact that the setting was Florence had been part of the attraction and one of the reasons I'd wanted to read this book, especially as it promised a modern-day take on one of my favourite cities. However, the book quickly sucked me in and I forgot this early let down (helped by the fact that Anna stayed in Tuscany!)
Interestingly, Dunant covers the story of Anna's disappearance from the viewpoint of those left behind, looking after her child, and not only dealing with the fact that she went off without a word in the first place but that she might not be coming back. Dunant also writes two parallel accounts of what happens to Anna in Italy and leaves it up to the reader to decide which of those is the truth or, perhaps more fittingly, which of those they prefer and are more comfortable with believing.
It's an interesting read, not least because of the questions it throws up about the bonds of parenthood and the ties of friendships and relationships. It also asks the reader to question how well we ever really know those we love and trust and how we can become disillusioned by them.
Interestingly, Dunant covers the story of Anna's disappearance from the viewpoint of those left behind, looking after her child, and not only dealing with the fact that she went off without a word in the first place but that she might not be coming back. Dunant also writes two parallel accounts of what happens to Anna in Italy and leaves it up to the reader to decide which of those is the truth or, perhaps more fittingly, which of those they prefer and are more comfortable with believing.
It's an interesting read, not least because of the questions it throws up about the bonds of parenthood and the ties of friendships and relationships. It also asks the reader to question how well we ever really know those we love and trust and how we can become disillusioned by them.
penser's review against another edition
5.0
I really really loved this book. birth of venus was a let down after this
caterinaanna's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't pick this up because of the stuff it said on the cover about it being sexual, and if you have you may end up being disappointed. I was, but not for that reason. The premise and the structure are interesting: Anna vanishes on the day she is meant to return home from a trip to Italy. The story of those left behind, worrying, is intertwined with two possible versions of what is happening to Anna. All three intersect at some parts, and there is a degree of cleverness in making them do so successfully, but as a whole it doesn't quite work. One scenario is fantastic from the start, the other becomes so; both lack the sense of the concrete of most of the 'home' narrative, with sketchy male characters and odd events. That may be deliberate of course, a way of making each possibility seem like the lie, but in the end I wanted to be able to decide which I thought was true. Of course the author does not tell us, the box remains closed, the waveform does not collapse, but a little of what happened when she stepped through the front door could have added to the themes without necessarily making anything certain.
teanabook's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't like this book much. The writing style annoyed me in that she was always in the characters heads, asking tons of questions. I prefer when a writer shows me how a character feels rather than when I am told how they feel.
I also found the dual scenarios rather hard to understand. It was an interesting trick but it just didn't work for me. And the ending was such a let down. I had no idea that I had reached the end. I expected some sort of postscript but of course, you couldn't have a postscript with the dual scenarios.
I put the book down thinking, that was it?
I also found the dual scenarios rather hard to understand. It was an interesting trick but it just didn't work for me. And the ending was such a let down. I had no idea that I had reached the end. I expected some sort of postscript but of course, you couldn't have a postscript with the dual scenarios.
I put the book down thinking, that was it?