Reviews

I usually adore Maggie O’Farrell but was a bit disappointed with This Must be the Place. I found the characters difficult to engage with, and felt there was not enough focus on/description of the major events of the novel.

The best part of this book is the placemaking of different locations (New York, rural Ireland, London, and the Scottish Borders) - these backdrops are almost characters in their own right and beautifully presented to the reader.

pitiazpiazu's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

kelly_inthe419's review against another edition

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4.0

This was another excellent book from Maggie O'Farrell. It's funny, because about halfway through I wasn't even sure how I would rate it. By the end, I knew it was a solid 4, maybe even 4.5, stars. Although frustrated at times with Daniel's lack of self awareness, I really liked him as the main character. He hasn't had a easy life and clearly made some very poor choices along the way. But who doesn't love a good story of love and loss and redemption.

The story moves backward and forward in time as well as location, and features a large cast of characters including Daniel's wife Claudette, children from two marriages, an old flame, an old flatmate, and others. At times it felt a bit disjointed, hence my uncertainty on whether I would finally like it. For this story, I read back and forth between the hard copy and audiobook. It helped keep things fresh in my mind and keep people and timelines straight.

As always, O'Farrell's writing was beautiful and atmospheric, and her characters were complex, varied and interesting. Real life is rarely easy and rarely follows a straight trajectory. The same goes for the characters in This Must be the Place. I couldn't help rooting for all of them and found the ending to be absolutely perfect. I highly recommend this if you don't mind the varied timelines and perspectives and if you love family drama and the interpersonal relationships among family members.