Reviews

Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper

ellekeene's review against another edition

3.0

2.5 stars, if I could give it. Very hard to connect with. Some plot threads felt half-baked. The fantastical elements...weren't. There was a real Pippi Longstockings vibe to it that didn't suit its underlying message. Weird.

redroofcolleen's review against another edition

5.0

Such a profound tale of love and place and family. There were some quirks in the writing that got in the way, at times, then really made the story soar. Words saturated in color, emotion, and beauty. I could not put it down.

debbiecuddy's review against another edition

4.0

I found this to be a lovely and poignant story. At the heart of this story is a family facing the loss of their community and way of life. The author weaves bits of the folksongs and folklore of Newfoundland throughout the story and they act as kind of a buoy or guideposts to see the family through. Central to the story is love of family and place. Quiet, beautifully written and lyrical, I liked how this story unfolded.

emilysamsharrisreads's review against another edition

4.0

The creativity and resilience of all the characters is incredible in this book. Loved the way old sea tales were woven into the book. Relatively quick and easy to read.

caroparr's review against another edition

3.0

The other members of my book club loved this, but it didn't quite work for me. Quiet, lyrical, with a touch of magical realism and a strong sense of place, this might be just the ticket for someone else.

prairiefibrewitch's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

rubymaggard's review against another edition

3.0

I listened to this on audiobook and enjoyed it. When the story ended it seemed like a really abrupt ending, until I realized that the first chapters was actually the last chapter, and I thought that was brilliant.

marilynsaul's review against another edition

4.0

I admit I had problems reading this book. I was often lost, couldn't keep track of the characters. The problem, for me, is that it kept jumping between decades, which works in some novels, but didn't in this one. I would have preferred linearity. It seems many authors these day do the decade-shuffle, I guess it's the "new" thing. But in this second Hooper novel, it was just annoying and disorienting. Now, I LOVED Etta and Otto and Russell and James, and Hooper may have used the decade-shuffle there, as well, but if she did, I didn't notice: therefore, for me, it flowed smoothly, unlike Our Homesick Songs.

myrdyr's review against another edition

5.0

I don't know what to say about it or how to describe it, but I absolutely loved this book. It is beautifully written.
Thanks so much to Penguin Random House Canada for providing this ARC to me through a Goodreads Giveaway.

leannetr's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75