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A review by bethaniekay
After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell
3.0
I guess I'm in the minority about this book, because I didn't think it was that great.
The story was somewhat captivating, and it was written in a way that made me want to keep reading (but really only to find out what would happen). In a way, it was an easy read - I finished it in one day.
However, there were just way too many negative things about this book for me to have truly enjoyed it. There were a few aspects designed to hook you -- What did Maggie see in the train station that was so life-altering? What was John's huge secret? (both of those fell flat, to me. I was like "That's it? So what!"), and of course, what happened ultimately to John and Maggie (that one actually did tug at my heartstrings).
I also was terribly annoyed by the way this book was written. Call me a Scrooge, but I really didn't need to read about three generations of familial strife that didn't necessarily have anything to do with the main plot. Also, I could NOT stand the continually changing POV, with zero information about who was speaking or what year/time frame it was. I had to re-read far too many chapter beginnings, which is just annoying.
In the end, the reader gets answers, which I suppose makes me happy - but as I turned the last page, I just felt blah. Don't think I'll be recommending this one.
The story was somewhat captivating, and it was written in a way that made me want to keep reading (but really only to find out what would happen). In a way, it was an easy read - I finished it in one day.
However, there were just way too many negative things about this book for me to have truly enjoyed it. There were a few aspects designed to hook you -- What did Maggie see in the train station that was so life-altering? What was John's huge secret? (both of those fell flat, to me. I was like "That's it? So what!"), and of course, what happened ultimately to John and Maggie (that one actually did tug at my heartstrings).
I also was terribly annoyed by the way this book was written. Call me a Scrooge, but I really didn't need to read about three generations of familial strife that didn't necessarily have anything to do with the main plot. Also, I could NOT stand the continually changing POV, with zero information about who was speaking or what year/time frame it was. I had to re-read far too many chapter beginnings, which is just annoying.
In the end, the reader gets answers, which I suppose makes me happy - but as I turned the last page, I just felt blah. Don't think I'll be recommending this one.