Rating: 3 Stars
Source: NetGalley
Description: Tooly is perfectly happy running her bookshop in an isolated town in Wales. That is until a message from a former friend drags her back into the past that she worked so hard to forget. She finds herself on a reluctant journey to discover her past and solve the mysteries of those around her.
Genre: Fiction
Why I Picked This Book: A thriller sounding book involving the owner of a book store in Wales. How could I pass it up? Plus, I liked the cover.
My Impression:
Cons: This book got off to a slow start. For the first 20% or so I could have easily put it down and never thought of it again. There's a lot of dialogue much of which seems pointless. The characters rant about politics or literature or other systems. There are 3 time periods being told at the same time. 1988 when Tooly is 9 years old, 1999 when she is 20 and 2011 when she is an adult living in over a bookshop. The chapters are short and for a long time it doesn't seem like anything is happening. You spend so little time with Tooly at each time period that it's hard to connect with her and be interested.
Pros: Until all of a sudden I found that I was interested. I had a better understanding of her and wanted to solve the mystery that was being hinted at if never full explained. We do get to see the characters' motivations except perhaps the mysterious Venn. I really sympathized with Tooly who gets dragged back into her past when she really just wants to be left alone to run her bookshop for as long as her money lasts. The ending unfolded very unexpectedly and in some ways was very sweet.
Overall: This was a really hard book to review because the story itself was so subtle. For the first half I planned on giving it 2 stars but as I got more involved I enjoyed it more and more. I enjoyed the last half of the book very much and found myself thinking about it when I was done reading it. I wish there had been less side dialogue and more that had actually had something to do with moving the plot along.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: I don't know. While I did end up really enjoying the book it took so long to get into it that I'm a little hesitant.
Would I Recommend this Book?: If you're in the mood for a quiet contemplative book this is probably a good choice. You definitely need to be in the right mood for it.
I am glad this one got better for you eventually. Some of my favorite books were slow starters--and also some of my least favorites. :-) I like the premise for this one and if I do decide to read it, I'm forewarned about the slow first portion of it.
ReplyDeleteIt does definitely pick up and picked up in such a way that I really didn't realize it until I was hooked. Just be prepared!
DeleteSounds like a more character-driven than plot-driven novel, which can be a restful and refreshing change after a lot of more action-filled books. Good review; I like how you've pointed out that the book was slow to fix your attention initially, but ended up being one that kept you thinking even after you'd closed the cover. Sometimes those are the books that really stay with me.
ReplyDeleteThe conclusions made really did stay with me but I wish there had been a little less excess details!
DeleteI'm not sure I would have been able to stick with it like you did but I have to give you kudos for doing so. I have very little patience lately because of my huge TBR. I like the IDEA of the book, but I'm not sure it would work for me. I'm glad that in the end you ended up enjoying at least parts of it. Great review!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I probably wouldn't have stuck with it if it hand't been a review book. I ended up liking it but it definitely took far to long to click for me.
DeleteInterest plot line, I must say book store owner in Wales grabbed my attention immediately and while you didn't love it, I am glad it picked up and you became hooked.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely didn't end up like I thought it would but it did end up being an enjoyable read!
DeleteThe slow start and the time period jumping would have been frustrating for me. It's good to hear that it picks up but I'm not sure I'll try this one.
ReplyDelete