I loved the first half of this and had such great expectations but then it just got weird. Great writing and characters but for me when Moonflower's iI loved the first half of this and had such great expectations but then it just got weird. Great writing and characters but for me when Moonflower's identity is uncovered it was a bit too cliche for me. 3.5*
Quotes/ 'That's a learned lesson, I guess. You have to make the good times in some way. Don't let them slip past because you don't know if there'll ever be any more.'
'Life is what happens when you are busy making plans'....more
More of a domestic mystery rather than a thriller I was expecting. Written in a Now and Then narration with multiple point of views all leading up to More of a domestic mystery rather than a thriller I was expecting. Written in a Now and Then narration with multiple point of views all leading up to Joy Delaney's disappearance and a whodunit. Very humouros and very readable. I did enjoy it and loved what the characters bring. Written with intimate observations of family secrets, disappointments, hopes, dreams and everything in between. Also being a big fan of tennis I LOVED the tennis aspect to the book and what it brought to the plot and I mean don't we just love a comeback. I feel the author could have played around with it a lot and when Savannah's story is revealed it was a bit underwhelming. Now I am of to compare it to the adaptation.
Quotes/ 'Love was never real no matter how authentic it seemed.'
'She and Stan had always told the children there were no such things as the 'chosen ones', there were no favourites on the circuit, it didn't matter where you lived, or who you knew or who your parents knew, all that mattered was how you played - but there were politics in tennis. There were politics in everything.'
'You can still fight back from match point down. If you want to overcome a losing streak, you re-evaluate your game.'
'Some days you lose. They'd drummed that into the children too. You can be number one in the world, you can win and win and win, but it's inevitable: eventually you will lose.'
'We're all on our own. Even when you're surrounded by people or sharing a bed with a loving lover, you're alone.' ...more
So intelligently written and so clever how the plot is linked and the ending of it. You cannot be one step ahead because the plot twists come thick anSo intelligently written and so clever how the plot is linked and the ending of it. You cannot be one step ahead because the plot twists come thick and fast in this book. I felt like I could feel what Elise is going through and it was so creepy and clever and paranoid infused. This would be amazing if adapted you can play around with it so much. Fascinated by the 'Kill room' and the teachings of the class. Such high standard of research and writing that went into eloquent and razor sharp at times just beautiful. Captures emotion and human feelings so well. The best crime book I have read in a while. 5*** ...more
There Are Rivers in the Sky, is the novel I will be talking about forever. It has become my 'book of the year' and it has taken a place in my heart. TThere Are Rivers in the Sky, is the novel I will be talking about forever. It has become my 'book of the year' and it has taken a place in my heart. The storytelling of Elif Shafak has cemented exactly why she is one of my favourite authors.
The novel entwines three p.o.v's (showcasing how deft Shafak is intertwining these connected narratives) and three different eras, Arthur/ Victorian London, Narin/Turkey and Zaleekhah/ Thames-London. For just over 400 pages I was so impressed how much Shafak got in there because any of these p.o.v's can be read as a stand-alone but what is just magical is how they are all connected by a single raindrop. A drop which remanifests across the centuries.
I love how vividly and humanely Shafak writes about nature. She did it with The Island of Missing Trees and she does it again with this. I can loose hours by just staring at canals/rivers/waterfalls because it is something that is so simple yet so profound. The sound of it, the movement it is like no other. The force and power of it and of course needing it to survive. And she captures this beautifully.
I loved Arthur's story especially how he was born how the drop of water affected him. I loved his working in publishing journey especially when he discovers his passion (as a linguistic lover myself) it just gave more meaning to it. So fascinating reading how print was done in those days of course the nod to Dickens and his appearance and the cuneiform/tablets.
Narin's story was my favourite. I loved the relationship she had with her grandma and the stories they told. I especially love the connection her grandma has to water and being made aware of the genocide/prejudice and persecution Yazidi's were (and still are) facing. I loved learning more about the Yazidi culture and what water means to them. I also loved the discussion of colonialism and ancient wisdom and what lives on after civilizations crumble. And who has the right to historical artefacts.
I did enjoy reading Zaleekhah's story however I enjoyed reading about Nen's passion about the epic. I also enjoyed the fact that it was set on a houseboat (because I want one. Just imagine living on the water ...more
Wow what an underwhelming conclusion to the story. Way too long and waffly and all the action happens at the end of the book. It is disappointing becaWow what an underwhelming conclusion to the story. Way too long and waffly and all the action happens at the end of the book. It is disappointing because it takes away the shine from the first two books. Overall it was an okay series but not Kemmerer at her best! ...more
A slower book in comparison to the first. I loved the addition of Fox and Violet and Rian and the events with the ship. Especially when they climb theA slower book in comparison to the first. I loved the addition of Fox and Violet and Rian and the events with the ship. Especially when they climb the ropes. Does get fast paced towards the ending. 3.85*
Quotes/
'Everyone had a different idea of what was right. Sometimes what's right isn't debatable, or a matter of opinion.'
'It's hard to take from people who feel like they have nothing to lose.'
'Choices never seem like choices when the world only offers us bad ones.'
'Relief is a powerful motivator. So is fear.'...more
'This same book in a stranger's hands - half-known. Those readers, kindred spirits, almost friends. You are in transition; you are on the threshold. The'This same book in a stranger's hands - half-known. Those readers, kindred spirits, almost friends. You are in transition; you are on the threshold. The library is the place that gets you. Pure gold'.
-Jackie Kay.
A must read book highlighting the importance of libraries and how valuable libraries are to society. With book bans and library closures reading this is so imminent. Literary activism at its best. Read what libraries mean to me and a love letter to libraries on my blog here- https://fizwrites.website.com/website...
'The importance of libraries was recognised by the Public Libraries Act 1850 and affirmed by the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964. Because libraries have always been a part of any civilization they are not negotiable. They are part of our inheritance'.
'Fiction is impossible but enables us to reach what is relatively truth. What the writer does is not so much to solve the question, but to put the question. There must be the question put. That seems to me a very nice dividing line between the truth and the false writer'.
'For me libraries represent a serendipity of learning. It's as if some internal compass draws you to areas which you never imagined visiting.'...more
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