An intriguing read if a little hard to keep track of - a bit flawed but not bad
I found this to be a bit of a slow burner at first. I got a bit muddled, keeping track of the characters – each chapter is written from the viewpoint of one of 3 characters, although there are (of course) other characters mentioned within said chapters. I found it easier to keep track of who was who after a while, when the plot (and indeed some sub plots) became a bit clearer. I was curious to find out more about Emma's background and I wondered if her daughter, Stella, would discover all the secrets her mother (Emma) kept from her and the rest of her family. I noticed one or two plot elements that seemed a little unlikely, a bit convenient perhaps although I want to make it clear I genuinely didn't feel it spoilt the book entirely and indeed half way through the book I was quite gripped by it. Its fair to say its quite mysterious in general.
There were some slightly dry/bland parts in it but overall I was sufficiently intrigued to keep reading. However, I did feel the ending to be a bit rushed. On the plus side, I appreciated (as ever, if you know me) the relatively short chapters – their mostly 10 pages long (at the most) or shorter. Due to this, I found it to be an easy book for dipping in and out of, if you can keep track of the characters. This is not a bad book - not an especially great one as such but certainly not a bad one either, I'd say its worth a read if it appeals to you. One or two elements frustrated me but my overall feeling was that it was for the most part a good, sometimes gripping, read in general that I did feel somewhat engrossed in, so I'm giving it a 4 star rating.
There were some slightly dry/bland parts in it but overall I was sufficiently intrigued to keep reading. However, I did feel the ending to be a bit rushed. On the plus side, I appreciated (as ever, if you know me) the relatively short chapters – their mostly 10 pages long (at the most) or shorter. Due to this, I found it to be an easy book for dipping in and out of, if you can keep track of the characters. This is not a bad book - not an especially great one as such but certainly not a bad one either, I'd say its worth a read if it appeals to you. One or two elements frustrated me but my overall feeling was that it was for the most part a good, sometimes gripping, read in general that I did feel somewhat engrossed in, so I'm giving it a 4 star rating.