The Favour takes us on a journey through the eyes of Ada as she navigates her late teens and young adulthood. Ada is not badly off, but she feels she is not with ‘her people’ and aspires to be part of the wealthy ‘in’ crowd. Alas, her means do not extend to living this life until her godmother offers her the opportunity to spend some time on a luxury trip to Italy. Ada works as hard as she can to generate funds for the trip but, even before she leaves, it is apparent that she will be one of the few on the tour who has to count their pennies. Nonetheless, she approaches the trip with a sense of purpose and determination – these will be her people and she will worm her way into their circles by hook or by crook.
I initially quite liked Ada, she seemed like a bit of a daydreamer who had been dealt a difficult hand by losing her father and then having to uproot from her childhood home when it became unmanageable. However, as the story continues, Ada’s determination to be a social climber and obtain the life she feels she deserves casts her in an ugly light and it becomes difficult to sympathise with her perceived struggles. Despite my dislike of Ada, I very much enjoyed peering into her world and seeing how she manipulates her circumstances as best she can. There are a mixed group on the Italy trip with some very interesting characters. I won’t spoilt the story for those who are yet to read, but there are a wonderful blend of young, beautiful and wealthy late teens thrown together in a way that guarantees drama and conflict, although perhaps in a more subtle fashion than you might expect.
From the blurb, you will be aware that the trip is marred by an unfortunate event and this provides an ‘in’ for Ada to wedge herself into the group long after the trip has ended. In some ways Ada made me feel exhausted and a little sad. Comparison is the thief of joy and spending so long and expending so much trying to chase after a perceived ideal must be tiresome. Although she isn’t my favourite character, I can appreciate how once she started down this road it would be difficult to turn back.
I would recommend The Favour as a book club pick as I think there are a lot of interesting topics and themes touched upon so there would be plenty to discuss. The writing is nicely descriptive and I felt like I could have been a fly on the wall watching the story unfold. I enjoyed this book very much and I hope that you will too!
I initially quite liked Ada, she seemed like a bit of a daydreamer who had been dealt a difficult hand by losing her father and then having to uproot from her childhood home when it became unmanageable. However, as the story continues, Ada’s determination to be a social climber and obtain the life she feels she deserves casts her in an ugly light and it becomes difficult to sympathise with her perceived struggles. Despite my dislike of Ada, I very much enjoyed peering into her world and seeing how she manipulates her circumstances as best she can. There are a mixed group on the Italy trip with some very interesting characters. I won’t spoilt the story for those who are yet to read, but there are a wonderful blend of young, beautiful and wealthy late teens thrown together in a way that guarantees drama and conflict, although perhaps in a more subtle fashion than you might expect.
From the blurb, you will be aware that the trip is marred by an unfortunate event and this provides an ‘in’ for Ada to wedge herself into the group long after the trip has ended. In some ways Ada made me feel exhausted and a little sad. Comparison is the thief of joy and spending so long and expending so much trying to chase after a perceived ideal must be tiresome. Although she isn’t my favourite character, I can appreciate how once she started down this road it would be difficult to turn back.
I would recommend The Favour as a book club pick as I think there are a lot of interesting topics and themes touched upon so there would be plenty to discuss. The writing is nicely descriptive and I felt like I could have been a fly on the wall watching the story unfold. I enjoyed this book very much and I hope that you will too!