The tales of childhood from the quirky to the tragic.
I was drawn immediately to the main protagonist of this book, Augusta Hope. I loved her storytelling and the interesting way she introduced us to her family. I was drawn to the 'normalcy' of them. Her twin sister Julia who is totally different from Augusta's quirkiness but they are still connected as twins are. The way her father is nervous in confrontation, worries and seeks her mother for approval. The way her mother has such high expectation of those around including the new neighbours, the Alvarez family. Excellently written prose that paints their family life for the reader. I loved the way Joanna Glen creates a character that we can relate to. The curious child who loves information - becomes obsessed by Burundi, words and learning. We don't often see these portrayals anymore but there are so many children who are like her.
I was totally surprised to then see the juxtaposition of another voice in the story - Parfait from Burundi. His tragic tale of a country at war and a family suffering really contrasts with Augusta's. Joanna Glen has created 2 characters in the first 30 pages that I want to know more about and discover how their stories intertwine later in the book. The humour is addictive and Augusta's witty anecdotes make you hang onto her every word.
The cover is bright and shows a link between both cultures in the book using the dragonflies. I like how they show these two dragonflies in red that are working their way towards each other as it makes me think that these represent Parfait and Augusta.
I was totally surprised to then see the juxtaposition of another voice in the story - Parfait from Burundi. His tragic tale of a country at war and a family suffering really contrasts with Augusta's. Joanna Glen has created 2 characters in the first 30 pages that I want to know more about and discover how their stories intertwine later in the book. The humour is addictive and Augusta's witty anecdotes make you hang onto her every word.
The cover is bright and shows a link between both cultures in the book using the dragonflies. I like how they show these two dragonflies in red that are working their way towards each other as it makes me think that these represent Parfait and Augusta.