I finished two books this weekend and noticed there were some curious similarities between them though in essence they were different books and thought it would be interesting to review them in the same post.
A couple of months ago, I went to the parcel office to pick up a mysterious parcel which turned out to be two books from Char who had kindly sent the books she had recently reviewed on her blog to me as I had said I'd like to read those books. It wasn't a hint but she just has a kind heart!
Nantucket Sisters by Nancy Thayer
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This book begins at childhood with two main characters, Emily and Maggie, who meet on the island of Nantucket in America. Their worlds are vastly different: Emily is the daughter of a New York socialite, the family own a house on Nantucket and spend their holidays there. They are very rich and ambitious but she is an only child, somewhat lonely. In contrast, Maggie is resident on Nantucket, though she wasn't born there. Her mum is a seamstress with very little money. They live in a rented home and Maggie wears clothes made by her Mum, she has an older brother, Ben, who also loves the island. Yet, the two girls have in common a love of books, a vivid imagination and a passion for this beautiful island they spend time on. The book proceeds through their childhood to adolescence to adulthood, visiting them over the years as they grow up and change. Their lives come closer and go apart due to university, relationships and bereavement and it seems that their friendship grows distant as they grow older and things happen, yet you know that they will end up together, or won't they? I loved this book and the two characters. The description is evocative and the characterisation is well written. I did find myself frustrated at the events and some of the lies that get told in the book but knowing, or rather hoping, that things would work out. A character, who is a complication to their relationship, reaches a conclusion which is rather convenient, but I was rather glad. Without saying too much. There is a lot of Will they, or won't they (without telling you WHO will or won't) which made reading on compelling and made me really care about them. This book is well worth reading. I love the development of the relationship between these two main characters and think that this is an effective way to narrate a story, through two perspectives, even though told in the 3rd person.
Click here to read Char's review of this book
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One Day by David Nicholls
I first saw the film of this a few years ago, lured by the opportunity to see Anne Hathaway in something new and I finally decided to read it when I saw it in a charity shop. The book bears similarities to Nantucket sisters in that it follows the fates and links between two main characters throughout the book. In this case, our protagonists are Dex and Emily. Emily is the 'poorer' character equivalent of Maggie, if I am to continue the comparisons, she's from Yorkshire, and like Maggie, is an aspiring writer. She's ironic, sarcastic, sardonic and lacks confidence in herself, which she hides with humour. Our Emily-comparative, is Dex, he's middle class, confident and rich from Oxfordshire, and there the comparisons end. He's full of himself, a serial-dater/one-nightstander, who cannot seem to settle on anything. The premise of the book is we see what happens on the anniversary of the night they 'sort of got it together, which begins the book. The day in question is St Swithins day and the story begins in Edinburgh, where they lay in bed in Emily's student flat on the night of graduation.
The narrative is largely linear, with each 15th July talked about (except for the end of the book which flits between the very beginning of the relationship and the latter years) over a period of 20 years. Like the previous book, we see the development in the relationship though there is a lot more heartache and frustration in this book for me. I cared about both characters and we see them constantly experience ebbs and flows in their relationship with the 'balance of power' if I can call it that. You want Dex and Emily to get together throughout the book and feel sure they MUST get together but the book continues for a long time with no sign of this ever happening. I like Emily, I like the type of person she is and what she achieves though it takes her a long time to get there. Dex, I liked less so, even though I knew that he was the way he was in some ways because he lacked confidence and assurance. I did want to hit someone at times!
The character development is excellent and the turn of evidence again is compelling. I couldn't leave this book alone. It doesn't end as I would like, but I'm not sure it would be as much loved and successful as it is if it DIDN'T have this ending.
Both these are excellent books and much recommended.
Have you read them?
A couple of months ago, I went to the parcel office to pick up a mysterious parcel which turned out to be two books from Char who had kindly sent the books she had recently reviewed on her blog to me as I had said I'd like to read those books. It wasn't a hint but she just has a kind heart!
Nantucket Sisters by Nancy Thayer
This book begins at childhood with two main characters, Emily and Maggie, who meet on the island of Nantucket in America. Their worlds are vastly different: Emily is the daughter of a New York socialite, the family own a house on Nantucket and spend their holidays there. They are very rich and ambitious but she is an only child, somewhat lonely. In contrast, Maggie is resident on Nantucket, though she wasn't born there. Her mum is a seamstress with very little money. They live in a rented home and Maggie wears clothes made by her Mum, she has an older brother, Ben, who also loves the island. Yet, the two girls have in common a love of books, a vivid imagination and a passion for this beautiful island they spend time on. The book proceeds through their childhood to adolescence to adulthood, visiting them over the years as they grow up and change. Their lives come closer and go apart due to university, relationships and bereavement and it seems that their friendship grows distant as they grow older and things happen, yet you know that they will end up together, or won't they? I loved this book and the two characters. The description is evocative and the characterisation is well written. I did find myself frustrated at the events and some of the lies that get told in the book but knowing, or rather hoping, that things would work out. A character, who is a complication to their relationship, reaches a conclusion which is rather convenient, but I was rather glad. Without saying too much. There is a lot of Will they, or won't they (without telling you WHO will or won't) which made reading on compelling and made me really care about them. This book is well worth reading. I love the development of the relationship between these two main characters and think that this is an effective way to narrate a story, through two perspectives, even though told in the 3rd person.
Click here to read Char's review of this book
One Day by David Nicholls
I first saw the film of this a few years ago, lured by the opportunity to see Anne Hathaway in something new and I finally decided to read it when I saw it in a charity shop. The book bears similarities to Nantucket sisters in that it follows the fates and links between two main characters throughout the book. In this case, our protagonists are Dex and Emily. Emily is the 'poorer' character equivalent of Maggie, if I am to continue the comparisons, she's from Yorkshire, and like Maggie, is an aspiring writer. She's ironic, sarcastic, sardonic and lacks confidence in herself, which she hides with humour. Our Emily-comparative, is Dex, he's middle class, confident and rich from Oxfordshire, and there the comparisons end. He's full of himself, a serial-dater/one-nightstander, who cannot seem to settle on anything. The premise of the book is we see what happens on the anniversary of the night they 'sort of got it together, which begins the book. The day in question is St Swithins day and the story begins in Edinburgh, where they lay in bed in Emily's student flat on the night of graduation.
The narrative is largely linear, with each 15th July talked about (except for the end of the book which flits between the very beginning of the relationship and the latter years) over a period of 20 years. Like the previous book, we see the development in the relationship though there is a lot more heartache and frustration in this book for me. I cared about both characters and we see them constantly experience ebbs and flows in their relationship with the 'balance of power' if I can call it that. You want Dex and Emily to get together throughout the book and feel sure they MUST get together but the book continues for a long time with no sign of this ever happening. I like Emily, I like the type of person she is and what she achieves though it takes her a long time to get there. Dex, I liked less so, even though I knew that he was the way he was in some ways because he lacked confidence and assurance. I did want to hit someone at times!
The character development is excellent and the turn of evidence again is compelling. I couldn't leave this book alone. It doesn't end as I would like, but I'm not sure it would be as much loved and successful as it is if it DIDN'T have this ending.
Both these are excellent books and much recommended.
Have you read them?