I read and really enjoyed 'After You'd Gone' and 'The Vanishing Acts of Esme Lennox' but was really disappointed by 'My Lover's Lover', so had left this sitting on my shelf for ages before deciding to give it a go.I'm so pleased that I did, as I think this is my favourite of O'Farrell's novels. The human relationships in this story are so intelligently written, her characters are wonderfully crafted and the story is both intense and very emotional.The story of Jake and Stella goes back and forth...

This is the third book by Maggie O'Farrell I have read. I find her writing absolutely captivating. Despite the fact that this story had a much more satisfying ending (i.e., less dark), I don't think it will leave a very lasting impression me. I sobbed when I read After You'd Gone, and I was positively disturbed after reading The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. These are both much stronger emotions that just feeling warm and satisfied. Yet as much as I try to categorize which of these three I like

[3.7] This novel has all the elements I've come to expect from Maggie O'Farrell - beautiful writing, fascinating characters and a seemingly effortless structure. A worthwhile read, but it doesn't shine compared to her later novels.

I am well on my way to reading everything Maggie O'Farrell has ever had published ... And quite honestly I am starting to wonder how long she can keep up the beguilement and enchantment, and the compulsion to turn the page? I LOVED this story. I particularly LOVED the structure. I know some reviewers didn't like the way it jumps around (in time-frame, location and character), but I found it clever and done effortlessly and seamlessly. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, the thing about O'Farr...

I did enjoy the story of these two young people who have had more than their fair share of trajedy and family complicatons in their lives thus far. One could say that curcumstances are forced upon them, time and time again.There were times when I became so frustrated, wanting to shout at the book, "For goodness sake, tell him (or her)," or "Don't do that!" Simple words or actions at the appropriate time would have save a whole mess of complications. I am sure that you have read similar books, or...

The Distance Between Us (originally published in 2004) is my sixth Maggie O'Farrell book, so I am a fan. However because I've read and gloried in her amazing skill in her later much more literary works, and because my introduction was her phenomenal memoir I Am, I Am, I Am which provided me knowledge about her real life that made me guess some of the plot for this earlier book, I think from now on I will go forward reading her new works only. (She has a historical fiction novel coming out in Mar...

Summary: Stella runs away from her life in London to work at a Scottish hotel. Jake survives a crowd crush in Hong Kong, finds himself in the wrong life in England, and goes in search of his father in Scotland. Stella’s sister Nina has never coped well without Stella, and Stella’s Italian-Scottish family isn’t thrilled about her new life choices either…I loved this. The bond between the sisters was so strong and real, and O’Farrell seems to have the knack of coming up with seemingly insignifican...

This is the earliest work of O’Farrell’s that I’ve read – it was her third novel, following After You’d Gone and My Lover’s Lover (I finally found those two at a charity shop last year and I’m saving them for a rainy day). It took me a long time to get into this one. It’s delivered in bitty sections that race between characters and situations, not generally in chronological order. It’s not until nearly the halfway point that you get a sense of how it all fits together.Although there are many sec...

Oh my goodness! I never expected this. I never expected to fall in love with a book that I randomly plucked from a box at a garage sale. Maggie O'Farrell has enchanted and captivated me. Her writing is lyrical and honest, warm and homely. She describes things in a way I can relate to. 'He doesn't like the word 'homesick', doesn't feel it does justice to what it's supposed to describe. He prefers the long, pulling, mournful vowels of the German word 'heimweh'. For him, it's not just a mild case o...

Another satisfying O'Farrell. Sometimes "guessable" but always readable. UPDATE: I read it a long time ago, and I may have to try it again - I just remember I liked it! :)

One of the things I’ve tried to do this year was to read all of the books by some of my favorite writers. Maggie O’Farrell is on that list and after reading this book, I’ve read all of her published books to date. I love that I’ve done that, but then I was sorry I didn’t have another to read by her so I’m thrilled to know that she has a new one to be published in 2020. I’m always drawn to her characters, their complicated relationships, the intelligent and emotional depiction of their lives. I f...

When I find an author I love, I try to read as many other titles by them as possible and typically, there is a point where the author has gone from amateur to professional. I have really enjoyed Maggie O'Farrell, and while I enjoyed this story, I feel that she was still an amateur when she wrote The Distance Between Us. It lacked the refinement and tightness of more recent titles. I don't mind a story that jumps around. In fact, I quite like the varying perspectives; the lack of chornological ti...

Two people in different parts of the world - one with a secret, the other looking for a long-lost answer - come together in an unlikely spot, to discover themselves, as well as each other. You can read my full review of this book here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2014/12/0...

This is a beautifully written piece: real, tragic, melancholy, eventful, lovely. The most wonderfully exciting and poignant story I have read in a long time. The pace Maggie sets means there is never a dull moment. The characters really come to life, provoking emotions and are likeable, which is so important to me as a reader. I loved Stella and Jake, and appreciated the way Maggie allowed me to see into both their families and the dynamics and history within them. The author has definitely mast...

Meh. A love story or a story of two sisters - I was never quite sure. Perhaps the problem with this book was that it tried to be both and became clogged and cloying from the effort. Stella runs away constantly and inexplicably (even given the 'terrible secret' that has 'haunted her since childhood') and Nina is one of the most confusing and annoying characters I have encountered in fiction. Actually, scrap that, they are both annoying. Despite Stella's complete lack of personality (and vocabular...

I'm a huge fan of Maggie O'Farrell, having read several of her wonderful novels. I found this one at a local neighborhood lending library kiosk. After reading the reviews on Goodreads, my expectations were reduced due to some tepid reviews from some die hard O'Farrell fans. And I have to admit that at first I was a bit thrown off by the pastiche quality of the narrative. It starts out okay, following the lives of both Stella, a woman in London who is shaken by seeing a figure from her past that

It looks like I'm at a one all draw with Maggie O'Farrell. I enjoyed The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox after a slow start, but didn't get on at all well with My Lover's Lover. So it's taken me a while to pick up a third of her books. This book is written in what I always think of as "jigsaw piece" style. Passages from the lives of the characters appear in what seems to be no particular order, time goes back and forth, places change, minor characters appear and it sometimes takes a while to figure...

Can definitely recommend this book. I loved it.

This is basically the tale of two Scottish sisters, one who seems to move on with her life albeit in a damaged way, and the other who is stuck because of a terrible incident in their youth. The book seems at first to follow two parallel lines, with the story of the sisters' youth interspersed with that of an English boy growing up in present day Hong Kong. All the main characters become severely affected by traumatic events which transform their lives and we see the effect tragedy has on all thr...

I am a fan of Maggie O'Farrell. I find her writing interesting, and thought provoking. She writes beautifully, but not in obvious way. Nonetheless, I was slow to get into this one. I found myself impatient with the multiple points of view and the frequent flashbacks. It took me a long time to find my footing in the story and as a result it took me a while to care about the characters. But much like a game of pass the parcel, it is worth it to stay in it till the end for the reward. The reveal of...