Rosie Fiore

I really wanted to love this book. Yet, I found myself more struggling with it then I would have liked. I could not connect with the characters as much as I tried and tried. Thus in turn it was hard to become invested in the story. Although, I will tell you that I did try to stick with this book for the main reason that I wanted to know what happened to Helen?

Here is where my issues laid with this book for myself personally. The characters' voices were muddled. I didn't really notice when a new person or a change over from one character to the next happened. Plus, the story really seemed to move and pick up speed very slowly. If the intensity of the story had picked up faster and sooner, I actually could have excused some of the lack of emotional connection I missed with the characters. While, these problems affected me, this should not deter you from checking this book out as many other readers seemed to really enjoy this book.… (mehr)

“Could you walk away from your family?” is the question posed on the front cover of this intriguing and sometimes frustrating novel, that seems aimed at a mainly female readership.
I thought the book did convincingly explain the actions of Helen, the housewife who disappears one day from her apparently perfect life.
The story is told from various perspectives, but interestingly for much of the time we are missing Helen’s own voice. The greatest share of the narrative is given over to Sam, Helen’s bewildered husband, who reveals much more than he realises about her motivation. This clever device made me identify much more, emotionally at least, with Helen, although I still felt the perfection and degree of self-control she achieved was somewhat unrealistic. Also, as much of my sympathy for Sam was exhausted before I was halfway through the book, I found a few of the middle sections dragged a little.
Overall however I found this a thoroughly involving read with a finale that satisfyingly explained various elements of the plot and a heart-warming ending that confirmed the importance of family ties.… (mehr)