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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
3.5 stars
A heartwarming read, with some memorable characters. I did like Poppy George and his relationship with little Rory. Some of the other characters were a bit cliched, but it didn't really matter. This story made me think about parenting and custody, especially in situations where the mother is obviously not a fit parent, but has public opinion on her side.
A heartwarming read, with some memorable characters. I did like Poppy George and his relationship with little Rory. Some of the other characters were a bit cliched, but it didn't really matter. This story made me think about parenting and custody, especially in situations where the mother is obviously not a fit parent, but has public opinion on her side.
While never a big fan of contemporary fiction, I adored this book.
From the stubbourness of George (who I could not help but compare to Carl Fredrickson from Up), to the undisciplined but potential-filled Aurora-Jane 'Rory' and her independent single-mother Angie - I loved the realness of the people, circumstances, and heart-breaking decisions. The characters grow and develop before your eyes, as you are drawn into the life-changing dilemmas faced by George - along with the nagging advice from sister Shirl, and support of friend, neighbour, and 'scientist' Redgum.
Wonderfully written, this book will make you contemplate the meaning of a family and what the 'right' thing to do is when protecting someone you love.
From the stubbourness of George (who I could not help but compare to Carl Fredrickson from Up), to the undisciplined but potential-filled Aurora-Jane 'Rory' and her independent single-mother Angie - I loved the realness of the people, circumstances, and heart-breaking decisions. The characters grow and develop before your eyes, as you are drawn into the life-changing dilemmas faced by George - along with the nagging advice from sister Shirl, and support of friend, neighbour, and 'scientist' Redgum.
Wonderfully written, this book will make you contemplate the meaning of a family and what the 'right' thing to do is when protecting someone you love.
“’It’s all give and take,’ he says. ‘In the end, that’s what life is.’”
George Johnson is an old pensioner who dreads Alzheimer’s and is constantly reflecting on life before he lost his wife Pen. Angie is a young single Mum who is still a child in many ways, making bad choices, using people and dating the wrong guys. Rory, Angie’s young daughter is always caught up in her mother’s bad choices and is in desperate need of stability. When Angie gets up and leaves Rory living with George, he gives her that stability.
While this book was a relatively easy read, it really draws attention to issues that are rife here in Australia. These issues mainly surround children’s welfare. The issue of how a mother can be unfit yet still maintain custody of her child simply because she is the biological mother. How someone who is more deserving cannot then take in that child even after the mother has abandoned the child, because they are not related. How the media dictates how people should think, especially when they twist words to sell headlines. How the foster system is so dysfunctional that there are more horror stories than good stories. It also addresses the issue of infertility and how previous generations dealt with things differently and reminds you of how fortunate it is that we have the facilities to help infertility here.
This book challenged my thinking. I love a book that does this. It was enough for me to reconsider where I was heading the law field. I always believed that I wouldn’t cope with dealing with the horror stories but after reading this book, I feel compelled to research more into this topic. I love a book like this.
My only complaint was the beginning took a while to get into.
My recommendation: If you like a book to challenge your thinking, give this a try.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review as well as a copy from a Goodreads Giveaway.
George Johnson is an old pensioner who dreads Alzheimer’s and is constantly reflecting on life before he lost his wife Pen. Angie is a young single Mum who is still a child in many ways, making bad choices, using people and dating the wrong guys. Rory, Angie’s young daughter is always caught up in her mother’s bad choices and is in desperate need of stability. When Angie gets up and leaves Rory living with George, he gives her that stability.
While this book was a relatively easy read, it really draws attention to issues that are rife here in Australia. These issues mainly surround children’s welfare. The issue of how a mother can be unfit yet still maintain custody of her child simply because she is the biological mother. How someone who is more deserving cannot then take in that child even after the mother has abandoned the child, because they are not related. How the media dictates how people should think, especially when they twist words to sell headlines. How the foster system is so dysfunctional that there are more horror stories than good stories. It also addresses the issue of infertility and how previous generations dealt with things differently and reminds you of how fortunate it is that we have the facilities to help infertility here.
This book challenged my thinking. I love a book that does this. It was enough for me to reconsider where I was heading the law field. I always believed that I wouldn’t cope with dealing with the horror stories but after reading this book, I feel compelled to research more into this topic. I love a book like this.
My only complaint was the beginning took a while to get into.
My recommendation: If you like a book to challenge your thinking, give this a try.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review as well as a copy from a Goodreads Giveaway.
While never a big fan of contemporary fiction, I adored this book.
From the stubbourness of George (who I could not help but compare to Carl Fredrickson from Up), to the undisciplined but potential-filled Aurora-Jane 'Rory' and her independent single-mother Angie - I loved the realness of the people, circumstances, and heart-breaking decisions. The characters grow and develop before your eyes, as you are drawn into the life-changing dilemmas faced by George - along with the nagging advice from sister Shirl, and support of friend, neighbour, and 'scientist' Redgum.
Wonderfully written, this book will make you contemplate the meaning of a family and what the 'right' thing to do is when protecting someone you love.
From the stubbourness of George (who I could not help but compare to Carl Fredrickson from Up), to the undisciplined but potential-filled Aurora-Jane 'Rory' and her independent single-mother Angie - I loved the realness of the people, circumstances, and heart-breaking decisions. The characters grow and develop before your eyes, as you are drawn into the life-changing dilemmas faced by George - along with the nagging advice from sister Shirl, and support of friend, neighbour, and 'scientist' Redgum.
Wonderfully written, this book will make you contemplate the meaning of a family and what the 'right' thing to do is when protecting someone you love.
A fantastic Australian general fiction read about love in all it's forms. I loved reading about George, Redgum, the Nguyens and little Rory. It was a heart warming story, full of growth, fun and learning. The characters were beautifully wrought, it was perfectly paced and, well, I absolutely loved it and would highly recommend!
This was possibly the sweetest books I have read in a long time. It was so awesome. I loved it so much. It reminded me very much of a Man Called Ove. So sweet.
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A lovely read. I loved The Book of Lost Threads and was straight onto my rep to get a copy of this. Drama, family and the love of a little girl called Rory. A feel good read and a tear was shed :)
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
A truly delightful read. This book has been in my TBR stack for ages and now I wish I had pulled it sooner to read. I was initially drawn to the cover when I saw it in a bookstore and it has superseded my expectations. The story centres on cranky old George who has lost his beloved wife Penny, one day he is getting mugged in the street when a young lady steps in to save him in more ways than one. This fateful day leads to so many changes in George's life. Relatable, flawed characters, some with secrets and love to give. This book shows that family can be found in the most unlikely of circumstances and it's not always with people you are actually related to. The plot is woven into a poignant, heart-warming, endearing, hopeful and sometimes sad story that will remain with you long after you read the final page. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐#mercystreet #tessevans #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #litsy #storygraph #amazonkindle #bookqueen #bookstagram
4.5★ I enjoyed this - it took a twist I was certainly not expecting partway through! I think I struggled about what to say in a review initially, and now I’ve left it a little too long to write one, because I can’t remember a lot about it. Other than that I was expecting something a little like [b:A Man Called Ove|18774964|A Man Called Ove|Fredrik Backman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405259930s/18774964.jpg|21619954], and it kind of was, but then it went beyond that.