My Rating: 3.5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book. While I can’t say I didn’t enjoy reading this
(I actually enjoyed alot of it, very much so in fact!), there was something
about the way the story was written that made it difficult for me to connect
with the story and its characters as much as I think I was supposed to. Don’t get me wrong – I did like majority of
the characters, of course some more than others. Margaret’s sister Kitty, for example, was one
of my favorite characters – I loved her personality and how unconventional she
was, yet she was there for her sister when she needed her the most. Unlike most of the readers out there who were
probably more touched by the special relationship that Margaret and Ian shared,
I actually found the sisterly bond between Margaret and Kitty to be the most
moving and also the part of the story that I enjoyed most. Perhaps it is because I am a generally
cynical person and so a “fairytale romance” like the one Margaret and Ian had
in the story just didn’t feel realistic to me (the ending didn’t help either
with the way it was so neatly packaged in shiny wrapping paper with the most
beautiful bow on top). The relationship
that Margaret had with her sister Kitty on the other hand, did feel realistic
and the way they interacted – constantly bickering on the outside yet showing
through their actions how much they actually loved and cared about each other
on the inside – felt more genuine than all of the romantic relationships within
the story. Aside from Kitty, I felt that
most of the other characters were a bit stereotypical (yes, including Margaret,
who was at the center of the story), yet despite that, at the end of the day, I
couldn’t help liking these characters even though I didn’t connect as much with
them on an emotional level as I typically would have.
In terms of the story itself, I actually found the plot a
bit too contrived and predictable, with too many coincidences and in some
sections, it felt like too much drama was created unnecessarily – by the end
especially, it felt like the author was trying to pile as much drama on as
possible, which, to me at least, had the unintended effect of causing confusion
and contradiction with some of the plot points.
There are some books out there that are written expressly to convey a
particular message and to me, this book felt like it fell into that category,
as the message that was being conveyed through the story – a message about
hope, resilience, love, courage, etc. -- seemed to matter way more than the
actual plot and maybe even the story itself. Perhaps this is why, despite the fact that I
felt the story was a bit cliched, the plot a bit too predictable, and some (not
all) of the characters were somewhat stereotypical, I still found myself drawn
to the story and not wanting to pull myself away. Indeed, this was a quick read, one that I was
able to plow right through in more or less two days.
Basically, I would say that I liked the story overall as
well as the characters (most of them at least), but unfortunately was not keen
on the execution. While it’s true that
from the getgo, I had some understanding that this book would be a relatively
lighthearted, “feel good,” uplifting read and I guess from that perspective,
this book did its job and then some – though to be honest, I felt the author
went a little “too light” in some places that perhaps should have been more
serious. Also, there were some
consistency issues where it felt like some things were overexplained while
others that should have been explained more were glossed over. I think if this book had been more tightly
written, less cliched, less predictable, it would have been a more emotional read
for me, and a more memorable one as well.
Overall, I did enjoy this one – parts of it at least –
but felt like it could have been so much more.
I would still recommend this book, though more for the “feels” rather
than the plot or the writing, as I felt that both these areas were definitely
lacking. With that said though, this is
one of those books where it’s best to set aside judgement and just go into without
overly high expectations and see where the story leads you.
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