So it's Friday again, and that means another exciting Friday Recommends!This is an exciting book blog hop that book bloggers can take part in once a week to share with their followers, the books that they most recommend reading!
I apologise for the lack of Friday Recommends over the Christmas period - unfortunately things have not been going smoothly for me over this time. I am doing my best to get back on track now though! :)
The rules for Friday Recommends are:
- Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
- Please consider adding the blog hop button to your blog somewhere, so others can find it easily and join in too! Help spread the word! The code will be at the bottom of the post under the linky.
- Pick a book that you've read, and have enjoyed enough to recommend to other readers. It can be a book you've read recently, or a book you read years ago - it's up to you - but make sure you tell us why you love the book (like a mini review). You make the post as long or as short as you like.
- Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of this post after posting your blog post.
- Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.
- Visit the other blogs and enjoy!
A Bit of Earth by Rebecca Smith
Amazon Synopsis:
Susannah Misselthwaite was gazing up at the brightness of the blue sky when the deer leapt in front of the car. She never knew what happened. Her husband Guy, Professor of Botany, hides from his grief in his greenhouse - without Susannah, everything is lost. Meanwhile, little Felix pores over photographs of his mother who is slipping from his memory more each day. Happiest sitting in the branches of a tree in the university's botanical garden, away from the emptiness of home, he presides over the dreams and dramas of those who pass beneath him. Teachers and students, young and old, happy, sad, or filled with longing, all find sanctuary and space for contemplation in this few square feet of soil.
Susannah Misselthwaite was gazing up at the brightness of the blue sky when the deer leapt in front of the car. She never knew what happened. Her husband Guy, Professor of Botany, hides from his grief in his greenhouse - without Susannah, everything is lost. Meanwhile, little Felix pores over photographs of his mother who is slipping from his memory more each day. Happiest sitting in the branches of a tree in the university's botanical garden, away from the emptiness of home, he presides over the dreams and dramas of those who pass beneath him. Teachers and students, young and old, happy, sad, or filled with longing, all find sanctuary and space for contemplation in this few square feet of soil.
The novel begins with the accidental death of Susannah Misselthwaithe, University Librarian, Wife and Mother. This begins the ripples that force their way through the novel, leaving almost no character untouched by the dreadful incident. But those that are hit by the tragedy the worst are her Son, Felix and Husband, Guy. Without Suzannah, or the knowledge of what she was doing on the day she died, Guy is restless and grief-stricken.
Both characters take on such an incredible personal journey, and it's really beautiful to simply watch unfold through the author's compelling narrative. The second half of the novel is really where this beauty starts to unfold. We are introduced to characters that will become central in Guy and Felix's lives; who will form the relationships that will enable them to move on and remember Suzannah without grief or suspicion.
When looking at the goodreads page for this book when I started this post, I discovered that it was rated fairly lowly on average. Looking at the individual reviews, the two or three stars, I think the readers have rated it a little unfairly. Though everyone has their own opinions, I suppose.
But I found it to be a beautiful, compelling and fulfilling read, to the point where I was so upset that I gave my original copy away, that I bought another to keep! I honestly recommend that you give it a go, and persevere to the second half, if required - in my eyes, it's worth it!
What do you recommend this week? Join in with Friday Recommends and let us know!
Add your link below in the linky!
4 comments:
Hey Dani, glad to see that Friday recommends is up and running again. It's one of my favourite weekly features, I mean how fun is it to recommend brilliant books to other people :D
I've not heard of this book before but I shall certainly look out for it.
Hugs Jen xxx
I missed this feature :-) I'm not participating this week but I'll be back next week.
Can I join in with this one, sounds like a great idea...!
Of course you can hun :) xx
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking the time to comment on my blog - it is always appreciated!