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Whatever You Love [Paperback]

Louise Doughty
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Book Description

3 Jun 2010

I stare at the photo. I try to read his gaze, each fold on his face, the slight frown. I study the photo in the same way that a spy might study the face of a counterpart in a rival organisation. I am calm as I make this promise: I am going to find out what you love, then whatever it is, I am going to track it down and I am going to take it away from you.

Two police officers knock on Laura's door and her life changes forever. They tell her that her nine-year old daughter Betty has been hit by a car and killed. When justice is slow to arrive, Laura decides to take her own revenge and begins to track down the man responsible. Laura's grief also re-opens old wounds and she is thrown back to the story of her passionate love affair with Betty's father David, their marriage and his subsequent affair with another woman.

Haunted by her past, and driven to breaking point by her desire for retribution, Laura discovers the lengths she is willing to go to for love.

Whatever You Love is a heart-wrenching novel of revenge, compulsion and desire from acclaimed novelist Louise Doughty.


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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Faber and Faber (3 Jun 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0571254756
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571254750
  • Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.2 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 350,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

'Beautifully constructed and rawly emotional, this is a starkly brilliant and moving investigation of the depths of human despair.' --Financial Times

'Brilliantly defies expectations to the very last page. Unsparing, challenging and terrifically compelling.' --Daily Mail

'At once gripping and tender ... A brilliant and brutal novel that continues to unsettle long after the final page has been turned.' --Observer

Book Description

An astonishing novel of love, loss, and revenge from highly acclaimed writer Louise Doughty.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating read overall 6 Jun 2010
By Bob's Mum TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I was quickly captivated by this book - a story of Laura and the loss of her eldest daughter Betty in a hit and run. Very much an interior monologue, it explores the feelings and emotions and numbness that she experiences as she tries to make sense of the life she has left.

The blurb though, indicates it is a story of revenge. Indeed it is, but the story convolutes into the story of her relationship with David (Betty's father / Laura's husband). This confused me a little - I felt both stories were told well but neither developed fully - I found other details clumsy and difficult to reconcile (I don't want to say what as it would spoil the plot); the end felt rushed and for me, unsatisfying.

Intelligent prose, shocking in places, with a flash forward / flash back timeline makes this a genuinely captivating read though, and one I would recommend.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars A book of two halves 24 Oct 2010
By R. Lawson VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
Three stars overall then..... That's an average of 1 for the first half of the book and 4 (at least) for the second.Almost immediately we are aware that Laura has been divorced following her husband's infidelity. Her daughter has been killed in an accident with a car. Having set the scene, the rest of the first 150 pages are spent telling us that she is upset and angry about each of these events. Sorry if you feel that's spoiled it for you, but actually I thought I might save you having to read the boring and tedious description of Laura's reaction to these events. Her reactions at this stage aren't really surprising and we don't seem to learn much at all. I guess there are a few set up situations that the plot returns to later but it really is tedious writing to have to plough through. You might as well jump straight in at about page 150 and read the rest of the book. Now things get interesting. There's powerful emotion that wobbles on the fine line between the reasonable and the mad, there's jealousy, hatred, protection and revenge. There are surprising plot twists and even a final ambiguity that is rather delicately dangled.
When it has something to say the writing is crisp and incisive. I completed the book with a keen sense of interest, an engagement with the characters and a desire to know how the final plot twists would work out. However, I nearly gave up half way.
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38 of 40 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read with much to think about 26 Jun 2010
By Alison TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
"Whatever You Love" is the first Louise Doughty book I've read and I really enjoyed it. The novel is ostensibly about the loss of Laura's daughter, Betty, whose death we learn of in the first page of the prologue and the impact that it has on Laura's life and the people around her. After the prologue the book is structured into 4 parts which alternate between "before" and "after" the events of Betty's death and provide detailed insight into the life of Laura with a final short epilogue.

The book synopsis on the jacket focusses on the vengeance that Laura wants to take against the man who killed Betty. While this is certainly a strong element of the story, it's somewhat misleading as the story is really about the relationship between Laura and her husband David. Although the book isn't quite what the jacket blurb suggests, it is still a riveting read and I stayed up late one night to read the last 100 pages.

It's a book that made me think - why were people behaving as they were, how do people deal with grief and loss, how perspective changes how a relationship appears to be. Doughty has a lovely realistic feel to her writing; there's a line where she describes a scene where a jar of mayonnaise is thrown and smashes and Doughty writes "Why does mayonnaise go translucent when it gets warm? Am I the only one who finds that sinister?" I just loved that simple observation (and I also think it's sinister!). There are other lovely simple observations that make the characters seen more real.

I'll definitely be looking at Doughty's other books. A recommended read if you like psychological thrillers/suspense that don't follow a standard plot.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Emotional and touching
This is one of the best books I read in 2012. Louise has a gift for making us feel the emotions that her characters are going through. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Hanife
5.0 out of 5 stars A captivating read
What can I put to describe this book without giving the story away. There are many twists and turns that you don't expect, the story leads in a way you think you have got it all... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Vikkie
4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and sensitive
One cannot imagine what it must feel like to lose a child. This books offers a tragic yet sensitive insight into a family's ability to cope with this
Published 2 months ago by thomas
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written but too sad for me
I am not a great reader so it took me a while to finish this book. However I just had to read it all because it held my attention and I had to know how it ended. Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. P. Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars whaqtever you love
A good although sometimes uncomfortable read but believable in the circumstances. I may recommend this to my bookclub in the future
Published 3 months ago by lorna williams
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
This was a terrific book about a heart rending subject. It was totally believable, the characters were incredibly well realised and it dealt with a very difficult subject in a... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mrs. J. Carpenter
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
I enjoyed this book. However, the end just faded without any real conclusion. Worth reading though and a good price.
Published 3 months ago by northern mum
2.0 out of 5 stars A baffling read
If the author hadn't written that one scene( I mean the one between Laura and Mr A when they're at her house) I would have given slightly more. What a messy book anyway. Read more
Published 3 months ago by H. Lacroix
2.0 out of 5 stars whatever you love
This book wasn't for me, it started well but then became a bit boring & one sided, I finished it purely because I don't like letting a book beat me but just wasn't my cup of tea.
Published 3 months ago by Suzi Lockitt
4.0 out of 5 stars Not my usual read
This is not my usual read. I much prefer action or mystery but this held my interest and although the ending was predictable the plot took some interesting turns.
Published 4 months ago by Paul Hall
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