Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great read - Didn't want it to end!, 25 Jul 2000
By A Customer
This was the first ever book I've read by this author, but it won't be the last. The arrival of Nina in a small village interupts the sleepy lives of the couples, bringing to the forefront their feelings for each other. After the end of a year none of them will ever look at their lives or marriages in the same way. This book is not for the faint hearted as there are some very 'hot' sex scenes, but they are very well written. Once I got into this book I didn't want to put it down, but then I didn't want it to end either!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
not bad but not good either, 29 Jan 2008
Rosie is good writer and she knows how to draw you into a story. This book is a character driven novel, dealing with various couples and their bad marriages. The plot does not build up to a climax, the story kind of ambles along with some small climaxes.
The problem I have with this book is that almost all the characters are deeply unsympathetic and unlikeable. I get the impression that Rosie Thomas does not believe in marriage. All marriages portrayed here are depressing. There is no love between any of the couples. Everyone acts selfishly.
The main character, Nina, is a selfabsorbed aloof widdow, weaseling herself into a circle of friends, then sleeps with two of the men without even thinking of their wives. When she wants a baby, she just decides to get pregnant and tells everyone it is just HER baby, the father is irrelevant. This to me seems very selfish and unfair to the father, and the baby. but then again, Nina only ever worries about herself. You feel no empathy for her. I actually quite disliked her.
The men are all called Michael, Andrew, James (Jim) etc. and are all the same person it seems, in their middle class middle age stereotypical behaviour (bed every woman they can, then go back running to their families). Some of the wives seem nice, I kind of liked Hannah and Vicky, but they are unfathful too. Not because they are in love, they just seem bored.
There is no love in this book, and also no humour at all. That makes it all a rather depressing story with the bottom line that all marriages are frauds, everyone will sleep around if they can. This could be all quite witty or dark, but it is neither. Just like the marriages decribed here, it is actually all rather dull.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Old Favourite, 22 Feb 2007
I find Rosie Thomas books to either be very good, or very bad - this is one of the very good ones. I have read it numerous times, it is just one of those books you know you can pick up and still enjoy - the plot is interesting, yet undemanding and the characterisation is very good. Highly recommended.
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