I gave this book three (3) stars.
My first thoughts were ‘What a strange book?’ – You follow the life of nine year old Frankie who has lost almost everything in her life after the death of her mother. This book is intense to say the least. It covers some very triggering and sensitive topics so please be mindful of this.
I really enjoyed the majority of the book. It had a few different story lines following different people but all linked back to one another in some way which was very intriguing and clever of the author Julie Lancaster. Each story was rather messed up. The characters experiences were traumatising and very intense. It’s the kind of book where there were practically no positives or light hearted pathways for any character. The only set of positive relationships didn’t lead anywhere, with minimal story around them.
The book does something tricky but clever and to be honest, well executed; It did time jumps each paragraph and spoke about characters who were already deceased showing their part played in the past to the story in the present. You also jump times to different parts of each persons story and it all comes together in the present to make a huge, complicated and mind boggling reality for Frankie. The funny thing is, we as readers are the only ones who know the truth which gives a sense of power but frustration for the characters.
Although I enjoyed the majority of the book, I really didn’t like the ending. It was almost like it was cut short and the author had just stopped writing or decided to cut the entire story off at a random point giving no answers whatsoever to so many mysteries within this book. It really disappointed me and was not the kind of ending I would have anticipated, wanted or written myself to cap off this story for the sake of the consumers enjoyment and in general.
The book really does take you on a journey but the way I describe it is a long car ride to your holiday destination. Hours and hours of driving, seeing the country side, animals, homes and general scenery and it looks beautiful, but then the car runs out of gas and you never reach your destination. It felt very underwhelming considering it was such a dynamic story!
Overall it’s a well written book and the storyline is intense but the ending fell short and flat. It could be a great ending for some but for me it wasn’t a great experience at all and I felt very annoyed at the very end feeling really let down. Some may think it could be the mysterious, awesome cliff hanger that makes you frustrated but happy but for me this was not a cliff hanger but more of a falling off the cliff after standing there balancing for ages.
My Goodreads review
The Weight of Small Things by Julie LancasterMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
My first thoughts were 'What a strange book?' - You follow the life of nine year old Frankie who has lost almost everything in her life after the death of her mother. This book is intense to say the least. It covers some very triggering and sensitive topics so please be mindful of this.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book and as it approached the end, so basically the majority of it. I really didn't like the ending though. It was almost like it was cut short and the author had just stopped writing. It really disappointed me and was not the kind of ending I would have anticipated, wanted or written myself to cap of this story.
The book takes you on a journey. The way I describe it is a long car ride to your holiday destination. Hours and hours of driving, seeing the country side, animals, homes and general scenery and it looks beautiful, but then the car runs out of gas and you never reach your destination. It felt very underwhelming considering it was such a dynamic story!
Overall it's a well written book and the storyline is intense but the ending fell short and flat. It could be a great ending for some but for me it wasn't a great experience at all.
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Thank you so much for reading. If you have read this book please let me know your thoughts.
Stay wonderful!
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