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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
This book was okay but I can’t help feel there wasn’t much of a point to to it. It was almost autobiographical story of her life and didn’t particularly have a point of climax, the book seemed to read at same pace continuously. I was waiting for something exciting or dramatic to happen and that never came. Also the first few chapters when she bangs her head and is in hospital are quite agonising to get through.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My introduction to author Liane Moriarty was her book The Husband’s Secret, which I loved. Later, I read Big Little Lies, which I loved even more. What Alice Forgot is the third book I’ve read from this author.
This book follows three perspectives, with the main one being Alice. This 39-year-old woman hits her head and forgets everything that happened in the last 10 years. Her life has become very different than what she expected. We also see the perspective of her sister Elizabeth, via homework letters to her therapist, and her honorary grandmother Frannie, via letters she writes to a lost love.
What I liked: While the premise of this book sounds straight from a Hallmark movie, it dives a bit deeper into the complexities of relationships. It also deals with the tough topic of infertility. Moriarty writes in a way that always keeps you guessing at the ending.
What I didn’t like: Alice is meant to act like a 29-year-old when she loses her memory as that’s the age she last remembers. However, I felt that she often acted much younger than that and was a bit too naive. While Frannie’s perspective had a sweet plot arch, it didn’t add much to the main plot and likely could have been skipped altogether.
Overall, this is my least favorite of the three Moriarty books I’ve read so far, but it’s still a solid read and I’d recommend it. It’s also one of her earlier books, which leads me to believe her writing has gotten better and better over the years.
Loved this book from the first chapter. It was hard to put down. Liane Moriarty is an exceptional writer. The present is expertly interjected with tiny hints of the past, which makes you love Alice all the more. The journey of her reconnection with her children, her sister and her husband make for heartwarming and often hilarious writing. How can you dislike a character's shadow self so much without even being properly introduced. Liane teases you with hints and innuendo. But enough to truly get who Alice once was. It's like Alice woke up from a bad dream which was what her life had become and gets to rewrite her story. Don't you just want to do that some days? However I wouldn't mind coming to after bumping my head to find I had a thin, toned body!
Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
Having read all of Liane Moriarty’s novels previously, this one left me with a feeling of Ugh.
It took me forever to get through, simply for the saccharine quality.
So disappointing.
Having read all of Liane Moriarty’s novels previously, this one left me with a feeling of Ugh.
It took me forever to get through, simply for the saccharine quality.
So disappointing.
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved the plot of this book & how it made me reflect on family life, relationships & adulthood.
Didn’t really see the point of Frannie’s blog posts & the ending was a bit expected, but overall a fun & binge-worthy read!
Didn’t really see the point of Frannie’s blog posts & the ending was a bit expected, but overall a fun & binge-worthy read!
I enjoyed this one, although not quite as much as her other two books but I think that is because I missed the mystery aspect. I enjoyed the writing and I liked the "Old Alice" character, although I was not a fan of "New Alice." I wished there had been more time devoted to after she got her memory back so that I could see more how the good in old Alice helped turn new Alice into a best of both worlds Alice. But as it was left it was tied up in a nice little bow too much for my taste without exploring the difficulty in getting to the bow. I enjoyed Elizabeth's entries about her struggles with infertility and I think I cared more about what happened to her than I did Alice. And although I liked Frannies excerpts I kind of kept wondering why they were there since they didn't have a whole lot to do with Alice. But it was a good read and it did make me think about if 20 year old me would be happy with where I am at today and what my hopes are for when I am 40.