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so_elle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
deakinpamyn913's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jalynnschroeder's review
5.0
“It’s easier to believe a lie you’ve heard hundreds of times than the truth you’ve only heard once”
The narration on this was fantastic. The accents of each character truly made me feel like I was there. This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story with a few twists and turns along the way. Definitely recommend!
The narration on this was fantastic. The accents of each character truly made me feel like I was there. This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story with a few twists and turns along the way. Definitely recommend!
judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
From the bestselling author of [b:The Letter|24914304|The Letter|Kathryn Hughes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459813389l/24914304._SY75_.jpg|25520000], Kathryn Hughes returns with THE MEMORY BOX, a beautiful, timeless, and heartrending story of love in a time of war.
I adore everything the talented storyteller Kathryn Hughes writes. She dives deep into the hearts and souls of her characters, and they come alive on the page. THE MEMORY BOX is spellbinding, and the audiobook was swoon-worthy, narrated by the extraordinary Rachel Atkins. I was glued to the audiobook (and the book) for days and could not wait to get back to it.
Unforgettable. Utterly captivating! The characters still linger after the last page is turned.
Kathryn is engaging, witty, funny, and sassy, and her dual timelines are the BEST. Hughes is one of my favorite historical fiction authors of all time. Both the past and present are equally as compelling. Every book is absorbing and tantalizing, drawing you into the lives of her vivid characters and everything going on around them. Her style is unique and unlike any other author. Top Books of the year list.
Jenny (who just turned 100 yrs old) is one of the best characters. I fell in love with her immediately. She has had a rough life and is stronger for it. She resides in the Green Meadows retirement community.
She reflects upon her past with the young Candice, that works at the home. As she looks through her precious keepsakes in her memory box, she realizes there is one important painful journey she must make before it is too late. She must go return to Italy.
Jenny is smart, funny, feisty, razor-sharp, wise, and what I would hope to be at her age. I also enjoyed the gay friend, Frank, whose partner had passed, and he moved into the home.
Candice, her caregiver, and employee, is a highly relatable character with a crappy manipulative, abusive, dirtbag-controlling boyfriend, Beau, and Jenny is just the person to mentor and guide her. (her banter was laugh-out-loud).
Their Italy trip was truly mesmerizing. I laughed out loud and wanted to push Beau off a cliff. He was one nasty guy. There is so much backstory here, and it feels as though you are sitting down with a cup of tea or coffee with your grandmother, and she is telling you a story of her past. Intimate and entrancing! Wouldn't that be fun if we could get our grandparents to spill their deep dark secrets?
There are jaw-dropping twists and surprises before the book ends, which will keep you glued to the pages. Utterly, unputdownable and spectacular.
At the end of the book, the author writes about her Inspiration for THE MEMORY BOX, which I adored with some key recommended reads about women in Italy, the war, and more about this time tragic period in the forties and fifties.
You will laugh and cry. Just finished and wanted to let everyone know they must read this book. I have read all her books except [b:Her Last Promise|56982615|Her Last Promise|Kathryn Hughes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612722380l/56982615._SY75_.jpg|69122561] (not sure how I missed it) and could not purchase the audiobook fast enough. Cannot wait.
In addition to this one, check out [b:The Secret|31345936|The Secret|Kathryn Hughes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470273742l/31345936._SY75_.jpg|48998093], [b:The Key|37662949|The Key|Kathryn Hughes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516229490l/37662949._SY75_.jpg|56281996], [b:The Letter|18160436|The Letter|Kathryn Hughes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372891944l/18160436._SY75_.jpg|25520000]. Her audiobooks are highly engaging and magnetic.
If you have not read this author, highly recommend reading every single one. I am not particularly a huge fan of historical fiction, but trust me, this book and all her books are the BEST!
Heartwarming, powerful, riveting, and thought-provoking. Character-driven and plot-driven, fans of Catherine Ryan Hyde, Elizabeth Berg, Patti Callahan Henry, and Kristin Hannah will devour this one.
A special thank you to Headline and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy. Also purchased the audiobook narrated by the fabulous Rachel Atkins - always a treat!
Blog:
#JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating:
I adore everything the talented storyteller Kathryn Hughes writes. She dives deep into the hearts and souls of her characters, and they come alive on the page. THE MEMORY BOX is spellbinding, and the audiobook was swoon-worthy, narrated by the extraordinary Rachel Atkins. I was glued to the audiobook (and the book) for days and could not wait to get back to it.
Unforgettable. Utterly captivating! The characters still linger after the last page is turned.
Kathryn is engaging, witty, funny, and sassy, and her dual timelines are the BEST. Hughes is one of my favorite historical fiction authors of all time. Both the past and present are equally as compelling. Every book is absorbing and tantalizing, drawing you into the lives of her vivid characters and everything going on around them. Her style is unique and unlike any other author. Top Books of the year list.
Jenny (who just turned 100 yrs old) is one of the best characters. I fell in love with her immediately. She has had a rough life and is stronger for it. She resides in the Green Meadows retirement community.
She reflects upon her past with the young Candice, that works at the home. As she looks through her precious keepsakes in her memory box, she realizes there is one important painful journey she must make before it is too late. She must go return to Italy.
Jenny is smart, funny, feisty, razor-sharp, wise, and what I would hope to be at her age. I also enjoyed the gay friend, Frank, whose partner had passed, and he moved into the home.
Candice, her caregiver, and employee, is a highly relatable character with a crappy manipulative, abusive, dirtbag-controlling boyfriend, Beau, and Jenny is just the person to mentor and guide her. (her banter was laugh-out-loud).
Their Italy trip was truly mesmerizing. I laughed out loud and wanted to push Beau off a cliff. He was one nasty guy. There is so much backstory here, and it feels as though you are sitting down with a cup of tea or coffee with your grandmother, and she is telling you a story of her past. Intimate and entrancing! Wouldn't that be fun if we could get our grandparents to spill their deep dark secrets?
There are jaw-dropping twists and surprises before the book ends, which will keep you glued to the pages. Utterly, unputdownable and spectacular.
At the end of the book, the author writes about her Inspiration for THE MEMORY BOX, which I adored with some key recommended reads about women in Italy, the war, and more about this time tragic period in the forties and fifties.
You will laugh and cry. Just finished and wanted to let everyone know they must read this book. I have read all her books except [b:Her Last Promise|56982615|Her Last Promise|Kathryn Hughes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612722380l/56982615._SY75_.jpg|69122561] (not sure how I missed it) and could not purchase the audiobook fast enough. Cannot wait.
In addition to this one, check out [b:The Secret|31345936|The Secret|Kathryn Hughes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470273742l/31345936._SY75_.jpg|48998093], [b:The Key|37662949|The Key|Kathryn Hughes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516229490l/37662949._SY75_.jpg|56281996], [b:The Letter|18160436|The Letter|Kathryn Hughes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372891944l/18160436._SY75_.jpg|25520000]. Her audiobooks are highly engaging and magnetic.
If you have not read this author, highly recommend reading every single one. I am not particularly a huge fan of historical fiction, but trust me, this book and all her books are the BEST!
Heartwarming, powerful, riveting, and thought-provoking. Character-driven and plot-driven, fans of Catherine Ryan Hyde, Elizabeth Berg, Patti Callahan Henry, and Kristin Hannah will devour this one.
A special thank you to Headline and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy. Also purchased the audiobook narrated by the fabulous Rachel Atkins - always a treat!
Blog:
#JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating:
whiskeywoman79's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.25
⭐⭐⭐/5
Historical Fiction / Romance / World War II / Love Triangle / HEARTBREAKING / Mystery
It was heartbreaking and I wasn't ready. I was torn apart by the details of the war. I am used to hearing the American and German parts in it, but hearing of Italy's and events in Poland was different and unsettling. It had me picking up the phone to call my own family having had a great-grandmother who told us stories of her part and things.
It wasn't what I was expecting. In many ways, it was a story of toxicity and abuse, in others, it was a story of overcoming and growth. I never saw half of this story coming!! Emotional on all levels, but it was slow and at times I felt like wasn't going to make it to the end. I am glad I did, it is not a genre I normally read and it will be a while before I pick another up but overall I felt like it was worth reading.
Historical Fiction / Romance / World War II / Love Triangle / HEARTBREAKING / Mystery
It was heartbreaking and I wasn't ready. I was torn apart by the details of the war. I am used to hearing the American and German parts in it, but hearing of Italy's and events in Poland was different and unsettling. It had me picking up the phone to call my own family having had a great-grandmother who told us stories of her part and things.
It wasn't what I was expecting. In many ways, it was a story of toxicity and abuse, in others, it was a story of overcoming and growth. I never saw half of this story coming!! Emotional on all levels, but it was slow and at times I felt like wasn't going to make it to the end. I am glad I did, it is not a genre I normally read and it will be a while before I pick another up but overall I felt like it was worth reading.
mixingrealitywithfiction's review against another edition
5.0
Simply stunning. Starting the new year with a bang, what a book. Phenomenal.
In The Memory Box we follow Jenny as she reminisces her life to date. She is 100 years old and needs to tie up those niggly loose ends in order to put her past behind her. Her story will grip you and make you feel all kinds of emotion. Alongside Jenny’s story is Candice’s ‘right now’ story. She’s in love with Beau but a knock at the door leaves her questioning Beau’s authenticity - I think authenticity is the right word anyway!
But, this book does have a turn of events that I didn’t see coming but it was just perfect for this book and for Jenny.
This is a truly beautiful book and one that will stay with me. It is a dual timeline, set between current day and 1940’s WW2 onwards and will transport you to Wales, Italy and not so sunny England.
Unputdownable, gripping and heartbreakingly uplifting.
In The Memory Box we follow Jenny as she reminisces her life to date. She is 100 years old and needs to tie up those niggly loose ends in order to put her past behind her. Her story will grip you and make you feel all kinds of emotion. Alongside Jenny’s story is Candice’s ‘right now’ story. She’s in love with Beau but a knock at the door leaves her questioning Beau’s authenticity - I think authenticity is the right word anyway!
But, this book does have a turn of events that I didn’t see coming but it was just perfect for this book and for Jenny.
This is a truly beautiful book and one that will stay with me. It is a dual timeline, set between current day and 1940’s WW2 onwards and will transport you to Wales, Italy and not so sunny England.
Unputdownable, gripping and heartbreakingly uplifting.
calcitestar's review
5.0
Brilliant book. I chose quickly and didn’t appreciate the depth of this book. Several twists in the story even right at the end.well worth the time to read.
ingabbjarna's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Death of parent and Death
car155a's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0