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daja57's review against another edition
3.0
A gently meandering memoir about the author's mother's childhood in a tiny Lincolnshire seaside village; drifting reminiscences in the style of Cider with Rosie but less lyrical; I often drifted away.
The hook is that the author's mother was abducted from the beach when she was three years old and discovered a few days later. The second hook is that the 'parents' from whom she was abducted were not her birth parents; she had been unofficially adopted at the age of three. There is here the makings of a potent human interest story, but these two hooks are dangled repeatedly as unrefreshed bait in the way a cheap television programme keeps on telling you what is coming up so that you don't turn over during the commercial break. My frustration was not soothed by the way that the author flips backwards and forwards between her own narration and the quoted narration of her mother; this is not always clearly signified (often just by a slight change in paragraph indentation) and I found myself confused, from time to time, as to which 'mother' and whose point of view I was following.
The subtitle is 'My mother and other missing persons'; I missed the other missing persons. Where were they? The focus seems entirely on the author's family, plus a smattering of art criticism.
I found this stodgier than it should have been.
The hook is that the author's mother was abducted from the beach when she was three years old and discovered a few days later. The second hook is that the 'parents' from whom she was abducted were not her birth parents; she had been unofficially adopted at the age of three. There is here the makings of a potent human interest story, but these two hooks are dangled repeatedly as unrefreshed bait in the way a cheap television programme keeps on telling you what is coming up so that you don't turn over during the commercial break. My frustration was not soothed by the way that the author flips backwards and forwards between her own narration and the quoted narration of her mother; this is not always clearly signified (often just by a slight change in paragraph indentation) and I found myself confused, from time to time, as to which 'mother' and whose point of view I was following.
The subtitle is 'My mother and other missing persons'; I missed the other missing persons. Where were they? The focus seems entirely on the author's family, plus a smattering of art criticism.
I found this stodgier than it should have been.
kyra_c_c's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this book up on recommendation from a friend and because I was drawn to the promise of a mystery. The book is definitely more memoir than mystery but I still enjoyed it very much. It is so beautifully written and the author's investigation is subtly woven in with stories and postulations about her family. The descriptions of Lincolnshire make it a whole character of its own. If you want a kind of true crime vibe, this is probably going to disappoint, but if you are fascinated with the ins and outs of family bonds and village life, I think you would enjoy it very much. There are also some wonderful descriptions of art in this book which I found compelling, despite knowing nothing about art at all and having to google practically everything she referenced.
angorarabbit's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
TLDR: You should read it.
I really liked Ms Cumming’s evocative writing style. Most of her diversions were interesting and somewhat to the point.
I know from experience that in a city you can lose a family secret. In a village it follows you, usually to the grave.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Pregnancy
Overbearing father.alidottie's review against another edition
3.0
While I was interested in this story, I would have enjoyed it more as a Reader's Digest article rather than a full length book with the author (understandably far more invested in the story) waxing poetic while (over) analyzing photos, paintings and experiences.
sparklymoom's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Using art and famous pieces to link together interpretations of family pictures as the story unravels
Too long and drawn out
Too long and drawn out
10inspace's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.5
A rare book I wish I'd read with my eyeballs instead of my ears.
The writing is ok, but not served by the narration. Likewise the narration would work well with another text. Neither is really bad but the two together made for a difficult read.
The writing is ok, but not served by the narration. Likewise the narration would work well with another text. Neither is really bad but the two together made for a difficult read.