Scan barcode
soniapage's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful story with an ending I wasn't expecting at all. I found some parts to drag a little but now that I'm finished with it maybe it was all necessary after all. There is supposed to be a movie version I would like to see.
melissasbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Random Harvest is one of my favorite movies. Made in 1942 and starring Greer Garson and Ronald Coleman, this movie tugged at my heartstrings. So, when the Kindle version of the original book became available, I wanted to read the story that inspired this much loved movie. Unfortunately, in this case, the movie for me was actually better than the book. The book is more philosophical and doesn't focus on the bittersweet story as much as the movie. More concerned with the war and politics of the day, this book is interesting, but lacks the warmth that the movie creates. Mrs. Rainer is somewhat of a mystery and remains an aloof character. Charles is at times sympathetic and at times annoying.
Unlike the movie, the book begins with a train conversation in which two men meet and Charles reveals to the stranger that there is a span of time after he fought in WWI where he can't remember. He shares how he was found after being hit by a car and cannot remember why he was in Liverpool nor what had happened to him in the previous two years between being wounded in the war and then being hit by a car. The story progresses from there with Charles always searching for the lost memories. The book is divided into 5 parts and goes from past to present until we are finally clued in to what happened during those missing years towards the end of the book. The movie takes the opposite approach as we see what happened when Charles was wounded to the present. In someways, this approach is more meaningful because the audience knows the truth while we painfully watch Charles fumbling around for his lost memories. The book is worth a read, but to me the movie will always be better.
Unlike the movie, the book begins with a train conversation in which two men meet and Charles reveals to the stranger that there is a span of time after he fought in WWI where he can't remember. He shares how he was found after being hit by a car and cannot remember why he was in Liverpool nor what had happened to him in the previous two years between being wounded in the war and then being hit by a car. The story progresses from there with Charles always searching for the lost memories. The book is divided into 5 parts and goes from past to present until we are finally clued in to what happened during those missing years towards the end of the book. The movie takes the opposite approach as we see what happened when Charles was wounded to the present. In someways, this approach is more meaningful because the audience knows the truth while we painfully watch Charles fumbling around for his lost memories. The book is worth a read, but to me the movie will always be better.
bnitch's review
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
halfcentreader's review against another edition
4.0
James Hilton is a writer of a bygone era, but I find myself settling in and getting comfortable when reading his books. I truly enjoyed this and was completely taken in by the reasoning behind Charles' memory lapse. I think though that I figured out the ending a bit soon which made me impatient the last 50 or so pages.
soph22's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, War, Child death, Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, and Body horror
melissasbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Random Harvest is one of my favorite movies. Made in 1942 and starring Greer Garson and Ronald Coleman, this movie tugged at my heartstrings. So, when the Kindle version of the original book became available, I wanted to read the story that inspired this much loved movie. Unfortunately, in this case, the movie for me was actually better than the book. The book is more philosophical and doesn't focus on the bittersweet story as much as the movie. More concerned with the war and politics of the day, this book is interesting, but lacks the warmth that the movie creates. Mrs. Rainer is somewhat of a mystery and remains an aloof character. Charles is at times sympathetic and at times annoying.
Unlike the movie, the book begins with a train conversation in which two men meet and Charles reveals to the stranger that there is a span of time after he fought in WWI where he can't remember. He shares how he was found after being hit by a car and cannot remember why he was in Liverpool nor what had happened to him in the previous two years between being wounded in the war and then being hit by a car. The story progresses from there with Charles always searching for the lost memories. The book is divided into 5 parts and goes from past to present until we are finally clued in to what happened during those missing years towards the end of the book. The movie takes the opposite approach as we see what happened when Charles was wounded to the present. In someways, this approach is more meaningful because the audience knows the truth while we painfully watch Charles fumbling around for his lost memories. The book is worth a read, but to me the movie will always be better.
Unlike the movie, the book begins with a train conversation in which two men meet and Charles reveals to the stranger that there is a span of time after he fought in WWI where he can't remember. He shares how he was found after being hit by a car and cannot remember why he was in Liverpool nor what had happened to him in the previous two years between being wounded in the war and then being hit by a car. The story progresses from there with Charles always searching for the lost memories. The book is divided into 5 parts and goes from past to present until we are finally clued in to what happened during those missing years towards the end of the book. The movie takes the opposite approach as we see what happened when Charles was wounded to the present. In someways, this approach is more meaningful because the audience knows the truth while we painfully watch Charles fumbling around for his lost memories. The book is worth a read, but to me the movie will always be better.
sunny76's review against another edition
4.0
At times, a little slow, but the ending...all I can say is wow, I would never have gone there - not in a million years. Highly recommended, just don't read the ending first - I have never understood people like that.
eandrews80's review against another edition
2.0
Great premise, disappointing follow-through. I'm very surprised that I didn't like this; other reviews praise it for being engrossing, but I found most of it to be quite dull. Charles Rainier is an English politician and businessman who can't remember a few years of his life due to a WWI head injury. While set at the eve of WWII, most of the book is comprised of flashbacks to Rainier's life, eventually including scenes from his missing years. And, of course, there are women involved -- a cold present-day wife and the promise of an old, fiery romance that Rainier can't quite remember.
Sounds fantastic, right? Unfortunately, the book needs a shocking amount of editing; it is filled with tangents, superfluous characters, and a lot of talk about the state of England during and between the World Wars. Perhaps it's my fault for wanting to concentrate on the personal drama rather than the sociopolitical context, but I found myself frequently impatient, wading through pages about England when I *really* just wanted to concentrate on Rainier and his amnesia. I hear there's a terrific movie version available; perhaps I'll like that better.
Sounds fantastic, right? Unfortunately, the book needs a shocking amount of editing; it is filled with tangents, superfluous characters, and a lot of talk about the state of England during and between the World Wars. Perhaps it's my fault for wanting to concentrate on the personal drama rather than the sociopolitical context, but I found myself frequently impatient, wading through pages about England when I *really* just wanted to concentrate on Rainier and his amnesia. I hear there's a terrific movie version available; perhaps I'll like that better.
phantomgecko's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
I saw the movie a decade or so ago. The movie's better.
This book joins <u>Remains of the Day</u> and <u>Howard's End</u> in that aspect. They have this absolutely devastating instance of human relationship that could and should be the focus of the novel. Instead, the author is like, y'all let's water down all this pathos with hundreds of pages of what should be an essay instead of a novel. (The movies, however, say, people don't care about the author's vanilla social commentaries, but they sure like seeing and empathizing tragic romantic situations. Hint: people care about other people and how they feel.)
There was zero need to get into the ups and downs of the British stock market in the 20s. Or how boring and British Charles' family is. Or flirting with his niece. Vast amounts of this book could have been removed for its betterment.
I understand that the juxtaposition between Charles with and without a past is important. That's the pathos, baby. But Part Two really could've just been, like, two pages, and the sentiment would've been adequately portrayed.
I like books that invite you to ponder deeply, to reflect on your perspective, to weigh hard choices against harder choices. This book isn't like that at all. I think it tries to be. But instead of painting a picture and letting the reader interpret, this book monologues and sermonizes and lectures. So freaking boring.
C- though for the premise.
This book joins <u>Remains of the Day</u> and <u>Howard's End</u> in that aspect. They have this absolutely devastating instance of human relationship that could and should be the focus of the novel. Instead, the author is like, y'all let's water down all this pathos with hundreds of pages of what should be an essay instead of a novel. (The movies, however, say, people don't care about the author's vanilla social commentaries, but they sure like seeing and empathizing tragic romantic situations. Hint: people care about other people and how they feel.)
There was zero need to get into the ups and downs of the British stock market in the 20s. Or how boring and British Charles' family is. Or flirting with his niece. Vast amounts of this book could have been removed for its betterment.
I understand that the juxtaposition between Charles with and without a past is important. That's the pathos, baby. But Part Two really could've just been, like, two pages, and the sentiment would've been adequately portrayed.
I like books that invite you to ponder deeply, to reflect on your perspective, to weigh hard choices against harder choices. This book isn't like that at all. I think it tries to be. But instead of painting a picture and letting the reader interpret, this book monologues and sermonizes and lectures. So freaking boring.
C- though for the premise.