My first comment to anyone about to embark on this book is…..”stick with it”, the first few chapters seem to go by very slowly with very little to hook the reader into continuing, however by continuing, you do come across a very readable and charming story. The characters are well defined, the story eventually being told by two women, a mother and daughter, I found I enjoyed the Mother, Debra's story more than I did the main character, Jordyn. It is not until quite a way into the book, that you figure out where it is going, and once you realise what’s coming, the book does seem to whizz by, almost too fast, coming to a rather quick and abrupt end.
Razberry Rating:
There is almost the feeling that the author was so eager to get the last few chapters written and the obvious conclusion done, that the ending feels a little rushed, it doesn’t matter that it becomes obvious where the story is going, the meandering way the rest of the story is told seems juxtapositioned with a rushed ending, and a huge trick is missed in not writing more about the two women's relationship and how this changes by the end of the book.
The author has been very clever in bringing in another book, The Undiscovered Novelist is, of course, about a first time author attempting to get her work published, and that work can then be bought and read as a separate novel, what a clever way to get readers hooked, wanting to know more; throughout The Undiscovered Novelist, you are given little breadcrumbs about the book at the centre of the story, and if these are enough to whet your appetite, you can then go ahead and buy the second book.
My biggest criticism of this book is a finicky silly one, the main character refers to her mother Debra, throughout the entire book as 'Mother', and after getting to know both Jordyn and Debra, this just doesn’t ring true, I found it strangely irritating, that she wasn’t Mom (or Mum), but the very fact that this is my biggest criticism, is testament to the fact that I really did enjoy this gentle easy to read novel.