Showing posts with label Rosamund Lupton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rosamund Lupton. Show all posts

Sunday, December 20, 2015

The Quality of Silence (Rosamund Lupton)

Rosamund Lupton's truly stunning The Quality of Silence is a book probably unlike anything you've read before.  The gripping plotline will make your heart pound as it races to its powerful climax.

We begin with Yasmin and Ruby, an English mother and daughter trying to find Matt, their husband/father, in the Alaskan wilderness.  Authorities have never searched for him, convinced that he perished in a fire with villagers he was staying with.  Yasmin refuses to believe this, and so sets off to find him with Ruby in tow; Ruby just happens to be deaf which plays an integral part in the story.  Getting to the village is almost impossible, so Yasmin steals a big rig truck.  Of course, there are plenty of obstacles, such as an enormous storm and someone ominously following them in their own truck; this person will apparently do anything in his power to prevent them from finding Matt.

Besides the engrossing plot, what makes The Quality of Silence also great is that the setting is almost a character in and of itself.  Lupton's descriptions of the Alaskan terrain are mesmerizing, and we as readers can't help but root Yasmin and Ruby on in their determined quest.

MY RATING - 4

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Sister (Rosamund Lupton)


Deciding what book to read next (out of the millions out there) is a task in and of itself. In addition to 1776books, I also review for Bookloons and review books related to education for the Summit Series for Families website. At any given time, I am reading 4-5 books, usually of different genres so I don't confuse myself. For 1776books, I rely on a few trusted publications for suggestions. Sister got monster reviews from most of the "big guys", with author Alafair Burke saying that "Sister is an absolutely stunning debut. The ending will leave you reeling." Not really, Ms. Burke.

Having just read SJ Watson's truly stunning debut, Before I Go to Sleep, I jumped right in to this one. Beatrice is a woman living the "high life" in the States, with a boyfriend, designer clothes, and a great job. One day, she receives a nightmare call that her sister, Tess, is missing in London. Lupton tells the story of what truly happened to Tess in a highly creative way, setting much of the novel in the future, and having Beatrice relive the events in her testimony to a lawyer.

For the first three-fourths of Sister, I could not put it down. However, then I found myself putting it down more and more. By the last chapter, I was anxious to read this "ending" that Burke speaks of. Unfortunately, rather than have the effect that Lupton probably wanted, I was let down.

For a truly great book about sisters, read The Thirteenth Tale.

MY RATING - 3