Hello and welcome to the first Noble Paiges Book Club discussion! Today we're going to talk about our first book: What I Had Before I Had You by Sarah Cornwell!
Question #1: Did you like the author's style of switching between Olivia as a teenager to Olivia as a mother? Did you feel as though you knew Olivia better and did you think her character was developed throughout the book?
Paige's response: I did like how she switched between young Olivia and older Olivia. Having two stories in one broke it up and made the story more interesting for me. Since the story was told from Olivia's perspective it helped me "figure her out" and realize why she is the way she is.
Your thoughts? Your turn! Leave your comments below with QUESTION #1 written first so we know which question you're referring to :)
Question #2: This book explores Bipolar Disorder as well as psychic abilities. What did you think of the way the author intertwined these two mental issues?
Paige's response: It was A LOT to handle!! The mother was so off her rocker, if anything, it made me want to be a better mom. It was all a bit much for me, if I'm being honest :)
Your thoughts? Your turn! Leave your comments below with QUESTION #2 written first so we know which question you're referring to :)
**************************************
Question #3: What did you think when Olivia saw her 'sisters?' What did you think when she found her family in New York?
**************************************
Question #3: What did you think when Olivia saw her 'sisters?' What did you think when she found her family in New York?
Paige's response: I really thought her sisters were ghosts throughout the book until she actually found them in New York! So weird. I was hopeful that once she found some real family that cared about her she'd be able to turn her life around. And she mostly did, but it seems like things still turned out sad for Olivia.
Your thoughts? Your turn! Leave your comments below with QUESTION #3 written first so we know which question you're referring to :)
***************************************
Question #4: Did you like the ending?
Paige's response: Ya know, this book was not what I thought it was going to be! It was really hard for me to get into, very scattered, and made me a bit sad and depressed. I'm very glad she found her son, but I don't feel like they lived "happily ever after". So. I give it a 2 out of 10. :) But that's just my humble opinion!
Your thoughts? Your turn! Leave your comments below with QUESTION #4 written first so we know which question you're referring to :)
And be sure to visit Kelsey Noble's blog for the other half of the discussion!
And now I'm so super happy to announce the next book cuz I've heard nothing but good things and Kelsey has already read it so she knows it's a winner: THE ROSIE PROJECT by Graeme Simsion:
THE ART OF LOVE IS NEVER A SCIENCE
MEET DON TILLMAN, a brilliant yet socially challenged professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife. And so, in the orderly, evidence-based manner with which Don approaches all things, he designs the Wife Project to find his perfect partner: a sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers.
Rosie Jarman is all these things. She also is strangely beguiling, fiery, and intelligent. And while Don quickly disqualifies her as a candidate for the Wife Project, as a DNA expert Don is particularly suited to help Rosie on her own quest: identifying her biological father. When an unlikely relationship develops as they collaborate on the Father Project, Don is forced to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that, despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love, it finds you.
Arrestingly endearing and entirely unconventional, Graeme Simsion’s distinctive debut will resonate with anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of great challenges. The Rosie Project is a rare find: a book that restores our optimism in the power of human connection.
Hop on over to Kelsey's blog because she's doing a giveaway for the copy of the book!
Our next Noble Paiges discussion of THE ROSIE PROJECT by Graeme Simsion will be on Saturday June 7th 2014 so you've got lots of time to read :) :) :)
I did like that the author had two time lines going throughout the book, but felt that the transitions between the two could've been smoother and more concise at times.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Olivia's character, I felt I understood her a bit better because of the two timelines. I see what the author was attempting to do to show us how and why Olivia turned out the way she did. I just think the author fell short. I felt some of the other characters were better developed than the main. I actually think the character development of her mother, and her mental health illness, gave me a better understanding of why Olivia was the way she was.
ReplyDeleteHi Paige,
ReplyDeleteI just started reading your blog after CAR, so I missed the first book of your club. But I got the next one the Rosie Project as a birthday presendt from my boss at work and already read it. It is such a great book. i absolutely recommend it for reading. have so much fun.
And now I go over to the noble blog to enter for the giveaway, perhaps I can read this great book in english then.
Greetings
Cornelia
I was kind of sad I missed the first book. Until I read your reviews lol
ReplyDeleteI'm excited for this next one though :)
Paige, I agree with your rating wholeheartedly. Would not recommend to a friend. Excited about the new book! :)
ReplyDeleteQuestion #1: I thought the younger Olivia and older Olivia story line, gave the reader a good look into what her life was like growing up with a mother who was bipolar and experienced mental health issues, and what Olivia's experience was like being bipolar as an adult.
ReplyDeleteQuestion #2: At times I felt like I was bipolar while reading the book!! There was a lot to take in, and I felt like things were a little disjointed, going from Olivia seeing her mother in such an adoring fashion and then doing a 180 to despising her. I guess it is typical teenage behavior, and that could have possibly been a starting point for the bipolar disorder to begin manifesting for Olivia??
ReplyDeleteQuestion #3: I was slightly confused, since this was the beginning of the story and I just couldn't tie in the title of the book with a lot of what was happening in the story. And meeting her family in New York definitely continued the theme of a very dysfunctional family. Each person had issues, but there were never any redemptive qualities built up for the characters, by the author.
ReplyDeleteQuestion #4: I thought the ending was very abrupt, but I think it showed that even though the relationship with her mother had been a conflicted one, Olivia was still strongly attached to her. I also thought there really was no resolution to the characters stories, especially between Olivia and her daughter.
ReplyDelete