A Lifetime Burning
15 journalers for this copy...
A Lifetime Burning is a fascinating study of incest within a family, and how love can sometimes wreck lives.... I found it very sad, especially the ending, but there were no surprises there, as the book starts at Flora's funeral and then goes back in time to explain how the Dunbar family ended up at that point.
I have to say that initially the chopping and changing with dates did make me a little irritated....but only because i would be enjoying a section set in say 1987 which would suddenly end and you were plummeted back to 1952! But yes, the back dating was needed, so that you could understand the complexity of Flora & Rory's relationship.
This book is sooooo different from Emotional Geology that i cant compare the two. It is dark, gripping and unputdownable..... I really didnt want it to end :o)
I'm eagerly awaiting Linda's 3rd novel....what will she hit us with next?
Released 17 yrs ago (3/7/2007 UTC) at RABCK in RABCK, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Going to LindyLouMac
Hope you enjoy it as much as i did hon :o)
The story of the Dunbar’s and their complicated familial relationships will stay with me, long after I finished reading. It is a disturbing but compelling tale as one is drawn into the lives of the family members.
The jumping backwards and forwards in time of the narrative I at first found confusing and had me flicking back and forth checking points. However for me this style added considerably to the understanding, because of the complexity of the story. I am intrigued as to how Linda Gillard tackled the writing of these different sections? Anyway the technique works very well with Flora’s narrative starting the novel with her own funeral and then continuing to be inserted throughout.
I admire Linda for tackling such a difficult theme so sensitively without causing angst.
I feel that I could say more but not without spoiling the plot for those who have yet to read this.
I am now encouraging family, friends, Bookcrossers and others to read the work of this brilliant new author if they have not already discovered her themselves.
The copy I have finished reading is now going to travel as a Bookring on Bookcrossing.
Thanks Linda for a very enjoyable few hours immersed in the life of the Dunbar’s. I am very much looking forward to the publication of your third novel.
I have left a few spaces for latecomers as I have not heard from all those I emailed about this ring yet!
1. birmingham-rose UK Skip as has been given own copy!
2. Tregossip UK
3. Midlifecrisis UK
4. redhouse UK
5. herrgirl UK Skip now has own copy!
6. bestfriends France
7. iwanttobeinital Italy
8. Pell Italy
9. Maireen Italy
10 LindyLouMac Italy
11. Suffolk-Barn Owl UK Read my other copy.
Then back home again to LindyLouMac
Released 16 yrs ago (5/18/2007 UTC) at by mail in To the next participant, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
This great book has now started what I hope will be a successful journey as a Bookring to Bookcrossing friends of mine.
Tregossip is first. Enjoy!?
I initially found the date changes annoying - but so very essential in understanding Rory and Flora's complex relationship.
It gripped and disturbed me start to finish, I could'nt put it down.
Such a difficult subject to tackle, but the sensitivity this author has made it the best book read this year.
Am passing on the 2 bookmarks with the book (after copying them) and now off to find Emotional Geology
Thanks so much LindyLouMac
Released 16 yrs ago (6/4/2007 UTC) at -- Controlled release in St. Austell, Cornwall United Kingdom
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
to Midlifecrisis
Was so please to get a pm from the author thanking for JE - made my day
ps Though the book has not suffered damage in the post, some of the pages towards the end are coming loose, I guess just from enthusiastic reading. Just a warning as it continues its travels....
I received a copy of this book in the post yesterday, apparently I have joined two rings for the same book. I must really have wanted to read it!
This copy will be on its way to herrgirl post haste, sorry folks for the delay.
Will post the minute I have an address.
Only one small ringbook to read before I can start this one. Looking forward to it. This will be my first "Transita".
There are two Transita bookmarks enclosed. Don't know who added them. Am I supposed to leave them for the next reader, or keep one, send one on?
I kept on trying for about 80 pages and at that point I found that my mind started wandering. Then I even started to skip whole passages, reading only the ones in different font (Flora being the narrator). Sometimes that helps. Once drawn in again, I can finish the book without skipping. This time it did not work. So I put it down for now and will start something else tonight.
Maybe my expectations were too high, maybe I was not in the right mood, maybe I suffer from readers block. Who nows. Anyway: the book started to irritate me: the style of writing, the going backwards and forwards in time, the characters, the plot, everything. This happens every once in a while with bestsellers, that come highly recommended. Can't help it!
It does not happen often though. I had a good reading year sofar; 51 books read (see profile) and this is the second one I did not like, the other one being Under the Skin by Michel Faber , most of the other readers were also raving about. From previous years I remember "The Shadow of the Wind", "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "The God of Small things", so the author is in good company here ;-)
If I have the courage, I will give it a second chance in a couple of days. If not, I will send it on - unfinished - to the next on the list.
25th June:
I continued reading last night after all, as I feared I would not pick it up again if I'd start something else. I
As I seem to be in the minority and felt a little bad about the unfavrouble entry, this morning I tried to look up reviews, hoping I would find an objective one, preferably by a professional critic. I could not find one, positive nor negative. I was relieved though, to at least find this journal entry in another BC ring:
lellie's (redhouse's) review
Apart from my comments above, that's exactly what I thought! I'm sure this is a great book, just not fore everybody and certainly not for me (and her). Sorry.
I already have PM-ed the next on the list and will mail it as soon as I have an address. Thanks for sharing.
I will enclose both bookmarks again + one of my own, designed and made by boirina, with this bookish quote:
"A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return"
Salman Rushdie
Released 16 yrs ago (6/26/2007 UTC) at
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
On its way to iwanttobeinital by surfacemail
Apologies but this book has been sitting waiting for me on my doorstep (I think it must have arrived just after I left for the Uk in mid July).
I''m in the middle of another book just now but will get to this asap - given its already long wait it deserves a quick start.
Great characters that were very well drawn.
Uncomfortable subject matter but just the sort of thing that I enjoy as it is much more real-life than "happy ever after" books.
Can't wait to read Emotional Geology, also by Linda and will be looking out for other Transita novels.
Thanks for organising the bookring, LindyLouMac 8-))
Will be on its way to Pell tomorrow.
The book goes back to LindiLou
Released 16 yrs ago (2/11/2008 UTC) at
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
This is going as a surprise RABCK from her Wishlist to a Bookcrosser in France.
I'll take special care of it and make sure that it goes to another BCer. Thanks a million!
For future readers: it has been around the block a bit and is becoming quite fragile and has to be read carefully, especially the last 50 pages or so.
Today it continues its journey back to the UK to Tanamo, who has kindly promised not to wild release it but to pass it on as per the first reader's wishes.
Two people pm'd asking to read this book and initially I intended to ask others and send it out on a ring again but, sadly, the book is rather fragile with many loose pages, especially towards the end and the back cover has been repaired with cellotape so I just don't think it's up to a long journey and being caressed by many more hands, however lovingly. So. I'll pm Icila who asked first and ask her to send it to allbookedup, who asked second, when she's read it.
allbookedup is PMed for her address.
08/22 : on its way to Ausria.
For me it was not so easy to stomach, because the story is laden with a lot of tragedies, incest, family secrets... so sometimes I felt quite overwhelmed by it.
I enjoyed it though and thank you for sharing this book!
I am going to pass it on as a RABCK now, I am sending it to KathyS in the UK.
Released 15 yrs ago (10/8/2008 UTC) at -- Per Post geschickt/ Persönlich weitergegeben --, Wien Austria
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
sent off to KathyS
My only criticism of the book would be the way it continually jumps around between different years and different events, often giving us glimpses of future events but forcing us to read on to find out the meat and potatoes of the incident. I'm afraid I'm a traditionalist and prefer to read a story in chronological order from start to finish. I found the timeslips very confusing and annoying at first and, if I hadn't been told how wonderful the book is, they might well have made me put the book down. Eventually I got used to the structure and could see reasoning behind it but, I'm afraid, it does mean that it only got 9 and not 10 stars in my review.
The book is beginning to look a little sorry for itself with some of the pages coming close to parting company with the cover. I will endeavour to repair the damage and will try to find another BCer to RABCK this book to as soon as possible.
Released 15 yrs ago (1/27/2009 UTC) at By Mail, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
On it's way to a Scottish BCer - enjoy!