Welcome to Litsy!

3 1/2 stars. A haunting novel about family secrets. This was good, but a bit confusing as the story jumped around in time. (I listened to the audiobook so it may be that the breaks were more obvious in print.) I discovered O‘Farrell when I read Hamnet and have been making my way through her backlist since then. She‘s a solid go to author for me.

I really enjoyed this one, as I do most Maggie O'Farrells! I suppose the misunderstood mental illness storyline is not completely new but this was well done without being too heavyhanded, I think. And her writing is just so good. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rightly described as a “gothic mystery”, this is the story of family secrets and the horrible consequences of selfishness. I think this is Maggie O‘Farrell‘s first novel, and reads like a thriller. Her writing style is great for this genre. Impressive and quick read. Highly recommend.

Missed yesterday! #12booksof2023 @Andrew65

Started and finished today. I couldn't put it down. So incredibly sad but so well-written. 5 ⭐.

@NataliePatalie

Started today.

Going back for a reread of Maggie O‘Farrells‘s fourth book and feeling like she really started hitting her stride with this one. It‘s such a sad, yet at times sweet, story of Esme, perceived as a “difficult” child and placed in an asylum at 16. Her great-niece Iris is only told about her 60 years later, and slowly Esme‘s awful story is revealed. A beautifully told story👇

Book shopping for my daughter‘s college classes is proving fruitful. I added this to my tbr list thanks to #authoramonth #blameitonlitsy @Soubhiville

Loved this book, a heartbreaking story of what happened to many women during the last and precious centuries. 😢

Very readable and want to read more by this author.

Once again thanks to @Soubhiville for #AuthorAMonth. Wouldn‘t have read it but for this Litsy feature ❤️

3rd book finished for #20in4

Iris answers the phone one day to find that she is the family contact for her grandmother‘s sister, Esme, who she has never heard of and has been institutionalized for most of her life. From the points of view of Iris, Esme, and Esme‘s sister Kitty who is partially lost to dementia, O‘Farrell peels layer after layer from characters until their heartbreaking stories are laid bear. Love Maggie O‘Farrell and the way she tells stories. #authoramonth

I put this on my #Roll100 list when I saw O‘Farrell on the #AuthorAMonth list. Then I forgot about it. 🤦🏼‍♀️ It‘s been on my shelves for years. I‘m really glad I finally read it. I‘m still thinking about the ending of this one.

#BookSpinBingo #AuthorAMonth #Roll100

Now I‘ve read all of O‘Farrell‘s books, and this ended up being a favorite. Since I‘ve read most over the past two years, it‘s been wonderful to see her progression as a writer, and I loved meeting her last year! #AuthorAMonth

Iris gets an unexpected call. A great aunt she has never heard of needs a new placement as the mental hospital she‘s lived in for 61 years is shutting down. A hauntingly beautiful story unfolds from multiple perspectives.

Let us begin with two girls at a dance.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl
#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

What a great introduction to Maggie O‘Farrell! This character study was subtle and surprising. Just when I thought I knew what was unfolding there were several turns I didn‘t see coming. And the ending has left me thinking about this for several days, wondering what will happen to these characters, and what they‘ll decide to do. #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

I originally stated that I was going to skip the #aam pick for July. Then I saw several posts on this one and it was on the shorter side. I started this Saturday evening and read into the wee hours of Sunday morning (currently paying for that 😁) to finish it. I was just sucked in and loved it. #Booked2023 #setintwotimeperiods

Thanks @Soubhiville although I‘m still iffy on Rushdie next month. 🙂

This elegantly written book spans Victorian times in India and Scotland and modern times in Edinburgh, and three generations of a Scottish family. It is a story of two sisters,Esme and Kitty and a family conspiracy.Esme has been hidden in a psychiatric hospital for 60 years until her Great Niece is notified of her existence.The reader is left to decide if Esme was mentally ill or not. A page turner. Mysterious,sad,shocking! #authoramonth2023

This was a fascinating novel of social morality, victorian asylums, and how families hurt and fail one another in a myriad of ways. The writing is lovely, the pace is perfect, and the story is haunting. Great on #audio, the narrator is amazing. #authoramonth @Soubhiville #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I whipped through this O'Farrell backlist title in two days. I was on a BIG drive, and it really helped the klicks pass. Esme was such a wonderfully drawn character, and I enjoyed the juxtaposition of her tightly controlled life with the relative freedom Iris enjoyed in modern-day Scotland. The only thing I could have done without was Iris and Alex's backstory, I don't feel it served any purpose here.

#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

I‘ll nudge this to Pick. The story pulls at your heartstrings and keeps you captivated in its sadness in the hopes happier things can happen. But Triggers abound here: r*pe, forced institutionalization, child death.

As my first foray into this author I am intrigued by her daring. I didn‘t love the formatting (perhaps that was the audiobook tho?) bc it felt like the plot consistently jumped POV without warning.

#AuthorAMonth

I chose this audio for #authoramonth because it was the shortest O‘Farrell my library had and I have a lot of borrows piled up 😬😁📚.

I‘ve never read this author before, and I enjoyed this!

Iris finds out she has a great aunt, Esme, who has been in a hospital for 60 years. The place is closing and Iris has to decide where Iris is to live. Esme‘s sister, Iris‘ grandmother, is in a home with Alzheimer‘s and never mentioned a sister.
✅CWs

I was bewitched by O'Farrell's exquisite writing and ability to capture the true essence of each character. I welcomed the challenge of three distinct characters, each telling her own story (sometimes in jerks and starts) the best she can, leaving me to read-between-the-lines as the cliche goes. What women have had to endure on this planet still staggers me--then and now. Esme, I won't forget you. 💚
#AuthorAMonth
@Soubvihille

New month. New audiobook. #authoramonth2023 #maggieofarrell

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

“Let us begin with two girls at a dance.“

#WomensHistoryMonth #Recommendations
18of31 Fiction
Maggie O'Farrell is one of my auto-buy authors. Her writing is spectacular, her characters are vivid and realistic. The first book of hers I read was Esme Lennox. I was blown away. Then I read I Am, I Am, I Am and I was a fan for life. If you have not read her give her a try!

📕 The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O‘Farrell
🖊 Vermette, Katherena
🎬 The Village
🎤 Van Etten, Sharon
🎶 Virginia Woolf - Indigo Girls

#ManicMonday #LetterV
@CBee

I‘ve just finished The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O‘Farrell. Another wonderful story with twists and turns. I did get confused at times as it‘s told from the perspective of Esme, her sister and her grand niece. Esme was put in an institution at the age of 16 and didn‘t leave till 60 years later. I won‘t say too much incase you read it!!
Next The Colony..and soon I‘ll post my top 10 for 2022😊
#fiction #greatreads #summerreading

This last week has seen the sunflowers bloom in my garden as summer begins and the beach beckons!! I‘m reading Esme Lennox which I haven‘t found as engaging as Hamnet was, but I‘m only half way through. Hope your getting some reading done during this busy time!
#sunflowers #fiction #literature

Esther likes the name Esme. Esther also enjoyed long walks while Care listened to this book. Esther is annoyed that Care had to stop and replay, “Wait, What was that?!” Because Care is out of practice listening to audiobooks. (Esther emits a fake aghast sound.) Esther will tell you that Care ❤️s old ladies being feisty as characters in books. Esther also wants you to know that reading rather than listening is best on this one, but she‘s just a dog

I volunteered at the charity bookshop this afternoon and even though I went in prepared with a list of possibilities for #ReadingAcrossTheAmericas I somehow managed to buy two #Booked2023 contenders😆#SneakPeek #Spoiler !?!Any guesses what the prompts might be??? Stay tuned for the full list dropping November 1!!!!!

Fab writing, love some of the sentences and turns of phrase.
I liked the intertwining stories, Esme's life and Iris's flow together. The third narrator suddenly appears and that threw me st first bit it's actually cleverly written.
The men are all quite unlikable!
Still unsure what happened at the end! It's playing on my mind... 🤔🤔😄

After reading a few others by O'Farrell I picked up this book to start.

What a sad but beautiful book. Iris found out about her grandmother‘s sister when she received a call informing her that the sanatorium will close and she was in the contact list to take care of her aunt. Her grandmother has Alzheimer‘s, no one knows about this aunt. Many family secrets will be revealed. I love the way it was written it was like been in Esme thoughts, talking with someone but also lost in her self talk.I used the audio & book4.5⭐️

So spoilt! Thankyou @MrsMalaprop You stalked very well. The ☁️ didn‘t last long. So yummy. A new treat for me. I ❤️ shower steamers & so fitting given my town is responsible for the super spreader night club incident. Ha! Germaine is 1 of my fav feminists! Good job on the ☕️. I tore into the 📦 but I loved the little hints. My dad grew chick peas on the farm. I❤️ them raw & roasted you magic woman! I think I will start on The Glass Hotel.

I enjoyed this story quite a bit although found the voice switches jarring on the audiobook version, may have been easier to follow in printed format.

Family secrets come out when a great aunt appears. A book with a great ending.

Iris discovers that she has a great aunt that she has never heard of who has been locked in a mental institution for over 60 years. The institution is about to close and Iris the only relative left to make decisions. Who is this woman? Why was she erased from their family? Slim, sad, and difficult to put down as the family secrets come to light. Definitely a book I will recommend often.

First book of 2021 was a winner

What a sad and frustrating book. I had to put it down a couple of times, exclaiming "No, they didn't!" I had not expected to like it, as I read another book by this author I really did not like.
This was my February #doublespin. @TheAromaofBooks

TBR since July 2nd. 2017; 277 pages.

This is the best book I‘ve read in a long time, a truly heartbreaking story that gripped me from start to finish. I‘d highly recommend!

My most recent pick up from my building‘s book exchange.

Stayed up way too late reading this last night. Odds are I‘ll do the same tonight.

And here I say goodnight. I didn't read the 24 hours but enjoy the weekend #24in48

1. Tagged
2. Victoria Thompson
3. 🤷‍♀️
4. Vanilla ice cream
#manicmonday #letterv @JoScho

Yes! Finished in just a few hours, that‘s how good it is. Put this one on your TBR. Beautiful writing. Non-linear story, but easily followed. 4⭐️

Relaxing with this this evening. Needing some alone time.

I don‘t remember much about this except that I didn‘t think it lived up to the hype. #vanishing #coolbooks @Linsy