Our Fathers | 
An uncorrected proof—which clearly states is not for resale on the cover—is not what I ordered but it‘s what I got. Sigh. The dangers of buying used books online I suppose. This is the first time it‘s happened to me (but probably not the last). That being said, I didn‘t pay a lot and I‘m not disappointed to have an ARC—it‘s always fun to compare it with the published edition—so it could be worse.
#Two4Tuesday
🍁 Tagged is my one 5🌟read for September.
🍁🍁 Scarathalon…the reading, the games, the community, the fun 🎃
Tagging everyone!
My weekend feels like I‘m spinning my wheels as I try to do some school work, clean my house, get weeds in the garden under control, catch up on reading, do 4 loads of laundry ( I do love doing laundry so that‘s not a big deal) and take it easy. Simultaneously. #mentalmadness but it feels like summer so I only want to do outside things
pickWhat a great start for #EuropaCollective - 5/5
What does it mean to be the only survivor of a family massacre? How to live with being related to a man capable of such atrocities? How to make sense of such a tragedy? What could have been done differently? How to live with ghosts?
All these questions are present in this beautifully written book. Every word, every sentence rings right, feels true. This novel is a tour de force. It's just perfect.
pickI've been slowly collecting Europa Editions titles for years (probably starting with Elegance of the Hedgehog?), so I've been very much looking forward to our first #EuropaCollective read. This book did everything right for me. I'm drawn to fiction with a literally bleak landscape, and Litta was perfect. I was so shocked by the "bombshell" surprise at the end, BUT what Tommy said to Fiona at the end put everything in perspective so well.
pickI absolutely tore through this one—it was incredibly compelling even through it was not especially plot-driven. The book examines the psychology of a small, tight-knit community, and how social expectations weigh differently on people of different temperaments. How pride and a desire not to be found lacking can catastrophically hinder communication and intimacy even in a place where everyone knows everyone else‘s business. Gripping and profound.
pick#IdiomInsight Day 15: There is a literal and metaphorical #UnderTheWeather vibe to this book that is grim, brooding, and grief-stricken. I love our first #EuropaCollective title. I have been abandoning novels left and right so I am glad to have finished reading this while reading three other novels I have been reading on and off for months now.
pick#EuropaCollective
I collect Europa Editions because they are, bar none, fabulous reads. This was no exception.
Tom, the only survivor of a family annihilation tragedy that took place when he was young, returns, floundering, to the isolated island where it happened. His return stirs up emotions and fears in the islanders as they are all forced to deal with the slow motion fall-out of the event and what led up to it. Beautifully, movingly done.
pickThere‘s not much more that I can add to all of the other #europacollective reviews for this wonderful book.
It‘s a quiet book but with a powerful impact - loved the burgeoning relationship between Malcolm and Tom. Did anyone else think that they‘ll stay in touch?
As you can see we‘re having a ‘van day‘ in the Lakes due to the iffy weather…. Much reading will be done today!
pickEmily St. John Mandel‘s blurb on the front accurately describes this book. It will definitely be on my best of 23 list and I will be thinking about it and sharing it often. Excellent 5🌟
Thanks @jlhammar for starting #EuropaCollective This book might not have come to my attention otherwise. And I can‘t wait to read what‘s next. I think Europa Editions has magic sauce in picking out their publications.
#SummerEndReadathon Book 6 of 20
#EuropaCollective
“He would never again forget that although he and John had grown up in the same house, they had each had a different set of parents, an entirely different childhood.”
I often wonder if this is always true or just in homes that are dysfunctional.
Loving this book so far!
#IdiomInsight Day 9: The only survivor of a family trauma / tragedy inevitably feels #DownForTheCount in this atmospheric novel where setting and weather almost play like another character. Brooding, grim, and haunted. I am loving this #EuropaCollective pick for the month of September. 💕
pickBrilliant!! 💫 An incredibly tense & gripping atmosphere pervades the story as characters plumb the depths of their guilt over the murder of a local family. The physical and emotional isolation makes it palpably claustrophobic, and the desolation of a Hebridean island is the perfect setting! #europacollective
pickI don't know what I can add to all the other reviews praising this book. It was absolutely brilliant, definitely one of the best of the year for me.
Years ago, on a remote island in the Hebrides, John Baird murdered his wife and two of his children before turning the gun on himself. Now, surviving son Tom returns to the island to try and find sense in the riot of memories that haunt his brain.
Cont'd in comments...
The temperature has finally dropped a bit, so I can enjoy some outdoor reading time. This book is absolutely fantastic so far. I'm so glad it was chosen for this month's #EuropaCollective read, I don't think I would have read it otherwise!
Our. #EuropaCollective title for the month is also a fit for #IdiomInsight Day 8 since this is murder #FairAndSquare
Grrrraaaah!
Does anyone else have issues with hoopla jumping around in a book? I was reading the tagged, and it jumped ahead a chapter, then jumped a couple pages forward again. When I tried going back a couple pages to find my place again it jumped straight back to the beginning.
So frustrating, and it's not the first time this has happened. Off to buy the book instead!
pick“Oh my ghosts, he thought. My lovely ghosts. Come with me; we‘ll try Glasgow.”
What a moving closing passage 😭 Our first #EuropaCollective pick is a stunner! I loved it. Deeply affecting. And wow, the writing! So many tender and insightful passages that stopped me in my readerly tracks. See comments below for some of my favorites. I definitely need to seek out some more Wait.
Can‘t wait to read all of your thoughts in the days and weeks ahead!
mcctrish, GatheringBooks, kspenmoll, LeahBergen, TheBookDream, DrexEdit, Sapphire, TheKidUpstairs, Aimeesue, Deblovestoread, charl08, Adventures-of-a-French-Reader, Tamra, lauraisntwilder, squirrelbrain, Cathythoughts, BarbaraBB, CSeydel, Sparklemn, JuniperWilde, julieclair
pick#EuropaCollective ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I kept putting away this book because I didn‘t want to read on, didn‘t want it to end. It is drowned in sadness. The desolate setting of a small Scottish island. A father killing his family, a surviving son.
Years later Tommy returns to the place that has haunted him ever since.
And yet. The “terrible beauty” of the island, the awkward kindness of his father‘s brother. Two men of few words, looking for answers. ⬇️
mcctrish, GatheringBooks, kspenmoll, LeahBergen, TheBookDream, DrexEdit, Sapphire, TheKidUpstairs, Aimeesue, Deblovestoread, charl08, Adventures-of-a-French-Reader, Tamra, lauraisntwilder, squirrelbrain, Cathythoughts, jlhammar, CSeydel, JuniperWilde, julieclair
pickI couldn‘t get a copy of the book. So , kindle it is.
I was very excited as I started this book .. ‘ Thriller of the Year‘ and so it began. I thought it was good , just not what I expected. It turned out differently, more of a thoughtful book. I loved the Scottish island, the weather, the people. A deep reflection on Tommys tragic life. I did enjoy it. I just wanted ( expected ) to be more scared 🙈. A pick 👍🏻 #EuropaCollective
mcctrish, GatheringBooks, kspenmoll, LeahBergen, TheBookDream, DrexEdit, Sapphire, TheKidUpstairs, Aimeesue, Deblovestoread, charl08, Adventures-of-a-French-Reader, Tamra, lauraisntwilder, squirrelbrain, BarbaraBB, jlhammar, CSeydel, JuniperWilde, julieclair
“If she had survived, Katrina would have said what people always say: that it had been a day like any other.”
#FirstLineFridays
#EuropaCollective
Repost for @jlhammar
#EuropaCollective ✨September 2023✨
Salutations Storks,
It‘s almost time for our inaugural read, Our Fathers by Rebecca Wait. Read the book sometime in September, post your review &/or any thoughts along the way and be sure to tag the group.
All are welcome!
Original post - https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2626207
#EuropaCollective ✨September 2023✨
Salutations Storks,
It‘s almost time for our inaugural read, Our Fathers by Rebecca Wait. Read the book sometime in September, post your review &/or any thoughts along the way and be sure to tag the group.
All are welcome!
mcctrish, GatheringBooks, kspenmoll, LeahBergen, TheBookDream, DrexEdit, Sapphire, TheKidUpstairs, Aimeesue, Deblovestoread, charl08, Adventures-of-a-French-Reader, Tamra, lauraisntwilder, squirrelbrain, Cathythoughts, BarbaraBB, CSeydel, JuniperWilde, julieclair
Our first six reads for #EuropaCollective! Thanks to everyone who helped with the selection process this week. It was so fun and I can‘t wait to read all of these with you!
SEPT23 Our Fathers - R. Wait
DEC23 A Novel Bookstore - L. Cossé
MAR24 The Postcard - A. Berest
JUN24 The Road to Dalton - S. Bowring
SEPT24 A Long Way From Verona - J. Gardam
DEC24 Belle Greene - A. Lapierre
I‘ll post reminders during the lead-up. All are welcome.
mcctrish, GatheringBooks, LeahBergen, TheBookDream, DrexEdit, Sapphire, TheKidUpstairs, Aimeesue, Deblovestoread, charl08, Adventures-of-a-French-Reader, Tamra, lauraisntwilder, squirrelbrain, Cathythoughts, BarbaraBB, CSeydel
Okay #EuropaCollective, let the voting begin! I hope you haven‘t read either of these yet. I‘ve got back-up choices if you have.
Which of these would you most like to read in September? I‘ll add links to the Europa catalog in the comments.
If anyone plans to join us that I didn‘t tag, do let me know. All are welcome to read along with us!
This was recommended by a dear friend who has never steered me wrong. She usually challenges me to move out of my reading comfort zone, and it looks as if this do the same.
pickI really like this authors writing, she writes families, fears and miscommunications so well. This is quite a sad little read, claustrophobic setting on a small Scottish island, but I was engrossed as we found out what happened.
pickShort and simple but emotionally resonant. The only survivor of a brutal murder returns to his home island in the Hebrides to make sense of his memories and his similarities to his father, the murderer. I finished this in a few hours and maybe it won‘t stick in my memory loads, but it was nicely written and had very precise restraint, not too melodramatic. Between a so so and a pick but I recommend if you like a more gentle emotional thriller
pickTommy returns to the remote island Litta in the southern Hebrides that he left when he was a child. He stays with his uncle Malcom. Tommy, like his father, has a history of violence, which he tries to fight as much as the memories of the day when his father killed Tommy's mother, siblings and then himself. Tommy and Malcom's relationship is strange but intimate in its own way. Malcom's calm and kind personality, his cozy ... continued in comments
