Helpful Score: 15
Wow, what a great book! This is not your usual chick lit fare. This book was smart, funny, suspenseful, and made me think about how I act in my own life.
When Alice forgets the last 10 years of her life after a head injury, she's faced with the shocking truth that she's divorcing her husband, but doesn't know why. She can't remember her 3 children. And her interactions with her family and friends brings her to the realization that her 40 year old self is not the same person she thought she was at 30.
I loved how details about Alice's life were slowly unfolded throughout the story, with teasers that kept you reading to find out more. Who is Gina? Why are her and Nick separated? Why is her sister so frosty?
The ending was satisfying, and actually made me stop to think about how I treat my own family and friends, and the impact that will have on my life 10 years from now.
I highly recommend this book! Go, read this now! :)
When Alice forgets the last 10 years of her life after a head injury, she's faced with the shocking truth that she's divorcing her husband, but doesn't know why. She can't remember her 3 children. And her interactions with her family and friends brings her to the realization that her 40 year old self is not the same person she thought she was at 30.
I loved how details about Alice's life were slowly unfolded throughout the story, with teasers that kept you reading to find out more. Who is Gina? Why are her and Nick separated? Why is her sister so frosty?
The ending was satisfying, and actually made me stop to think about how I treat my own family and friends, and the impact that will have on my life 10 years from now.
I highly recommend this book! Go, read this now! :)
Helpful Score: 8
This book has an interesting plot line. Alice forgets ten years of her life after a fall. The unfolding of her story causes you to consider how one's values change throughout life. As I was reading, I wondered what my 28 year old self would think of my now 38 year old self!
Great read!
Great read!
Helpful Score: 6
I really enjoyed this book.
The book is well written & I felt really involved with the characters - wanting to know what would happen next. Little snippets of the past came back throughout the book, leaving me wanting more.
I found it to be thought provoking. What would happen if I lose the last 10 years of my life? How would I look differently at the life I'm currently living? How did I get here, what kind of actions & decisions affected the path my live took? If the me from 10 years ago could get a glimpse of the me now, would I still be happy?
I highly recommend!
The book is well written & I felt really involved with the characters - wanting to know what would happen next. Little snippets of the past came back throughout the book, leaving me wanting more.
I found it to be thought provoking. What would happen if I lose the last 10 years of my life? How would I look differently at the life I'm currently living? How did I get here, what kind of actions & decisions affected the path my live took? If the me from 10 years ago could get a glimpse of the me now, would I still be happy?
I highly recommend!
Helpful Score: 6
Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2012/05/what-alice-forgot.html
What if you woke up one day and part of your life was missing? That is what happens to Alice. She thinks it is 1998, and she is happily married and pregnant with her first child. In reality, it is 2008. Alice is the mother of three children and on the brink of divorce. An accident at the gym has resulted in amnesia - what Alice forgot is the last ten years of her life. The book tells the story of her discovery of who she is as a person and the reconciliation between her "present" and the actual present time.
The most interesting part of the book is the comparison between who Alice was and who she is ten years later. Often, change creeps up on us slowly such that we don't even realize it has happened. However, Alice is face to face with her own self - ten years apart. She discovers that she does not recognize the person she has become.
Gradually, we learn about the events and circumstances of the ten years that Alice forgot. Alice has a chance to reflect different roads she might have taken and different choices she could have made. The thought of a do-over in life is a tempting. Alice does not really get a do-over because she cannot undo the last ten years. However, her reflections can lead to different choices and changes in the future.
Overall, What Alice Forgot was an interesting book. However, the same story could be told in fewer than 400 pages. Parts of the book felt a little long and a little repetitive. That aside, the story and the premise of a fresh look at our lives is such a tempting one.
What if you woke up one day and part of your life was missing? That is what happens to Alice. She thinks it is 1998, and she is happily married and pregnant with her first child. In reality, it is 2008. Alice is the mother of three children and on the brink of divorce. An accident at the gym has resulted in amnesia - what Alice forgot is the last ten years of her life. The book tells the story of her discovery of who she is as a person and the reconciliation between her "present" and the actual present time.
The most interesting part of the book is the comparison between who Alice was and who she is ten years later. Often, change creeps up on us slowly such that we don't even realize it has happened. However, Alice is face to face with her own self - ten years apart. She discovers that she does not recognize the person she has become.
Gradually, we learn about the events and circumstances of the ten years that Alice forgot. Alice has a chance to reflect different roads she might have taken and different choices she could have made. The thought of a do-over in life is a tempting. Alice does not really get a do-over because she cannot undo the last ten years. However, her reflections can lead to different choices and changes in the future.
Overall, What Alice Forgot was an interesting book. However, the same story could be told in fewer than 400 pages. Parts of the book felt a little long and a little repetitive. That aside, the story and the premise of a fresh look at our lives is such a tempting one.
Helpful Score: 3
I'm giving this book four stars, because I really enjoyed it -- enough to finish the whole darn thing (400+ pages) in one insomniatic night. It's not "literature," but it's well-written Aussie (not British, as I originally thought) chick lit. The characters are well-developed, the plot is entertaining, and I really liked it.
Parts of this book made me laugh, many parts made me cry in that Rom-Com written to make you cry way, and some parts made me think. As the discussion questions at the end ask, what would the me from ten years ago think of the current me?
The ending didn't bother me. It felt kind of inevitable, considering the genre.
Parts of this book made me laugh, many parts made me cry in that Rom-Com written to make you cry way, and some parts made me think. As the discussion questions at the end ask, what would the me from ten years ago think of the current me?
The ending didn't bother me. It felt kind of inevitable, considering the genre.
