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The Drowning Lesson by Jane Shemilt
Emma and Adam are doctors at the top of their fields and so when they are offered the chance to take their three children to Africa for a year for a research placement it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. It's going to be an experience they'll never forget.But for all the wrong reasons.When Emma arrives home one night to the sickening sight of an empty cot, their family's dream adventure turns into their worst nightmare.Thousands of miles from home and from anyone who can help, they must discover the truth. Is this a random abduction, a tragic accident or something far more sinister?
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First published September 23, 2015
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About the author
Jane Shemilt
9 books676 followersJane is a general practitioner who completed a post graduate diploma in Creative Writing at Bristol university and went on to study for a M.A in Creative writing at Bath Spa. She was shortlisted for the Janklow and Nesbitt award and the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize for Daughter, her first novel.
She and her husband, a Professor of Neurosurgery, have 5 children and live in Bristol, England.
She and her husband, a Professor of Neurosurgery, have 5 children and live in Bristol, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
October 10, 2015
This year has seen a number of thrillers dealing with child abduction and murder, which have ranged from the good to the brilliant (“Little Black Lies,” “First One Missing”). I did not read the debut by this author, so cannot comment on other readers concerns that this is too like the first book, but I found that it had both positive and negative parts.
Adam and Emma are both highly successful doctors and live in London with their daughters Alice and Zoe. When Adam has the offer of a research opportunity in Botswana, he is keen to take his family along, but, at first, Emma is resistant. From childhood she has done all she can to succeed, in order to please her widowed father, and she is obviously unable to let go of this constant ambition. She even feels in competition with her husband and resents anything which takes her away from her work. Despite the school raising concerns about Alice, Emma continues headlong on her career path. However, an unlikely friendship with Adam’s secretary, Megan (who spent much of her childhood in Africa) and the discovery that she is pregnant again, leads to Emma and her children, including new baby Sam, accompanying Adam to Botswana.
We follow the story backwards and forwards, both in London and in Botswana, and that actually works well. We get to know the family and how they work and the author has a good, interesting writing style. I have to say though that I have rarely disliked a character more than I have Emma. I understand that her own childhood difficulties were meant to help us sympathise with her, but it was impossible. She was totally driven, utterly self absorbed, ruthless, insensitive, selfish and just downright unlikeable. When baby Sam is born with a facial mark she initially rejects him as being imperfect, and, although she does feel love for her children, she totally fails to understand them or to give them the time and care that they need. Even once the family relocate to Botswana she rushes back to work as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Then, one day, on her return, she discovers that baby Sam has been taken from his cot…
What follows is the search for Sam, while blame, judgement and loss tear the family apart, There is always the undercurrent of unhappiness that Alice brings to the story and side issues of charms, witchcraft and superstition. The beginning of this novel was gripping, but the twist and the ending felt rushed and slightly unemotional – a little like Emma herself. It was as though the author realised how unsympathetic she had made her character and then tried desperately to redeem her in our eyes, but it was too late for me. I suspect she was just my total opposite and I was unable to understand her, but the book was a good read – marred in my eyes not only by the main character but by an unsatisfactory ending. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
Adam and Emma are both highly successful doctors and live in London with their daughters Alice and Zoe. When Adam has the offer of a research opportunity in Botswana, he is keen to take his family along, but, at first, Emma is resistant. From childhood she has done all she can to succeed, in order to please her widowed father, and she is obviously unable to let go of this constant ambition. She even feels in competition with her husband and resents anything which takes her away from her work. Despite the school raising concerns about Alice, Emma continues headlong on her career path. However, an unlikely friendship with Adam’s secretary, Megan (who spent much of her childhood in Africa) and the discovery that she is pregnant again, leads to Emma and her children, including new baby Sam, accompanying Adam to Botswana.
We follow the story backwards and forwards, both in London and in Botswana, and that actually works well. We get to know the family and how they work and the author has a good, interesting writing style. I have to say though that I have rarely disliked a character more than I have Emma. I understand that her own childhood difficulties were meant to help us sympathise with her, but it was impossible. She was totally driven, utterly self absorbed, ruthless, insensitive, selfish and just downright unlikeable. When baby Sam is born with a facial mark she initially rejects him as being imperfect, and, although she does feel love for her children, she totally fails to understand them or to give them the time and care that they need. Even once the family relocate to Botswana she rushes back to work as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Then, one day, on her return, she discovers that baby Sam has been taken from his cot…
What follows is the search for Sam, while blame, judgement and loss tear the family apart, There is always the undercurrent of unhappiness that Alice brings to the story and side issues of charms, witchcraft and superstition. The beginning of this novel was gripping, but the twist and the ending felt rushed and slightly unemotional – a little like Emma herself. It was as though the author realised how unsympathetic she had made her character and then tried desperately to redeem her in our eyes, but it was too late for me. I suspect she was just my total opposite and I was unable to understand her, but the book was a good read – marred in my eyes not only by the main character but by an unsatisfactory ending. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
September 28, 2015
3.5 stars
An intriguing thriller that seemed a bit rushed at the end.
In the novel, Shemilt uses flashbacks to great effect, moving between the present, with its dramatic unfolding of the disappearance of baby Sam, and the past, the long term build up to this event. Her writing is assured, it flows so well that you barely notice it until some bit of description catches your imagination. Botswana was a good choice for the setting and provided a bewitching foundation for the plot. Shemilt brought the place to life without resorting to colonial cliches, and made it an important part of the story, rather than a splash of colour in the background. As part of my review, I was going to write that I rarely see Botswana in crime fiction of this type but before I typed it up I happened to pick up my next novel, Tess Gerritsen's Die Again, which also opens in Botswana. It seems to be a good place to be killed or disappear this year.
The author constructs a fascinating picture of Emma, a very sucessful doctor and mother. Frankly, I was pleased that she seemed to be a normal, if highly competitive, woman, as every other female in crime fiction at the moment seems to be lost in the throes of some kind of serious mental health issue. While she is not particularly likeable (who is in books these days?), the image Shemilt successfully creates is one of a busy, working mother who struggles to give her children what they need while pushing forwards in her career. Especially when she identifies her husband as a competitor as much as a partner. Yes, she can be selfish, inattentive, secretive but why should this make her seem like a bitch when her husband doesn't appear to be that different? I found her very interesting, and it was that, more than anything else, which made me want to see how the story ended. Plus, she has an excellent name.
The ending, for me, is where the book did not meet expectations. There is a twist, of course, but it happened so quickly with little explanation that I was left thinking: oh, ok. Picture me giving a little shrug. It was just a bit underwhelming.
Still, the impression I'm left with is a good one. I've seen some good comments about her previous novel 'Daughter' and i'll be reading that for sure.
Many thanks to Jane Shemilt, Netgalley, and Penguin UK for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
An intriguing thriller that seemed a bit rushed at the end.
In the novel, Shemilt uses flashbacks to great effect, moving between the present, with its dramatic unfolding of the disappearance of baby Sam, and the past, the long term build up to this event. Her writing is assured, it flows so well that you barely notice it until some bit of description catches your imagination. Botswana was a good choice for the setting and provided a bewitching foundation for the plot. Shemilt brought the place to life without resorting to colonial cliches, and made it an important part of the story, rather than a splash of colour in the background. As part of my review, I was going to write that I rarely see Botswana in crime fiction of this type but before I typed it up I happened to pick up my next novel, Tess Gerritsen's Die Again, which also opens in Botswana. It seems to be a good place to be killed or disappear this year.
The author constructs a fascinating picture of Emma, a very sucessful doctor and mother. Frankly, I was pleased that she seemed to be a normal, if highly competitive, woman, as every other female in crime fiction at the moment seems to be lost in the throes of some kind of serious mental health issue. While she is not particularly likeable (who is in books these days?), the image Shemilt successfully creates is one of a busy, working mother who struggles to give her children what they need while pushing forwards in her career. Especially when she identifies her husband as a competitor as much as a partner. Yes, she can be selfish, inattentive, secretive but why should this make her seem like a bitch when her husband doesn't appear to be that different? I found her very interesting, and it was that, more than anything else, which made me want to see how the story ended. Plus, she has an excellent name.
The ending, for me, is where the book did not meet expectations. There is a twist, of course, but it happened so quickly with little explanation that I was left thinking: oh, ok. Picture me giving a little shrug. It was just a bit underwhelming.
Still, the impression I'm left with is a good one. I've seen some good comments about her previous novel 'Daughter' and i'll be reading that for sure.
Many thanks to Jane Shemilt, Netgalley, and Penguin UK for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 4, 2016
This book is basically the author's first book Daughter, rewritten. In Daughter, a child disappears, we have an obnoxious, manipulative, bitter, jealous, self-obsessed, selfish, shallow mother and in The Drowning Lesson we have exactly the same. The mother is so dreadful it was hard to feel any empathy with her and her plight. The husband comes across as inconsequential and indifferent. Both parents are doctors, Emma is a consultant obstetrician and her husband Adam and oncologist. They journey to Africa for Adam's work despite Emma's serious under-hand conniving plan to keep them in the UK. Baby Sam is abducted and the hunt is on to find him. The story jumps around quite a lot interspersed with dull anecdotes from Emma's childhood and even duller padding to an already drawn out story. The ending is completely unbelievable. Given the author is a doctor I'm surprised at the inaccurate medical detail- a pregnancy scan at 6 weeks revealing heart and vertebrae structures? Really? I wasn't keen on Daughter, mainly because of the truly awful mother but was prepared to give this a go. The mother in this is even worse. There are some readers discussion points at the end but this presupposes that there is something worth discussing. The book has my other pet hate too- a sample of another book (in this case Daughter) I really, really don't recommend this book- there are others much better
September 28, 2015
Having loved reading Daughter by Jane Shemilt earlier this year I was excited to read another thrilling read by this author so as soon as The Drowning Lesson arrived through the door I started it straight away.
Emma and husband Adam are both in the medical profession and when Adam gets an opportunity to go to Botswana on a research post for a year but Emma is reluctant to uproot their family for a year and the competitive side in her wants to push her work and research and the thoughts of a year out is not what she wants but the family all make the trip which is about to throw their life upside down as they go out as a family of 5 only to return as a family of 4.
The opening chapter grabbed my attention straight away as we discover at the beginning about the missing child, the storyline then alternates between the time before the abduction and the events following the abduction which works really well with this storyline as it helps us build a picture of the family and others around them and yet manages to keep the suspense as to what happened to the missing child.
The reason I have given this book only a three star rating rather than a four is because I really didn’t take to any of the characters in this book as they were all rather cold characters and where I felt like I should have utter sympathy for a family who is going through what the Jordan family were going through I found that I wasn’t really eager for them to find their child to reunite their family because although Emma was going through the motions of trying to get her child back the determination and devastation couldn’t be felt through the pages it seemed like she had lost an item rather than a child. I just fell if I could have connected to Emma more and had the emotion present then this could have been a much stronger read.
There is suspense, intrigue and the author has an easy flow to her writing which I love it is so easy to read one of this authors books in one sitting. She has created a family who had a lot of flaws and who have struggled to find a balance which unfortunately is quite often the case in working families.
I had my suspicions who could have been involved in the disappearance but the author put enough little turns and arrows pointing at other people to keep me on my toes and still question other characters so I feel like she done a great job in keeping the suspense running throughout the book.
The author brings the setting of Botswana to life with her descriptive writing, it was easy to visualise the surroundings.
Although Daughter is still my favourite by Jane Shemilt I would still say that The Drowning Lesson is worth a read I just found it was missing that little something for me this time but I could still appreciate the authors skilled writing style.
Emma and husband Adam are both in the medical profession and when Adam gets an opportunity to go to Botswana on a research post for a year but Emma is reluctant to uproot their family for a year and the competitive side in her wants to push her work and research and the thoughts of a year out is not what she wants but the family all make the trip which is about to throw their life upside down as they go out as a family of 5 only to return as a family of 4.
The opening chapter grabbed my attention straight away as we discover at the beginning about the missing child, the storyline then alternates between the time before the abduction and the events following the abduction which works really well with this storyline as it helps us build a picture of the family and others around them and yet manages to keep the suspense as to what happened to the missing child.
The reason I have given this book only a three star rating rather than a four is because I really didn’t take to any of the characters in this book as they were all rather cold characters and where I felt like I should have utter sympathy for a family who is going through what the Jordan family were going through I found that I wasn’t really eager for them to find their child to reunite their family because although Emma was going through the motions of trying to get her child back the determination and devastation couldn’t be felt through the pages it seemed like she had lost an item rather than a child. I just fell if I could have connected to Emma more and had the emotion present then this could have been a much stronger read.
There is suspense, intrigue and the author has an easy flow to her writing which I love it is so easy to read one of this authors books in one sitting. She has created a family who had a lot of flaws and who have struggled to find a balance which unfortunately is quite often the case in working families.
I had my suspicions who could have been involved in the disappearance but the author put enough little turns and arrows pointing at other people to keep me on my toes and still question other characters so I feel like she done a great job in keeping the suspense running throughout the book.
The author brings the setting of Botswana to life with her descriptive writing, it was easy to visualise the surroundings.
Although Daughter is still my favourite by Jane Shemilt I would still say that The Drowning Lesson is worth a read I just found it was missing that little something for me this time but I could still appreciate the authors skilled writing style.
January 17, 2025
I actually gave it 3 1/2 stars. Good storyline, one I enjoyed reading. Will most likely read Daughter by the same author.
December 26, 2015
Emma and Adam Jordan are both successful doctors, trying to combine busy careers with a family. When Adam is offered a research post in Botswana for a year, Emma is not so keen on putting her own career on hold to join him. However she eventually agrees to go and to take their two children and new baby for the adventure of a lifetime – little knowing it would turn into a nightmare.
There have been many thrillers this year on the subject of child abduction and being totally honest, this one is nothing special. The story is told by way of flashbacks to their life in London before and then the time in Botswana. Emma has to be one of the most unlikeable mothers in fiction. She is shallow, self-obsessed, competitive, is resentful of the success her husband has and feels it should be her instead. There were occasions during the story when I felt a smidgeon of sympathy for her but on the whole she was pretty awful and although she was never cruel to her children, she was too distant and career focussed to really pay enough attention to their needs. Despite the author’s best efforts to highlight her pain at the loss of her baby, I was never convinced.
The positives in the book were the Botswana landscape and its people. The remote and dangerous lands were so well described, as were the difficulties of dealing with the police in an unfamiliar country and trying to understand different customs.
Although I kept reading to find out how it ended, this wasn't a book that I raced through and there were some parts where I felt that the story had been padded out and the pace was unnecessarily slow. The ending felt rather rushed and contrived but I’m sure others would enjoy this more than me.
I do have the author’s previous book ‘Daughter’ still to read, and shall be interested to compare the two.
There have been many thrillers this year on the subject of child abduction and being totally honest, this one is nothing special. The story is told by way of flashbacks to their life in London before and then the time in Botswana. Emma has to be one of the most unlikeable mothers in fiction. She is shallow, self-obsessed, competitive, is resentful of the success her husband has and feels it should be her instead. There were occasions during the story when I felt a smidgeon of sympathy for her but on the whole she was pretty awful and although she was never cruel to her children, she was too distant and career focussed to really pay enough attention to their needs. Despite the author’s best efforts to highlight her pain at the loss of her baby, I was never convinced.
The positives in the book were the Botswana landscape and its people. The remote and dangerous lands were so well described, as were the difficulties of dealing with the police in an unfamiliar country and trying to understand different customs.
Although I kept reading to find out how it ended, this wasn't a book that I raced through and there were some parts where I felt that the story had been padded out and the pace was unnecessarily slow. The ending felt rather rushed and contrived but I’m sure others would enjoy this more than me.
I do have the author’s previous book ‘Daughter’ still to read, and shall be interested to compare the two.
August 24, 2016
As a rule of thumb, once I've read a book by an author and felt underwhelmed by it, I won't rush to pick up her next novel. However, a relative recommended this book so I put my hesitations to the side and decided to forget how I felt about the authors debut. I really should have trusted my instincts.
Emma and Adam are both successful doctors, he as an oncologist and she as an obstetrician. When Emma falls unexpectedly pregnant with their son Sam, she struggles to bond upon his birth. Meanwhile, Adam is offered a chance to take a gap year in Botswana, Africa, and take his young family alongside him.
Much of my pains surrounding this novel come from a lack of chemistry between Emma and Adam. They are in constant competition with one another career-wise. Emma is particularly preoccupied with who is smarter and more successful. Meanwhile, her relationship with her three children is distant at best.
I struggled to get to grips with the families time in Africa, notably because there are several supporting characters who lacked charisma. The eldest of the couples daughters, Alice, has obvious behavioural issues but these are for the most part, swept under the carpet as Emma entrusts her children's care into their newly appointed African nanny.
As with the authors debut novel, I felt underwhelmed by the story and was relieved to have finished. I think given the right degree of editing, the author could have had a more polished book. Her ideas are not new but could be better given the right format.
If the author releases a third novel I more than likely won't bother to read it, given my experiences with her first two books.
Emma and Adam are both successful doctors, he as an oncologist and she as an obstetrician. When Emma falls unexpectedly pregnant with their son Sam, she struggles to bond upon his birth. Meanwhile, Adam is offered a chance to take a gap year in Botswana, Africa, and take his young family alongside him.
Much of my pains surrounding this novel come from a lack of chemistry between Emma and Adam. They are in constant competition with one another career-wise. Emma is particularly preoccupied with who is smarter and more successful. Meanwhile, her relationship with her three children is distant at best.
I struggled to get to grips with the families time in Africa, notably because there are several supporting characters who lacked charisma. The eldest of the couples daughters, Alice, has obvious behavioural issues but these are for the most part, swept under the carpet as Emma entrusts her children's care into their newly appointed African nanny.
As with the authors debut novel, I felt underwhelmed by the story and was relieved to have finished. I think given the right degree of editing, the author could have had a more polished book. Her ideas are not new but could be better given the right format.
If the author releases a third novel I more than likely won't bother to read it, given my experiences with her first two books.
September 5, 2015
A chilling read about a family from the UK who move to Botswana when one of the parents accepts the offer of a research opportunity, but subsequently one of their children goes missing and suspicion falls on the parents and all surrounding them. The detrimental effect on the family as a whole as well as individuals chronicles the hellish nightmare they all endure, but will the whereabouts of missing baby Sam ever be uncovered?
The second chilling novel from Jane Shemilt that I have read and although there are similarities between the family in Daughter, her first novel and this one, the characters are quite different. Shemilt writes with totally convincing accuracy, which only adds to the chill factor of her novels that deal with uncomfortable themes.
Another keep-you-up page turner from a very talented psychological thriller writer.
The second chilling novel from Jane Shemilt that I have read and although there are similarities between the family in Daughter, her first novel and this one, the characters are quite different. Shemilt writes with totally convincing accuracy, which only adds to the chill factor of her novels that deal with uncomfortable themes.
Another keep-you-up page turner from a very talented psychological thriller writer.
January 8, 2016
Loved this book. Beautifully written. I could not warm to Emma, which, I suppose was the author's intention.
October 12, 2015
Emma Jordan and husband Adam are both high achievers in their chosen medical professions - she is gynaecology, he in oncology. Adam has the opportunity to go to Botswana to undertake further research and Emma is extremely resentful, so much so she contrives to become pregnant with their third child, thinking this will prevent Adam's departure. The fact that Emma has put her career before her other two children is neither here nor there – she doesn't want to go to Botswana for various reasons, not least of which is the knowledge that this will give Adam an edge over her.
Sam is born with a birthmark across one side of his face and Emma, ever the perfectionist, doesn't bond with him. She's shown little in the way of maternal feelings towards Alice and Zoe, but has at least managed to become more attached to Sam. When she eventually agrees to go to Botswana where Sam is kidnapped things begin to unravel.
I don't know if it was the author's intention to make Emma, the main character in this novel, so unsympathetic, but that's how I see her. She is competitive, ambitious, selfish, manipulative, ungrateful and bitter. Emma is a character I could not warm to at all, and therefore had no sympathy whatsoever with her plight.
This is a slow plod of a novel, much of it dealing with Emma and her feelings, but it's all so superficial, nothing conveys the despair and heartbreak which, surely, would occur in such circumstances. The first few chapters hop backwards and forwards between London in the past and Botswana in the present, then it settles into Botswana in the present; I did find this confusing but it's a writing technique which has become popular in recent years. Every so often it's interspersed with recollections from Emma's childhood in a clumsy attempt to explain her psyche. The characters are shallow, one dimensional creations with no redeeming qualities, and the explanation as to Who Dunnit and Why all come far too neatly at the end in true Perry Mason style.
The author obviously knows her medical stuff but I found some of the terms and details, for example complications during childbirth unnecessary. There are instances which had me blinking in disbelief – would the story of a baby's kidnap in a rural backwater in Botswana, really go global in such a short time? Even with the internet – with its often poor, or total lack of connection - I found this difficult to believe. Do swallows fly in a V formation? Aren't Russian Dolls made of wood not china? Although these are just details I did find them jarring. There are inconsistencies and odd clunky writing. Nothing in this novel of loss pulls at the heartstrings; it often feels like reading directions written for a play. The title is an oddity, too – far too obscure and bearing little relation to what is between the pages of this light, but annoying book. This is a light, deckchair-on-a-sunny-afternoon read which is instantly forgettable when the last page is read.
"Tense, gripping and devastatingly brilliant" are the words used to describe this book. Don't you believe it.
This is the second of Jane Shemilt's novels I have read – the second she's written in fact – but I will not be looking for any future offerings by this author.
Yet another book sent to me by Amazon Vine. Please send me something worthwhile!
Sam is born with a birthmark across one side of his face and Emma, ever the perfectionist, doesn't bond with him. She's shown little in the way of maternal feelings towards Alice and Zoe, but has at least managed to become more attached to Sam. When she eventually agrees to go to Botswana where Sam is kidnapped things begin to unravel.
I don't know if it was the author's intention to make Emma, the main character in this novel, so unsympathetic, but that's how I see her. She is competitive, ambitious, selfish, manipulative, ungrateful and bitter. Emma is a character I could not warm to at all, and therefore had no sympathy whatsoever with her plight.
This is a slow plod of a novel, much of it dealing with Emma and her feelings, but it's all so superficial, nothing conveys the despair and heartbreak which, surely, would occur in such circumstances. The first few chapters hop backwards and forwards between London in the past and Botswana in the present, then it settles into Botswana in the present; I did find this confusing but it's a writing technique which has become popular in recent years. Every so often it's interspersed with recollections from Emma's childhood in a clumsy attempt to explain her psyche. The characters are shallow, one dimensional creations with no redeeming qualities, and the explanation as to Who Dunnit and Why all come far too neatly at the end in true Perry Mason style.
The author obviously knows her medical stuff but I found some of the terms and details, for example complications during childbirth unnecessary. There are instances which had me blinking in disbelief – would the story of a baby's kidnap in a rural backwater in Botswana, really go global in such a short time? Even with the internet – with its often poor, or total lack of connection - I found this difficult to believe. Do swallows fly in a V formation? Aren't Russian Dolls made of wood not china? Although these are just details I did find them jarring. There are inconsistencies and odd clunky writing. Nothing in this novel of loss pulls at the heartstrings; it often feels like reading directions written for a play. The title is an oddity, too – far too obscure and bearing little relation to what is between the pages of this light, but annoying book. This is a light, deckchair-on-a-sunny-afternoon read which is instantly forgettable when the last page is read.
"Tense, gripping and devastatingly brilliant" are the words used to describe this book. Don't you believe it.
This is the second of Jane Shemilt's novels I have read – the second she's written in fact – but I will not be looking for any future offerings by this author.
Yet another book sent to me by Amazon Vine. Please send me something worthwhile!
September 24, 2015
Emma describes her relationship with Adam as being 'evenly weighted with work and success'. They're competitors she explains. Both high-achievers and she feels she's lagging behind as a result of taking time off to have their two daughters.
When Adam initially raises the idea of going to Botswana Emma refuses worried about the impact it’ll have on her career, but she she unexpectedly finds herself pregnant, taking a year of absence makes sense.
This book was a bit of a sleeper. It felt a bit slow in the beginning and I struggled a little with Emma's extreme competitiveness, although we're privy to Emma's backstory so learn where her need to succeed comes from.
The disappearance of their son shocks Emma and Adam out of their respective self-obsessed bubbles while also pulling readers out of our complacency. It’s the sort of book that doesn't necessarily end happily so hard to put down as the family starts to unravel.
Read the full review on my blog: http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
When Adam initially raises the idea of going to Botswana Emma refuses worried about the impact it’ll have on her career, but she she unexpectedly finds herself pregnant, taking a year of absence makes sense.
This book was a bit of a sleeper. It felt a bit slow in the beginning and I struggled a little with Emma's extreme competitiveness, although we're privy to Emma's backstory so learn where her need to succeed comes from.
The disappearance of their son shocks Emma and Adam out of their respective self-obsessed bubbles while also pulling readers out of our complacency. It’s the sort of book that doesn't necessarily end happily so hard to put down as the family starts to unravel.
Read the full review on my blog: http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
September 30, 2015
Having read Jane Shemilts emotional debut Daughter last year and found it to be a well written and dramatic page turner, I was very excited to read her follow up novel which is always a more difficult book to write!
This book follows Adam and Emma who are very hard-working and high achieving in their chosen fields of work. Their jobs come first and although they adore their daughters Alice and Zoe, days go by when Emma feels she hasn't spent the time or given them the love and attention she would like. But she feels they are a happy family and the Times they spend together are full of laughter and memories. So when her husband is offered a research project in Botswana, Emma isn't keen to go and an "unplanned" (by Adam at least!) pregnancy gives her the perfect excuse not to go. Persuaded by Megan, a new friend, to change her mind, the family accompanied by new baby Sam, head off to Africa. But when baby Sam disappears, the family unit starts to break down.
When this book started I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it. I had absolutely no empathy with Emma, the mother so involved with her work and research that she wasn't seeing what was happening with her children. She was the woman who thought she could have it all her own way without realising that the family life she thought she had was passing her by. But when baby Sam disappears, we started to scrape the hard, brittle surface of Emma's personality to understand why she is this way and how she tries, too late unfortunately, to change. The gorgeous descriptions of Africa, the well structured storyline and the well researched medical details made this an interesting book. Although I didn't take to Emma, it didn't spoil my enjoyment and I was up late trying to work out what had happened to baby Sam.
Jane Shemilt is certainly an author that people should look out for and I heartily recommend this book to people who enjoy a family based dramatic suspense novel.
I received a copy of this book via netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
This book follows Adam and Emma who are very hard-working and high achieving in their chosen fields of work. Their jobs come first and although they adore their daughters Alice and Zoe, days go by when Emma feels she hasn't spent the time or given them the love and attention she would like. But she feels they are a happy family and the Times they spend together are full of laughter and memories. So when her husband is offered a research project in Botswana, Emma isn't keen to go and an "unplanned" (by Adam at least!) pregnancy gives her the perfect excuse not to go. Persuaded by Megan, a new friend, to change her mind, the family accompanied by new baby Sam, head off to Africa. But when baby Sam disappears, the family unit starts to break down.
When this book started I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it. I had absolutely no empathy with Emma, the mother so involved with her work and research that she wasn't seeing what was happening with her children. She was the woman who thought she could have it all her own way without realising that the family life she thought she had was passing her by. But when baby Sam disappears, we started to scrape the hard, brittle surface of Emma's personality to understand why she is this way and how she tries, too late unfortunately, to change. The gorgeous descriptions of Africa, the well structured storyline and the well researched medical details made this an interesting book. Although I didn't take to Emma, it didn't spoil my enjoyment and I was up late trying to work out what had happened to baby Sam.
Jane Shemilt is certainly an author that people should look out for and I heartily recommend this book to people who enjoy a family based dramatic suspense novel.
I received a copy of this book via netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
June 14, 2016
This is Jane Shemilt's second novel following her debut The Daughter. I felt the Drowning Lesson was more believable then The Daughter, However i have only awarded this book 3 stars because I felt no empathy with Emma.
This book is about Doctors Emma and Adam Jordan and their 2 daughters Alice and Zoe. Emma is a consultant obstetrician and Adam is a oncologist.
Emma and Adam love their daughters, however they are busy and do not have time to spend with the girls. When Adam is given the chance to work in Botswana for a year, Emma refuses to go because she thinks her career will suffer and she will be behind in her research papers. Adam's Secretary Megan becomes friends with Emma. Megan tells her to go with Adam because it is a beautiful country and the villages always need good doctors.
Emma is reluctant until she becomes pregnant, she thinks it will be good to stay in Africa for a year. A chance to bond with the baby, spend quality time with her girls and allow her to write some research papers.
Emma has a baby boy called Sam. Sam is born with a port wine stain on his face. Emma is upset about the mark and struggles to bond with the baby. Luckily Megan is a God send, the girls adore her because she listens to them and she helps with Sam.
The Jordan family fly to Botwana just before Christmas. Adam and the girls take to Africa immediately. The Jordan's employ a young nanny, although she cannot speak English the girls love her and follow her around.
Initially Emma did not want a nanny because she wanted wanted to look after the girls herself. Once the nanny settled him Emma started work part time in a clinic. Emma comes home one night to find the windows broken and the girls in tears. Emma runs to Sam's cot and finds he is missing. This was exciting, I thought I knew the kidnapper early on but I was wrong. This was a good story 4 stars from me.
This book is about Doctors Emma and Adam Jordan and their 2 daughters Alice and Zoe. Emma is a consultant obstetrician and Adam is a oncologist.
Emma and Adam love their daughters, however they are busy and do not have time to spend with the girls. When Adam is given the chance to work in Botswana for a year, Emma refuses to go because she thinks her career will suffer and she will be behind in her research papers. Adam's Secretary Megan becomes friends with Emma. Megan tells her to go with Adam because it is a beautiful country and the villages always need good doctors.
Emma is reluctant until she becomes pregnant, she thinks it will be good to stay in Africa for a year. A chance to bond with the baby, spend quality time with her girls and allow her to write some research papers.
Emma has a baby boy called Sam. Sam is born with a port wine stain on his face. Emma is upset about the mark and struggles to bond with the baby. Luckily Megan is a God send, the girls adore her because she listens to them and she helps with Sam.
The Jordan family fly to Botwana just before Christmas. Adam and the girls take to Africa immediately. The Jordan's employ a young nanny, although she cannot speak English the girls love her and follow her around.
Initially Emma did not want a nanny because she wanted wanted to look after the girls herself. Once the nanny settled him Emma started work part time in a clinic. Emma comes home one night to find the windows broken and the girls in tears. Emma runs to Sam's cot and finds he is missing. This was exciting, I thought I knew the kidnapper early on but I was wrong. This was a good story 4 stars from me.
November 26, 2015
Firstly I’d like to thank the publisher for sending me this book to read and share my honest thoughts. I have to admit, after reading the blurb I was concerned that the subject of the storyline would make it too difficult for me to read. On the other hand I was also intrigued: Why and how was Sam taken? Where were his parents at the time? Would there be a happy ending?
Before I even started reading my mind was conjuring up images of children from real newspaper stories, not all of which ended well – I desperately wanted this book to finish on a happy note.
The storyline began by switching between the past and the present, something that enabled me to build up a clear picture of events in my mind. An overwhelming sense of loss weaved its way through the author’s words and I was held tight by these and also the desire to find out what was going to happen next!
My feelings towards Emma were mixed. There were times when I just couldn’t understand her, I guess she wasn’t as motherly as I had expected and some of her thoughts were completely alien to me. Then there were times when she made complete sense and I could feel the pain in her heart.
There was such an honest vibe to the storyline, especially when the worst happened, the events unravelling on the page before me felt so believable and real. My suspicious mind worked overtime as I tried to figure out who was responsible and now I do know I think I’d like to re-read the book to see things through a more informed set of eyes.
I admit that I cuddled my little one a bit closer as I was reading certain parts of this book, I became so entrenched in the horror of the situation that I needed to remind myself it wasn’t happening to me!
This was a tense and thought-provoking read. It left me feeling kind of numb – I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, maybe it’s a bit of both!
Before I even started reading my mind was conjuring up images of children from real newspaper stories, not all of which ended well – I desperately wanted this book to finish on a happy note.
The storyline began by switching between the past and the present, something that enabled me to build up a clear picture of events in my mind. An overwhelming sense of loss weaved its way through the author’s words and I was held tight by these and also the desire to find out what was going to happen next!
My feelings towards Emma were mixed. There were times when I just couldn’t understand her, I guess she wasn’t as motherly as I had expected and some of her thoughts were completely alien to me. Then there were times when she made complete sense and I could feel the pain in her heart.
There was such an honest vibe to the storyline, especially when the worst happened, the events unravelling on the page before me felt so believable and real. My suspicious mind worked overtime as I tried to figure out who was responsible and now I do know I think I’d like to re-read the book to see things through a more informed set of eyes.
I admit that I cuddled my little one a bit closer as I was reading certain parts of this book, I became so entrenched in the horror of the situation that I needed to remind myself it wasn’t happening to me!
This was a tense and thought-provoking read. It left me feeling kind of numb – I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, maybe it’s a bit of both!
January 13, 2016
2.5 stars
Adam and Emma are a very competitive couple. Both doctors, they always seek to outdo one another. So when Adam gets a research job in Botswana, Emma is a bit put out. Adam would be carrying out ground-breaking research while she looks after their children.
Once out there however, Botswana is like a dream. Exactly what their family needs.
Until their only son, Sam disappears from their house at four months old. No one knows what happened. All the leads have run dry. What happened to Sam and will they ever see him again?
I quite enjoyed reading this novel. It is a little slow in places (which suited me fine as I only read it on my lunch break) but the author captures the personalities of each character well. They are all flawed products of their pasts.
The big reveal at the end is not a huge leap of imagination but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Adam and Emma are a very competitive couple. Both doctors, they always seek to outdo one another. So when Adam gets a research job in Botswana, Emma is a bit put out. Adam would be carrying out ground-breaking research while she looks after their children.
Once out there however, Botswana is like a dream. Exactly what their family needs.
Until their only son, Sam disappears from their house at four months old. No one knows what happened. All the leads have run dry. What happened to Sam and will they ever see him again?
I quite enjoyed reading this novel. It is a little slow in places (which suited me fine as I only read it on my lunch break) but the author captures the personalities of each character well. They are all flawed products of their pasts.
The big reveal at the end is not a huge leap of imagination but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
May 14, 2024
I could make any sense of this. There is so much jumping around and odd use of present tense was intensely irritating. More time was spent on Emma’s own childhood than the missing Sam. We have half a book of Emma s complaining before the main event happens half way in.
Didn’t work for me.
Didn’t work for me.
May 1, 2017
Page 222 - can't keep awake any longer! Hate it when sleep gets in the way of a good book 😉
September 24, 2020
I enjoyed the plot,twists etc, but i really enjoyed the characters growth and development. I really did not like her in the beginning but after hitting rock bottom she started evolving
December 30, 2021
Bello, avvincente e veloce. Nessuno può fermare una mamma che vuole ritrovare il figlio rapito, nemmeno la consapevolezza che le probabilità, che sia ancora vivo, sono ormai vicinissime allo zero
July 29, 2023
I liked it
June 15, 2019
Probably a 4.5, real page turner, but spoilt by the ending that was built up all the book, but was over in a couple of pages.
April 1, 2016
The Drowning Lesson – Jane Shemilt
‘It takes seconds to register that all the lights in the house are blazing. Adam is shouting, his voice low-pitched like an animal in pain. I start running. The shadows in our bedroom flicker differently: it takes me a moment to see that the curtains are torn, and moving in the slight wind. A glittering pile of glass lies in front of the window, a few jagged shards still lodged in the frame. The cot is empty.’
Published by Penguin books in 2015, The Drowning Lesson sets itself in two countries, Botswana & England. Emma & her husband Adam (just like Jane Shemilt & her husband) both work in the medical field. They are both extremely competitive in the world they work in, really to the detriment of anything else in their lives, including their children. Emma has a very strong work ethic with the need to always be the winner. It is a work ethic she developed from a very young age after the death of her mother, as she tried to impress her father & see him smile again.
Adam gets offered a research post in Botswana for a year. To go means Emma giving up everything she has worked hard to achieve in her own medical field. She has never encouraged female friendships or any activity that will take her away from her drive to succeed, so this is a life changing decision for her and one she doesn’t take lightly.
Meanwhile, their daughter Alice is struggling in school. She is craving the love & attention of two very busy parents and her behaviour is noticed by both parents. A decision must be be made…..
Emma agrees on the trip to Botswana as a break for the family, a chance to regroup and strengthen as a unit.
This is where I struggled with the book. A gap year with small kids to a remote destination in Botswana, being attended to by people with no security checks and in the middle of it all….pregnant…….. Their life unravels after a very short while, when it is discovered that their newborn son, Sam, has been stolen. The Botswana police force leave a lot to be desired, as Emma hunts down her child over a 12 month period.
I found the story a little bit too far fetched. Some of the activities that Emma gets up to on her own in search of her child in a foreign country is just not very believable. Her marriage to Adam falters, her relationship with Alice changes and Zoe (middle child)….just there in the background. All ends as expected and I guess their life rolls on!!
See what you think….
‘It takes seconds to register that all the lights in the house are blazing. Adam is shouting, his voice low-pitched like an animal in pain. I start running. The shadows in our bedroom flicker differently: it takes me a moment to see that the curtains are torn, and moving in the slight wind. A glittering pile of glass lies in front of the window, a few jagged shards still lodged in the frame. The cot is empty.’
Published by Penguin books in 2015, The Drowning Lesson sets itself in two countries, Botswana & England. Emma & her husband Adam (just like Jane Shemilt & her husband) both work in the medical field. They are both extremely competitive in the world they work in, really to the detriment of anything else in their lives, including their children. Emma has a very strong work ethic with the need to always be the winner. It is a work ethic she developed from a very young age after the death of her mother, as she tried to impress her father & see him smile again.
Adam gets offered a research post in Botswana for a year. To go means Emma giving up everything she has worked hard to achieve in her own medical field. She has never encouraged female friendships or any activity that will take her away from her drive to succeed, so this is a life changing decision for her and one she doesn’t take lightly.
Meanwhile, their daughter Alice is struggling in school. She is craving the love & attention of two very busy parents and her behaviour is noticed by both parents. A decision must be be made…..
Emma agrees on the trip to Botswana as a break for the family, a chance to regroup and strengthen as a unit.
This is where I struggled with the book. A gap year with small kids to a remote destination in Botswana, being attended to by people with no security checks and in the middle of it all….pregnant…….. Their life unravels after a very short while, when it is discovered that their newborn son, Sam, has been stolen. The Botswana police force leave a lot to be desired, as Emma hunts down her child over a 12 month period.
I found the story a little bit too far fetched. Some of the activities that Emma gets up to on her own in search of her child in a foreign country is just not very believable. Her marriage to Adam falters, her relationship with Alice changes and Zoe (middle child)….just there in the background. All ends as expected and I guess their life rolls on!!
See what you think….
October 7, 2015
I'm afraid I got a bit fed up with this book. It's competently written and has its good points, but overall I found it generic, a bit unconvincing and rather predictable in many ways.
The story is narrated by Emma, a high-powered obstetric surgeon who begins to realise that she is neglecting her family due to being so ambitious and driven at work, so agrees to go with the family to Botswana where her husband has been offered an important research post. It is revealed in the first couple of pages that when they get there her baby son is taken from his cot, which drives the plot.
The book is written in the now apparently obligatory fractured time-frame with the circumstances leading up to the abduction intercut with events afterwards, with added flashbacks to childhood which give convenient pop-psychological explanations for Emma's driven competitiveness. It all feels very formulaic, I'm afraid. I do admire Jane Shemilt for creating a rather unsympathetic protagonist, which is a brave move, and the medical background is very well portrayed, but I eventually got rather bored. The style felt like so many other creative-writing-course-influenced books, with the same little tropes and tics of vocabulary and structure, the plot wasn't that gripping and neither the characters nor the background were sufficiently well drawn to engage me properly. And, of course, Emma learns her Important Life Lesson by the end.
This isn't dreadful, by any means. It is competently written and does have some merits, but overall I found it rather dull and I can't really recommend it.
The story is narrated by Emma, a high-powered obstetric surgeon who begins to realise that she is neglecting her family due to being so ambitious and driven at work, so agrees to go with the family to Botswana where her husband has been offered an important research post. It is revealed in the first couple of pages that when they get there her baby son is taken from his cot, which drives the plot.
The book is written in the now apparently obligatory fractured time-frame with the circumstances leading up to the abduction intercut with events afterwards, with added flashbacks to childhood which give convenient pop-psychological explanations for Emma's driven competitiveness. It all feels very formulaic, I'm afraid. I do admire Jane Shemilt for creating a rather unsympathetic protagonist, which is a brave move, and the medical background is very well portrayed, but I eventually got rather bored. The style felt like so many other creative-writing-course-influenced books, with the same little tropes and tics of vocabulary and structure, the plot wasn't that gripping and neither the characters nor the background were sufficiently well drawn to engage me properly. And, of course, Emma learns her Important Life Lesson by the end.
This isn't dreadful, by any means. It is competently written and does have some merits, but overall I found it rather dull and I can't really recommend it.
October 18, 2015
I was apprehensive in buying another missing person book from this author. Especially since this is only her second novel. However, I'm so glad I did. I loved Daughter and I think she's topped this best seller with another.
I was also dreading the end, thinking it has to somehow be worse than her last (not getting her child back) but I needn't have worried.
Alternating between Africa in 2014 when baby Sam goes missing from their rental home in Botswana and 2013 before they leave a continually tense crime thriller, this book will keep you engrossed from the very first page until you turn the last. Fast forward to 2015 Emma goes on the hunt after spotting something that triggers a shocking stream of events which lead to the revelation of what happened on that March day the year before.
What I like most about this author and this book especially is her solid yet detailed writing and her ability to weave character growth alongside a basic plot with such simple lengthy and continued tension building that you can read her work in just a few days and not be thrown at with unnecessary jargon or annoyingly boring prose.
With Shemilt, her words glue you to the seat and everything is revealed in such small ways that the story is as authentic as if you are there with Emma (The protagonist) throughout the discovery of every piece of information. Like a detective investigating the mystery with her, you will want to read this in no more than two sittings and devour each page.
I can't wait to read whatever she has hidden within her pen next- Brilliant!
I was also dreading the end, thinking it has to somehow be worse than her last (not getting her child back) but I needn't have worried.
Alternating between Africa in 2014 when baby Sam goes missing from their rental home in Botswana and 2013 before they leave a continually tense crime thriller, this book will keep you engrossed from the very first page until you turn the last. Fast forward to 2015 Emma goes on the hunt after spotting something that triggers a shocking stream of events which lead to the revelation of what happened on that March day the year before.
What I like most about this author and this book especially is her solid yet detailed writing and her ability to weave character growth alongside a basic plot with such simple lengthy and continued tension building that you can read her work in just a few days and not be thrown at with unnecessary jargon or annoyingly boring prose.
With Shemilt, her words glue you to the seat and everything is revealed in such small ways that the story is as authentic as if you are there with Emma (The protagonist) throughout the discovery of every piece of information. Like a detective investigating the mystery with her, you will want to read this in no more than two sittings and devour each page.
I can't wait to read whatever she has hidden within her pen next- Brilliant!
January 31, 2016
Emma and Adam are highly successful doctors, living a hectic life, with their two daughters in London. Emma is also extremely competitive and sometimes even her family get it the way of her professional competitiveness. She resents the fact that Adam has had a relatively easier time with his career given that he hasn't been distracted by childbirth and everything else that comes with it.
Adam gets an opportunity to travel to Botswana on a research opportunity and feels that this might be a good time for the family to bond again, away from their hectic London life. Their eldest daughter, Alice hadn't been doing too well, and he felt that the move might give Emma and himself the time to focus on the family. Emma is against this live however agrees to the move after finding out that she is pregnant again.
Botswana throws up one surprise/shock that they had never expected. Their baby son gets abducted.
The story line itself had the potential however the treatment of the story was very, for the want of a better word, clinical. I felt no empathy for the mum or the dad. The characters were likeable, unrelatable. The only character that moved me was Alice. The ending was extremely far fetched and disappointing. Not a book I would particularly recommend.
A 2.5/5 read.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the review copy of this book.
Adam gets an opportunity to travel to Botswana on a research opportunity and feels that this might be a good time for the family to bond again, away from their hectic London life. Their eldest daughter, Alice hadn't been doing too well, and he felt that the move might give Emma and himself the time to focus on the family. Emma is against this live however agrees to the move after finding out that she is pregnant again.
Botswana throws up one surprise/shock that they had never expected. Their baby son gets abducted.
The story line itself had the potential however the treatment of the story was very, for the want of a better word, clinical. I felt no empathy for the mum or the dad. The characters were likeable, unrelatable. The only character that moved me was Alice. The ending was extremely far fetched and disappointing. Not a book I would particularly recommend.
A 2.5/5 read.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the review copy of this book.
November 25, 2015
I enjoyed this new chilling read from Jane Shemilt about a family from the UK who move to Botswana for a research project when one of their children goes missing. I didn’t really like Emma, (the mother) much in the beginning so I was feeling a tad detached to start with, but after a while I really wanted to know what happened to their son. One problem I had with the book – the prologue was ok, which was the first couple of pages from when Sam went missing. Then we went back a year to get to where we were in the prologue – that also was ok. But on the blurb on the back of the book it says “the anniversary from when Sam went missing” which was close to three quarters of the way through to the book so in all the drama of Sam going missing, after reading the blurb on the back I didn’t 100% feel it cause I knew he still wasn’t going to be found cause the blurb had told me so!!! Does that make sense? But all in all, I still kept reading hoping for a good ending, and I must say that Jane has finished this book better than she did ‘daughter’ so that was good and will ensure that I buy her third book if she writes one!!! Giving it a solid 4 stars!
January 11, 2018
I loved Daughter, Jane Shemilt's first book, so was excited to read The Drowning Lesson. And I wasn't disappointed. Atmospherically beautiful, richly drawn characters, and a page-turning plot, this was a truly superb novel.
Emma and Adam are both very busy doctors, combining successful careers with two young children. Emma is extremely competitive, to the point it's detrimental to her relationship with her family. When Emma gets pregnant and her husband is offered a position in Botswana, they go for a year. But one day Emma arrives home to every mother's worst nightmare - the baby's been taken from his cot and is missing.
While I initially found Emma to be selfish, competitive and unlikeable, I grew to like her tenacity and stubbornness as the book went on. Her competitive nature actually worked in her favor, as she refused to give up looking for her baby.
The descriptions of Botswana were rich and vivid. I could practically feel the heat, the parched earth, the blue sky, just from reading Shemilt's writing. It was absolutely captivating, and the story, plot twists, and rich characters all built to a stunning second novel for Jane Shemilt.
Emma and Adam are both very busy doctors, combining successful careers with two young children. Emma is extremely competitive, to the point it's detrimental to her relationship with her family. When Emma gets pregnant and her husband is offered a position in Botswana, they go for a year. But one day Emma arrives home to every mother's worst nightmare - the baby's been taken from his cot and is missing.
While I initially found Emma to be selfish, competitive and unlikeable, I grew to like her tenacity and stubbornness as the book went on. Her competitive nature actually worked in her favor, as she refused to give up looking for her baby.
The descriptions of Botswana were rich and vivid. I could practically feel the heat, the parched earth, the blue sky, just from reading Shemilt's writing. It was absolutely captivating, and the story, plot twists, and rich characters all built to a stunning second novel for Jane Shemilt.
December 21, 2016
Ho apprezzato molto questo libro. Davvero ben strutturato, mai banale. Uno spezzone di vita quotidiana e familiare di una coppia di medici. Molto interessante il rapporto con le figlie e le problematiche affrontate tipiche di una normalissima copia di genitori.
Di particolare interesse anche la 'guerra lavorativa' coniugale e 'l'arrivismo'.
Unica pecca il finale, nel senso che è un finale piacevole ma poco probabile nella realtà. Il tipico finale che tutte le famiglie che vivono una storia simile vorrebbero accadesse.
Tuttavia 4 stelle meritate perché è un libro piacevolmente sorprendente.
Di particolare interesse anche la 'guerra lavorativa' coniugale e 'l'arrivismo'.
Unica pecca il finale, nel senso che è un finale piacevole ma poco probabile nella realtà. Il tipico finale che tutte le famiglie che vivono una storia simile vorrebbero accadesse.
Tuttavia 4 stelle meritate perché è un libro piacevolmente sorprendente.
July 18, 2020
PLOT SPOILER PLOT SPOILER PLOT SPOILER
Oh for goodness sake - what an ending! How blooming ridiculous. Completely lost any thought I might have of being kind and non-judgemental about the ending. This woman jumps off a plane and seemingly just follows a trail more than a year old and then finds her daughter and manages to snatch her from 'the baddies'. Ridiculous idea. Having read and enjoyed JS's debut novel Daughter, I don't think I'll be reading any more of her offerings.
Oh for goodness sake - what an ending! How blooming ridiculous. Completely lost any thought I might have of being kind and non-judgemental about the ending. This woman jumps off a plane and seemingly just follows a trail more than a year old and then finds her daughter and manages to snatch her from 'the baddies'. Ridiculous idea. Having read and enjoyed JS's debut novel Daughter, I don't think I'll be reading any more of her offerings.
October 15, 2015
I had high hopes for this book but it wasn't what I really expected. There were no real moments of thrilling suspense, it was not a great page turner.
That said, it was a decent enough read. Beautifully descriptive, although I felt very little for the characters.
I still don't understand why the title!
I was lucky to win this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
That said, it was a decent enough read. Beautifully descriptive, although I felt very little for the characters.
I still don't understand why the title!
I was lucky to win this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
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