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Whatever You Love
FROM THE WRITER OF BBC SMASH HIT DRAMA CROSSFIRESHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARDLONGLISTED FOT THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2011Whatever You Love , from Louise Doughty - the bestselling author of Apple Tree Yard , now a major BBC 1 series - is a heart-wrenching psychological thriller about bereavement and revenge, desire and infidelity .Two police officers knock on Laura's door and her life changes forever. They tell her that her nine-year old daughter Betty has been hit by a car and killed. When justice is slow to arrive, Laura decides to take her own revenge and begins to track down the man responsible.Laura's grief also re-opens old wounds and she is thrown back to the story of her passionate love affair with Betty's father David, their marriage and his subsequent affair with another woman.Haunted by her past, and driven to breaking point by her desire for retribution, Laura discovers the lengths she is willing to go to for love.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
150 people are currently reading
2544 people want to read
About the author
Louise Doughty
27 books631 followersLouise Doughty is a novelist, playwright and critic. She is the author of five novels; CRAZY PAVING, DANCE WITH ME, HONEY-DEW, FIRES IN THE DARK and STONE CRADLE, and one work of non-fiction A NOVEL IN A YEAR. She has also written five plays for radio. She has worked widely as a critic and broadcaster in the UK, where she lives, and was a judge for the 2008 Man Booker Prize for fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 368 reviews
February 9, 2019
Review to follow. 😊
January 17, 2018
Another really good book. I liked the story and the characters. I only had one problem with the book and it was the ending, the Epilogue. Did not understand it, why it went back to the little girl Betty after all that happened after she was killed. I could have just seen a different way to end the story. This left with with a big question mark in my mind, that it did not make sense after everything I had read. But that is the only reason I gave it a 4 instead of a 5. Very good book, another one I could not put down until I finished.
April 27, 2014
This book purports to be about the revenge sought by a mother after the hit and run death of her 9 year old daughter Betty, but it read more like the memoir of the mother rather than a tale of retribution.
Laura goes back and forth in time telling of life pre and post accident; that being the defining moment in her life. She describes how she meets and falls in love with Betty's father David, his subsequent defection for a younger woman Chloe and the moment in time that breaks both Laura and David - Betty's death on a walk home from school with her best friend Willow.
After the accident Laura tries to get on with her life but a revelation from the police leads her to try and track down the man who killed her daughter and meet him. Up until this point in the book I found myself caught up in the story. I was about wrung out from reading because Ms. Doughty has a way with words that draws you into the world of Laura and David and you truly feel their emotions.
Then Laura cracks.
And she does something I could not understand. I could not understand why, I could not understand the character's motivation, I could not understand Ms. Doughty's motivation and from that point on the novel crashed for me. It was such a horrifying act I still find myself thinking about it and I do not thank Ms. Doughty for that.
I can certainly understand that the loss of a child can be a devastating event in a parent's life but I find it hard to believe that a mother would react as Laura did. I mean, my stomach turned...
I can't in all good conscience reveal such a major plot point but I won't be reading any more books by Ms. Doughty which is a shame because until that scene I enjoyed her writing.
Laura goes back and forth in time telling of life pre and post accident; that being the defining moment in her life. She describes how she meets and falls in love with Betty's father David, his subsequent defection for a younger woman Chloe and the moment in time that breaks both Laura and David - Betty's death on a walk home from school with her best friend Willow.
After the accident Laura tries to get on with her life but a revelation from the police leads her to try and track down the man who killed her daughter and meet him. Up until this point in the book I found myself caught up in the story. I was about wrung out from reading because Ms. Doughty has a way with words that draws you into the world of Laura and David and you truly feel their emotions.
Then Laura cracks.
And she does something I could not understand. I could not understand why, I could not understand the character's motivation, I could not understand Ms. Doughty's motivation and from that point on the novel crashed for me. It was such a horrifying act I still find myself thinking about it and I do not thank Ms. Doughty for that.
I can certainly understand that the loss of a child can be a devastating event in a parent's life but I find it hard to believe that a mother would react as Laura did. I mean, my stomach turned...
I can't in all good conscience reveal such a major plot point but I won't be reading any more books by Ms. Doughty which is a shame because until that scene I enjoyed her writing.
March 6, 2011
I have been really blown away by this novel, it's one of those stories that you really really need to keep on reading, one of those that is almost impossible to put down, with clever twists and turns throughout the very well woven plot.
The main plotline is one that puts the fear into any parent; the unexpected and accidental death of a child. Betty is the nine-year old daughter of Laura and David, the prologue of the story is the moment that Laura realises that there are two police officers on her doorstep and then the realisation that Betty is dead. So, a really difficult and emotional subject to deal with, but Louise Doughty deals with it easily - the drama, the emotion and the grief are splendidly portrayed throughout the novel.
As Laura tries to deal with her grief, her life slowly unravells and she descends into a kind of 'other' world - almost madness and deep deep sorrow. I was really impressed by how Doughty reveals Laura and David's past relationship, in a series of flash-backs that totally fit into the story and give the reader an understanding of why and how both of them behave like they do.
Laura is something of a flawed character and makes some pretty strange decisions, she can be almost melodramatic in her actions at times, but this didn't lessen the impact of the story for me.
Overall, this is one of the most intriguing novels I have read for a long time, not uplifting or cheering in any way, in fact it's quite brutal and unsettling at times. A very powerful read.
The main plotline is one that puts the fear into any parent; the unexpected and accidental death of a child. Betty is the nine-year old daughter of Laura and David, the prologue of the story is the moment that Laura realises that there are two police officers on her doorstep and then the realisation that Betty is dead. So, a really difficult and emotional subject to deal with, but Louise Doughty deals with it easily - the drama, the emotion and the grief are splendidly portrayed throughout the novel.
As Laura tries to deal with her grief, her life slowly unravells and she descends into a kind of 'other' world - almost madness and deep deep sorrow. I was really impressed by how Doughty reveals Laura and David's past relationship, in a series of flash-backs that totally fit into the story and give the reader an understanding of why and how both of them behave like they do.
Laura is something of a flawed character and makes some pretty strange decisions, she can be almost melodramatic in her actions at times, but this didn't lessen the impact of the story for me.
Overall, this is one of the most intriguing novels I have read for a long time, not uplifting or cheering in any way, in fact it's quite brutal and unsettling at times. A very powerful read.
April 8, 2014
What an unpleasant story. 2 stars because it was well written, but no more because the story was just so bleak throughout. I couldn't find any light, I felt almost dirty reading this. Everything was so bad for everyone & there was just no hope, nothing at all was ok & would never be ok. The protagonist had my sympathies as a mother living with imaginable loss, but quickly earned my disgust for the person she had been & was turning into. The story of her marriage was boring & I found her a weak idiot, and I only liked her a bit when her story of loss was told. Then the character does one thing after another that loses me as a sympathetic reader & I just wanted to be done with the book.
October 16, 2024
This book starts with the police turning up at Laura's door to tell her that her daughter Betty has died. It is a brutal start and the main theme of the book is Laura dealing with her loss, but this book is so much more than that. Part 1 of the book details Laura's early relationship with her now ex-husband David, the scenes are well written the lust she felt for him leaps off the pages and it is soon apparent that this book is also about Laura losing David to Chloe, his new wife.
This book is so well written I found myself completely immersed in Laura's emotions, she still dislikes her daughter's best friend's mother but accepts that there is none more two-faced than the mothers at the school gate, Laura obsesses over previous veiled insults, grief does not turn her into a non-person. Laura wants to know more about the man who killed her daughter, Laura wants revenge. As the book weaves between the past, before Betty died, and after, we learn more about David's infidelity the break down of their marriage and Laura's brave attempts to carry on.
This book has the ability to make us assess the darkness that can lurk in all of us, how would you feel if two of the people you loved with a passion were taken away from you?
This book is so well written I found myself completely immersed in Laura's emotions, she still dislikes her daughter's best friend's mother but accepts that there is none more two-faced than the mothers at the school gate, Laura obsesses over previous veiled insults, grief does not turn her into a non-person. Laura wants to know more about the man who killed her daughter, Laura wants revenge. As the book weaves between the past, before Betty died, and after, we learn more about David's infidelity the break down of their marriage and Laura's brave attempts to carry on.
This book has the ability to make us assess the darkness that can lurk in all of us, how would you feel if two of the people you loved with a passion were taken away from you?
March 1, 2018
Really enjoyed this story about a woman trying to cope after her daughter is killed in a car accident. Doughty writes so well, I often forgot that I was reading, and the story just spooled in my head. There's a little bit of a mystery, which wasn't a surprise when it was resolved, but it was the ordinary family dealing with extraordinary circumstances that made this book great.
February 26, 2018
Set in a coastal English town this is, as it says in the blurb, an astonishing and emotionally-charged novel, about Laura whose nine-year old daughter, Betty has been killed by a hit and run driver. Laura tells her story alternating between events before Betty's death how she met and married David, Betty' s father, their subsequent divorce after his affair with Chloe, and after Betty's death. Laura's grief is palpable, which makes this a harrowing book to read. It is also startling and shocking in parts.
The after chapters are written in the first person narrative, which I'm never completely happy about, but it works quite well in this book, and it does add some clarity to the sequence of events. I think I endured rather than enjoyed this book; 'enjoy' is not the right word to described reading it, but it is well written, and the characters, for the most part are well drawn. There is an emphasis on relationships, not only between Laura and David but also between Laura and Chloe, David's new wife, between Laura and the Sally, whose daughter Willow was also killed in the accident, and between the local people and the immigrant community. As Laura, fraught with grief, tracks down the driver of the car she spirals more and more out of control.
I found the ending of the book inconclusive and there are some questions left hanging. It seemed to me a book of two halves - the first dwelling on Laura's grief and her inability to cope, with the second concentrating on her instability. Just how reliable was Laura, a woman who was pushed to the edge of sanity? Overall, I was impressed by the writing and will look for more by Louise Doughty.
The after chapters are written in the first person narrative, which I'm never completely happy about, but it works quite well in this book, and it does add some clarity to the sequence of events. I think I endured rather than enjoyed this book; 'enjoy' is not the right word to described reading it, but it is well written, and the characters, for the most part are well drawn. There is an emphasis on relationships, not only between Laura and David but also between Laura and Chloe, David's new wife, between Laura and the Sally, whose daughter Willow was also killed in the accident, and between the local people and the immigrant community. As Laura, fraught with grief, tracks down the driver of the car she spirals more and more out of control.
I found the ending of the book inconclusive and there are some questions left hanging. It seemed to me a book of two halves - the first dwelling on Laura's grief and her inability to cope, with the second concentrating on her instability. Just how reliable was Laura, a woman who was pushed to the edge of sanity? Overall, I was impressed by the writing and will look for more by Louise Doughty.
September 7, 2014
I'm still reading this but it is impossible to put down and when I do I'm wandering around thinking about what is going on in the story as if the characters were real people. Death of a child, divorce, these are not things I've personally experienced but Doughty brings those situations to life.
Louise Doughty is a very skilled storyteller. She gets you completely inside Laura's head, I really feel for everything she's going through.
However, I'm amazed at some of the negative reviews on here again. Why do people read if not to find out how other people live their lives? I just don't understand the obesssion so many other readers have with likeability. do you have to like someone 100% of the time in everything they say and do? When you read you're inside someone else's head, if the writer has done a good job you are, and really you're not always going to like what you find there. Everything Laura thinks and feels is completely understandable and since your in her head her thoughts are for herself alone.
Anyway, this is a brutally heartwrenching story and you live it as you read it. Every bit as good as Apple Tree Yard though the pacing and writing is slightly different. slower and more considered but no less compelling.
... Finished and good to the end.
Louise Doughty is a very skilled storyteller. She gets you completely inside Laura's head, I really feel for everything she's going through.
However, I'm amazed at some of the negative reviews on here again. Why do people read if not to find out how other people live their lives? I just don't understand the obesssion so many other readers have with likeability. do you have to like someone 100% of the time in everything they say and do? When you read you're inside someone else's head, if the writer has done a good job you are, and really you're not always going to like what you find there. Everything Laura thinks and feels is completely understandable and since your in her head her thoughts are for herself alone.
Anyway, this is a brutally heartwrenching story and you live it as you read it. Every bit as good as Apple Tree Yard though the pacing and writing is slightly different. slower and more considered but no less compelling.
... Finished and good to the end.
June 13, 2015
Before there was Girl On A Train & The Silent Wife there was Louise Doughty. She also writes stories of loss with obsessed, mentally unstable characters. But unlike "Silent Wife" & "Girl", I enjoyed this novel far more.
The writing here is much better and her characters, although not likeable, are fascinating in their own way.
The book revolves around a woman who first loses her husband to another woman and then later her daughter to an accident. The book is divided into "Before" and "After" the accident which helps the reader get through the passages of grieving, and shows the shift in her, mentally.
A fascinating read. This is the second book by this author that I have read, and it won't be the last.
The writing here is much better and her characters, although not likeable, are fascinating in their own way.
The book revolves around a woman who first loses her husband to another woman and then later her daughter to an accident. The book is divided into "Before" and "After" the accident which helps the reader get through the passages of grieving, and shows the shift in her, mentally.
A fascinating read. This is the second book by this author that I have read, and it won't be the last.
July 9, 2018
I wanted to read Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty as I enjoyed reading Apple Tree Yard.
I found Whatever You Love a brilliant novel.
The scene of Laura's nine- year- old daughter Betty killed by a hit- and- run driver is very emotional.
For anyone who has lost someone close will really feel for Laura's bereavement.
Laura already has lost her husband to another woman and now she has lost her only daughter.
When the police tell Laura that her daughter.s death was an accident, Laura wants revenge she wants to take away someone that the hit- and run driver loves.
I can not wait for Louise Doughty to write her next book. I highly recommend Apple Tree Yard and Whatever You Love.
I found Whatever You Love a brilliant novel.
The scene of Laura's nine- year- old daughter Betty killed by a hit- and- run driver is very emotional.
For anyone who has lost someone close will really feel for Laura's bereavement.
Laura already has lost her husband to another woman and now she has lost her only daughter.
When the police tell Laura that her daughter.s death was an accident, Laura wants revenge she wants to take away someone that the hit- and run driver loves.
I can not wait for Louise Doughty to write her next book. I highly recommend Apple Tree Yard and Whatever You Love.
December 22, 2011
Probably 3.5 as this is a very well written book, the author does a fantastic job portraying the emotions of a very distraught mother after the death of her child. Would have given it a four but I found the ending improbable.
July 3, 2013
After reading this book and thinking about it for quite some time, I still don't understand what the author was trying to tell us.
Right away at the start of the novel you learn that Laura's nine year old daughter, Betty, dies after being hit by a car. While she grieves, Laura tells us a story about her life, who she was before her marriage, her children, how she met her husband David and what lead to their divorce. It's totally understandable to see how she reacts due to her loss. What I don't understand are some of the other actions she takes. (Sorry I can't say what actions without spoiling the book for those wishing to read it). It still boggles my mind. I'm still baffled by what message the author is trying to convey. When I started the novel I understood the characters, their purpose and place. However, by the end I felt like I was reading a novel about two new characters named Laura and David. I wish I could explain more but I can't. I'm completely at a loss here. The only thing I can come up with is that once she met David, she, as an individual, lost who she was to become what David wanted and from the way the book ends, she never found her original self. Then again I could be wrong.
If anyone decides to read this book, I'd love to hear from someone who might have a better understanding of the novel.
Right away at the start of the novel you learn that Laura's nine year old daughter, Betty, dies after being hit by a car. While she grieves, Laura tells us a story about her life, who she was before her marriage, her children, how she met her husband David and what lead to their divorce. It's totally understandable to see how she reacts due to her loss. What I don't understand are some of the other actions she takes. (Sorry I can't say what actions without spoiling the book for those wishing to read it). It still boggles my mind. I'm still baffled by what message the author is trying to convey. When I started the novel I understood the characters, their purpose and place. However, by the end I felt like I was reading a novel about two new characters named Laura and David. I wish I could explain more but I can't. I'm completely at a loss here. The only thing I can come up with is that once she met David, she, as an individual, lost who she was to become what David wanted and from the way the book ends, she never found her original self. Then again I could be wrong.
If anyone decides to read this book, I'd love to hear from someone who might have a better understanding of the novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2011
I came across this book by chance and was immediately captivated by the focus of the book: a mother's grief after the death of her daughter. But the book is about so much more than that: it explores her complicated relationship with her daughter's father, class and racial tensions in a small town, motherhood and guilt, relationships and guilt, and the choices we make when impossible circumstances become our new normal. The twists and turns in this novel make it feel like a thriller: it is an emotional thriller. It is the kind of book that you stay up late to read. The structure of the novel is intriguing ("Before - After - Before - After"). Highly recommended.
Orange Prize for Fiction - 2011 Long List Nominee:
http://www.orangeprize.co.uk/prize.html
Orange Prize for Fiction - 2011 Long List Nominee:
http://www.orangeprize.co.uk/prize.html
May 7, 2014
I enjoyed the Apple Tree Yard so much (gripping, fantastic story-line intelligently and sympathetically written) that I picked up this one by Louise Doughty.
This was not as good though there were several similarities in addition to the writing style and the way the book was paced. I dropped a star as the subject matter, woman losing her 9 year old daughter in a hit and run accident, made for hard reading and another star as the book didn't develop how I thought, and hoped, it might.
Both books left, for me, an unanswered question in the air. In the Apple Tree Yard that didn't matter, in this book it did.
This was not as good though there were several similarities in addition to the writing style and the way the book was paced. I dropped a star as the subject matter, woman losing her 9 year old daughter in a hit and run accident, made for hard reading and another star as the book didn't develop how I thought, and hoped, it might.
Both books left, for me, an unanswered question in the air. In the Apple Tree Yard that didn't matter, in this book it did.
October 13, 2012
Sorry for the spoiler but do not think any of my friends would be interested in reading this book. But need to ask who would even think of sleeping with a man who you find fat and unattractive and has just killed your 9 year old daughter??????????
February 10, 2012
There's no doubt that this is extremely well-written, and from a written perspective it deserves 5 stars. As for whast I think of the story, the jury's still out, which is why I've given it only 3 stars. The main character Laura, who despite having been through the mill, really is quite horrible - as are many of the other players.
The story begins with the death of Laura's 9 year old daughter, Betty, who is hit by a car while walking to dance class after school. The story then moves back in time to Laura and hubby David's courtship and marriage - which encompasses a good portion of the book - through to David's affair and the breakdown of their marriage.
As I said, I didn't like Laura - or David and his new love interest either, for that matter. In a way this is probably a good thing, for if I had liked these people I doubt I could have read this story: the loss of a child is probably the most heart-wrenching experience a parent can imagine, let alone live through. I have to add that the conclusion to this story did surprise me. About halfway through I was convinced that David's new woman was somehow behind the hit and run - perhaps she paid the bloke to mow down her lover's daughter. After all, Betty wasn't impressed with Daddy's new love interest. So, when it transpired that this isn't what was going on, I was both relieved and intrigued. However, the conclusion, it must be said, isn't any more palatible. In fact, it's shocking.
This story isn't nice, its characters are all quite awful - though all the more human for it. All in all, this is worth reading.
The story begins with the death of Laura's 9 year old daughter, Betty, who is hit by a car while walking to dance class after school. The story then moves back in time to Laura and hubby David's courtship and marriage - which encompasses a good portion of the book - through to David's affair and the breakdown of their marriage.
As I said, I didn't like Laura - or David and his new love interest either, for that matter. In a way this is probably a good thing, for if I had liked these people I doubt I could have read this story: the loss of a child is probably the most heart-wrenching experience a parent can imagine, let alone live through. I have to add that the conclusion to this story did surprise me. About halfway through I was convinced that David's new woman was somehow behind the hit and run - perhaps she paid the bloke to mow down her lover's daughter. After all, Betty wasn't impressed with Daddy's new love interest. So, when it transpired that this isn't what was going on, I was both relieved and intrigued. However, the conclusion, it must be said, isn't any more palatible. In fact, it's shocking.
This story isn't nice, its characters are all quite awful - though all the more human for it. All in all, this is worth reading.
December 21, 2012
I read this book in paperback and not on my usual format which is ebook for my Kindle. I did this as it was cheaper to buy at the time.
I said the above because I usually read paperbacks much slower than ebooks for some reason, I put that down to my Kindle being handy to carry around with me unlike a book, but I was so engrossed with this book I tended to carry it with me in my bag when going out if I knew I was going to be waiting somewhere or sitting in my car waiting for someone else.
This novel made me stop and wonder, if my child was killed what would I do if I knew the name of the person who did this and the justice system let me down? then as I read on in the book, the story was based around this but there was such a HUGE twist to it that the last page left me high and dry. I had to really think about what the author was trying to achieve. The reviews on this novel is very good indeed and I agree with this wholeheartedly, however, unless its me having a blonde moment I really had to stop and rethink that story to make sense of the ending.
Well worth a read though as the ending when it sunk into my grey matter when DING DONG!!! and I saw the exact reason for the conclusion of this book. I would defo recommend it.
I said the above because I usually read paperbacks much slower than ebooks for some reason, I put that down to my Kindle being handy to carry around with me unlike a book, but I was so engrossed with this book I tended to carry it with me in my bag when going out if I knew I was going to be waiting somewhere or sitting in my car waiting for someone else.
This novel made me stop and wonder, if my child was killed what would I do if I knew the name of the person who did this and the justice system let me down? then as I read on in the book, the story was based around this but there was such a HUGE twist to it that the last page left me high and dry. I had to really think about what the author was trying to achieve. The reviews on this novel is very good indeed and I agree with this wholeheartedly, however, unless its me having a blonde moment I really had to stop and rethink that story to make sense of the ending.
Well worth a read though as the ending when it sunk into my grey matter when DING DONG!!! and I saw the exact reason for the conclusion of this book. I would defo recommend it.
October 17, 2011
I'm under half way through this novel and it's intreeging me. I do not want to put it down. I'm looking forward to the link to why the author took the first 57 pages to explain how the mother and father finally came to be together. This must be significant, especially since they are now seperated. It is very hard to read such a difficult storyline being a mother myself and can only imagine how similar my reactions would be....
ok now finished the book and did not like the ending... to mediocre... she shags the man who ran over her daughter, they conspire to kill her ex husband's mistress (who then kills herself anyway), she nearly gets done for it and then ends up moving back in with her husband, their son and his lovers son. Not likely :|
I did like how we were led to believe that she DID conspire to kill the husband's new partner and it was left until the end to confirm otherwise. I also always thought those letters were not from who we thought they were!
Not a book I will dwell on considering the sad storylines....
ok now finished the book and did not like the ending... to mediocre... she shags the man who ran over her daughter, they conspire to kill her ex husband's mistress (who then kills herself anyway), she nearly gets done for it and then ends up moving back in with her husband, their son and his lovers son. Not likely :|
I did like how we were led to believe that she DID conspire to kill the husband's new partner and it was left until the end to confirm otherwise. I also always thought those letters were not from who we thought they were!
Not a book I will dwell on considering the sad storylines....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2022
The main description of what this novel was about was revenge for the death of the main character's daughter. It did not live up to that; there was very little about revenge and what there was was so convoluted I wasn't sure if it was even suppose to be revenge.
I didn't become very interested until almost a third of the way into it and just about the time I thought it might pick up, it went downhill again. I figured out the main mystery about that time, long before the main character did, and sometimes I wasn't sure if the characters were telling the truth, especially David.
It was written in a way to make the reader feel the character's depression and that was fine; we should feel the sadness but this was just rather tedious, slow, and way too long.
Had to give it two stars since I finished it.
I didn't become very interested until almost a third of the way into it and just about the time I thought it might pick up, it went downhill again. I figured out the main mystery about that time, long before the main character did, and sometimes I wasn't sure if the characters were telling the truth, especially David.
It was written in a way to make the reader feel the character's depression and that was fine; we should feel the sadness but this was just rather tedious, slow, and way too long.
Had to give it two stars since I finished it.
June 13, 2015
Before there was Girl On A Train & The Silent Wife there was Louise Doughty. She also writes stories of loss with obsessed, mentally unstable characters. But unlike "Silent Wife" & "Girl", I enjoyed this novel far more.
The writing here is much better and her characters, although not likeable, are fascinating in their own way.
The book revolves around a woman who first loses her husband to another woman and then later her daughter to an accident. The book is divided into "Before" and "After" the accident which helps the reader get through the passages of grieving, and shows the shift in her, mentally.
A fascinating read. This is the second book by this author that I have read, and it won't be the last.
The writing here is much better and her characters, although not likeable, are fascinating in their own way.
The book revolves around a woman who first loses her husband to another woman and then later her daughter to an accident. The book is divided into "Before" and "After" the accident which helps the reader get through the passages of grieving, and shows the shift in her, mentally.
A fascinating read. This is the second book by this author that I have read, and it won't be the last.
June 15, 2017
Es el típico libro en el que la sinopsis no tiene nada que ver con el contenido.La autora se dedica a contarnos la vida de la protagonista de una forma que resulta cansina,con saltos al pasado que no nos llevaban a ninguna parte.El final inverosímil pero de una manera repulsiva.Creo que he sido generosa al darle dos estrellas
October 24, 2019
Raw and powerful, very moving
October 14, 2024
Entertaining enough to qualify as escapism, but in terms of quality this book massively suffered from an apparent confusion with regard to what the narrative was trying to be. If the blurb is to be believed this book is about the retribution of a grieving parent, who believes that there has not been sufficient punishment for the person whom she considers responsible for the death of her nine year-old daughter.
However the story then wanders wildly in different directions as the book progresses. At one point it seems to be about the psychosis that can accompany acute and intense grief, and how people are affected very differently by bereavement. It is also a reflection on the past relationships of the narrator, as the loss of her daughter causes her to reminisce on her failed marriage to Betty's father. This was the bit I thought was done the best, and probably should have been focused upon as a central theme.
There are also elements of a thriller here, as the protagonist experiences some strange interactions which all point towards there being a big twist at the end. If this was the intention, then Doughty really needs to work on her twist construction!
The thematic confusion, coupled with some absolutely bizarre choices from the protagonist even considering she is grieving (one "scene" in particular is genuinely hard to read and people who have read the book will know instantly which one I'm talking about), hugely detracted from my enjoyment of the book, which is a shame because writing-wise there is some decent stuff in here.
However the story then wanders wildly in different directions as the book progresses. At one point it seems to be about the psychosis that can accompany acute and intense grief, and how people are affected very differently by bereavement. It is also a reflection on the past relationships of the narrator, as the loss of her daughter causes her to reminisce on her failed marriage to Betty's father. This was the bit I thought was done the best, and probably should have been focused upon as a central theme.
There are also elements of a thriller here, as the protagonist experiences some strange interactions which all point towards there being a big twist at the end. If this was the intention, then Doughty really needs to work on her twist construction!
The thematic confusion, coupled with some absolutely bizarre choices from the protagonist even considering she is grieving (one "scene" in particular is genuinely hard to read and people who have read the book will know instantly which one I'm talking about), hugely detracted from my enjoyment of the book, which is a shame because writing-wise there is some decent stuff in here.
March 19, 2024
This read really surprised me.
Louise Doughty starts you of on a really sad note - Laura's daughter, little Betty, is killed in a tragic car accident. We then get to follow their family's story from the very beginning - starting at the parents' meeting - to the end - their ultimate reunition.
I didn't expect to be this gripped by such a simple story in its essence. Boughty really knows how to write in a catchy and compelling way - I found myself talking to friends about this and thinking about it randomly throughout my day.
Laura's story was really well written and her grief was palpable, which I didn't expect.
I enjoyed every bit of it, up until the end where
Louise Doughty starts you of on a really sad note - Laura's daughter, little Betty, is killed in a tragic car accident. We then get to follow their family's story from the very beginning - starting at the parents' meeting - to the end - their ultimate reunition.
I didn't expect to be this gripped by such a simple story in its essence. Boughty really knows how to write in a catchy and compelling way - I found myself talking to friends about this and thinking about it randomly throughout my day.
Laura's story was really well written and her grief was palpable, which I didn't expect.
I enjoyed every bit of it, up until the end where
February 22, 2019
DNF 83%
Avrei anche potuto finirlo ma sono arrivata al punto in cui c'è una scena completamente senza senso che mi ha dato molto fastidio e non mi va più di continuarlo. Già la protagonista non è entrata nelle mie grazie ma bene o male andavo avanti, invece questa cosa non riesco proprio a sopportarla.
Capisco il lutto e la volontà di rendere questa donna una donna alla deriva dopo la perdita subita, però inizia ad agire proprio come una pazza.
Magari più in là lo riprenderò in mano.
Avrei anche potuto finirlo ma sono arrivata al punto in cui c'è una scena completamente senza senso che mi ha dato molto fastidio e non mi va più di continuarlo. Già la protagonista non è entrata nelle mie grazie ma bene o male andavo avanti, invece questa cosa non riesco proprio a sopportarla.
Capisco il lutto e la volontà di rendere questa donna una donna alla deriva dopo la perdita subita, però inizia ad agire proprio come una pazza.
Magari più in là lo riprenderò in mano.
August 3, 2020
Read this in two sittings. It's compelling but a difficult subject matter as a parent to read.
Laura's daughter is killed by a hit and run driver and her world falls apart.
I didn't particularly like Laura even though she had lost her daughter she came across as a very cold person who doesn't let anyone in.
This takes us on her journey set in parts of before and after the accident.
I did enjoy it but the ending for me was a little lacking.
Laura's daughter is killed by a hit and run driver and her world falls apart.
I didn't particularly like Laura even though she had lost her daughter she came across as a very cold person who doesn't let anyone in.
This takes us on her journey set in parts of before and after the accident.
I did enjoy it but the ending for me was a little lacking.
March 13, 2022
Loved this book thought subject matter would stress me but it was oddly comforting. The end did let it down
November 5, 2023
“Whatever You Love”, by Louise Doughty (2012), gripped me on the very first page and never let go.
It is the psychological story of a deeply grieving mother, and the dark places that grief leads her.
4.5 stars
It is the psychological story of a deeply grieving mother, and the dark places that grief leads her.
4.5 stars
August 13, 2017
Un buon racconto con molto contorno di base ,peccato che ci sia stato un episodio che oltre a non trovare che stesse bene nel contesto del libro mi abbia pure nauseata.
Non capisco il motivo per cui l'autrice abbia voluto aggiungere un pezzo di cui si poteva benissimo fare a meno!
Il finale non è molto chiaro e lascia al lettore parecchi dubbi.
Non capisco il motivo per cui l'autrice abbia voluto aggiungere un pezzo di cui si poteva benissimo fare a meno!
Il finale non è molto chiaro e lascia al lettore parecchi dubbi.
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