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The Atlas of Us
How far would you go for the one you love the most?
When Louise Fenton flies to Thailand to find her mother, Nora, after the Boxing Day tsunami, she fears the worst when the only trace she can find is her mother’s distinctive bag. In the bag is a beautifully crafted atlas owned by travel journalist Claire Shreve, with her notes and mementos slipped in-between the pages. The journal tells the story of Claire’s struggle to find her place in the world following a life-altering revelation, and a tumultuous love affair.
Louise treks across Thailand's scarred landscape, exploring Claire’s atlas to try to make sense of the connection between this woman and the mother she is so desperate to find.
As devastated people are beginning to put their lives back together, Louise uncovers the secrets that nearly destroyed Claire and the man she loved – the same secrets her mother has been guarding all these years …
The Atlas of Us will take you on a moving and enthralling journey across the globe, and into the most intimate spaces in a relationship. And it will find its way into your heart.
When Louise Fenton flies to Thailand to find her mother, Nora, after the Boxing Day tsunami, she fears the worst when the only trace she can find is her mother’s distinctive bag. In the bag is a beautifully crafted atlas owned by travel journalist Claire Shreve, with her notes and mementos slipped in-between the pages. The journal tells the story of Claire’s struggle to find her place in the world following a life-altering revelation, and a tumultuous love affair.
Louise treks across Thailand's scarred landscape, exploring Claire’s atlas to try to make sense of the connection between this woman and the mother she is so desperate to find.
As devastated people are beginning to put their lives back together, Louise uncovers the secrets that nearly destroyed Claire and the man she loved – the same secrets her mother has been guarding all these years …
The Atlas of Us will take you on a moving and enthralling journey across the globe, and into the most intimate spaces in a relationship. And it will find its way into your heart.
416 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 2014
823 people are currently reading
1687 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Buchanan
22 books595 followersHello! Fab to see you here. I live in Buckinghamshire, UK with my husband, my little girl and our (very naughty) puppy, Bronte.
I travelled extensively while working as a travel magazine editor, and have always been drawn to the sea after spending my childhood holidays on the south coast visiting family – a fascination that inspires my writing.
I now dedicate my time to writing and procrastinating on Facebook.
I'd love to hear from you so please come say hi on one of the following platforms... plus if you join The Reading Snug I've set up with fellow authors, Kelly Rimmer and Kerry Fisher, you might even bag yourself some freebies including an early copy of my latest novel, The Lost Sister!
https://www.facebook.com/TracyBuchana...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheRe...
https://www.instagram.com/TracyBuchan...
https://twitter.com/TracyBuchanan
https://www.tracy-buchanan.com
I travelled extensively while working as a travel magazine editor, and have always been drawn to the sea after spending my childhood holidays on the south coast visiting family – a fascination that inspires my writing.
I now dedicate my time to writing and procrastinating on Facebook.
I'd love to hear from you so please come say hi on one of the following platforms... plus if you join The Reading Snug I've set up with fellow authors, Kelly Rimmer and Kerry Fisher, you might even bag yourself some freebies including an early copy of my latest novel, The Lost Sister!
https://www.facebook.com/TracyBuchana...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheRe...
https://www.instagram.com/TracyBuchan...
https://twitter.com/TracyBuchanan
https://www.tracy-buchanan.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
September 17, 2016
Full review on www.novelgossip.com
Within the past few months I’ve become a huge fan of Tracy Buchanan’s having read both No Turning Back and My Sister’s Secret and immensely enjoying both. I knew as soon as I saw The Lost Mother was being released in the US I had to read it. Usually if I read at least three books by an author that captive me I add them to my auto buy list. I’m delighted to say that I just added Buchanan to it!
This book is really two separate narratives that eventually merge into one. Told in both the past and the present and from two viewpoints, first from Louise in 2004 immediately following the devastating tsunami in Thailand and from Claire beginning a few years before the tsunami. For much of the book I was wondering what these two women had in common but Buchanan slowly tells their individual stories then before you know it things begin to piece together.
Louise is desperate to find her mother who was in Thailand when the tsunami hit. They’ve been estranged for two years and she is full of regret and sorrow while she searches frantically for her mother. As she begins to unravel the puzzle of what happened to her mother, Nora she gets way more confusing information than she bargained for. Claire is a character that touched me deeply, especially as she detailed her struggles with infertility. I can’t imagine the pain and heartbreak that comes with being told you will never conceive.
I’ve mentioned in my other reviews of Buchanan’s work that she has a magical quality to her writing, especially her magnificent use of stunning imagery. She writes such a detailed and deeply rich narrative full of enchanting descriptions of the setting. The Lost Mother hops all around the globe to some exotic and far flung places and the way she describes these cities allows the reader to fully immerse themselves into the story. There were times that I really felt like I was standing next to Louise and Claire smelling the sea air or feeling the red Australian sand beneath my feet.
This book really has something for every type of reader. There is romance, a bit of suspense, mystery, painful secrets and drama along with a deep and emotional depth, both in the characters and the plot. The storyline is complicated but not in a frustrating way, just an interesting way that absorbed me until the very last page.
Within the past few months I’ve become a huge fan of Tracy Buchanan’s having read both No Turning Back and My Sister’s Secret and immensely enjoying both. I knew as soon as I saw The Lost Mother was being released in the US I had to read it. Usually if I read at least three books by an author that captive me I add them to my auto buy list. I’m delighted to say that I just added Buchanan to it!
This book is really two separate narratives that eventually merge into one. Told in both the past and the present and from two viewpoints, first from Louise in 2004 immediately following the devastating tsunami in Thailand and from Claire beginning a few years before the tsunami. For much of the book I was wondering what these two women had in common but Buchanan slowly tells their individual stories then before you know it things begin to piece together.
Louise is desperate to find her mother who was in Thailand when the tsunami hit. They’ve been estranged for two years and she is full of regret and sorrow while she searches frantically for her mother. As she begins to unravel the puzzle of what happened to her mother, Nora she gets way more confusing information than she bargained for. Claire is a character that touched me deeply, especially as she detailed her struggles with infertility. I can’t imagine the pain and heartbreak that comes with being told you will never conceive.
I’ve mentioned in my other reviews of Buchanan’s work that she has a magical quality to her writing, especially her magnificent use of stunning imagery. She writes such a detailed and deeply rich narrative full of enchanting descriptions of the setting. The Lost Mother hops all around the globe to some exotic and far flung places and the way she describes these cities allows the reader to fully immerse themselves into the story. There were times that I really felt like I was standing next to Louise and Claire smelling the sea air or feeling the red Australian sand beneath my feet.
This book really has something for every type of reader. There is romance, a bit of suspense, mystery, painful secrets and drama along with a deep and emotional depth, both in the characters and the plot. The storyline is complicated but not in a frustrating way, just an interesting way that absorbed me until the very last page.
did-not-finish
July 11, 2014Didn't finish. I wanted this to be a fun and light read in the vein of Lucy Clarke/Deborah Lawrenson/Louise Douglas, but after a few chapters it just wasn't grabbing me at all and I found the romance way too obvious and contrived. Also amused to note the author biography on Goodreads, in which it's mentioned that the author used to be a travel magazine editor and owns a one-eyed dog. The main character in this book is a travel magazine editor and owns a one-eyed dog. I mean, at least change the number of eyes on the dog.
November 10, 2015
Originally posted on This Chick Reads
*Copy provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
In 2004 thousands of people in southern Asia have been killed in what's believed to be the worst natural disaster in recent history. The Boxing day tsunami, shall be remembered as the beast who took innocent lives in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Maldives, the Seychelles and some other countries. As it was reported in the news, the tsunami killed more than 200,000 people in 13 countries and shall be remembered as one of the saddest days in history.
I've always considered a truly brave act when authors turn to real life events as plots for their novels. While it takes a lot of research to stay faithful to the historical data, it also takes a lot of skill and understanding of human psyche and emotions, empathy and even courage to write a fiction novel about an event with such catastrophic dimensions. Creating a fiction story which relies on real life evens, and describes the emotion, pain and turmoil of the people involved in such catastrophes is indeed not an easy task.
What's believed to be the worst natural disaster, that tsunami in 2004, is the background of 'The Atlas of Us' and focuses on Louise Fenton, who's off to Thailand to find her mother, Nora. Soon after, a body is found but it's identified as Claire Shrewe. However, Louise doesn't even have the time to feel a slight relief her mother might be alive still, because along with the body, a passport and a book are found. The passport belonging to Louise's mother, Nora and strange looking book with notes, drawings, pictures, with The Atlas of Us written on its cover. While hope is still present for Louise and she thinks her mother might still be alive, she's haunted by this Atlas and the connection her mother has with Claire.
Intertwining two poignant stories, those of Claire and Louise, by going back and forth in time, Ms Buchanan creates a wonderful and layered story which will undoubtedly find its way to anyone's heart. Through Claire and Louise's voice and with the help of the Atlas, not only we find out more about their lives, but also about the connection between Nora and Claire.
Travelling through time and territory, Ms Buchanan creates a beautiful and well crafted story, and is surely one of the best debuts of 2014 I've read. As much as these two stories were complex, I didn't have any problem in following them through time and space. However, some parts seemed too detailed and felt bit overwhelming, for my taste. The vivid descriptions are obviously one of Ms Buchanan's strongest feats, however at times they seemed like burdening the story.
It's obvious Ms Buchanan is an amazingly talented writer, whose words will touch people's hearts. I'll definitely be picking up every book she writes in the future and hope there will be many!
December 3, 2016
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
Within the past few months I’ve become a huge fan of Tracy Buchanan’s having read both No Turning Back and My Sister’s Secret and immensely enjoying both. I knew as soon as I saw The Lost Mother was being released in the US I had to read it. Usually if I read at least three books by an author that captive me I add them to my auto buy list. I’m delighted to say that I just added Buchanan to it!
This book is really two separate narratives that eventually merge into one. Told in both the past and the present and from two viewpoints, first from Louise in 2004 immediately following the devastating tsunami in Thailand and from Claire beginning a few years before the tsunami. For much of the book I was wondering what these two women had in common but Buchanan slowly tells their individual stories then before you know it things begin to piece together.
Louise is desperate to find her mother who was in Thailand when the tsunami hit. They’ve been estranged for two years and she is full of regret and sorrow while she searches frantically for her mother. As she begins to unravel the puzzle of what happened to her mother, Nora she gets way more confusing information than she bargained for. Claire is a character that touched me deeply, especially as she detailed her struggles with infertility. I can’t imagine the pain and heartbreak that comes with being told you will never conceive.
I’ve mentioned in my other reviews of Buchanan’s work that she has a magical quality to her writing, especially her magnificent use of stunning imagery. She writes such a detailed and deeply rich narrative full of enchanting descriptions of the setting. The Lost Mother hops all around the globe to some exotic and far flung places and the way she describes these cities allows the reader to fully immerse themselves into the story. There were times that I really felt like I was standing next to Louise and Claire smelling the sea air or feeling the red Australian sand beneath my feet.
This book really has something for every type of reader. There is romance, a bit of suspense, mystery, painful secrets and drama along with a deep and emotional depth, both in the characters and the plot. The storyline is complicated but not in a frustrating way, just an interesting way that absorbed me until the very last page.
Within the past few months I’ve become a huge fan of Tracy Buchanan’s having read both No Turning Back and My Sister’s Secret and immensely enjoying both. I knew as soon as I saw The Lost Mother was being released in the US I had to read it. Usually if I read at least three books by an author that captive me I add them to my auto buy list. I’m delighted to say that I just added Buchanan to it!
This book is really two separate narratives that eventually merge into one. Told in both the past and the present and from two viewpoints, first from Louise in 2004 immediately following the devastating tsunami in Thailand and from Claire beginning a few years before the tsunami. For much of the book I was wondering what these two women had in common but Buchanan slowly tells their individual stories then before you know it things begin to piece together.
Louise is desperate to find her mother who was in Thailand when the tsunami hit. They’ve been estranged for two years and she is full of regret and sorrow while she searches frantically for her mother. As she begins to unravel the puzzle of what happened to her mother, Nora she gets way more confusing information than she bargained for. Claire is a character that touched me deeply, especially as she detailed her struggles with infertility. I can’t imagine the pain and heartbreak that comes with being told you will never conceive.
I’ve mentioned in my other reviews of Buchanan’s work that she has a magical quality to her writing, especially her magnificent use of stunning imagery. She writes such a detailed and deeply rich narrative full of enchanting descriptions of the setting. The Lost Mother hops all around the globe to some exotic and far flung places and the way she describes these cities allows the reader to fully immerse themselves into the story. There were times that I really felt like I was standing next to Louise and Claire smelling the sea air or feeling the red Australian sand beneath my feet.
This book really has something for every type of reader. There is romance, a bit of suspense, mystery, painful secrets and drama along with a deep and emotional depth, both in the characters and the plot. The storyline is complicated but not in a frustrating way, just an interesting way that absorbed me until the very last page.
June 9, 2014
Disclaimer: I am a close author friend of Tracy’s. However, as my critique partners will tell you, I’m painfully honest and don’t dish-out false praise, so if I like something then I genuinely mean it. And I loved, loved, LOVED The Atlas of Us!
In the wake of the devastating Boxing Day tsunami, Louise Fenton heads to Thailand in search of her estranged mum, Nora, who has gone missing. When she discovers a body carrying her mum’s distinctive bag, which contains Nora’s passport and a journal entitled The Atlas of Us, Louise fears the worst. But her hopes are restored when a man identifies the body as that of travel journalist Claire Shreve, the author of said journal. Using notes and clues left in Claire’s diary, Louise attempts to piece together the mystery of her mother’s whereabouts and in the process unearths a shocking secret that Nora has been guarding all these years.
Told from both Louise and Claire’s point-of-view, The Atlas of Us is an intricately woven mystery-within-a-mystery full of twists and surprises, which takes you on an enthralling voyage around the world. It’ll come as no surprised that, like Claire Shreve, Tracy was a travel journalist in a former-life, as her vivid depictions of the landscapes leap of the page and make you truly feel you are there.
Claire’s story particularly resonated with me, and I think it’ll connect with a lot of women out there. The story starts with Claire at a crossroads in her life. Unable to have children and at breaking point with her husband, Claire has to decide whether to continue along the ‘safe path’ or venture down the road less traveled. Enter Milo, the oh-so-swoony farmer, whom she meets while on a work trip in Exmoor. Oh my days, Milo! *dreamy sigh* The first meeting between Claire and Milo is utterly electric; the chemistry between the two is intense and yet their romance feels authentic and builds at a natural pace, and I was soon swept up in it. Truly, one of the most powerful and exquisite romances I’ve ever read.
The Atlas of Us is a passionate, beautiful and heart-wrenching tale about loss and new beginnings that will haunt you long after you’ve turned the last page.
In the wake of the devastating Boxing Day tsunami, Louise Fenton heads to Thailand in search of her estranged mum, Nora, who has gone missing. When she discovers a body carrying her mum’s distinctive bag, which contains Nora’s passport and a journal entitled The Atlas of Us, Louise fears the worst. But her hopes are restored when a man identifies the body as that of travel journalist Claire Shreve, the author of said journal. Using notes and clues left in Claire’s diary, Louise attempts to piece together the mystery of her mother’s whereabouts and in the process unearths a shocking secret that Nora has been guarding all these years.
Told from both Louise and Claire’s point-of-view, The Atlas of Us is an intricately woven mystery-within-a-mystery full of twists and surprises, which takes you on an enthralling voyage around the world. It’ll come as no surprised that, like Claire Shreve, Tracy was a travel journalist in a former-life, as her vivid depictions of the landscapes leap of the page and make you truly feel you are there.
Claire’s story particularly resonated with me, and I think it’ll connect with a lot of women out there. The story starts with Claire at a crossroads in her life. Unable to have children and at breaking point with her husband, Claire has to decide whether to continue along the ‘safe path’ or venture down the road less traveled. Enter Milo, the oh-so-swoony farmer, whom she meets while on a work trip in Exmoor. Oh my days, Milo! *dreamy sigh* The first meeting between Claire and Milo is utterly electric; the chemistry between the two is intense and yet their romance feels authentic and builds at a natural pace, and I was soon swept up in it. Truly, one of the most powerful and exquisite romances I’ve ever read.
The Atlas of Us is a passionate, beautiful and heart-wrenching tale about loss and new beginnings that will haunt you long after you’ve turned the last page.
August 6, 2014
A confection of chapters that will take you around the world, from Exmoor to Thailand, Australia, Serbia, Dubai, San Francisco and Finland (from the Q&A with the author at the back of the book, this was her favourite location).
Two stories dovetail as lives collide and interweave, from the late 20th century to the last days of 2004.It is a difficult novel to review without giving away too much (so despite, or because of what I write you will just have to go out and buy it and see for yourself how the story evolves!).
Louise has struggled pretty much all her life with being, to all intents and purposes, abandoned by her Mother, Nora, who was permanently on the search for a life without bourgeois ties, an artist and free spirit. Early on in the book Louise discovers that her Mother in all likelihood had decamped to Thailand and was on one of the islands at the time of the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004. Louise determines to fly out to Thailand to try and discover what may have happened to her.
Claire is a travel journalist, who eventually finds her wings after a life riven with pitfalls. She is following in her Father’s footsteps, writing as she goes and it was he who encouraged her to ‘march off the map’. Things for her change drastically – again early on in the book – when she witnesses a shooting at a wedding venue, she is in the middle of a break-up with her partner and her life veers off on a totally unanticipated path. She becomes involved with one family, whose young daughter tugs on her heartstrings and their mutual fondness fills a deep emotional hole in Claire, who is unable to have children of her own. Claire has to deal with heartfelt situations and it is clear that the author’s own experience (mentioned at the back of the book) is coming through.
The stories of Louise and Claire come together and gradually there are dawning revelations just how intertwined their lives and those of their loved ones have become.
For us at TripFiction, the wonderful locations were like finding ourselves in a sweet shop, as the story lines move swiftly from one locale to another, all beautifully rendered. It is so evident that the author is a travel editor, as she pinpoints with real dexterity the different feel of the chosen locations – from the deep red earth of Uluru in Australia, to war torn Serbia and the exoticism of Thailand. As the characters move around, each place essentially has at least one chapter devoted to it and it is clear the author is really familiar with her choice of destination and has clearly done a lot of research. For me the book had a feel of a set of short stories with a couple of leitmotivs winding their way through to unify them, skimming the surface; there are times when the reader gets lost in the current story; it can feel a little disruptive when it is time to move on to another character in another time and setting. And if there was one small weakness it would be the coincidences of encounters between the characters, in order to keep the story moving, that felt a little contrived.
The Boxing Day Tsunami comes to horrific life and underpins the narrative of family, loss, and hope. The author also ventures into Serbia at the time of war and to an animal rescue centre – Buchanan certainly does not shy away from tackling difficult themes. An electric and consuming romance develops, and at the heart of the story is a book full of mementoes that one lover gives to another, and that is the Atlas of Us – their joint experiences and journeys both actual and emotional.
This is one of the hot Summer reads of 2014 and a wonderful way to travel the world. And I can’t finish without mentioning the terrific and exotic book cover, which is sure to entice the reader to purchase.
Two stories dovetail as lives collide and interweave, from the late 20th century to the last days of 2004.It is a difficult novel to review without giving away too much (so despite, or because of what I write you will just have to go out and buy it and see for yourself how the story evolves!).
Louise has struggled pretty much all her life with being, to all intents and purposes, abandoned by her Mother, Nora, who was permanently on the search for a life without bourgeois ties, an artist and free spirit. Early on in the book Louise discovers that her Mother in all likelihood had decamped to Thailand and was on one of the islands at the time of the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004. Louise determines to fly out to Thailand to try and discover what may have happened to her.
Claire is a travel journalist, who eventually finds her wings after a life riven with pitfalls. She is following in her Father’s footsteps, writing as she goes and it was he who encouraged her to ‘march off the map’. Things for her change drastically – again early on in the book – when she witnesses a shooting at a wedding venue, she is in the middle of a break-up with her partner and her life veers off on a totally unanticipated path. She becomes involved with one family, whose young daughter tugs on her heartstrings and their mutual fondness fills a deep emotional hole in Claire, who is unable to have children of her own. Claire has to deal with heartfelt situations and it is clear that the author’s own experience (mentioned at the back of the book) is coming through.
The stories of Louise and Claire come together and gradually there are dawning revelations just how intertwined their lives and those of their loved ones have become.
For us at TripFiction, the wonderful locations were like finding ourselves in a sweet shop, as the story lines move swiftly from one locale to another, all beautifully rendered. It is so evident that the author is a travel editor, as she pinpoints with real dexterity the different feel of the chosen locations – from the deep red earth of Uluru in Australia, to war torn Serbia and the exoticism of Thailand. As the characters move around, each place essentially has at least one chapter devoted to it and it is clear the author is really familiar with her choice of destination and has clearly done a lot of research. For me the book had a feel of a set of short stories with a couple of leitmotivs winding their way through to unify them, skimming the surface; there are times when the reader gets lost in the current story; it can feel a little disruptive when it is time to move on to another character in another time and setting. And if there was one small weakness it would be the coincidences of encounters between the characters, in order to keep the story moving, that felt a little contrived.
The Boxing Day Tsunami comes to horrific life and underpins the narrative of family, loss, and hope. The author also ventures into Serbia at the time of war and to an animal rescue centre – Buchanan certainly does not shy away from tackling difficult themes. An electric and consuming romance develops, and at the heart of the story is a book full of mementoes that one lover gives to another, and that is the Atlas of Us – their joint experiences and journeys both actual and emotional.
This is one of the hot Summer reads of 2014 and a wonderful way to travel the world. And I can’t finish without mentioning the terrific and exotic book cover, which is sure to entice the reader to purchase.
September 30, 2014
Review: I have to be honest- I really didn't enjoy this book very much. I had high hopes for it, but they were really not met. I thought the premise behind the book, a bit of a mystery surrounding family in the wake of the tsunami, sounded really promising, space for drama and intrigue as well as a hint of sadness and there was bound to be a love story in there somewhere right? I was just really disappointed by the storyline as a whole. I found myself switching off in parts and struggle to remember every detail of the entire book now because it really hasn't stuck with me (and I've literally just finished reading it!) I think for me, the potential was there for a lot to happen and nothing much really happened.
I thought the structure of the book was excellent, stories running alongside each other but during different times, knowing that the two stories would tie up at some point and the mystery would be revealed. The stories didn't tie up until the very last moment and I didn't really attach myself to either story. I think that Clare's story kept me more interested than Louise's story. There was definitely more drama there and more things happened, but i thought that perhaps they were happening just for the sake of it and sometimes things didn't really contribute to the plot at all. I'd didn't get Louise's character at all and so I think that's why I didn't like her story as much.
The characters in Clare's story had a lot about them, they all had hidden pasts and secrets they were keeping from one another despite promising not to, however, although I was drawn to these characters, I didn't feel connected to their stories. I felt Louise was pretty flat as a character and I don't really understand where the other characters in her storyline came from or how they fitted in.
I did read this book in its entirity, persevering until the end to see if anything grabbed me but it really didn't and I really have struggled to find something interesting to say about it. There are exotic settings but the description didn't particularly whisk me away there. There are interesting characters, but I dint really fel any connection with them and there are interesting storylines, but they didn't really tie together for me so overall I didn't really enjoy this book or get what I was expecting from it. It won't put me off picking up other books from this author in the future though, but this just wasn't for me.
I thought the structure of the book was excellent, stories running alongside each other but during different times, knowing that the two stories would tie up at some point and the mystery would be revealed. The stories didn't tie up until the very last moment and I didn't really attach myself to either story. I think that Clare's story kept me more interested than Louise's story. There was definitely more drama there and more things happened, but i thought that perhaps they were happening just for the sake of it and sometimes things didn't really contribute to the plot at all. I'd didn't get Louise's character at all and so I think that's why I didn't like her story as much.
The characters in Clare's story had a lot about them, they all had hidden pasts and secrets they were keeping from one another despite promising not to, however, although I was drawn to these characters, I didn't feel connected to their stories. I felt Louise was pretty flat as a character and I don't really understand where the other characters in her storyline came from or how they fitted in.
I did read this book in its entirity, persevering until the end to see if anything grabbed me but it really didn't and I really have struggled to find something interesting to say about it. There are exotic settings but the description didn't particularly whisk me away there. There are interesting characters, but I dint really fel any connection with them and there are interesting storylines, but they didn't really tie together for me so overall I didn't really enjoy this book or get what I was expecting from it. It won't put me off picking up other books from this author in the future though, but this just wasn't for me.
July 9, 2014
Wow! What a book! Starting with a gorgous book cover that urges you to turn the page.
The story begins with a woman caught up in the tsunami in Thailand, we can only imagine what her fate was.
Louise hasn't spoken with her mother in two years after a falling out. She knows her mum was in Thailand so she flies out to find her much to the horror of her disapproving and controlling husband.
While searching for her mum Louise finds her bag inside which is an atlas full of photos and keepsakes belonging to Claire Sherve who is presumed dead as body has been identified by a friend.
We then hear Claire's story and it's a heartbreaking one. I was so wound up about it because I really liked her and I knew what happened to her at the end.
We are taken through the story from Thailand to Exmoor, Serbia,Venice, Finland and Australia. Claire meets Milo and his extended family and although this may be the love she has been looking for it also comes with heartbreak.
There is so much more to this story and what a wonderful film it would make.
This is one of those books where I'm so anxious to tell you what happens next but I also don't want to spoil your enjoyment. I couldn't put it down. What a great debut novel from Tracy Buchanan, I can't wait for her next one.
August 22, 2014
Tracy Buchanan has set the bar high with her debut novel, The Atlas of Us. She covers a lot of ground here, literally and figuratively and pulls it off. Beginning with a daughter looking for her estranged mother in the debris from a Tsunami in Thailand, the novel takes off and doesn't slow down. With stops at a Mango Farm in Australia, Venice and Finland as well as interactions, emotions and mysteries that right right along, your literary passport will be stamped. Buchanan makes you care about the characters no matter how flawed they become and you will want an Atlas of Us for yourself--the passion for love and living. Murder, mental illness, bad marriages, dysfunctional relationships and second chances abound. There are some predictable and over-wrought scenes but Buchanan' s history as a travel writer clearly shows and the location descriptions steal the show. Well done.I am eager to see more from this author and you will be, too.
Provided by publisher
Provided by publisher
September 25, 2016
Wow! I experienced a whirlwind of emotions while reading this beautiful book. An intense, emotionally charged story, of families and secrets and the lengths we go to protect those we love. Enjoyed this amazing book. A must read.
November 6, 2018
As a fan of Tracy’s book’s I thought it was long overdue to read her debut book and all I can say is that I should never have left it so long to read it. It has been a truly amazing read, so heartfelt in places and such a powerful read.
I thought the story was brilliantly well written and the characters are all so very well portrayed and believable, absolutely loved getting to know them all and trying to figure out how they fit in with the story itself. There were plenty of surprises along the way, some of them quite shocking too. I found this to be a highly intense and emotional read, especially come the last few chapters, which literally had me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting the outcome of it all.
I feel like I’ve traveled a fair bit whilst reading this book, as you visit and stay at so many different places, so it was certainly interesting and insightful throughout.
So if you haven’t given Tracy’s books a try yet, then I highly recommend that you do.
I thought the story was brilliantly well written and the characters are all so very well portrayed and believable, absolutely loved getting to know them all and trying to figure out how they fit in with the story itself. There were plenty of surprises along the way, some of them quite shocking too. I found this to be a highly intense and emotional read, especially come the last few chapters, which literally had me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting the outcome of it all.
I feel like I’ve traveled a fair bit whilst reading this book, as you visit and stay at so many different places, so it was certainly interesting and insightful throughout.
So if you haven’t given Tracy’s books a try yet, then I highly recommend that you do.
June 7, 2016
I'm quite sad this book's finished now. I truly loved it. I think I will read it again in the future even. This book wasn't predictable at all. It was one big surprise and shocking at parts. Not a cheesy lovestory at all, that's one of the main reasons I love it so much. Everybody should read this. It's wonderful!
September 25, 2016
Wow! I experienced a whirlwind of emotions while reading this beautiful book. An intense, emotionally charged story, of families and secrets and the lengths we go to protect those we love. Enjoyed this amazing book. A must read.
did-not-finish
February 28, 2016Really enjoyed My Sister's Secret, but couldn't get into this one at all. DNF.
July 12, 2014
As soon as I heard about Tracy Buchanan's debut novel The Atlas Of Us, I was desperate to read it! I thought it sounded like one of the most wonderful sounding novels, set during a time that's pretty hard to forget - the Boxing Day Tsunami in Thailand in 2004. I was super excited to take part in the cover reveal a couple of months ago - a rather stunning affair, which I presume must be an image of Thailand itself, featuring a boat, and tea lights floating in the sea and lots of different colours contrasting the darkening sky. There's a really inspiring letter in the front of the novel, from the Editorial Director of Avon, who have published the book and it promises a lot from the novel! There's a lot of build-up, a lot of promise that this is going to be a MASSIVE release in 2014, and I couldn't wait to dive in and see for myself if that was correct.
The Atlas Of Us is one of those multi-layered novels that surprises you the more you read - the premise itself sounds simple enough - a girl, Louise, heads out to Thailand days after the Tsunami hoping to find her mum, but what she finds instead is a dead body, said to be that of a journalist called Claire Shreve, but which seems to hold Louise's mum Nora's passport, along with a book named The Atlas of Us, filled with notes, and pictures, and drawings. Louise has no idea why this woman had her mum's bag, or why her mum had Claire's atlas, and she sets off on a mission around to Thailand to uncover her mum's last few days, before the tsunami struck, and to hopefully find her mum in the process. Whilst simultaneously, we learn the story of Claire, back in the late 90s and early 2000s, as she deals with learning she's infertile, and the impact that has on her marriage, along with her career as a travel journalist, which brings the mysterious Milo James into her life, he of the James clan, who people say are just a little bit mad... As we learn more of Claire's story, and as Louise's search for her mother continues, will we find out just what bound Nora and Claire together, and why they each had the other's belongings...
Going into The Atlas of Us, I expected just a simple enough story of a girl trying to find her mum, I did not expect the addition of Claire's story, which was a really, really great addition, and really added a whole other experience to the story! It was magnificent, I completely lapped up the whole book in one sitting, finding it to be one of the most fascinating, gripping books I've read so far this year! It was WAY more complicated that I expected, but in the best possible way, like I was unwrapping the most delicious story ever, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, bam!, out popped another strand, another secret, another lie exposed. It all weaved into one delicious story, and it's just my favourite type of book! I absolutely adore books where two separate storylines seem to be so far apart from each other, but as you read on, you realise perhaps they are linked, and it all just becomes one big race to discover the truth. These types of stories make my heart sing, because I love the coming together aspect of two stories, merging into one. Louise's story is a fairly simple one, and we don't spend as much time with her as I thought we would (I thought she would narrate the whole thing, actually) but it was nice to go back to her time and again to see how she was getting on in her search, along with Sam, her helper!
It's actually Claire's story that's the crux of the matter here - the one with the payoff, with the secrets and lies, and the one that needs unravelling. It's super, super interesting. At first I thought it a simple story where Claire meets Milo and they live happily ever after, but there's soooooo much more to it than that, and you'll have to read the book for all the heartbreaking deliciousness of Claire's story. What I liked best of all whilst reading The Atlas of Us was all the amazing sights! Thailand, which sounds like such a beautiful place to visit, destroyed by a wave; war-torn Serbia; snow-filled Finland; Dubai; Australia; San Francisco... Claire's a travel journalist and her life has always been about the travel, and she's spent time in some pretty amazing places, and I lapped up all the delightful journies! At times, I felt I was right there along with Claire, and Milo and Holly at times, Milo and Holly are two of the greatest charactes I think I've ever read - both so complicated, and haunted. The novel is filled with wonderful characters from Filipe in Finland, to Sam in Thailand, they all added a little something, and but it's definitely Claire and Louise who push the novel forward, each and every time.
My absolute favourite part of the novel was probably Claire's atlas. I love the idea, of an atlas filled with all your memories from travelling the globe. It's so whimsical, so fun, and it was such a thoughtful gift for Milo to give Claire, and Milo was such a hard character to read, and it was at times like that when you just wanted to sigh and forgive him everything. I would love something similar, like a book atlas (but not an atlas) to keep mementoes on my book journey! The Atlas of Us promised me the world and it very much delivered. I was sucked into Claire and Louise's journey, and I was desperately flipping the pages, because I just wanted to see how it would all turn out in the end. I can see why this book is being raved about at Avon, they have picked a star, and Buchanan is a massively talented writer, she knows what she's writing about, her travel writing is beautiful and she easily flits from first-person to third-person narrative with ease. The letter at the front of the book very much does it justice - it is warm, captivating, hard to put down, and sad and happy all at the same time and I could not recommend it more. I loved it, and I hope that if you read it, you love it, too!
This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read
The Atlas Of Us is one of those multi-layered novels that surprises you the more you read - the premise itself sounds simple enough - a girl, Louise, heads out to Thailand days after the Tsunami hoping to find her mum, but what she finds instead is a dead body, said to be that of a journalist called Claire Shreve, but which seems to hold Louise's mum Nora's passport, along with a book named The Atlas of Us, filled with notes, and pictures, and drawings. Louise has no idea why this woman had her mum's bag, or why her mum had Claire's atlas, and she sets off on a mission around to Thailand to uncover her mum's last few days, before the tsunami struck, and to hopefully find her mum in the process. Whilst simultaneously, we learn the story of Claire, back in the late 90s and early 2000s, as she deals with learning she's infertile, and the impact that has on her marriage, along with her career as a travel journalist, which brings the mysterious Milo James into her life, he of the James clan, who people say are just a little bit mad... As we learn more of Claire's story, and as Louise's search for her mother continues, will we find out just what bound Nora and Claire together, and why they each had the other's belongings...
Going into The Atlas of Us, I expected just a simple enough story of a girl trying to find her mum, I did not expect the addition of Claire's story, which was a really, really great addition, and really added a whole other experience to the story! It was magnificent, I completely lapped up the whole book in one sitting, finding it to be one of the most fascinating, gripping books I've read so far this year! It was WAY more complicated that I expected, but in the best possible way, like I was unwrapping the most delicious story ever, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, bam!, out popped another strand, another secret, another lie exposed. It all weaved into one delicious story, and it's just my favourite type of book! I absolutely adore books where two separate storylines seem to be so far apart from each other, but as you read on, you realise perhaps they are linked, and it all just becomes one big race to discover the truth. These types of stories make my heart sing, because I love the coming together aspect of two stories, merging into one. Louise's story is a fairly simple one, and we don't spend as much time with her as I thought we would (I thought she would narrate the whole thing, actually) but it was nice to go back to her time and again to see how she was getting on in her search, along with Sam, her helper!
It's actually Claire's story that's the crux of the matter here - the one with the payoff, with the secrets and lies, and the one that needs unravelling. It's super, super interesting. At first I thought it a simple story where Claire meets Milo and they live happily ever after, but there's soooooo much more to it than that, and you'll have to read the book for all the heartbreaking deliciousness of Claire's story. What I liked best of all whilst reading The Atlas of Us was all the amazing sights! Thailand, which sounds like such a beautiful place to visit, destroyed by a wave; war-torn Serbia; snow-filled Finland; Dubai; Australia; San Francisco... Claire's a travel journalist and her life has always been about the travel, and she's spent time in some pretty amazing places, and I lapped up all the delightful journies! At times, I felt I was right there along with Claire, and Milo and Holly at times, Milo and Holly are two of the greatest charactes I think I've ever read - both so complicated, and haunted. The novel is filled with wonderful characters from Filipe in Finland, to Sam in Thailand, they all added a little something, and but it's definitely Claire and Louise who push the novel forward, each and every time.
My absolute favourite part of the novel was probably Claire's atlas. I love the idea, of an atlas filled with all your memories from travelling the globe. It's so whimsical, so fun, and it was such a thoughtful gift for Milo to give Claire, and Milo was such a hard character to read, and it was at times like that when you just wanted to sigh and forgive him everything. I would love something similar, like a book atlas (but not an atlas) to keep mementoes on my book journey! The Atlas of Us promised me the world and it very much delivered. I was sucked into Claire and Louise's journey, and I was desperately flipping the pages, because I just wanted to see how it would all turn out in the end. I can see why this book is being raved about at Avon, they have picked a star, and Buchanan is a massively talented writer, she knows what she's writing about, her travel writing is beautiful and she easily flits from first-person to third-person narrative with ease. The letter at the front of the book very much does it justice - it is warm, captivating, hard to put down, and sad and happy all at the same time and I could not recommend it more. I loved it, and I hope that if you read it, you love it, too!
This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read
April 11, 2017
I really enjoyed this novel.
The Lost Mother is beyond excellent. It is well-written, but beyond that it speaks from the author's heart to mine. I feel like she is telling me about lives, not "writing" a third person book. The narrative is awesome. I read her first novel and look forward to reading her next one. Good going Tracy!! 💓💓💓
The Lost Mother is beyond excellent. It is well-written, but beyond that it speaks from the author's heart to mine. I feel like she is telling me about lives, not "writing" a third person book. The narrative is awesome. I read her first novel and look forward to reading her next one. Good going Tracy!! 💓💓💓
Want to read
April 17, 2018Free for signing up for author's newsletter. See NG for download.
March 7, 2025
4,5 ⭐️
September 21, 2017
A beautiful, beautiful novel. Absolutely loved it!
March 22, 2017
In het begin heel moeilijk om in te komen, lange hoofdstukken maar daarna werd het minder. Mooi om twee verhalen te lezen die op het eind samenkomen
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2019
Excellent loved this book from start to finish
March 13, 2016
Gahhh! >,< I couldn't finish it.
It was devastatingly droll.
In what would take me usually a month to finish a book, I was still stuck on getting into it.
The Tsunami of 2004 clearly affected the author and searching through accounts from families must have been really rough, and then to write about the devastation and terrifying moments before the end of your life... must have been awful almost as terrible as writing about your infertility through a characters eyes as I know this was a very real and raw topic for the author, still it didn't keep me captivated, I couldn't call it a page turner and I found this disappointed me.
I was drawn to the book by the beautiful cover and the synopsis on the back however, to me it was just a real tease as the actual book was nothing like that.
The characters were boring.
Claire seemed to me to the most boring person in the universe, her husband Ben who left her must have though so too. Her love, Milo, didn't really hit it off for me.
Louise who attempted to find her missing mother that walked out of her life years ago, goes around the world to find her, instead finding her bag and an atlas inside it. She doesn't seem to have much support from her husband either, who seems to struggle with the most basic of tasks, including looking after their two children. From the way he's written about, Louise doesn't seem happy in her life, the girls are the only thing that keep her going.
They all seemed to be chasing dreams far too late..
Over all, I think for me, the potential by way of story line was there for a lot to happen but nothing became of it and so resulted in nothing much really happening. And neither, Louise's story NOR Claire's gave me the faintest interested, perhaps if the characters were better there would be more story.
It was devastatingly droll.
In what would take me usually a month to finish a book, I was still stuck on getting into it.
The Tsunami of 2004 clearly affected the author and searching through accounts from families must have been really rough, and then to write about the devastation and terrifying moments before the end of your life... must have been awful almost as terrible as writing about your infertility through a characters eyes as I know this was a very real and raw topic for the author, still it didn't keep me captivated, I couldn't call it a page turner and I found this disappointed me.
I was drawn to the book by the beautiful cover and the synopsis on the back however, to me it was just a real tease as the actual book was nothing like that.
The characters were boring.
Claire seemed to me to the most boring person in the universe, her husband Ben who left her must have though so too. Her love, Milo, didn't really hit it off for me.
Louise who attempted to find her missing mother that walked out of her life years ago, goes around the world to find her, instead finding her bag and an atlas inside it. She doesn't seem to have much support from her husband either, who seems to struggle with the most basic of tasks, including looking after their two children. From the way he's written about, Louise doesn't seem happy in her life, the girls are the only thing that keep her going.
They all seemed to be chasing dreams far too late..
Over all, I think for me, the potential by way of story line was there for a lot to happen but nothing became of it and so resulted in nothing much really happening. And neither, Louise's story NOR Claire's gave me the faintest interested, perhaps if the characters were better there would be more story.
August 30, 2014
Simply an excellent read, the start is brilliantly written and based on the events of the tsunami in 2004 that hit Thailand and surrounding area. The story then goes back in time and focuses on the main character of the novel working forwards to the start and you find out how everyone ends up in Thailand. The twist at the end is brilliant as it changes how you have thought about the characters throughout the story. The reason I gave four stars rather than five was simply down to some repetitive phrases that the author uses which is sometimes annoying, hopefully this will be something that she will work on in future novels, though I have to say that I am particularly picky with this sort of repetion.
May 31, 2017
I tried really hard to love this book and finish it, I hate leaving things unfinished. I just can't finish it! The blurb sounded fantastic and I loved the start of the story... I made it all the way to page 166 by forcing myself to continue and feel that it has given me readers block. (Is there such a thing?). I just can't continue reading. It hate to say anything bad about someones hard work but like a previous reviewer I started finding the story very droll to the point where I stopped reading for days on end which is not me. I love reading!! I am glad to see that there were many other really fantastic reviews, but sadly I am going to be skipping this and moving onto something I will enjoy.
November 6, 2020
Wow, what an emotional read!
Going back and forth between Claire, Milo and Louise, I loved the main characters. Although I do wish the book had focused more on Louise's story, the characters were excellently-written and very believable.
The plot itself was beautifully-written and I was genuinely surprised everytime a new twist was revealed.
Overall, a very powerful emotional rollercoaster of a book with many heartfelt moments, love and tragedy.
A definite must-read page-turner!
Going back and forth between Claire, Milo and Louise, I loved the main characters. Although I do wish the book had focused more on Louise's story, the characters were excellently-written and very believable.
The plot itself was beautifully-written and I was genuinely surprised everytime a new twist was revealed.
Overall, a very powerful emotional rollercoaster of a book with many heartfelt moments, love and tragedy.
A definite must-read page-turner!
December 3, 2021
Nope, not for me. My book group discussed this last night and just listening to the various incredulous comments took me back in time to when my mum and her pals would talk about what happened in in Crossroads or Corrie that week. I felt like the author had her plot all mapped out then dropped the container with all the rejected plots on top and couldn't remember which ones she'd chosen so the plot jumps from one unlikely scenario to another. Harsh I'm afraid, but not for me.
September 25, 2016
Wow! I experienced a whirlwind of emotions while reading this beautiful book. An intense, emotionally charged story, of families and secrets and the lengths we go to protect those we love. Enjoyed this amazing book. A must read.
May 26, 2016
Pulling inspiration from details of the real life 2004 tsunami that devastated Thailand (as well as several other countries), Buchanan crafts a story about a daughter trying to find answers to the disappearance of her estranged mother, Nora. Louise Fenton hasn't spoken to her mother in several years, not since an argument that escalated surprisingly fast, causing them both to fall into silent treatment with each other since. Now Louise has gotten word that her mother was in Thailand when the tsunami hit, so Louise jumps on the first flight available to try to find her mother -- either to reunite and make peace, or to possibly identify the body. Louise is directed toward a body that matches how she described her mother. While there are similarities, something doesn't seem quite right.... especially when a man crumples over the body crying about "Claire." When Louise inquires about this Claire, what the man tells her ends up sending her on a quest -- as she now has to question that maybe this body is NOT her mother -- to once again seek out her mother's whereabouts and how Claire came to have Nora's belongings (a satchel containing an atlas full of personal letters, photos and other ephemera) on her person.
This essentially makes up the first few chapters. From that point, the storyline flip-flops back and forth between Louise in 2004 and the story of Claire, mostly taking place in the mid-late 1990s. Claire works as a travel writer and a co-editor of a travel magazine. Trying to emotionally regroup after her husband admits to not having his heart in their marriage anymore, Claire takes a writing assignment in Exmoor (UK) where she's working on a piece about a B & B in Exmoor, and its surrounding attractions. Claire strikes up a friendship with Milo, whose odd family owns & operates the B & B. Claire is having a lovely time for a few days until one night when a wedding being held at the inn goes horribly wrong, violence and gunfire breaking out. Milo, having developed feelings for Claire in their short time together, insists she flee the scene before police arrive. Claire reluctantly does leave, going back to the security of her safe if distracted, somewhat inattentive husband. Doesn't work that well though. She can't get Milo or the events of that night out of her mind. Now she has to admit that she's the one with her heart not in her marriage. And just when her husband was starting to show some fire and interest again, dang it!
After all that, the settings for the plot start jumping all over the place. Claire is tempted to run to Milo and start her life over, but he gets himself into a bit of a legal pickle and for a good bit can't be bothered with emotional declarations. So travel writer Claire goes back to getting her travel on -- UK, Italy, Serbia, Finland, Australia, Dubai (UAE) and of course Thailand. Years pass and life eventually has the paths of Milo & Claire coming together again but is it too late for that life reboot to begin?
Okay, good and bad with this one so let me try to break it down.
What did work for me -- I liked all the bits about traveling. Made for fun reading to have varied settings at different points in the characters' lives. Also Milo's family -- they were most definitely a crazy bunch -- and I don't mean that kooky kind of crazy soccer moms like to claim when they go for the venti instead of the grande, I mean legit people have died around them crazy. But that thread of instability again made for fun reading, never being quite sure who was going to snap next or how far. I also liked the idea behind the story -- people trying to put the past aside to heal longtime family rifts.
The stuff that was not so great for me -- There were times where the dialogue went a little too saptastic for me. It just seemed too After School Special in the way everyone had the perfect answer for every confession, no one was really stunned by anything, everyone spoke like their dialogue came directly from counseling books. It wasn't all bad all the time, just at times it got clunky and unnatural.
Claire's tendency to bring up her infertility struggles ALL THE TIME. Now don't hate on me, hear me out. I know how heartbreaking it can be to get that news. I've had to sit through that one with my dr myself. I have several friends I've been with as they cry out their hurt. It's not that she talked about it, it was the way she went on ... and on.. and on about how she saw herself as a worthless failure unless she produced a child, how she was sure other people were thinking that, how she takes a moment to pout anytime anyone mentions their children or has their children around. BUT I do give Buchanan props for that bit about the infertility being a result of Claire catching chlamydia from a guy. I think that's a pretty bold, brave line to throw in there since infertility via STD is a definite reality (I'm speaking generally here -- it's not my reality, but it's definitely a possible cause) but talking about it seems to be shied away from a lot.
On one hand, I get it. I don't have my own children. I know the pity looks she talks about here, the way people make you feel like you're a waste of space because your uterus refuses to make a baby. I understand the hurt but all the talk she did about everything else seeming worthless and how she'd just have to settle for whatever since she couldn't have kids, it got tiring having nearly every chapter go back to that. I just wanted to scream at her go adopt! foster a child! work in an orphanage! find another passion! FFS, not having a child biologically, while sad, is not a damn death sentence. Even near the end, Claire talks about it AGAIN but follows it with "but I've come to accept it" ... and here is where I come in as the tough-love friend and say "Well CLEARLY NOT because we're still freakin' talking about it!" It's okay to not be over it -- one of my dearest friends struggled for years with infertility and miscarriage before she ended up with her two boys and even with two beautiful, adorable, healthy children, she still references the lost one from time to time -- but just be honest. I get so annoyed with cop-out phrases like "But I'm over it" "Doesn't even bother me anymore" when you just spent hour(s) talking about how much it "doesn't" bother you.
{Sidenote: Buchanan in her author afterword writes that much of what Claire describes about her IVF treatments came from Buchanan's own experiences with infertility and IVF. Buchanan also worked as a travel writer, like Claire, so much of the scenic descriptions came from memories of her own travels}.
The places where Buchanan chose to break up Louise's & Claire's storylines drove me crazy. Honestly, much of Claire's story fell a little flat for me. I didn't feel like there was a ton going on beyond a lot of over-sharing convos with people when she had barely just met them or later, when she did know them, too much of the dramatic side-turn stifled cry or the melodramatic fleeing a room in tears. A lot of that, felt like. But whenever something about her story DID start to get a little interesting... CUT! Move to Louise's story. ARRGH!
Surprisingly, when you would EXPECT Claire to freak out a bit in a scene, THEN she goes all chill. Like a conversation between her and Milo where he admits to once killing a guy, she says "yeah, but you did it to save others." to which, after a pregnant pause, he replies "Right." and then she pretty much just goes to sleep. That response of his would've immediately got my spidey-sense up, telling him "that's a weird response... what are you not saying?! what don't I know?!?!"
Is it obvious Claire never really grew on me that well? LOL The story itself is actually not bad, I just wish it had better balance. The friendships and family bonds intrigued me but the romances are not all that well developed and are a little too insta for me. I also was a little confused to see the majority of the book written about Claire when the synopsis markets it as the story of a woman (Louise) searching for her missing mother (Nora). In actuality, Louise felt like a background character. Writing from her POV when SO much of the plot centers around Claire made Louise's character seem a bit like a third wheel.
Not gonna lie, this one was largely a cover buy for me because I could not stop staring at that cover. But I had such high hopes for the plot! Like I said, I didn't hate it but those high hopes were definitely noticeably deflated by story's end. I understand Buchanan's other book, My Sister's Secret, has an edgier, more thriller-esque kind of plot so I'm eager to see if that one strikes my fancy a wee bit more.
This essentially makes up the first few chapters. From that point, the storyline flip-flops back and forth between Louise in 2004 and the story of Claire, mostly taking place in the mid-late 1990s. Claire works as a travel writer and a co-editor of a travel magazine. Trying to emotionally regroup after her husband admits to not having his heart in their marriage anymore, Claire takes a writing assignment in Exmoor (UK) where she's working on a piece about a B & B in Exmoor, and its surrounding attractions. Claire strikes up a friendship with Milo, whose odd family owns & operates the B & B. Claire is having a lovely time for a few days until one night when a wedding being held at the inn goes horribly wrong, violence and gunfire breaking out. Milo, having developed feelings for Claire in their short time together, insists she flee the scene before police arrive. Claire reluctantly does leave, going back to the security of her safe if distracted, somewhat inattentive husband. Doesn't work that well though. She can't get Milo or the events of that night out of her mind. Now she has to admit that she's the one with her heart not in her marriage. And just when her husband was starting to show some fire and interest again, dang it!
After all that, the settings for the plot start jumping all over the place. Claire is tempted to run to Milo and start her life over, but he gets himself into a bit of a legal pickle and for a good bit can't be bothered with emotional declarations. So travel writer Claire goes back to getting her travel on -- UK, Italy, Serbia, Finland, Australia, Dubai (UAE) and of course Thailand. Years pass and life eventually has the paths of Milo & Claire coming together again but is it too late for that life reboot to begin?
Okay, good and bad with this one so let me try to break it down.
What did work for me -- I liked all the bits about traveling. Made for fun reading to have varied settings at different points in the characters' lives. Also Milo's family -- they were most definitely a crazy bunch -- and I don't mean that kooky kind of crazy soccer moms like to claim when they go for the venti instead of the grande, I mean legit people have died around them crazy. But that thread of instability again made for fun reading, never being quite sure who was going to snap next or how far. I also liked the idea behind the story -- people trying to put the past aside to heal longtime family rifts.
The stuff that was not so great for me -- There were times where the dialogue went a little too saptastic for me. It just seemed too After School Special in the way everyone had the perfect answer for every confession, no one was really stunned by anything, everyone spoke like their dialogue came directly from counseling books. It wasn't all bad all the time, just at times it got clunky and unnatural.
Claire's tendency to bring up her infertility struggles ALL THE TIME. Now don't hate on me, hear me out. I know how heartbreaking it can be to get that news. I've had to sit through that one with my dr myself. I have several friends I've been with as they cry out their hurt. It's not that she talked about it, it was the way she went on ... and on.. and on about how she saw herself as a worthless failure unless she produced a child, how she was sure other people were thinking that, how she takes a moment to pout anytime anyone mentions their children or has their children around. BUT I do give Buchanan props for that bit about the infertility being a result of Claire catching chlamydia from a guy. I think that's a pretty bold, brave line to throw in there since infertility via STD is a definite reality (I'm speaking generally here -- it's not my reality, but it's definitely a possible cause) but talking about it seems to be shied away from a lot.
On one hand, I get it. I don't have my own children. I know the pity looks she talks about here, the way people make you feel like you're a waste of space because your uterus refuses to make a baby. I understand the hurt but all the talk she did about everything else seeming worthless and how she'd just have to settle for whatever since she couldn't have kids, it got tiring having nearly every chapter go back to that. I just wanted to scream at her go adopt! foster a child! work in an orphanage! find another passion! FFS, not having a child biologically, while sad, is not a damn death sentence. Even near the end, Claire talks about it AGAIN but follows it with "but I've come to accept it" ... and here is where I come in as the tough-love friend and say "Well CLEARLY NOT because we're still freakin' talking about it!" It's okay to not be over it -- one of my dearest friends struggled for years with infertility and miscarriage before she ended up with her two boys and even with two beautiful, adorable, healthy children, she still references the lost one from time to time -- but just be honest. I get so annoyed with cop-out phrases like "But I'm over it" "Doesn't even bother me anymore" when you just spent hour(s) talking about how much it "doesn't" bother you.
{Sidenote: Buchanan in her author afterword writes that much of what Claire describes about her IVF treatments came from Buchanan's own experiences with infertility and IVF. Buchanan also worked as a travel writer, like Claire, so much of the scenic descriptions came from memories of her own travels}.
The places where Buchanan chose to break up Louise's & Claire's storylines drove me crazy. Honestly, much of Claire's story fell a little flat for me. I didn't feel like there was a ton going on beyond a lot of over-sharing convos with people when she had barely just met them or later, when she did know them, too much of the dramatic side-turn stifled cry or the melodramatic fleeing a room in tears. A lot of that, felt like. But whenever something about her story DID start to get a little interesting... CUT! Move to Louise's story. ARRGH!
Surprisingly, when you would EXPECT Claire to freak out a bit in a scene, THEN she goes all chill. Like a conversation between her and Milo where he admits to once killing a guy, she says "yeah, but you did it to save others." to which, after a pregnant pause, he replies "Right." and then she pretty much just goes to sleep. That response of his would've immediately got my spidey-sense up, telling him "that's a weird response... what are you not saying?! what don't I know?!?!"
Is it obvious Claire never really grew on me that well? LOL The story itself is actually not bad, I just wish it had better balance. The friendships and family bonds intrigued me but the romances are not all that well developed and are a little too insta for me. I also was a little confused to see the majority of the book written about Claire when the synopsis markets it as the story of a woman (Louise) searching for her missing mother (Nora). In actuality, Louise felt like a background character. Writing from her POV when SO much of the plot centers around Claire made Louise's character seem a bit like a third wheel.
Not gonna lie, this one was largely a cover buy for me because I could not stop staring at that cover. But I had such high hopes for the plot! Like I said, I didn't hate it but those high hopes were definitely noticeably deflated by story's end. I understand Buchanan's other book, My Sister's Secret, has an edgier, more thriller-esque kind of plot so I'm eager to see if that one strikes my fancy a wee bit more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2017
Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes
The Atlas of Us tugged at every heartstring I had and took me on a roller coaster of feelings I was only somewhat expecting!
Every emotion is covered in this book from the foundation of parental love to the selfishness and self-preservation required when dealing with the basics of hurt. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to warm to any of the main characters as there were so many little angles brought into their lives that they felt disjointed- but, somewhere a third of the way through, I actually had placed myself in their personas and was heavily invested in their future.
While there is certainly an aspect of mystery in the set of The Atlas of Us I wasn’t really chasing that conclusion so much as I was chasing the relationship between Claire and Milo. I’m not sure why that aspect drew me in more than the story of Louise looking for her mother in Thailand. I knew somehow these things would connect but in the end both Claire and Milo were so fragile that I wanted to hope for their lives to become something meaningful for each other. There seemed to be so much unsaid in their relationship and yet you could tell they belonged together, somehow, despite their very different upbringings. I wished at times for more background on Milo and the home in which he grew up but when you unravel the last parts of the mystery it became clear why this was left vague.
The author also takes us around the world and sets us down in a number of different countries with great success. At no point was I questioning the authenticity of her knowledge of the places, perhaps as I trusted her telling of the ones I had seen myself? I found the inter-weaving storylines suitably confusing and was fully immersed in the novel until the very last pages.
Thank you to Bookouture for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
The Atlas of Us tugged at every heartstring I had and took me on a roller coaster of feelings I was only somewhat expecting!
Every emotion is covered in this book from the foundation of parental love to the selfishness and self-preservation required when dealing with the basics of hurt. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to warm to any of the main characters as there were so many little angles brought into their lives that they felt disjointed- but, somewhere a third of the way through, I actually had placed myself in their personas and was heavily invested in their future.
While there is certainly an aspect of mystery in the set of The Atlas of Us I wasn’t really chasing that conclusion so much as I was chasing the relationship between Claire and Milo. I’m not sure why that aspect drew me in more than the story of Louise looking for her mother in Thailand. I knew somehow these things would connect but in the end both Claire and Milo were so fragile that I wanted to hope for their lives to become something meaningful for each other. There seemed to be so much unsaid in their relationship and yet you could tell they belonged together, somehow, despite their very different upbringings. I wished at times for more background on Milo and the home in which he grew up but when you unravel the last parts of the mystery it became clear why this was left vague.
The author also takes us around the world and sets us down in a number of different countries with great success. At no point was I questioning the authenticity of her knowledge of the places, perhaps as I trusted her telling of the ones I had seen myself? I found the inter-weaving storylines suitably confusing and was fully immersed in the novel until the very last pages.
Thank you to Bookouture for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
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