What do you think?
Rate this book
Das verborgene Lied
Unheilvoller Klang der Vergangenheit In einem einsamen Cottage auf den Klippen von Dorset lebt die betagte Dimity Hatcher. Niemand ahnt, mit welcher Tat aus Liebe und Eifersucht sie einst eine ganze Familie zerstörte. Über siebzig Jahre bleibt ihr Geheimnis unentdeckt, bis eines Tages ein junger Mann vor ihrer Tür steht. Zach ist auf der Suche nach seinen Wurzeln, die ihn an die Küste Dorsets führt. Mithilfe der unnahbaren Hannah, Dimitys Nachbarin, kommt er nach und nach der verheerenden Wahrheit auf die Spur ...
575 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
100 people are currently reading
4213 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Webb
17 books734 followersI was born in Kent in 1977 and grew up in rural Hampshire before reading History at Durham University. History remains a passion, and I write character-led mystery dramas, often with historical settings. I love to explore the way past events can reverberate in the present, and I'm fascinated by the vast grey areas in human morality and behaviour.
My debut novel 'The Legacy' was voted viewers' choice for Best Summer Read on the Channel 4 TV Book Club in 2010, and was nominated for Best New Writer at the National Book Awards in the same year. Subsequently, 'The Unseen','A Half Forgotten Song' and 'The Misbegotten' were all Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers, and my books have been translated into 24 languages around the world.
My debut novel 'The Legacy' was voted viewers' choice for Best Summer Read on the Channel 4 TV Book Club in 2010, and was nominated for Best New Writer at the National Book Awards in the same year. Subsequently, 'The Unseen','A Half Forgotten Song' and 'The Misbegotten' were all Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers, and my books have been translated into 24 languages around the world.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 363 reviews
February 28, 2023
It took me a while to get into this story, although once I did, the mystery of it kept me turning the pages. However, I didn’t actually like some of the characters - just couldn't relate to them, so sadly not one of my favourites.
August 10, 2013
I am not quite sure how to rate this book and I'm not sure how to review it either. It is a well-written book, and the narrator in the audio version is quite good. I can appreciate the handiwork, and the way the mystery is spun, but I really did not like the book at all. The book is full of despicable and unlikable characters. Firstly there is Dimity. She is supposed to be driven by love and is depicted as a simple, poor girl from the countryside. She was half-interesting at first, but as the story playes out she became more and more selfish, self-centered and totally unlikable. She made many bad choices throughout the story, which would have been fine if the other characters had reacted to them in some way, not excused them. This makes the story totally unbelieveable, that the characters don't react at all like real people would. Also, in the end the reader is supposed to feel sorry for Dimity Since she has made all these sacrifices for the man she loves so much, and he won't even touch her. She is just a sad, crazy and selfish characters. The more the mystery unraveled, the more I despised her.
The other main character, Zach, is my least favorite kind of man. He appears totally spineless and doesn't question the other character's decisions and actions at all, he just accepts them.
An annoying book all in all, especially since it could have been a good story.
The other main character, Zach, is my least favorite kind of man. He appears totally spineless and doesn't question the other character's decisions and actions at all, he just accepts them.
An annoying book all in all, especially since it could have been a good story.
October 27, 2018
4,5
Una historia maravillosa, llena de tanta luz como el mundo pictórico en el que se inspira.
Personajes bien dibujados, y un enclave único y de ensueño.
Parecía que estaba dentro de una buena película de la narración tan cuidada y el ritmo tan bien llevado.
Una historia maravillosa, llena de tanta luz como el mundo pictórico en el que se inspira.
Personajes bien dibujados, y un enclave único y de ensueño.
Parecía que estaba dentro de una buena película de la narración tan cuidada y el ritmo tan bien llevado.
August 11, 2012
Ooh, there's lots of you out there that are just going to love this one - Katherine Webb just gets better and better. I still feel a little bereft at leaving Mitzy's story behind, a wonderful story of her obsessional love for artist Charles Aubrey and the extremes it drives her to. Zach and Hannah's modern story is equally strong, and the narrative moves backwards and forwards in time quite seamlessly with none of that wrenching away that sometimes happens in dual time stories, with the threads wonderfully tied and drawn together. The descriptions are wonderful of childhood Dorset and exotic and threatening Morocco, and the characters are some of the most strongly drawn I've come across. The story's a real emotional rollercoaster, with a great blackness about it that totally drags you in. I really loved every moment - very highly recommended.
June 29, 2013
There's a really good story in this book, but it's hidden under a heap of unnecessary padding.
In the late 1930s, artist Charles Aubrey and his mistress and daughters holiday in Dorset for the summer. Long-since neglected by her mother, local teenager Mitzy befriends the girls and is flattered when Charles makes a series of sketches of her. Unsurprisingly she develops a crush on him and is bereft when the family leave. They return the following year, and over the next two summers Mitzy's crush turns into infatuation, obsession and tragedy.
In the present day, gallery owner Zach is writing a book on the life and works of Charles Aubrey. His research takes him to the little Dorset village where he meets the elderly Mitzy. She's deeply haunted by the past, still in a state of guilt, grief and confusion more than seventy years later, but as she talks proudly of Charles, Zach slowly uncovers the devastating truth of what happened that last summer. The reveals caught me by surprise - I didn't see them coming at all and actually gasped!
So the plotting was well done. The problem I had was getting to those reveals; at times I felt like I was wading through pages and pages of superfluous narrative, interrupting the intrigues of the story and my connection to it.
This is my third book by Webb and I remain torn. I rated The Legacy a fabulous 5 stars and The Unseen a very disappointing 2, and now with A Half Forgotten Song getting a decent but frustrating 3 stars, I really can't decide if I like her writing or not!
In the late 1930s, artist Charles Aubrey and his mistress and daughters holiday in Dorset for the summer. Long-since neglected by her mother, local teenager Mitzy befriends the girls and is flattered when Charles makes a series of sketches of her. Unsurprisingly she develops a crush on him and is bereft when the family leave. They return the following year, and over the next two summers Mitzy's crush turns into infatuation, obsession and tragedy.
In the present day, gallery owner Zach is writing a book on the life and works of Charles Aubrey. His research takes him to the little Dorset village where he meets the elderly Mitzy. She's deeply haunted by the past, still in a state of guilt, grief and confusion more than seventy years later, but as she talks proudly of Charles, Zach slowly uncovers the devastating truth of what happened that last summer. The reveals caught me by surprise - I didn't see them coming at all and actually gasped!
So the plotting was well done. The problem I had was getting to those reveals; at times I felt like I was wading through pages and pages of superfluous narrative, interrupting the intrigues of the story and my connection to it.
This is my third book by Webb and I remain torn. I rated The Legacy a fabulous 5 stars and The Unseen a very disappointing 2, and now with A Half Forgotten Song getting a decent but frustrating 3 stars, I really can't decide if I like her writing or not!
April 5, 2019
This book started with so much promise. But, it lost steam and became repetitious. Some characters blossomed and others just seemed to be glossed over. The book was all over the place. I was just bored and wanted it to be over.
July 14, 2013
This wasn't a novel that caught me right away; the prose felt languid and dreamlike in the beginning, in keeping with the slow-to-change pacing of daily life in the seaside community in Dorset where it's set. After the first hundred pages or so, though, I found myself caught in its web and put it down only with difficulty. A Half Forgotten Song tells two intertwining stories spaced over 70 years apart, and the seamless transitions heighten the sense that the past still exerts a strong hold on the present.
Zach is the owner of a failing art gallery in Bath who's feeling listless after his ex-wife takes their daughter to live in America. When he travels to the village of Blacknowle in search of material for a book on bohemian artist Charles Aubrey, who summered there with his French-Moroccan mistress and two daughters in the '30s, Zach feels he's struck gold after he meets an elderly woman, Dimity Hatcher, who was the subject of many Aubrey portraits - and who claims she and Charles once had a grand love affair. After Zach passes a test Dimity gives him, she decides to reveal some of her story (but not nearly all).
Back in the pre-war years, "Mitzy" Hatcher sees a new world open up before her when the Aubreys come to vacation in Blacknowle, attracted by its beauty and quaintness. However, what the Aubreys see as old-fashioned charm is, for Mitzy, depressing poverty. Neglected by her alcoholic mother, who crafts herbal remedies and makes extra money as a prostitute, Mitzy is already an outcast in her community and quickly latches onto the Aubreys - particularly when his artistic gaze falls upon her as a subject.
Despondent as Zach is, he doesn't run away from or even question some very odd circumstances he encounters, such as when Mitzy asks him for some things that would seem like obvious ingredients for a witch's spell. (His potential love interest, Hannah Brock, also lives in absolute squalor - there's a reason behind it, but still.) His lack of reaction requires some suspension of disbelief. However, this added creepiness sets the right tone for gradual revelations of the darkness in Mitzy's past, and a multi-layered tale of how a girlhood crush can spiral into an unhealthy, destructive obsession. The revelations at the end are unexpected, astonishing, and definitely worth waiting for.
Zach is the owner of a failing art gallery in Bath who's feeling listless after his ex-wife takes their daughter to live in America. When he travels to the village of Blacknowle in search of material for a book on bohemian artist Charles Aubrey, who summered there with his French-Moroccan mistress and two daughters in the '30s, Zach feels he's struck gold after he meets an elderly woman, Dimity Hatcher, who was the subject of many Aubrey portraits - and who claims she and Charles once had a grand love affair. After Zach passes a test Dimity gives him, she decides to reveal some of her story (but not nearly all).
Back in the pre-war years, "Mitzy" Hatcher sees a new world open up before her when the Aubreys come to vacation in Blacknowle, attracted by its beauty and quaintness. However, what the Aubreys see as old-fashioned charm is, for Mitzy, depressing poverty. Neglected by her alcoholic mother, who crafts herbal remedies and makes extra money as a prostitute, Mitzy is already an outcast in her community and quickly latches onto the Aubreys - particularly when his artistic gaze falls upon her as a subject.
Despondent as Zach is, he doesn't run away from or even question some very odd circumstances he encounters, such as when Mitzy asks him for some things that would seem like obvious ingredients for a witch's spell. (His potential love interest, Hannah Brock, also lives in absolute squalor - there's a reason behind it, but still.) His lack of reaction requires some suspension of disbelief. However, this added creepiness sets the right tone for gradual revelations of the darkness in Mitzy's past, and a multi-layered tale of how a girlhood crush can spiral into an unhealthy, destructive obsession. The revelations at the end are unexpected, astonishing, and definitely worth waiting for.
April 14, 2013
This is the third novel I've read by Katherine Webb. I really enjoyed 'The Unseen' which was new last year. The characters Webb created in that novel were life-like and engaging, and I felt invested in finding out what happened to them because I liked them. I also thought the story was interesting and the writing very good. If you are interested in reading a novel by Katherine Webb I would recommend it.
Unfortunately 'A Half Forgotten Song' was full of half-formed unlikeable and less than sympathetic characters that never really drew me in to caring about them. The first two hundred pages are very slow and I was aware of the author as she dragged the story out and manipulated the way the reader discovers the events that unfold. Another reader compared Webb's writing style to Kate Morton's and I would agree, she too tends to have a heavy hand in drawing out the story and creating suspense by switching the focus to another storyline. It's a technique that should be carefully and skillfully employed.
I was disappointed with this novel, there was too much repetition in the first hundred pages that didn't move the story forward or build on creating an atmospheric setting or realistic characters. The sea salt was in the air and on Dimity's skin, Zach's marriage dissolved, Dimity's mother ran a less than honorable trade and Hannah was fierce and protective. Despite the descriptions all of the characters felt flat to me, they weren't fully formed or dynamic and I never cared for them. The contemporary characters even more so than the historical ones. There was a romantic relationship that had no chemistry and felt forced and rushed.
While the mystery turns out to be a good one by the time I got to page three hundred my interest in discovering what it was waning. The last one hundred pages were well done and suspenseful and I did enjoy the end of the book.
But the stretched out story and lack of likeable characters didn't leave me with a satisfying reading experience, I think this novel would have been improved upon with some tightening up and editing so that the big reveal at the end would have been something to race toward rather than slog toward thinking am I there yet?
Unfortunately 'A Half Forgotten Song' was full of half-formed unlikeable and less than sympathetic characters that never really drew me in to caring about them. The first two hundred pages are very slow and I was aware of the author as she dragged the story out and manipulated the way the reader discovers the events that unfold. Another reader compared Webb's writing style to Kate Morton's and I would agree, she too tends to have a heavy hand in drawing out the story and creating suspense by switching the focus to another storyline. It's a technique that should be carefully and skillfully employed.
I was disappointed with this novel, there was too much repetition in the first hundred pages that didn't move the story forward or build on creating an atmospheric setting or realistic characters. The sea salt was in the air and on Dimity's skin, Zach's marriage dissolved, Dimity's mother ran a less than honorable trade and Hannah was fierce and protective. Despite the descriptions all of the characters felt flat to me, they weren't fully formed or dynamic and I never cared for them. The contemporary characters even more so than the historical ones. There was a romantic relationship that had no chemistry and felt forced and rushed.
While the mystery turns out to be a good one by the time I got to page three hundred my interest in discovering what it was waning. The last one hundred pages were well done and suspenseful and I did enjoy the end of the book.
But the stretched out story and lack of likeable characters didn't leave me with a satisfying reading experience, I think this novel would have been improved upon with some tightening up and editing so that the big reveal at the end would have been something to race toward rather than slog toward thinking am I there yet?
February 3, 2025
3,5 estrellas.
A veces sólo es necesario un libro que te haga viajar a otros lugares y otra época y que te haga pasar las páginas para descubrir qué es lo que ocurre. Creo que Katherine Webb es menos conocida de lo que debiera en España y si te gustan Kate Morton y Lucinda Riley es probable que esta autora también lo haga. Me lo he pasado bien paseando de su mano por la costa de Dorset y por la ciudad de Fez aunque creo que "El legado" es un libro aún mejor que éste.
A veces sólo es necesario un libro que te haga viajar a otros lugares y otra época y que te haga pasar las páginas para descubrir qué es lo que ocurre. Creo que Katherine Webb es menos conocida de lo que debiera en España y si te gustan Kate Morton y Lucinda Riley es probable que esta autora también lo haga. Me lo he pasado bien paseando de su mano por la costa de Dorset y por la ciudad de Fez aunque creo que "El legado" es un libro aún mejor que éste.
May 8, 2023
Schöne Idee, die sich irgendwann im durchschnittlichen Erzählstil und fragwürdiger Handlungsmotivation verliert.
February 5, 2021
Katherine Webb „Primiršta daina“ 🎼
Tai nuostabi istorija apie praeities paslaptis, kurios tik ir telaukia, kada galės iškilti į paviršių.
Romano veiksmas vyksta dabartyje ir praeityje. 1937- ieji, Dorsetas, atšiauri, tačiau tuo pačiu ir traukianti savo kraštovaizdžiu vieta, kurioje gyvena Micė Hačer. Keista, kitokia, visų atstumta mergaitė, gyvenanti su tokia pat keista mama, kurių visi prisibijo ir vengia. Čarlzas Obrėjus - išvaizdus menininkas, gyvenantis su egzotiško grožio meiluže ir dviem dukterimis, kurie tris vasaras praleidžia Dorsete. Kas pasikeičia Micės gyvenime atsiradus šiems žmonėms? Ir ką tokio jie padaro, kad per tris vasaras visų gyvenimai kardinaliai pasikeičia?
Dabartyje jaunas dailininkas Zakas, kuris domisi Obrėjaus kūryba ir kurį įkvepia du menininko paveikslai, kuriuose pavaizduota Micė ir duktė Delfina. Troškimas sužinoti šių paveikslų istoriją ir noras pabėgti nuo skaudžios dabarties atveda jį į atkampų Dorseto miestelį. Na, o toliau kaip jau numanote, atsiveria praeities istorija, pakeisianti jo ateitį.
Knyga man labai patiko. Ji tokia daugialypė, pasakojanti apie meną, meilę, draugystę, aistras, pavydą, gyveninus griaunančius poelgius. Užburia ir nepaleidžia iki paskutinio knygos puslapio. Tikrai skaitysiu ir kitas šios autorės knygas.
Tai nuostabi istorija apie praeities paslaptis, kurios tik ir telaukia, kada galės iškilti į paviršių.
Romano veiksmas vyksta dabartyje ir praeityje. 1937- ieji, Dorsetas, atšiauri, tačiau tuo pačiu ir traukianti savo kraštovaizdžiu vieta, kurioje gyvena Micė Hačer. Keista, kitokia, visų atstumta mergaitė, gyvenanti su tokia pat keista mama, kurių visi prisibijo ir vengia. Čarlzas Obrėjus - išvaizdus menininkas, gyvenantis su egzotiško grožio meiluže ir dviem dukterimis, kurie tris vasaras praleidžia Dorsete. Kas pasikeičia Micės gyvenime atsiradus šiems žmonėms? Ir ką tokio jie padaro, kad per tris vasaras visų gyvenimai kardinaliai pasikeičia?
Dabartyje jaunas dailininkas Zakas, kuris domisi Obrėjaus kūryba ir kurį įkvepia du menininko paveikslai, kuriuose pavaizduota Micė ir duktė Delfina. Troškimas sužinoti šių paveikslų istoriją ir noras pabėgti nuo skaudžios dabarties atveda jį į atkampų Dorseto miestelį. Na, o toliau kaip jau numanote, atsiveria praeities istorija, pakeisianti jo ateitį.
Knyga man labai patiko. Ji tokia daugialypė, pasakojanti apie meną, meilę, draugystę, aistras, pavydą, gyveninus griaunančius poelgius. Užburia ir nepaleidžia iki paskutinio knygos puslapio. Tikrai skaitysiu ir kitas šios autorės knygas.
June 14, 2013
This book completely wrecked me, as only a great book can do. As I finished the last page, I felt the tears on my face. It was just so heartbreakingly well written. If anyone who has read it is interested, I would LOVE to discuss some things with them. There are so many words in my head! I need to share thoughts and feelings. OH THE FEELINGS.
On another note:
Mitzy is introduced as a sheltered 14 year old country girl with a lonely upbringing, devoid of any real human connections to show her love or affection. A renowned artist brings his mistress and their daughters to vacation on the English coast, and all of their lives are changed forever. This story is told parallel to a present day art gallery owner (and aspiring artist) who is trying to decide what has become of his life following a divorce, and his little girl having moved to America with her mother and new stepfather.
I definitely enjoyed the story from the 1930s better. Mitzy was so brilliantly written I could barely stand it. There were parts that were actually difficult to read, because I just wanted to shake her and all those around her; to get someone to see what was happening and *do* something! Celeste was the only one that noticed the danger, and in the end it just wasn't enough.
I've spoken to a few people that said they didn't "believe" the character of Mitzy Hatcher; that she wasn't real, that it was too much, not realistic, etc. This is absolutely not true, and that is what makes this book so good. I have known people like Mitzy, people that are just not right - that miss the signs and turn events around in their head to make them fit whatever they need them to fit. I have looked them in the eyes and seen the crazy, as it were. I have seen that there can be no reasoning with them, and it is scary. Katherine Webb perfectly captured that in the character of Mitzy. The obsessive, dangerous love she feels, and the actions that it brings out in her...I just couldn't stand it.
I read about 200 pages in one sitting, staying up *well* past my bedtime to finish. I couldn't stand not knowing how everything turned out. I will say that although I saw where the past story was heading (not knowing 'how,' but essentially 'what'), I was blown away by a reveal that happened at the end of the novel. Blown. Away.
On another note:
Mitzy is introduced as a sheltered 14 year old country girl with a lonely upbringing, devoid of any real human connections to show her love or affection. A renowned artist brings his mistress and their daughters to vacation on the English coast, and all of their lives are changed forever. This story is told parallel to a present day art gallery owner (and aspiring artist) who is trying to decide what has become of his life following a divorce, and his little girl having moved to America with her mother and new stepfather.
I definitely enjoyed the story from the 1930s better. Mitzy was so brilliantly written I could barely stand it. There were parts that were actually difficult to read, because I just wanted to shake her and all those around her; to get someone to see what was happening and *do* something! Celeste was the only one that noticed the danger, and in the end it just wasn't enough.
I've spoken to a few people that said they didn't "believe" the character of Mitzy Hatcher; that she wasn't real, that it was too much, not realistic, etc. This is absolutely not true, and that is what makes this book so good. I have known people like Mitzy, people that are just not right - that miss the signs and turn events around in their head to make them fit whatever they need them to fit. I have looked them in the eyes and seen the crazy, as it were. I have seen that there can be no reasoning with them, and it is scary. Katherine Webb perfectly captured that in the character of Mitzy. The obsessive, dangerous love she feels, and the actions that it brings out in her...I just couldn't stand it.
I read about 200 pages in one sitting, staying up *well* past my bedtime to finish. I couldn't stand not knowing how everything turned out. I will say that although I saw where the past story was heading (not knowing 'how,' but essentially 'what'), I was blown away by a reveal that happened at the end of the novel. Blown. Away.
May 3, 2013
Finally! My faith in Katherine Webb has finally paid off. When I received an advance copy of A Half Forgotten Song I wondered if this would be the one, the book to finally push me past that "meh" feeling I always get at the end of Webb's novels and it pushed me... and then some.
I love a good, dark, gothic, love-lost story. The setting in A Half Forgotten Song immediately set the pace for the tale: a rotting cottage on a cliff in the windy, cloudy coastal area of England. The characters: a wrecked father and ex-husband about to lose it all, a somewhat crazy old lady, and an artist long dead. With a skillful touch, Webb weaves the story between the present and the past and slowly reveals bit by bit of the story that had me completely spellbound. And, even as the clues were revealed, I did not know for certain what the end result would be until I reached the end of the story - how I love it when that happens!
This book has haunted me these past few days. I've been unable to study, write, or even watch mindless television because each of those things were encroaching on the time spent in this book. I needed a book like that to get me reading again and now that my appetite has been awakened, I cannot wait to dive into the other stories on my shelves.
I just cannot explain how happy I am that my gut feeling about Katherine Webb, and my continued faith in her, has proven to be true. I cannot recommend this book enough.
I love a good, dark, gothic, love-lost story. The setting in A Half Forgotten Song immediately set the pace for the tale: a rotting cottage on a cliff in the windy, cloudy coastal area of England. The characters: a wrecked father and ex-husband about to lose it all, a somewhat crazy old lady, and an artist long dead. With a skillful touch, Webb weaves the story between the present and the past and slowly reveals bit by bit of the story that had me completely spellbound. And, even as the clues were revealed, I did not know for certain what the end result would be until I reached the end of the story - how I love it when that happens!
This book has haunted me these past few days. I've been unable to study, write, or even watch mindless television because each of those things were encroaching on the time spent in this book. I needed a book like that to get me reading again and now that my appetite has been awakened, I cannot wait to dive into the other stories on my shelves.
I just cannot explain how happy I am that my gut feeling about Katherine Webb, and my continued faith in her, has proven to be true. I cannot recommend this book enough.
January 30, 2014
Three and a half stars. While I enjoyed this story in some ways, I felt it got lost at times among unnecessary wordage. I found myself skipping bits of description. The story concerns the artist Charles Aubrey, his Moroccan mistress and their two children Delphine and Elodie when they come for a holiday to the village of Blacknowle in Dorset. In the same town lives Dimity, otherwise known as Mitzy. Abused by her mother, with a father who is absent and rejected by most of her peers, she is a prime candidate for the first person to show her any attention. Charles sees something in Mitzy and starts to draw her. This is a story about obsession and how far it can alter a person’s view of reality. This story is setback in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
In the present day, to the town comes Zach, a failed gallery owner and artist, recently divorced and separated form his young daughter. Zach is writing a book on Charles Aubrey . He suspects his grandmother may well have been another of Charles’ women and that he may even be a grandson to Charles. He encounters Mitzy and gets her to tell her memories of Charles. He also becomes enamoured of Hannah, a neighbour who keeps an eyes on Mitzy.
Unlike some others who have reviewed this book I didn’t find most of the revelations at the end greatly surprising but had mostly already worked out what had happened. Most of the characters were unappealing, so it is a testament to the author’s skill in story telling that I kept reading. Loved the cover on this book, which is why I first picked it up.
In the present day, to the town comes Zach, a failed gallery owner and artist, recently divorced and separated form his young daughter. Zach is writing a book on Charles Aubrey . He suspects his grandmother may well have been another of Charles’ women and that he may even be a grandson to Charles. He encounters Mitzy and gets her to tell her memories of Charles. He also becomes enamoured of Hannah, a neighbour who keeps an eyes on Mitzy.
Unlike some others who have reviewed this book I didn’t find most of the revelations at the end greatly surprising but had mostly already worked out what had happened. Most of the characters were unappealing, so it is a testament to the author’s skill in story telling that I kept reading. Loved the cover on this book, which is why I first picked it up.
August 6, 2016
Жутковатый триллер, который сначала мило прикидывается книжкой про любовь.
June 12, 2023
Hui, das hat mir aber mal richtig gut gefallen! Ok, vielleicht sind's nicht ganz 5 Sterne, sondern eher 4,75 oder so - aber da bin ich jetzt mal großzügig... Wie so oft bei Frau Webb gibt's eine Geschichte auf zwei Zeitebenen, wobei die "historische" in der Zeit kurz vor dem 2. Weltkrieg spielt und dann gibt's noch eine Gegenwarts-Timeline Anfang/Mitte der 2000er.
Die Hauptfigur Mitzi taucht in beiden Erzähllinien auf, als Teenager im historischen Erzählstrang und als hochbetagte Frau in der Jetztzeit. Man weiß nicht so recht, ob man ihren Erzählungen trauen kann oder ob sie nicht eher eine "unzuverlässige Erzählstimme" ist, deren Erzählungen nicht zum tatsächlichen Geschehen passen.
Beide Erzählstränge spielen in Dorset, wobei es im historischen Strang auch noch eine kurze Sequenz in Marokko gibt. Ich fand die Geschichte total spannend, obwohl es definitiv kein Krimi oder Thriller ist, sondern eher - tja was - Romantic Suspense? Auch nicht wirklich - ich mag den Roman nicht in ein Genre einordnen...
Die historische Erzählung hat mir einen Tick besser gefallen, und die Liebesgeschichte in der Gegenwart hätte ich jetzt nicht zwingend gebraucht - aber ich hab's sehr, sehr gern gelesen. Ich werde definitiv noch mehr von Katherine Webb lesen, dieses Buch hat mir bisher am besten von denen gefallen, die ich bereits gelesen habe.
Die Hauptfigur Mitzi taucht in beiden Erzähllinien auf, als Teenager im historischen Erzählstrang und als hochbetagte Frau in der Jetztzeit. Man weiß nicht so recht, ob man ihren Erzählungen trauen kann oder ob sie nicht eher eine "unzuverlässige Erzählstimme" ist, deren Erzählungen nicht zum tatsächlichen Geschehen passen.
Beide Erzählstränge spielen in Dorset, wobei es im historischen Strang auch noch eine kurze Sequenz in Marokko gibt. Ich fand die Geschichte total spannend, obwohl es definitiv kein Krimi oder Thriller ist, sondern eher - tja was - Romantic Suspense? Auch nicht wirklich - ich mag den Roman nicht in ein Genre einordnen...
Die historische Erzählung hat mir einen Tick besser gefallen, und die Liebesgeschichte in der Gegenwart hätte ich jetzt nicht zwingend gebraucht - aber ich hab's sehr, sehr gern gelesen. Ich werde definitiv noch mehr von Katherine Webb lesen, dieses Buch hat mir bisher am besten von denen gefallen, die ich bereits gelesen habe.
June 28, 2018
3,5/5
September 4, 2018
I must admit that I didn't get into this book straightaway but once I did, I was hooked! It's an incredibly dark story that had me gasping out loud and biting my nails! Definitely one that I would recommend.
Read
May 30, 2013Katherine Webb has made a name for herself with her charming, Gothic novels that have a very rustic, nostalgic feel to them. In A Half Forgotten Song, she tries to replicate this and ultimately ends up failing. The otherworldly, Gothic element is there but too easily and too quickly explained, and therefore loses any impact almost from the very beginning. That pastoral and sentimental component is also forced, as it is not so much a hint but an actual setting. Half of the novel is told in flashbacks by a very old and wistful woman, and while they reveal the truth about Charles Aubrey, they also force-feed a reader with her yearning for what was and what could have been. The delicacy which was used to such great effect in both of her previous novels is completely missing this time.
Similarly, A Half Forgotten Song is supposed to be romantic but ends up falling into the creepy spectrum. Mitzy is obviously highly disturbed by her past, and as her story unfolds, one wonders if she wasn’t a bit addled before she ever met Charles. Her childhood was by no means an easy one, and that had to have impacted her ability to accept the gift of kindness, let alone compliments. It is easy to see why she is so quickly swept off her feet by Charles and his family, but her infatuation with him eventually borders on obsession and quickly becomes disturbing. There are certain plot points brought up as surprise twists which do nothing but confirm this sentiment.
Meanwhile, Zach’s story is nothing but a convenient plot device. His failed marriage is simply a method which is supposed to generate sympathy within in a reader, and his infatuation with Charles Aubrey the artist allows him to be the means by which Mitzy eventually shares her story. His subplot with Mitzy’s beautiful but mysterious neighbor is nonessential to the overall story and proves to be more of a filler or a distraction than anything that moves forward the narrative. There are other, smaller side plots that also go nowhere and serve no real purpose to the main plot. To this end, Ms. Webb’s manipulation of the reader and prolonged set-up of the main story is too overt to sit well with most readers. There really is no subtlety to the entire story, in a genre that thrives on subtle maneuverings.
Much of Mitzy’s story, as well as Zach’s, hinges on this idea that Charles Aubrey had an animal magnetism about him that not only made women swoon but also made men sit up and appreciate him. Unfortunately, this allure is not clearly explained or shown. Mitzy’s attraction to him could quite easily be explained by the lack of affection and love in her childhood and has nothing to do with the man himself. Similarly, Zach’s own preoccupation with the artist has nothing to do with his skill as an artist but rather his grandmother’s hints at their possible affair. The idea of being an illegitimate offspring of the artist is what initially draws his eye to Charles. The scenes in which Charles is prominent do nothing to help flesh out this supposedly larger-than-life character either, which means a reader is forced to take the word of a possibly senile old woman, a blindly adoring teenage girl, and a self-interested potential grandson to portray this crucial plot element. Make no mistake, they fail to present his charm in a convincing manner, leading a reader to wonder why all the fuss exists.
Ms. Webb’s debut novel was good, but it was with her second novel where she really came into her own and set a high bar for future stories. Unfortunately, A Half Forgotten Song just does not live up to those expectations. The story is decent, and the characters are somewhat intriguing. It is unfortunately missing that special something which was so impressive with her previous novels. Knowing that there were high expectations when opening the book does not mean that one can gloss over its deficiencies either. The mystical element wasn’t quite as spooky as it was meant to be, and the ending not only felt rushed but rather too convenient. At the end of the day, A Half Forgotten Song tries too hard to achieve a certain Gothic charm. The resulting story is a disappointment after readers have seen what Ms. Webb is capable of producing.
Similarly, A Half Forgotten Song is supposed to be romantic but ends up falling into the creepy spectrum. Mitzy is obviously highly disturbed by her past, and as her story unfolds, one wonders if she wasn’t a bit addled before she ever met Charles. Her childhood was by no means an easy one, and that had to have impacted her ability to accept the gift of kindness, let alone compliments. It is easy to see why she is so quickly swept off her feet by Charles and his family, but her infatuation with him eventually borders on obsession and quickly becomes disturbing. There are certain plot points brought up as surprise twists which do nothing but confirm this sentiment.
Meanwhile, Zach’s story is nothing but a convenient plot device. His failed marriage is simply a method which is supposed to generate sympathy within in a reader, and his infatuation with Charles Aubrey the artist allows him to be the means by which Mitzy eventually shares her story. His subplot with Mitzy’s beautiful but mysterious neighbor is nonessential to the overall story and proves to be more of a filler or a distraction than anything that moves forward the narrative. There are other, smaller side plots that also go nowhere and serve no real purpose to the main plot. To this end, Ms. Webb’s manipulation of the reader and prolonged set-up of the main story is too overt to sit well with most readers. There really is no subtlety to the entire story, in a genre that thrives on subtle maneuverings.
Much of Mitzy’s story, as well as Zach’s, hinges on this idea that Charles Aubrey had an animal magnetism about him that not only made women swoon but also made men sit up and appreciate him. Unfortunately, this allure is not clearly explained or shown. Mitzy’s attraction to him could quite easily be explained by the lack of affection and love in her childhood and has nothing to do with the man himself. Similarly, Zach’s own preoccupation with the artist has nothing to do with his skill as an artist but rather his grandmother’s hints at their possible affair. The idea of being an illegitimate offspring of the artist is what initially draws his eye to Charles. The scenes in which Charles is prominent do nothing to help flesh out this supposedly larger-than-life character either, which means a reader is forced to take the word of a possibly senile old woman, a blindly adoring teenage girl, and a self-interested potential grandson to portray this crucial plot element. Make no mistake, they fail to present his charm in a convincing manner, leading a reader to wonder why all the fuss exists.
Ms. Webb’s debut novel was good, but it was with her second novel where she really came into her own and set a high bar for future stories. Unfortunately, A Half Forgotten Song just does not live up to those expectations. The story is decent, and the characters are somewhat intriguing. It is unfortunately missing that special something which was so impressive with her previous novels. Knowing that there were high expectations when opening the book does not mean that one can gloss over its deficiencies either. The mystical element wasn’t quite as spooky as it was meant to be, and the ending not only felt rushed but rather too convenient. At the end of the day, A Half Forgotten Song tries too hard to achieve a certain Gothic charm. The resulting story is a disappointment after readers have seen what Ms. Webb is capable of producing.
June 15, 2013
I originally heard about Katherine Webb when I was looking for authors similar to Kate Morton. I read and enjoyed her first novel, The Legacy, so reading this one was a no brainer for me. I was so thrilled to win a review copy from LibraryThing.
I’m going to start things off a bit differently for this review. I have to mention this cover at the start. It is beautiful and perfectly captures the feeling of the story. I smiled each time I saw this book on my nightstand.
Okay, anyone who had read even just a few of my blog posts knows that I LOVE dual time novels. LOVE. I know that some people can’t stand it, but I really enjoy following the two stories and trying to figure out how they will come together in the end. I always try to guess and I am rarely right, but I am always entertained.
I didn’t read any reviews for this book before I started so I was a little surprised at how slow going it was. For the first 100 pages or so, I was mildly interested in the characters and didn’t connect with one storyline over the other. There was a lot of description involved in both stories and neither seemed to be getting off the ground. I like Ms. Webb and knew this novel would be good, so I didn’t give up. Then by page 240 I was hooked.
Surprisingly, it was Zach and Hannah’s story line which hooked me. I really liked Zach. He was a good guy trying to do the right thing. I liked how committed he was to his daughter and how passionate he was about Charles Aubrey. Zach was the kind of person I would like to meet. On the other hand, I didn’t like Hannah that much. Zach obviously saw something amazing in her, but I never really felt it myself. She seemed too tough and hard. She didn’t seem to want or need anybody. I know she had reasons to be reserved, but I never warmed up to her, even in the end.
I felt so sorry for Mitzy (later Dimity) throughout this novel. Her life added a darker. sadder element to the story. Her mother was horrible. The whole way she had to live was horrible. It was no wonder she hung on to Charles and his family with everything she had. And although she was depressing, she was still very interesting and well written. Just not my favorite character.
Overall, I liked this book. I put it down for a few days and started another book. I knew I had to review it, so I picked up again, and I am glad I did. The second half of this book was fabulous, and I really couldn’t put it down.
Checkout this review and MORE at Momwithabook.com
I’m going to start things off a bit differently for this review. I have to mention this cover at the start. It is beautiful and perfectly captures the feeling of the story. I smiled each time I saw this book on my nightstand.
Okay, anyone who had read even just a few of my blog posts knows that I LOVE dual time novels. LOVE. I know that some people can’t stand it, but I really enjoy following the two stories and trying to figure out how they will come together in the end. I always try to guess and I am rarely right, but I am always entertained.
I didn’t read any reviews for this book before I started so I was a little surprised at how slow going it was. For the first 100 pages or so, I was mildly interested in the characters and didn’t connect with one storyline over the other. There was a lot of description involved in both stories and neither seemed to be getting off the ground. I like Ms. Webb and knew this novel would be good, so I didn’t give up. Then by page 240 I was hooked.
Surprisingly, it was Zach and Hannah’s story line which hooked me. I really liked Zach. He was a good guy trying to do the right thing. I liked how committed he was to his daughter and how passionate he was about Charles Aubrey. Zach was the kind of person I would like to meet. On the other hand, I didn’t like Hannah that much. Zach obviously saw something amazing in her, but I never really felt it myself. She seemed too tough and hard. She didn’t seem to want or need anybody. I know she had reasons to be reserved, but I never warmed up to her, even in the end.
I felt so sorry for Mitzy (later Dimity) throughout this novel. Her life added a darker. sadder element to the story. Her mother was horrible. The whole way she had to live was horrible. It was no wonder she hung on to Charles and his family with everything she had. And although she was depressing, she was still very interesting and well written. Just not my favorite character.
Overall, I liked this book. I put it down for a few days and started another book. I knew I had to review it, so I picked up again, and I am glad I did. The second half of this book was fabulous, and I really couldn’t put it down.
Checkout this review and MORE at Momwithabook.com
November 6, 2013
This book was an entertaining read. I say entertaining because the book drew me in and kept my attention. I didn't feel that there were unnecessary tangential anecdotes and therefore chapters that were skippable. I was able to read the book in a day or so. Any book that I'm unable to put down or put down and run back to is a good one.
Yet...I wasn't able to give it more than three stars. On paper it seems to check off all the right boxes: fast-paced, historical-mystery, well-written prose, tormented protagonist etc. Still. Perhaps my dislike of the main characters kept me from giving a higher rating. This is a testament to the author's skills I suppose. She developed her characters so well that if her intention was to make me dislike them...mission accomplished! I wonder if I might have liked it better if Webb had developed Delphine's character a little more.
Other than that feeling of heaviness that I came out with, I applaud the author's ability to describe the lush landscape of the English cliff/countryside(one of my favorite things ever!). If I can feel the rush of cool cliff air through my fingers while I sit in my comfy, arm chair in hot, humid Texas, color me satisfied! Now that I think about it, even if I didn't particularly care for the human characters, the landscape's character more than made up for it.
Yet...I wasn't able to give it more than three stars. On paper it seems to check off all the right boxes: fast-paced, historical-mystery, well-written prose, tormented protagonist etc. Still. Perhaps my dislike of the main characters kept me from giving a higher rating. This is a testament to the author's skills I suppose. She developed her characters so well that if her intention was to make me dislike them...mission accomplished! I wonder if I might have liked it better if Webb had developed Delphine's character a little more.
Other than that feeling of heaviness that I came out with, I applaud the author's ability to describe the lush landscape of the English cliff/countryside(one of my favorite things ever!). If I can feel the rush of cool cliff air through my fingers while I sit in my comfy, arm chair in hot, humid Texas, color me satisfied! Now that I think about it, even if I didn't particularly care for the human characters, the landscape's character more than made up for it.
June 27, 2013
Katherine Webb never fails to entertain me and I love each of her books. But with an author like that, do you ever get anxious, wondering if this will be the book that might break that spell they have over you?
No worries! This one was over the moon for me! I loved Mitzy to pieces!! At first, I always despise going back and forth trying to figure out who is talking and frankly what year we are in! I loved Mitzi! I couldn't get enough of her.
Her younger self, I cried. Literally. Her mom, ugh. Crazy! But that is what a book SHOULD do! It should make you feel so many emotions, and when the last page is turned, you should look around you and say, what why aren't they upset too? Webb does that time after time with each book, and each time outdoes herself!!!
The other half of the story, Zach who has divorced, and his ex-wife and daughter are moving to the US. Zach doesn't know what to do with himself now. But hey, finishing writing that book on Aubrey, a famous painter, who might be your grandfather, you think?
Awesome amazing storyline. Read it, now, you will fall in love!!!
No worries! This one was over the moon for me! I loved Mitzy to pieces!! At first, I always despise going back and forth trying to figure out who is talking and frankly what year we are in! I loved Mitzi! I couldn't get enough of her.
Her younger self, I cried. Literally. Her mom, ugh. Crazy! But that is what a book SHOULD do! It should make you feel so many emotions, and when the last page is turned, you should look around you and say, what why aren't they upset too? Webb does that time after time with each book, and each time outdoes herself!!!
The other half of the story, Zach who has divorced, and his ex-wife and daughter are moving to the US. Zach doesn't know what to do with himself now. But hey, finishing writing that book on Aubrey, a famous painter, who might be your grandfather, you think?
Awesome amazing storyline. Read it, now, you will fall in love!!!
July 29, 2015
Zach is writing a book on late artist Charles Aubrey, and when his research takes him to the Dorset village that Charles used to holiday at with his family, he meets Mitzy, a reclusive local living in a rundown cottage who has a remarkable story to tell about herself and Charles. Living with ghosts from her past, Mitzy gradually begins to reveal details of her life growing up, with some shocking revelations that I didn't anticipate.
Although the book is a little overlong, it still managed to grip me, and I liked that Mitzy certainly wasn't a typical sweet old lady, but one with many terrible secrets to hide. I don't think we always have to like characters or empathise with them to enjoy a story, I certainly didn't like Mitzy! The dual timeline worked seamlessly, never feeling like one interrupted the other, and the plot to bring both halves together was well written. Overall I really enjoyed it, and probably would have given it five stars had it been just that bit shorter.
Although the book is a little overlong, it still managed to grip me, and I liked that Mitzy certainly wasn't a typical sweet old lady, but one with many terrible secrets to hide. I don't think we always have to like characters or empathise with them to enjoy a story, I certainly didn't like Mitzy! The dual timeline worked seamlessly, never feeling like one interrupted the other, and the plot to bring both halves together was well written. Overall I really enjoyed it, and probably would have given it five stars had it been just that bit shorter.
February 6, 2018
Kontraversiška knyga, kadangi negali vienareikšmiškai pasakyti, jog buvo puiki, bet ir neįmanoma vertinti kaip prastos. Toks pramaišiui balansavimas ir bangavimas nuo visiškai įtraukiančio siužeto iki visiško nuslūgimo ir vakumo, kuomet tas nuolatinis žoliavimo ir jūros mūšos aprašymas tęsiasi kaip guma, iki begalybės. Ir nors istorija apie Čarlzą Obrėjų visgi įtraukia ir net pradedi goglinti, kad pamatytum ir pabandytum surasti galbūt tikrai egzistavusio dailininko kūrinius, jau dabartinė istorija apie visiškai nenusisekusį dailininką ir galerininką bei jos klišinė pabaiga (ne visos istorijos, o tik būtent su juo susijusios) palieka tokį jausmą, tarsi būtum netyčia į arbatà per daug cukraus įsidėjęs - lyg ir saldu, bet šlykštoka ir .... nuvilia. Beje, autorės kita knyga “Nematomieji” yra nepalyginamai geresnė. Beje, niekads neduočiau katei vardo Micė.
February 6, 2019
An intriguing story which veered from beauty to ugliness and back several times.
It made for a great discussion in my reading group.
It made for a great discussion in my reading group.
June 23, 2020
Not sure how I feel about this book. It’s strange to read a book where you find yourself disliking all of the characters.. It was a good mystery though, and quite well written. However much promise it had, it missed something!
November 8, 2024
A gripping story once I got into it and an intriguing plot. The characters are believable and all have their struggles. I found it difficult to feel a great deal of sympathy for Dimitry who fantasised about a renowned artist being in love with her which led to tragic repercussions.
August 31, 2017
3,75 Początkowo trudno mi się czytało i bardzo przypominała mi "Muzę". Ale ostatecznie okazała się świetna :)
May 25, 2023
Det fick bli att jag hoppade av denna lite efter mitten. Skummade resten. Den var för seg. Intressant tema, men inte bra skriven. Tyvärr :(
September 30, 2023
Ne znam ni sam kako bih okarakterisao ovaj roman.
Svakako je čudan, to zasigurno mogu napisati.
Ketrin Veb svakako fantastično piše.
Priča je lepo krenula, ali onda, nešto se desilo.
3/5⭐️
Svakako je čudan, to zasigurno mogu napisati.
Ketrin Veb svakako fantastično piše.
Priča je lepo krenula, ali onda, nešto se desilo.
3/5⭐️
Displaying 1 - 30 of 363 reviews