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Dot
‘An emotionally compelling and deeply moving novel – I loved it’ Daisy Goodwin In a higgledy-piggledy house with turrets and tunnels towering over the sleepy Welsh village of Druith, two girls play hide and seek. They don’t see its grandeur or the secrets locked behind doors they cannot open. They see lots of brilliant places to hide. Squeezed under her mother’s bed, pulse racing with the thrill of a new hiding place Dot sees something a long-forgotten photograph of a man, his hair blowing in the breeze. Dot stares so long at the photograph the image begins to disintegrate before her eyes, and as the image fades it is replaced with one ‘I think it’s definitely him.’ DOT is the story of one little girl and how her one small action changes the lives of those around her for ever.
288 pages, Paperback
Published August 19, 2014
35 people are currently reading
396 people want to read
About the author
Araminta Hall
9 books565 followersAraminta Hall began her career in journalism as a staff writer on teen magazine Bliss, becoming Health and Beauty editor of New Woman. On her way, she wrote regular features for the Mirror's Saturday supplement and ghost-wrote the super-model Caprice's column.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
August 10, 2013
Everything and Nothing was one of those books I didn’t simply love at the time of reading it, I still remember it now over two years later. Why did I love it so much? Because it was written so skilfully that I felt like I was actually viewing the story as it was revealed so I put Dot on my wish list, and kept my fingers crossed that after the long wait the next offering would be just as good. In my opinion it is. Reading this book gave me that magical feeling that I really knew the characters I was reading about.
Dot is a young girl, playing hide and seek in her Grandmother’s house with her best friend Mavis, when we first meet her. This is not just Dot’s story though. Araminta Hall expertly weaves many stories into a satisfying read with each one narrating their own part in an everyday if often tragic drama of family life. Dot, her beautiful mother Alice and her Grandmother Clarice all struggle to communicate with each other which is not the same as not loving each other. Mavis’s mother Sandra is trapped in a life of endless cleaning to stop her life falling apart and Dot’s absent father also has his own story to tell.
This is fundamentally a story about female relationships and how it can be hardest to reveal our secrets to those closest to us all told with an undertone of humour; `his lungs felt useless, as if he’d got them cheap in the Primark sale.’ The girls take on life had me smiling as I read the tragedy of lives not lived to the full.
This is such a beautiful story that I had tears rolling down my cheeks when I turned the last page.
Dot is a young girl, playing hide and seek in her Grandmother’s house with her best friend Mavis, when we first meet her. This is not just Dot’s story though. Araminta Hall expertly weaves many stories into a satisfying read with each one narrating their own part in an everyday if often tragic drama of family life. Dot, her beautiful mother Alice and her Grandmother Clarice all struggle to communicate with each other which is not the same as not loving each other. Mavis’s mother Sandra is trapped in a life of endless cleaning to stop her life falling apart and Dot’s absent father also has his own story to tell.
This is fundamentally a story about female relationships and how it can be hardest to reveal our secrets to those closest to us all told with an undertone of humour; `his lungs felt useless, as if he’d got them cheap in the Primark sale.’ The girls take on life had me smiling as I read the tragedy of lives not lived to the full.
This is such a beautiful story that I had tears rolling down my cheeks when I turned the last page.
October 3, 2014
Original review can be found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
3.5 stars
I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
This is a book about family, the history that shapes them, making mistakes and the consequences of those actions. It centralises around Dot but it is not just her story. We also hear the voices of her mother and grandmother, her absentee father, her best friend Mavis as well as both of her parents. Intertwined, these voices clarify how these families have ended up the way they are.
A big part of the story is how Dot wants to know who her father is but it is really a whole lot bigger than that. It is about family chemistry, love, secrets and the ties that bind us. Basically it is a story about relationships in all of its forms. Hall does a fabulous job at penning the turmoil and chaos within each characters life so that the reader fully understands. Her use of multiple narratives works wonderfully in creating a well developed family drama.
I personally really liked the way the story flowed and how the book was written. I though the characters were well developed. I liked some and I disliked others but I understood all of them. It was sometimes happy and sometimes sad and quite a bit complicated just as life always is.
Over all it was a charming book that I think will appeal to a wide range of readers.
3.5 stars
I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
This is a book about family, the history that shapes them, making mistakes and the consequences of those actions. It centralises around Dot but it is not just her story. We also hear the voices of her mother and grandmother, her absentee father, her best friend Mavis as well as both of her parents. Intertwined, these voices clarify how these families have ended up the way they are.
A big part of the story is how Dot wants to know who her father is but it is really a whole lot bigger than that. It is about family chemistry, love, secrets and the ties that bind us. Basically it is a story about relationships in all of its forms. Hall does a fabulous job at penning the turmoil and chaos within each characters life so that the reader fully understands. Her use of multiple narratives works wonderfully in creating a well developed family drama.
I personally really liked the way the story flowed and how the book was written. I though the characters were well developed. I liked some and I disliked others but I understood all of them. It was sometimes happy and sometimes sad and quite a bit complicated just as life always is.
Over all it was a charming book that I think will appeal to a wide range of readers.
March 31, 2020
“Past is fun if your present is great.”
Dot, a novel by the author of Our Kind of Cruelty revolves around the life of women who are in one way or the other have been made vulnerable by the circumstances.
Dot ( a teenage girl ) lives with her beautiful young mother Alice and her grandmother Clarice in a strange house with tipped floors, cupboard doors which open into secrete passages and concealed turret sprouted out of the side of the house in a small village of Druith.
She has always wanted to know about her father whose whereabouts were kept hidden from her over the past 18 years by her mother.
The story goes backward telling the story of Alice Cartwright who wants to be an actress but is admitted to Cartertown Secreterial College for Diploma in typing by her mother Clarice Cartwright, where she meets Tony Markand they together have Dot. Tony leaves Alice and Dot at her second birthday and doesn’t contact them since then.
Dot grows up in the peculiar house with her mother and grandmother who barely ever talk to each other and always kept hidden agonising secretes deep down their hearts.
They lived within their own world of emotions with painful silence, thinking about the past which left them hollow from inside.
Once playing hide and seek with her friend Mavis Dot finds a picture of a man in her mother’s bedroom which she considers to be her father and gets prompt to know more about her father.
She thinks the much more likely truth was that her father had never really been belonged to her but she has to remember that many memories would become blurred with half-truths and things that were heard but this moment must not be forgotten.
The novel also has episodes from the lives of Mavis and Sandra Loveridge who are victims of circs and are friends with Dot and Alice.
“There is often a friendship that exists between women that is the most perfect of relationships.”
The story is sensitive and conveys perfectly the affliction of the three generations of women yet sometimes ineffectively expresses the charm of emotions. The plot could have been more charismatic and effective.
But altogether I liked it.
I give 3 stars to the work of Araminta Hall.
Dot, a novel by the author of Our Kind of Cruelty revolves around the life of women who are in one way or the other have been made vulnerable by the circumstances.
Dot ( a teenage girl ) lives with her beautiful young mother Alice and her grandmother Clarice in a strange house with tipped floors, cupboard doors which open into secrete passages and concealed turret sprouted out of the side of the house in a small village of Druith.
She has always wanted to know about her father whose whereabouts were kept hidden from her over the past 18 years by her mother.
The story goes backward telling the story of Alice Cartwright who wants to be an actress but is admitted to Cartertown Secreterial College for Diploma in typing by her mother Clarice Cartwright, where she meets Tony Markand they together have Dot. Tony leaves Alice and Dot at her second birthday and doesn’t contact them since then.
Dot grows up in the peculiar house with her mother and grandmother who barely ever talk to each other and always kept hidden agonising secretes deep down their hearts.
They lived within their own world of emotions with painful silence, thinking about the past which left them hollow from inside.
Once playing hide and seek with her friend Mavis Dot finds a picture of a man in her mother’s bedroom which she considers to be her father and gets prompt to know more about her father.
She thinks the much more likely truth was that her father had never really been belonged to her but she has to remember that many memories would become blurred with half-truths and things that were heard but this moment must not be forgotten.
The novel also has episodes from the lives of Mavis and Sandra Loveridge who are victims of circs and are friends with Dot and Alice.
“There is often a friendship that exists between women that is the most perfect of relationships.”
The story is sensitive and conveys perfectly the affliction of the three generations of women yet sometimes ineffectively expresses the charm of emotions. The plot could have been more charismatic and effective.
But altogether I liked it.
I give 3 stars to the work of Araminta Hall.
May 14, 2015
Turned into sludgy, melodramatic mush. And this is petty of me, it's embarrassing, but a few anachronistic references to 2005 really pissed me off, like people in rural towns using Facebook (Facebook only came out in 2004, it wasn't as widespread as it is now.)
Spoiler: use of the London Bombings felt really cheap and offensive to me.
Spoiler: use of the London Bombings felt really cheap and offensive to me.
February 25, 2017
A story that tells the tale of three generations of women and goes forward and back in time. A warm but emotional read, it focuses on relationships with family members and how myths and mistakes can seep through generations.
Dot does not know who her father is; he left before her 2nd birthday party began. She finds a picture which convinces her it is him and she wants to find out.
I like how the narrative changes from Dot, her mother, her grandmother, her best friend and other characters including her father.
Really worth reading. I liked the ending!
Dot does not know who her father is; he left before her 2nd birthday party began. She finds a picture which convinces her it is him and she wants to find out.
I like how the narrative changes from Dot, her mother, her grandmother, her best friend and other characters including her father.
Really worth reading. I liked the ending!
April 29, 2024
I’ll definitely be rereading this one. So much of life happens in what’s unsaid! Hopefully the characters will learn from their pasts.
July 5, 2017
Well, once again I find myself finishing a book and not being able to decide if I like it or not. I know this sounds odd but some of the other reviewers said the same about this one.
What I did like about this book... The characters were interesting and likeable (with a few notable exceptions- mainly the men). I thought the writing style was mostly good and I liked the ending. I'm really glad it ended on an up note.
What I didn't like....It just seemed so unbelievable. The idea that Dot's mom never tells her anything about her father in 16 years and she never asks?! The mom and grandma were both strange as was Mavis's mom. You could kind of understand it based on what they had been through but it was just too extreme. Tony was a total jerk and the chapter with his letters just drug on and on until I wanted to tear my eyes out! What a bunch of boring melodrama. The part about Dot and Gerry was just disgusting and totally not necessary to the plot.
What I did like about this book... The characters were interesting and likeable (with a few notable exceptions- mainly the men). I thought the writing style was mostly good and I liked the ending. I'm really glad it ended on an up note.
What I didn't like....It just seemed so unbelievable. The idea that Dot's mom never tells her anything about her father in 16 years and she never asks?! The mom and grandma were both strange as was Mavis's mom. You could kind of understand it based on what they had been through but it was just too extreme. Tony was a total jerk and the chapter with his letters just drug on and on until I wanted to tear my eyes out! What a bunch of boring melodrama. The part about Dot and Gerry was just disgusting and totally not necessary to the plot.
April 28, 2022
This book was disappointing. As a huge fan of everything else Araminta Hall has written, I was excited to dive into this earlier novel, but it left me cold. Perhaps I was thrown because the description made it seem like this would be more of a thriller. It's not. It's an examination of how the various life choices of a small group of people play out over time. That would have been fine if those choices were more interesting to start with or led to more interesting outcomes, but they don't. Towards the end, everyone has an epiphany chapter where they come to terms with life in these long, windy paragraphs. The writing was good and kept me going, but honestly it was because I kept waiting for some big twist or reveal based on Hall's other books. It never came and I finished thinking "that's it?" Skip this and read her other novels. They are all worth it.
July 31, 2017
When I started reading it, I was a little confused by the different characters in each chapter. And it stayed confusing throughout the entirety of the book.
It wasn't until I reached the last three chapters or so that the story suddenly sucked me in. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to read the different takes on the same story in one book... Yet it were those same different takes that got me confused. Sometimes I was left wondering for a long time whoms thoughts or opinions it were that I was reading.
The writing didn't really work for me in this book. But the ending was more than worth it.
It wasn't until I reached the last three chapters or so that the story suddenly sucked me in. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to read the different takes on the same story in one book... Yet it were those same different takes that got me confused. Sometimes I was left wondering for a long time whoms thoughts or opinions it were that I was reading.
The writing didn't really work for me in this book. But the ending was more than worth it.
March 18, 2019
A great story with interesting characters and events/upheavals/revelations. The only reason I didn't give this more stars is I found the writing to be a bit choppy as though some was edited well and some was not given the time it deserved. (I'm not holding the British English against its rating because that is my problem and not the author's.) It kept me turning pages even though I had to go back and re-read some sentences to be sure I understood what I had just read.
July 8, 2021
Picked this up on a whim at the charity shop - and really pleased I did - it’s exactly the sort of character driven novel I like - 7 different viewpoints and three distinct time periods, a couple of quite quirky characters and really quite uneventful plot-wise, with the exception of a chapter or two at the end where you realise the author could present you with two very different closings and you ponder which one you would like to play out.
August 30, 2025
Sad, dreary characters. Doesn’t feel like Wales in any way. Men stereotypical and unpleasant. What intelligent young person in early C21st century can’t make the decision to get an abortion and go to university as planned. It all felt odd and very stuck. Not modern at all.
May 28, 2018
Excellent read, could not put it down.
June 15, 2018
This book makes the male characters look like philandering jerks. I could not believe Allice could be so naïve, also did not like the switching back and forwards in time, very confusing.
March 1, 2019
Entertaining enough but quite forgettable
March 10, 2020
Not a fan after I got halfway thru. Wondering if I should continue? It seems repetitive
April 1, 2020
A bit slow to get going and took me a while to figure out all the characters, it seemed to jump around a lot. So worth persevering with and I was glued to it from halfway through. Super ending.
August 22, 2021
Enjoyable read of the loves of two girls from dysfunctional families and how they overcome their situations
July 17, 2022
3 - 3 1/2
January 27, 2014
"Sometimes life is about big moments and grand gestures but mostly it's about the small choices and how, in those insignificant dots of time, life changes for ever...."
A beautiful account of how life is all about choice and about how the choices, however made, impact on our own lives, and those of future generations.
Mavis and Dot have been friends forever; both have mothers who are a bit odd and families that don’t communicate.
Dot lives in a big old house with her mother and grandmother, a house full of rules and secrets that she can’t ever begin to know. Her father is never mentioned and, although Dot daren’t ask questions of her fragile and elusive mother, as she gets older her need to know about her father never lessens but becomes an obsession.
Mavis on the other hand does has a father but again lives in a house that is strangely uncommunicative, with a mother who cleans from top to bottom every day and who seems like she would wipe her own existence away with bleach if she could.
Throughout the lives of this group of people, choices have been made that will reap consequences; like a row of falling dominoes each choice has a knock on effect that could go on forever. But what is behind all the decisions?
This story is told through the voices of different characters. The here and now is told through the eyes of Mavis and Dot but past choices and how the stories connect to the present come from Alice and Clarice, Dot’s mother and grandmother, her unknown father Tony and Mavis’ mother Sandra. How their lives entwine and how they come to the lives they live today. But good can come from a choice as well as bad and both Mavis and Dot make certain choices that may bring their families together again.
This is a very thought provoking story; sometimes sad, sometimes humorous but always heart-warming and with the ring of truth. Dot and Mavis are typical teenagers, full of angst, occasionally selfish, sometimes unhappy but with a steadfast love for each other that is born of their having strange families. Their parents have secrets and as many worries and fears as the teens do and all plod through life trying not to make waves but with a sense of just getting through life without actually living it.
Araminta Hall has done a great of of exploring these different types of relationships without being clichéd or exaggerated. Although there is an underlying sadness to the events that have made these people this way there is by the end, hope for them. She’s made it possible to empathise with the characters, even Tony the absent father, by the understanding and sympathetic way she writes their stories.
I very much enjoyed reading it; it left me feeling that I had come to know these people and that I could leave them at the end knowing that they would be okay and wishing them all the best.
A beautiful account of how life is all about choice and about how the choices, however made, impact on our own lives, and those of future generations.
Mavis and Dot have been friends forever; both have mothers who are a bit odd and families that don’t communicate.
Dot lives in a big old house with her mother and grandmother, a house full of rules and secrets that she can’t ever begin to know. Her father is never mentioned and, although Dot daren’t ask questions of her fragile and elusive mother, as she gets older her need to know about her father never lessens but becomes an obsession.
Mavis on the other hand does has a father but again lives in a house that is strangely uncommunicative, with a mother who cleans from top to bottom every day and who seems like she would wipe her own existence away with bleach if she could.
Throughout the lives of this group of people, choices have been made that will reap consequences; like a row of falling dominoes each choice has a knock on effect that could go on forever. But what is behind all the decisions?
This story is told through the voices of different characters. The here and now is told through the eyes of Mavis and Dot but past choices and how the stories connect to the present come from Alice and Clarice, Dot’s mother and grandmother, her unknown father Tony and Mavis’ mother Sandra. How their lives entwine and how they come to the lives they live today. But good can come from a choice as well as bad and both Mavis and Dot make certain choices that may bring their families together again.
This is a very thought provoking story; sometimes sad, sometimes humorous but always heart-warming and with the ring of truth. Dot and Mavis are typical teenagers, full of angst, occasionally selfish, sometimes unhappy but with a steadfast love for each other that is born of their having strange families. Their parents have secrets and as many worries and fears as the teens do and all plod through life trying not to make waves but with a sense of just getting through life without actually living it.
Araminta Hall has done a great of of exploring these different types of relationships without being clichéd or exaggerated. Although there is an underlying sadness to the events that have made these people this way there is by the end, hope for them. She’s made it possible to empathise with the characters, even Tony the absent father, by the understanding and sympathetic way she writes their stories.
I very much enjoyed reading it; it left me feeling that I had come to know these people and that I could leave them at the end knowing that they would be okay and wishing them all the best.
June 20, 2014
I received a copy of the uncorrected proofs for an honest review from the publisher.
Much as I love horror and other speculative fiction, I do enjoy taking a deliberate saunter down a different genre path. I was attracted by the synopsis and took a chance, which I am glad I did because I found Dot to be an engaging, well written and quite an absorbing diversion. This is a serious novel featuring two disconnected families, with seven flawed characters who show bad judgement throughout, you would struggle to find a redeeming feature amongst them.
Lack of internal communication en la familia becomes an art-form in this multi-viewpoint story. The only person it seems the characters will 'speak' to in any great depth is the reader, whom they let in on their secrets, big and small. I was not quite certain that I wanted to know, but I felt compelled to watch, like a rubbernecker at a car crash.
Araminta Hall makes effective use of flashback, letters, first person, and I will say it here, she is a very good writer.
There was some the humour, so it did not totally turn into the book you would want to slit your wrists to.
I must admit I was (assuming) hoping that we were heading towards a different conclusion, probably more to do with my zombie novel upbringing more than anything else. Regardless, I am afraid the end got the old eye roll from my corner of the sofa.
Whilst I enjoyed it, it is not going on the read again pile.
Urthwild
Much as I love horror and other speculative fiction, I do enjoy taking a deliberate saunter down a different genre path. I was attracted by the synopsis and took a chance, which I am glad I did because I found Dot to be an engaging, well written and quite an absorbing diversion. This is a serious novel featuring two disconnected families, with seven flawed characters who show bad judgement throughout, you would struggle to find a redeeming feature amongst them.
Lack of internal communication en la familia becomes an art-form in this multi-viewpoint story. The only person it seems the characters will 'speak' to in any great depth is the reader, whom they let in on their secrets, big and small. I was not quite certain that I wanted to know, but I felt compelled to watch, like a rubbernecker at a car crash.
Araminta Hall makes effective use of flashback, letters, first person, and I will say it here, she is a very good writer.
There was some the humour, so it did not totally turn into the book you would want to slit your wrists to.
I must admit I was (assuming) hoping that we were heading towards a different conclusion, probably more to do with my zombie novel upbringing more than anything else. Regardless, I am afraid the end got the old eye roll from my corner of the sofa.
Whilst I enjoyed it, it is not going on the read again pile.
Urthwild
August 7, 2014
I received a copy of the uncorrected proofs for an honest review from the publisher.
Much as I love horror and other speculative fiction, I do enjoy taking a deliberate saunter down a different genre path. I was attracted by the synopsis and took a chance, which I am glad I did because I found Dot to be an engaging, well written and quite an absorbing diversion. This is a serious novel featuring two disconnected families, with seven flawed characters who show bad judgement throughout, you would struggle to find a redeeming feature amongst them.
Lack of internal communication en la familia becomes an art-form in this multi-viewpoint story. The only person it seems the characters will 'speak' to in any great depth is the reader, whom they let in on their secrets, big and small. I was not quite certain that I wanted to know, but I felt compelled to watch, like a rubbernecker at a car crash.
Araminta Hall makes effective use of flashback, letters, first person, and I will say it here, she is a very good writer.
There was some the humour, so it did not totally turn into the book you would want to slit your wrists to.
I must admit I was (assuming) hoping that we were heading towards a different conclusion, probably more to do with my zombie novel upbringing more than anything else. Regardless, I am afraid the end got the old eye roll from my corner of the sofa.
Whilst I enjoyed it, it is not going on the read again pile.
Urthwild
Much as I love horror and other speculative fiction, I do enjoy taking a deliberate saunter down a different genre path. I was attracted by the synopsis and took a chance, which I am glad I did because I found Dot to be an engaging, well written and quite an absorbing diversion. This is a serious novel featuring two disconnected families, with seven flawed characters who show bad judgement throughout, you would struggle to find a redeeming feature amongst them.
Lack of internal communication en la familia becomes an art-form in this multi-viewpoint story. The only person it seems the characters will 'speak' to in any great depth is the reader, whom they let in on their secrets, big and small. I was not quite certain that I wanted to know, but I felt compelled to watch, like a rubbernecker at a car crash.
Araminta Hall makes effective use of flashback, letters, first person, and I will say it here, she is a very good writer.
There was some the humour, so it did not totally turn into the book you would want to slit your wrists to.
I must admit I was (assuming) hoping that we were heading towards a different conclusion, probably more to do with my zombie novel upbringing more than anything else. Regardless, I am afraid the end got the old eye roll from my corner of the sofa.
Whilst I enjoyed it, it is not going on the read again pile.
Urthwild
June 9, 2017
I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. I'd first of all like to let everyone know how thoroughly ashamed I am of how long it took me to get round to this book. Now that's settled, let's get onto the review! I really did enjoy this read. Hall's writing impressed me a lot: it was mature and thoughtful, and provoked a lot of thought as I read. I liked that the plot was so simple, focusing more on a situation rather than a sequence of events, and yet there were far more twists and turns that came out of it than I could have possibly imagined! I'll admit, the beginning didn't really grab me. The story begins with a lot of disconnected threads which of course are woven together beautifully by the end, but it meant I had to stick with it to appreciate it. The character's were well written also, though I didn't feel like I really connected with any of them per se. Still they were interesting, with very complex personalities and back stories which I like to see. I liked the latter half of the book a lot better also, and got through the last half in one sitting I was that mesmerised. I'm sad it took me this long to get to this book, but now that I have I'm pleased with what I read!
4 Stars.
For a full review, see here: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot...
4 Stars.
For a full review, see here: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot...
August 19, 2013
The book and its characters were hauntingly beautiful. The delivery of the story felt a bit like an old train unassumingly running on its tracks; you occasionally got the chance to peep in and you couldn't look away. Hall doesn't have the characters on full display but rather allows them to reveal themselves, bit by bit, if you stayed on the train and simply opened your eyes. The book had an intensely melancholic but gentle tone and you felt a deep sense of empathy for the female characters. An issue I had though was the chop and change betweem different time periods (Alice as a teenager, Alice and Sandra as new mothers and Dot and Mavis as teenagers). Another issue was pace - I liked the ending but it felt a little rushed, like the train had seen its destination and its mind was already there but its physical being was not. All in all though, I quite enjoyed the book but I gave it three stars not because the book wasn't executed well but because I'm not a big fan of melancholic books.
September 23, 2016
This is one of those books that you will have a hard time summarizing for your friends- without giving too much away, without having to recap all of it. It is one of those reads that can't be wrapped up in a neat little bundle - a read that will stay with you for a long time to come.
Nothing really happens in this plot, and yet so much history (about three generations of women) is shared, so much emotion spilled out that you will end up sympathizing with all characters, celebrating in their successes and living through the raw emotions with them. We all make decisions, and even those decisions with the best of intentions imprint themselves and colour the rest of our lives. There is kindness, and sadness, and so much beauty in this skillfully written novel you won't want to put it down, and you will want to recommend it to your friends.
Nothing really happens in this plot, and yet so much history (about three generations of women) is shared, so much emotion spilled out that you will end up sympathizing with all characters, celebrating in their successes and living through the raw emotions with them. We all make decisions, and even those decisions with the best of intentions imprint themselves and colour the rest of our lives. There is kindness, and sadness, and so much beauty in this skillfully written novel you won't want to put it down, and you will want to recommend it to your friends.
August 17, 2014
Wow. What a read.
What first attracted me to this book is its short intruiging title. Then I realised that 'Dot' is a name. But it's more than that... The book also is about a 'dot' in time. About normal people just trying their best at life and often failing.
I love this book. It's believable, sometimes harsh but mostly just incredibly honest even when the characters are being anything but honest. I really like how the author used different perspectives (from quite a lot of the characters in this story) and how true each one seemed to me. I'm very tempted to spoil the ending, but obviously I won't. Give this book a chance and discover it for yourself.
What first attracted me to this book is its short intruiging title. Then I realised that 'Dot' is a name. But it's more than that... The book also is about a 'dot' in time. About normal people just trying their best at life and often failing.
I love this book. It's believable, sometimes harsh but mostly just incredibly honest even when the characters are being anything but honest. I really like how the author used different perspectives (from quite a lot of the characters in this story) and how true each one seemed to me. I'm very tempted to spoil the ending, but obviously I won't. Give this book a chance and discover it for yourself.
March 3, 2014
Araminta Hall sketches out her characters with a meticulous love for details. The book spins its web in a circular fashion; away from the traditional chronological experience.
Life is an intricate journey when it comes to family. The author makes a clear point of that. I loved Toni's letters. It takes insight into the human psyche to show the inner demons that sometimes hold us tightly in their grip. We pulsate between concealments and revelations and "Dot" describes the on-going process eloquently.
A beautiful read on all levels.
Life is an intricate journey when it comes to family. The author makes a clear point of that. I loved Toni's letters. It takes insight into the human psyche to show the inner demons that sometimes hold us tightly in their grip. We pulsate between concealments and revelations and "Dot" describes the on-going process eloquently.
A beautiful read on all levels.
July 28, 2014
I liked this book. It's multiple-generational and set in Wales. It has 3 generations of women who share close ties with women within their small village. Every major event is presented in multiple views including some of the men in their lives. Centering on Dot and her mother this is a wonderful book of love, friendship, and self reliance.
January 4, 2015
I can't decide if I liked this book or not. So, I gave it a middling 3 stars. The multiple POVs and timelines were sometimes hard to follow. I am glad I did not listen to it as I often had to flip back to other chapters to figure out who was who and what was when. But, I can sum up my review with this quote from Cool Hand Luke: "What we've got here is failure to communicate".
October 3, 2016
really enjoyed this tale, Hall really is a creative story teller, she manages to offer us the voices of some real people, by this I mean she is able to give a depth and rawness that allows you to connect and appreciate the strange dynamics of families and friendships
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