The Peacock Emporium

by Jojo Moyes

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, Jojo Moyes, the story of a young woman who finds new meaning in life after opening an eclectic shop and comes to terms with the secrets of her past

In the sixties, Athene Forster was the most glamorous girl of her generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she was also beautiful, spoiled, and out of control. When she agreed to marry the gorgeous young heir Douglas Fairley-Hulme, her parents breathed a sigh of relief. But within two years, rumors had begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a young salesman.

Thirty-five years later, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with her notorious mother's legacy. The only place Suzanna finds comfort is in The Peacock Emporium, the beautiful coffee bar and shop she opens that soon enchants her little town. There she makes perhaps the first real friends of her life, including Alejandro, a male midwife, escaping his own ghosts in Argentina.

The specter of her mother still haunts Suzanna. But only by confronting both her family and her innermost self will she finally reckon with the past--and discover that the key to her history, and her happiness, may have been in front of her all along.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Adult

400 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2005

About the author

Jojo Moyes is a British novelist.

Moyes studied at Royal Holloway, University of London. She won a bursary financed by The Independent newspaper to study journalism at City University and subsequently worked for The Independent for 10 years. In 2001 she became a full time novelist.

Moyes' novel Foreign Fruit won the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) Romantic Novel of the Year in 2004.

She is married to journalist Charles Arthur and has three children.

Reviews

[(ツ) Has · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so relieved that I've finished this!

I feel like I should get a medal for making it through this. Any other author and I would have given up easily after the first couple chapters. I'm not an easy reader, I'm not one of those people that can finish a book in a day so its really a miracle that I slugged through this and finished it.

I would not recommend this to anyone who loves romances

My thoughts while reading this
Bored...
I want to give up..
The main character Suzanna is depressing to read.
Boring...
I feel sorry for her husband Neil. =(
So depressing....
What the hell is this book even about?
I want to read something else
And this is all just 30% that I read.

I hated how her husband Neil was treated, he desperately just wanted kids and Suzanna's attitude to all that was just a complete inconvenience to her. I felt like Neil was wasting his time with her and should just divorce her, she definitely didn't deserve him. I mean she's nearing 35 he's nearly 40, she's not getting any younger and there been together for 10 or so years, If she didn't want kids then she should have let her husband go so he could have a future with someone else.

Every interaction she has with her husband I kept thinking 'poor Neil' I felt sorry for him for staying with Suzanna who felt to me was completely dead inside. If Neil was some drunk or cheater I would have accepted her and Alejandros relationship but he wasn't some awful husband. He didn't deserve having Suzanna as a wife.

Another character I felt sorry for was Vivi, she was definitely under appreciated by her family. Everything she did for her husband, her mother in-law, she felt like more of the maid, you could tell she loved her husband more than he loved her and even though Suzanna isn't tecniqully her biological daughter she raised and loved her as her own anyway, I felt Suzanna to be a complete bitch towards her.

Reading this book actually made me depressed, literally drained of energy. Yes I could have given up, could have tossed it aside and forgot I ever picked it up, but the weird thing was was that I just had to finish it, it became an addiction towards the last quarter, however messed up the characters were I just had to know how their lives ended. Jojo Moyes did a great job in story telling, weaving all these characters together. I don't know if I regret reading this book though, its not like I learnt anything.

If I had to describe to someone what this book is about, I don't know what I would say, I'm still not even sure what it was about. A women's journey of being a bitchy unhappy depressed women to finding happiness?

Is this book sad? Yes.. depressingly sad.
Tearjerker? towards the end it definitely was.
Does this have a HEA? Depends on the character. But yes, It did have a HEA

I would have liked to know what ever happened to Neil though. would have made up for the crap he had to deal with being with Suzanna.

So glad I'm done!

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never write reviews but I had to for this book. If Jojo Moyes meant to write the worlds most annoying main character, Suzanna Peacock, then she is a wonderful author - mission accomplished.

[etherealfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this ARC in a GoodReads giveaway. I've been a big fan of Jojo Moyes since first discovering her work in One Plus One. While this one was a bit difficult to get into at first, by the time I was halfway through the book I was entranced and completely moved by the final pages.

[Carmen de la Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un drama encantador sobre la familia y el amor escrito maravillosamente.
Otra historia asombrosa de Jojo Moyes!!!.

Suzzana, una chica defectuosa e infeliz, es frecuentada y moldeada por su pasado a pesar de que ella sabe poco sobre ello. Su vida se ha puesto al revés y en la búsqueda de una manera de vivir una vida auténtica y feliz, abre su tienda obstinadamente siguiendo su corazón. La tienda se convierte en el catalizador para una nueva vida y una nueva confianza para Suzzana, aprender quién es y encontrar el amor, la amistad y disfrutar de la compañía de otros.

Debo reconocer que al principio no me gustó Suzanna, pero una vez que entiendes más sobre su vida familiar y ver cómo su carácter evolucionas, tiendes a tomarle cariño.

Me aloque un poco cuando leí facetas de misma en Suzzana y en otros personajes interesantes que conforman esta historia tan sensatamente contada. Jojo inyecta la vida en sus personajes de una manera que ningún otro autor maneja.

Suzanna Peacock y la gente que forma parte de su vida, sus penas, sus pequeñas alegrías, sus agonías, sus errores, todo es pintado por Jojo Moyes de una manera deliciosa. En su estilo característico hay suspenso, sorpresas aleatorias y por supuesto cada personaje es único.

La historia se divide en el tiempo, visitamos el pasado para obtener algo de la historia de fondo y luego llegar al presente con Suzanna y la acumulación de los personajes y la historia que eventualmente todos se enlazan entre sí. Suzanna es el personaje principal, pero esto no se hace evidente hasta más adelante en la historia. Mientras disfrutaba de esta historia, me pareció que al principio iba a paso lento y no fue hasta que conseguí llegar hasta después de la pagina 100 que realmente la historia me mantuvo adicta a su lectura.

Y es que a medida que cada capítulo comienza el lector es inicialmente envuelto en el misterio acerca de quién es el sujeto y que eran los eventos que estaban teniendo lugar. Sin embargo, como el libro evoluciona, el misterio se resuelve y el rompecabezas de las vidas de los personajes toma forma.

El libro no es inusual en su mayoría, ya que implica una multitud de emociones humanas y de relaciones marcadas pero es un libro con muchos mensajes fuertes. Es la historia de las diferencias generacionales, las culturas cambiantes y la construcción de la confianza. Este último es especialmente difícil después de toda una vida de negación y fabricación.
Hay algunos temas clave en los que trabaja Jojo Moyes: el tema de las mentiras y el engaño, los roles que el dinero y el estatus juegan en la compleja red del matrimonio es otro.

El libro tomó algunas vueltas que no esperaba, pero en última instancia es una historia de cómo la familia forma nuestra creencia en sí mismo y las decisiones simples que toman las personas y la complejidad de por qué lo hacen.

En algunos puntos, esta historia se quedó rezagada, pero yo estaba lo suficientemente interesada para seguir leyendo. Me alegro de haberlo hecho, ya que me pareció un libro muy satisfactorio y gratificante. La forma en que maneja estos contratiempos es una medida de hasta dónde ha llegado en su desarrollo personal.

Se podría pensar que una novela con tantas capas puede complicar demasiado las cosas y obstaculizar el proceso de lectura, pero honestamente puedo decir que esto nunca fue un factor para mí, sólo disfrutaba sumergirme en la vida de las personas fascinantes que Jojo Moyes creó.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit confusing in my opinion, but good once the ending brings everything together. The Peacock Emporium reflects Jojo Moyes' much earlier work as it was first published 15 years ago. Moyes has grown as a writer by leaps and bounds since then but this novel was still an interesting read that alternates timeframes and heroines.

My favorite quote:
“Because that was it, loving someone, wasn't it? The knowledge that, if nothing else, you wanted them to be happy.”

Audiobook narrated by Elizabeth Sastre, Christine Rendel, and Fabio Tassone.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh good grief! This was boring and long and painful to read. I can’t really articulate the gist of the plot clearly or these (most of them) mindless characters. There were a couple of shining stars, but alas, you can’t depend on two people to carry the load of those characters not pulling their weight.
These folks are unable to communicate fully and honestly; they are unable to make confident decisions. They are good at harboring secrets, i.e., domestic abuse, family genealogy, etc. They were very frustrating to read about. I picked this up because it’s a Jo Jo Moyes book and when have I ever been disappointed with one of her books? The answer: Now.

[Nicole Jeffries · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry but after reading "The Last Letter from Your Lover," by Jojo Moyes I had high hopes for this book. I'm afraid I was disappointed.

I absolutely could not stand the main character. I found her annoying and depressing. Through out the entire book all you want to do is meet this main character just so you can tell her to grow up and stop complaining. Every time I would finish a chapter I felt like my life was just as crappy's as the main character. While Jojo Moyes does a great job in getting us inside a slightly depressed, deeply unhappy character's mind I still couldn't find myself caring at all about this main character. I didn't care if she ever found happiness or resolved any of her problems...all I wanted was to hurry up and finish the book.

All in all, I found it was a complete and utter push to get through this book and fought every urge to not toss it to the side after just a few chapters.

[Melissa Whittinghill · Rating 1 out of 5]

The summary of the book and what it actually is do not match. There are too many characters, jumping across to many timelines and points of view, and no one is likable enough to root for. My second to least favorite of her collection (the horse dancer being my least favorite).

[LindyLouMac · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoy this eventually; it took for me an exceptionally long time to read, over a week. I found it very slow and it took me ages to feel involved enough in the story to want to read much more than a chapter at a time. The first few chapters are important as they introduce the reader to the history of the heroine’s family background. At the time this may seem irrelevant but persevere and read beyond this and it will all click into place.
The protagonist is Suzanna Peacock who with her husband has returned to live in the small country town of her birth. An emotionally disturbed young woman she has a lot to come to terms with in her life, especially her past and the way her mother though long dead still seems to affect her happiness. The only place Suzanna seems to be comfortable with herself is in the Peacock Emporium the shop she opens and it is here we learn the stories of the complex cast of characters that are drawn to the Emporium. A series of dramatic events threaten Suzanna’s stability but in true chick lit style there is a happy ending.

[Kylie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book although having some intriguing plots running through it, it fell a bit short for me. There were a lot of characters and I was sometimes confused as to who was the actual focus of the book. It jumped around era's a little and the point of this was a little lost at times and outright confusing at others.
I think if the story had been pared back and focused on one character with a few more clues as to the when and where some parts of the book took place it would have been far more engaging.
Most of the story revolved around Suzanna, who seems totally dissatisfied with life, she is quite often unlikeable and prickly to those around her. The other character that featured strongly was Vivi, Suzanna's stepmother, who vacillates between being quite weak and downtrodden to being the backbone of her family. There are many, many other characters and it didn't help with the confusion trying to keep track of everyone and how they fitted into the story.
The book deals with family skeletons, betrayal, love, loss and domestic violence.
I don't feel I can recommend this book, some will really enjoy it and others will get very frustrated with it.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

JoJo Moyes came onto my radar with her two books about her caretaker role with her handsome, intelligent patient in, "Me Before You" and "After You." I believe half the world, okay maybe half the women in the world, discovered her with these two phenomenal books and the movie that soon followed. This then forces me to pose an unpopular question: Why release this book, "Peacock Emporium" written in 2004, a very early book for Moyes, already released in the UK then, NOW in the US?!
Don't get me wrong, it's a decent book, but clearly not her best, just an early try. We know she's improved as a writer enormously. We love her books, in fact, we love her! Maybe her publisher thought, her fans just want her books ALL THE TIME, why don't we give them this too. Ok, I'll buy that; but please make sure you put the original 2004 date as when written, and 2019 as the US publication. Otherwise, US fans will be confused.
As far as my review of the book: Athene Foster is a spoiled rich girl who loves to have fun, and I mean FUN. She literally seduces the most eligible (money) bachelor into marriage. She has an affair (gasp) and produces a daughter, Suzanna Peacock, who 35 years later opens up, "The Peacock Emporium" a quaint, bold, and eclectic coffee shop in her original hometown, during the 1960's. Gotta shock all Grandmumi's old friends, right?
Most of the book is about Suzanna, and her long-suffering husband, Neil. It's worth reading to the end because there it gets better. Read it, you might like it. Opinions are all my own.

I thank NetGalley, Penguin Books, and JoJo Moyes

[Pilar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pesar de que Jojo tiene un patrón de novelas muy concreto, historia del pasado que se cruza y afecta al presente, me gusta mucho la sensibilidad que tiene en su escritura y la forma de contar las cosas más dramáticas sin ser una tragedia griega. En esta historia nos cuenta la forma en la que el pasado, nuestra forma de entenderlo y recordarlo afecta a lo que somos. Hay personajes con los que no he congeniado mucho, pero es de admirar la forma de la autora de perfilar distintas personalidades y formas de ver la vida. Me faltó un poco de la historia de Vivi y Douglas, sobre todo la parte más emocional, porque la parte práctica de la relación queda bastante clara. 😊

[Marion Dodson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so boring. I just couldn't finish. I didn't like the characters nor did I care what happened. Very disappointing since I have loved all of her other books.

[MaryG2E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not sure what I was getting into when I started this book. By the end I was enchanted by the story.
In the Swinging Sixties, the glamorous spoilt socialite Athene appears to have it all, but she has a big fall from grace and disappears, leaving an infant daughter Suzanna. The daughter has fraught, complicated relationships with her remaining family, which has led to bad feelings and social distance between them. Suzanna eventually finds a kind of liberation in the shop that she opens in her village. She builds a whole new community of interesting and caring people who walk through the door of her emporium. Through them she learns more about the real world than she did in her previous 30-something years of sheltered life as the difficult, moody child of a well-to-do family.
In time Suzanna learns that many of the planks on which her childhood, young adulthood and marriage were built were lies, and she has to deal with some unpleasant truths. How well she handles these setbacks is a measure of how far she has come in her personal development.
There are some key themes that Jojo Moyes works through - the issue of lies and well-meant deception, versus the right to know is an important one. The roles that money and status play in the complex web of marriage is another.
At some points, this story lagged but I was interested enough to keep reading. I'm glad I did, as I found it a very satisfying and rewarding book.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Mixed feelings for this family drama with a sliver of mystery.

I liked the story - it flits between different times and characters but the main story is about Suzanna Peacock née Fairley-Hulme who is a woman in her thirties struggling to find her way and faces a tragedy that changes her life.
We are given stories about the people that relate to Suzanna past and present to flesh out her otherwise insipid life.

The biggest problem I have with this book is the characters; Suzanna herself, and her Mother before her are supremely spoilt and egocentric women and I disliked both immensely.
And even the Grandmother Rosemary is insufferable!
Suzanna makes a drama out of everything (even when there is nothing happening at all) and just can't cope with anything not concerning herself - she is AWFUL! Her family (including her husband but not Rosemary) deserve a medal for putting up with her flouncing and tantrums.

So there was a lot of eye-rolling and gritting of teeth but somehow I persevered with the story and made it to the end (which I did not like btw!).

The story-telling is really good but the people are hideous (apart from Vivie and Jessie who are severely put upon which made me even more mad), so in conclusion a bit of a mixed bag but there is a good story here.

[Jamie Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

SPOILERS...proceed with caution.

This is one of my favorite authors, but despite the interesting premise, and rich setting and backstory, I struggled with this book.

I attribute that largely to disliking Suzanna's whiny, passive-aggressive behavior and lack of gratitude for the people who loved her. Generally, I can relate to characters who are dissatisfied with their lives (or marriages or whatnot), but I really could not feel much for Suzanna's complaints, nor forgive her for the way she lied to and led on her husband, making a promise about something so vital as children only to then cheat on him and dump him a year later, so that he is still childless and she ends up having a baby with the new guy. Her husband was not a bad guy (just the wrong guy), so he deserved much better from her than he got. Although this ending is realistic, the injustice of it rubbed me the wrong way and I took no joy in her happy ending. I don't see that she actually did anything to earn an HEA.

An important secondary story also ends tragically, which made this a doubly heavy read.

That said, I really enjoyed the supporting characters, interwoven stories, and multiple timelines. Creative, original, and superb writing kept me reading until the end.

[Marisa Sauco · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia me encantó; la traducción, no tanto.

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of my book club books. I thought it would be about a quirky store with quirky characters and there was some of that, but not as much as I'd hoped. Instead this was a generational saga about families, and guilt, and divorce, etc... I think this is part of the women's fiction genre. Not my thing. I couldn't connect with the main character - she was nasty, mean, and whiny. I didn't understand her reasons for being so unhappy. But I really liked the other characters in the story - her husband Neil seemed like a good guy and I sided with him when they fought. The best part was the ending when the truths are finally finally revealed - which should have came 100 pages earlier.

I am glad I tried a book outside my comfort genres and the writing and descriptions were very good.

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

2023 was the year of Jojo Moyes books for me. I've fallen in love with her writing style and I'm working my way through her library. This book wasn't my favourite of all of her books, but it did pull at my heart more than I expected. This book is quite sad and at times was a bit slow, but I can tell Jojo's writing style has grown over the years.

I dislike Neil and felt like he was the least likable character, and a crappy husband at that. I felt like he was very one sided, but that's me judging. I'm assuming that's how the author wanted it. Suzanna made me want to scream at her for how blind she was at times, and the sad part of this book made me want to burn the book. But hey, that's emotional contemporary reads for you!

Two out of five stars.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...

I went into this book with high expectations. It has been a while since I have read a book by Moyes, and have usually really enjoyed the narrative. Unfortunately, this read was not the same: it was a hard slog that I found difficult to get into and was frustrated by the slow pace of the plot.

[Delores · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually didn't finish this book. At 38% I decided to pull the plug. I found the book confusing and didn't care what happened.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found The Peacock Emporium to be slow and slightly uninteresting. The main character was selfish and I was unempathetic to her.
I was disappointed with this story as so far I have loved every book I have read of Jojo's, but I just felt that this fell below the mark; in my opinion the story line could have been more exciting and the characters more loveable.

[Amy Eddison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent description of how we are all affected by our upbringing. Suzanne has never felt she belonged with her family having always known that her Fathers love for the Mother who died when giving birth to her has made him resent her. His second wife who raised her and her brother and sister is her real Mother, but still she cannot understand how anyone can love her. Everything changes when she decides to make a go at doing something for herself- without the help of anyone in her family and The Peacock Emporium is born. The people she meets and the impact they have on her and her self-esteem change her views on life and eventually she finds out the truth about her biological Mother and the overwhelming strength of her surrogate Mother and slowly she finds herself within the family and develops a true sense of herself and what she really wants from life.
With excellent characterisation, Jojo Moyes makes the reader feel for Suzanne and her new friends and become drawn into the lives of those affected by the magical vibes of the Peacock Emporium. An emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs ends with Suzanne's restored faith in herself and in life- truly uplifting.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored this! Jojo Moyes has yet to let me down. She’s one of my all time favorite authors. If you’ve only read Me Before You, I highly encourage you to read other books of hers. I loved Me Before You, but it’s nowhere near my favorite.

I had it with me at the doctor, and she asked if I was reading a Victorian romance. I sort of thought similarly just judging by the cover, but it’s not that at all. Almost the entire book is set in 2001 with a few flashbacks to the 1960s, so that cover is reeeeally misleading.

I can see how some readers might find this one a little slower that some of her other books, and it did take me a little longer than usual to get into it, but once I got going I really fell deeply into the story. You know, one of those where you don’t even know how long you’ve been reading, and time just stops because you’re totally immersed.

Suzanna’s mother died before she ever had the chance to meet her, but she’s heard stories of her audacious personality her entire life. Raised by her father and his second wife, she’s the only of the 3 children with a different mother, and it sometimes makes her feel a bit like an outsider. Suzanna has been in a lackluster marriage for 10 years, and at the age of 34, finds herself just simply bored with life. She’s not ready for the children her husband so desperately wants, and they’ve been forced to move back to her hometown after her husband gets laid off. On a whim, Suzanna decides to occupy her time by opening a coffee shop, The Peacock Emporium.

This book is about the people she meets and the community she connects to in ways she never thought she would. It’s filled with vivid, authentic characters that are my favorite kind — flawed.

This will be perfect beach reading for your summer vacation, or like me, you can just enjoy it on a rainy day inside.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 4 out of 5]

JoJo Moyes knows how to pen a book filled with emotion and characters the reader grows to care deeply about. I really loved this tale of self-discovery and coming to peaceful terms with the past. Suzanna's journey to understanding herself and her mother is meaningfully heartfelt. I also appreciated all of the other characters and their trials and tribulations.
I shed some tears in the reading, because Moyes can tug at the heartstrings like few other authors can do. It's amazing how much one can truly care about a fictional character, but it happens throughout the course of this book. I hesitate to talk too much about the characters because the discovery of each of them and their life trajectories is part of what makes this novel so good and the reading experience so ultimately joyful.

Thanks to Penguin US for sending me an advance reading copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book and all opinions are my own.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t even know where to start with this.....
I’ve read several of her books and have liked them a lot but I didn’t care for this. I did not enjoy the story and I didn’t feel or believe the romance. I hate cheaters so that was tainting everything for me. I never got pulled in and I wanted to so much. Even at the very end I thought the story would redeem itself but noooooo!
I know authors can’t write a 5 star books every time but there was nothing likable for me in this one.

[Audrey Dry]

Lo siento mucho, pero ha sido imposible terminarlo. Y de veras lo he intentado. Comencé a leerlo con la esperanza de encontrar algo tan bien construido como "Yo antes de ti", pero... ni de lejos. Voy a intentar hacer esta reseña por partes, ya que hay varios puntos que quiero comentar:

Lo primero de todo es el comienzo del libro, el cual no tiene nada que ver con la sinopsis del libro. La sinopsis cuenta sobre una chica llamada Suzzana que abre una tienda y en la cual conoce la vida de los clientes. Me pareció interesante. Así que me dije: "vamos a intentarlo". Nada que ver. Comienza con un asistente de partos en un hospital (del cual no sabes nada hasta que casi llegas a la mitad). Y continua en la década de los 60. El salto te hace pensar que quizás ambas cosas estén relacionadas, pero... nada que ver!! Hay tantos personajes, tantas vidas que quiere contar, que al final no interesa ninguna. Y mira que me gustan las historias y la vida de las personas que estuvieron antes que nosotros... (Me encantó El jardín olvidado de Kate Morton, soy fan de Downton Abbey... ). Pero ha sido imposible de seguir.

La redacción es muy espesa. Muy espesa, repito (al menos a mi parecer). Y lenta... Salta de un personaje a otro y cuenta tantas cosas, incluso de cosas que pasaron con anterioridad (fuera de cámara por así decirlo), que es un sobreesfuerzo seguir adelante.

Otro punto a comentar, y no voy a nombrar a ningún personaje para no hacer spoiler, es que en ningún momento un hijo o hija puede parecerse a un pariente si no lo conoce. Eso de que la personalidad se hereda... Lo siento, pero no. Desarrollamos la personalidad dependiendo del entorno donde vivimos, de nuestro padres, tíos, primos, amigos. Punto. Si hay algún familiar que no conocemos porque no lo hemos visto en toda nuestra vida, no podemos parecernos a él en lo referente a la personalidad, ya que su psicología no se ha desarrollado en el mismo entorno. No puedes parecerte psicológicamente, no puedes ser ligero de cascos, no puedes ser mentiroso compulsivo, no puedes ser liberal, por ejemplo, si no has crecido rodeado de gente así. El físico sí es hereditario y, cuidado, las expresiones son iguales en todos los individuos. Si mezclamos estas dos últimas cosas posiblemente tengamos la misma sonrisa o la misma mirada que nuestros hermanos o padres, y no necesariamente hemos tenido que vivir con ellos. La gente suele confundir estas cosas a menudo. Y este libro lo hace. No en el mismo sentido que yo he descrito, pero algo parecido. Una madre puede decir que su hijo tiene la sonrisa de su padre, el cual se marchó cuando el niño tenía dos meses, pero no es porque sea igual a su padre, sino porque físicamente se le parece. Ahora si al niño le gusta el helado de nata igual que a su padre, lo siento, pero eso no es heredado, es cuestión de gustos.

Podría calificar el libro, pero me parece descortés hacerlo cuando no he terminado de leerlo. Así que solo me voy a limitar a comentar todo lo que pienso y a dejar el número de estrellas para cuando me arme de valor y lo termine.

[Abril Camino]

Abandono al 39%. No he conseguido cogerle el punto a este libro (pese a que me encanta Jojo). Una pena.

[Kremena Koleva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Когато става дума за Джоджо Мойс, ще свързвам името й не с филма " Аз преди теб" и с книгата, а със заглавието, което ме срещна с авторката - " Подаряваш ми звезди". След него не посегнах към друга на Мойс от страх да не се разочаровам. Имах си това топло и нежно усещане от срещата с библиотекарките на коне и си го пазех ревниво.
Тази есен бях привлечена от " Бутикът на мечтите". И наруших собственото си ограничение.
Попаднах в доста тягостната среда, която предизвикваше Сюзана. И под нейно влияние пред мен се появиха всички теми, които често обмислям. За съжаление, открих колко съм права в мнението си и колко категорично мога да го защитя пред всеки много либерален и оптимистичен опонент. Не е добро откритие! Но когато не мажем с мед и масло реалността, тя няма никога да изглежда красива.
Сюзана е човек, който никога не е доволен от нищо. И не в добрия смисъл, който кара някого да се развива, да расте и да печели от осъзнаването. ДНК-А- то има жизнено важна роля в човешката природа, независимо от средата, в която расте. Независимо от отношението, което получава. Независимо от примера, който вижда. Силните характери осъзнават накъде ги води кръвта и успяват да се противопоставят или да се възползват от това. Останалите обвиняват семейната хералдика и се носят по течението без грам опит да разберат как да се променят.
Осиновяването на дете си е риск, който понякога никой не осъзнава. Водени от любов и копнеж да се грижат за изоставено дете като за своя рожба, никой не мисли, че това дете прилича на онзи, който го е изоставил. Последиците от това се виждат по - късно.
Ако семейството остави децата да следват прищевките и стремежите на младостта, това е лошо. То не се вълнува достатъчно, за да контролира, съветва и насочва. Ако пък семейството отрупа наследниците с цялата си любов и внимание и обезпечи съществуването им, пак е лошо. Родителите задушават децата, поднасят им всичко наготово и убиват стремежите им за самостоятелност. С други думи - каквото и да правят родителите, по презумпция те са виновни и могат да влязат в положението на децата си. Разривът между поколенията не е от вчера. Но пак не изглежда добре.

* " Но да си родител означаваше точно това, нали? Обичаш детето си, имаш добри намерения, вярваш, че правиш най - доброто за него ... знаейки, че често любовта не е достатъчна "

Не харесах Сюзана. И Алехандро. Вечно недоволни и гневни души. Постоянни опити да открият себе си с цената на чуждите чувства, независимост и потъпкани желания.

* " Твърде много време за мислене е гаранция за катастрофа."

Харесах книгата! Много! Страхотен пример за това, което се случва, когато не знаем какво искаме за себе си от света! Единствено около хора като Джеси разбираме колко по - красив може да е живота ако сме ярки, усмихнати, любопитни и обичащи.

* " Проблемът с остаряватето не е толкова, че човек остарява, заседнал в миналото, а че има твърде много минало, в което да се изгуби. "

[Lindsay Nixon · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 20%

Me Before You is one of my all-time favorites. I hesitated reading anything else by her, worrying it wouldn't compare to MBY or would somehow taint that good memory.

THIS BOOK IS THAT FEAR MANIFESTED. I have read other books by Moyes and liked them but this book... it was a struggle to complete part 1. If it had been another author I wouldn't have made it through the first couple of chapters.

After reading reviews and summaries here I know this book is NOT for me. I've seen it compared to hear earlier works 15 years ago, and so if you were an early fan, this might be an epic return for you.

Why I didn't like it: I'm over YA's that are "bougie belles at the ball, heartbroken that some boy won't dance with them" and Rose Dawson (yes, that is a Titanic reference) was so 1997... I mean, good for these super rich-have-it-all gals who turn their back on the fufu and to live a life of grit and substance (how nice of them to have that choice) I'm just over that type of storyline, even if the person stops being an asshole.

I think the The Selection series beat that "good king" story to death for me (though I did enjoy that series back in the day... if you like the Bachelor and dystopian YA check it out).

The first chapter of this book grabbed me by the heart and throat and the next chapter was SO FAR from that one that I was convinced I somehow started another book. (Chapter 1--midwife delivers her first baby in an impoverished town where "rich white people" take her baby for cash. Chapter 2 starts the bougie affair) Sadly we stay inside the bougie affair.

I've read enough to know these things all come together at the end, and that the bougie stuff ends and life of substances comes in... but I'm not up for the ride to get there. Sigh. I'm in a bad mood this is what i get for having expectations.