What do you think?
Rate this book
The Long Forgotten
When the black box flight recorder of a plane that went missing 30 years ago is found at the bottom of the sea, a young man named Dove begins to remember a past that isn't his. The memories belong to a rare flower hunter in 1980s New York, whose search led him around the world and ended in tragedy.
Restless and lonely in present-day London, Dove is quickly consumed by the memories, which might just hold the key to the mystery of his own identity and what happened to the passengers on that doomed flight, The Long Forgotten.
The Long Forgotten is a thrilling mystery about memory and identity from David Whitehouse, the award-winning author of Bed and Mobile Library.
Restless and lonely in present-day London, Dove is quickly consumed by the memories, which might just hold the key to the mystery of his own identity and what happened to the passengers on that doomed flight, The Long Forgotten.
The Long Forgotten is a thrilling mystery about memory and identity from David Whitehouse, the award-winning author of Bed and Mobile Library.
289 pages, Paperback
First published March 22, 2018
28 people are currently reading
681 people want to read
About the author
David Whitehouse
1 book42 followersDavid Whitehouse is an award-winning novelist, journalist, and screenwriter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
March 21, 2018
I loved this book so much. It was one of those that immediately absorbed me and was so beautifully written and so hauntingly evocative of so many things that you just sink into it. It was also one of those that leaves you vaguely bereft when you have to leave it behind.
This is a real book journey with some very life affirming and emotional themes within the pages. I loved Dove, his random strange memories that make him wonder if he is going mad and the flashbacks we see to Peter, a cleaner of more than just dirt and his passion for rare flowers that starts with a love story…
The journeys encompassed within “The Long Forgotten” are made up of more than just miles. The relationships play out against a vivid and ever changing set of scenery, the people you meet are all fascinatingly intriguing. In the background the discovery of a black box recorder sends yet another character on a journey of sorts…and in the end it all comes together in a highly memorable, hauntingly beautiful and melancholy finale.
This is not only original it is utterly charming, sometimes very dark, always completely riveting and it has put David Whitehouse firmly on my list of must read authors. Beautiful. Just beautiful. One I shall return to again.
Highly Recommended.
This is a real book journey with some very life affirming and emotional themes within the pages. I loved Dove, his random strange memories that make him wonder if he is going mad and the flashbacks we see to Peter, a cleaner of more than just dirt and his passion for rare flowers that starts with a love story…
The journeys encompassed within “The Long Forgotten” are made up of more than just miles. The relationships play out against a vivid and ever changing set of scenery, the people you meet are all fascinatingly intriguing. In the background the discovery of a black box recorder sends yet another character on a journey of sorts…and in the end it all comes together in a highly memorable, hauntingly beautiful and melancholy finale.
This is not only original it is utterly charming, sometimes very dark, always completely riveting and it has put David Whitehouse firmly on my list of must read authors. Beautiful. Just beautiful. One I shall return to again.
Highly Recommended.
March 26, 2018
Have you noticed how many botanical titles and covers are out there this year? If you appreciate this publishing trend as much as I do, and especially if you enjoyed Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief, I can highly recommend The Long Forgotten. David Whitehouse’s third novel features plant hunting everywhere from Chile to Namibia, but it opens underwater: Professor Jeremiah Cole is in a submersible 200 miles west of Perth, Australia. He’s running out of oxygen down there when he collides with a goose-beaked whale that pulls his craft to the surface. The injured whale soon dies, and when the professor’s crew brings its corpse on board to perform an autopsy, they discover in its belly the black box of Flight PS570, lost on its way from Jakarta to London 30 years ago and dubbed “The Long Forgotten.”
Whitehouse’s inspiration for the novel was the Malaysian Airlines flight that went missing in 2014, along with a story he read about the Rafflesia “corpse flower” 15 years ago. After the curious incident with the whale, more gentle magic is to come as we meet Dove, a lonely young man who works as an ambulance dispatcher in present-day London and starts tuning into the memories of Peter Manyweathers. In 1980s New York City, Peter gave up cleaning the houses of the dead to chase after the exotic plants mentioned in a love letter he found in an encyclopedia. Through a local botanical etching club he met Dr. Hens Berg, a memory researcher from Denmark, who encouraged him in the quest. Soon Peter was off to China and Gibraltar to find rare plants under a washing machine or along a steep cliff face. Along the way he fell in love and had to decide whom to trust and what was of most value to him.
How Peter and Dove are connected is a mystery whose unspooling is a continual surprise. I found it quite unusual that this novel ends with the plane crash; I can think of books that start with one, like Before the Fall by Noah Hawley, but no others that end on one. This late flashback to the crash, followed by a memorial service delivered by Prof. Cole, proves that the flight’s victims are far from forgotten. The mixture of genres, including magic realism, made me think of Haruki Murakami, and Whitehouse’s style is also slightly reminiscent of Joshua Ferris and Mark Haddon. Themes of memory and family, along with vivid scenes set around the globe and bizarre plants that trap sheep or reek of death, make this book stand out. If any of these elements even vaguely appeal to you, it’s well worth taking a chance on it.
A favorite passage:
“There on a ledge no bigger than an upturned hand was the Gibraltar campion. It was about forty centimeters high, with sun-kissed green leaves, no more interesting to the casual observer than any houseplant, quite ugly even. But nestled amongst the leaves, swaying, Peter found a small and beautifully detailed bilobed flower. White from a distance, up close an ethereal explosion of colour washed across the petals, from pink to purple. Elegant and soft, but surviving here, battered like a lighthouse by the wind and waves, a candle lit inside a tempest.
Peter was overcome by the sheer unlikeliness of its existence, and felt a kinship with the flower that seemed to distort him for a second. Above them, an infinite number of galaxies, planets and possibilities. Unknowns of a number that cannot be expressed. Yet here, on a protruding ledge and at the end of a rope, endless variables had colluded to bring him and the flower together.”
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Whitehouse’s inspiration for the novel was the Malaysian Airlines flight that went missing in 2014, along with a story he read about the Rafflesia “corpse flower” 15 years ago. After the curious incident with the whale, more gentle magic is to come as we meet Dove, a lonely young man who works as an ambulance dispatcher in present-day London and starts tuning into the memories of Peter Manyweathers. In 1980s New York City, Peter gave up cleaning the houses of the dead to chase after the exotic plants mentioned in a love letter he found in an encyclopedia. Through a local botanical etching club he met Dr. Hens Berg, a memory researcher from Denmark, who encouraged him in the quest. Soon Peter was off to China and Gibraltar to find rare plants under a washing machine or along a steep cliff face. Along the way he fell in love and had to decide whom to trust and what was of most value to him.
How Peter and Dove are connected is a mystery whose unspooling is a continual surprise. I found it quite unusual that this novel ends with the plane crash; I can think of books that start with one, like Before the Fall by Noah Hawley, but no others that end on one. This late flashback to the crash, followed by a memorial service delivered by Prof. Cole, proves that the flight’s victims are far from forgotten. The mixture of genres, including magic realism, made me think of Haruki Murakami, and Whitehouse’s style is also slightly reminiscent of Joshua Ferris and Mark Haddon. Themes of memory and family, along with vivid scenes set around the globe and bizarre plants that trap sheep or reek of death, make this book stand out. If any of these elements even vaguely appeal to you, it’s well worth taking a chance on it.
A favorite passage:
“There on a ledge no bigger than an upturned hand was the Gibraltar campion. It was about forty centimeters high, with sun-kissed green leaves, no more interesting to the casual observer than any houseplant, quite ugly even. But nestled amongst the leaves, swaying, Peter found a small and beautifully detailed bilobed flower. White from a distance, up close an ethereal explosion of colour washed across the petals, from pink to purple. Elegant and soft, but surviving here, battered like a lighthouse by the wind and waves, a candle lit inside a tempest.
Peter was overcome by the sheer unlikeliness of its existence, and felt a kinship with the flower that seemed to distort him for a second. Above them, an infinite number of galaxies, planets and possibilities. Unknowns of a number that cannot be expressed. Yet here, on a protruding ledge and at the end of a rope, endless variables had colluded to bring him and the flower together.”
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
August 25, 2018
2.5 stars. This was well-written and different, which would normally get a much higher rating from me. I just couldn't connect to any of the characters, this could be because I read this with many interruptions, but probably also has something to do with the layout of the book. Told from three points of view, we're not sure how these stories connect to each other until the last chapter. The facts about the rare flowers were interesting, and I liked the writing, very descriptive, without being flowery :)
But not something I'll remember a month from now.
I do think that many others will love it, especially the focus on how a shared memory can have different meanings to the people involved.
But not something I'll remember a month from now.
I do think that many others will love it, especially the focus on how a shared memory can have different meanings to the people involved.
August 9, 2021
3,5*Драматична история с приключения и криминални елементи. Най-хубавото е, че описва цветята и ги проверявах в Гугъл, научих много интересни факти за някои редки цветя.
Дав е мъж без цел и посока, загубени преди много години. Не знае кои са родителите му, а в него се таи гняв, който изскача в даден момент и плаши хората около него. Внезапно започва да получава главоболие и в него нахлуват спомените на друг човек - Питър. Тези спомени го водят по морета, океани, скали, джунгли и пустини в търсене на редки цветя. Чрез внезапните спомени, той разбира истината за себе си и кои са неговите родители.
Беше ми интересна без да предизвиква нетърпение да я прочета. Все пак сюжетът е оригинален, предизвиква те да се заровиш по-надълбоко в търсене на редки цветя.
Дав е мъж без цел и посока, загубени преди много години. Не знае кои са родителите му, а в него се таи гняв, който изскача в даден момент и плаши хората около него. Внезапно започва да получава главоболие и в него нахлуват спомените на друг човек - Питър. Тези спомени го водят по морета, океани, скали, джунгли и пустини в търсене на редки цветя. Чрез внезапните спомени, той разбира истината за себе си и кои са неговите родители.
Беше ми интересна без да предизвиква нетърпение да я прочета. Все пак сюжетът е оригинален, предизвиква те да се заровиш по-надълбоко в търсене на редки цветя.
March 22, 2019
Having just had a close relative pass away from Alzheimer's I wasn't sure a book based around the infallibility vs fallibility of human memory was going to be particularly good for me, however, avoiding these type of subjects is also a mistake, as you simply can't do that forever. Luckily, although this story brought back many special memories for me I also very much enjoyed the escapism I got from reading it, and it felt like a very unique way to address issues of love, family relationships, memory, where you come from and the search to find a place where you feel you belong, all wrapped up in a compelling, multi-threaded tale. But it is also so much more than that.
It is a piece that is stunningly written with characters that come alive on the page as they relay their individual stories to us. The denouement is expertly delivered and the reader sees the different strands of the plot tied expertly together. We are all connected to one another as humans and this book perfectly illustrates that fact. The lyricism of the narrative is not to be underestimated as it has an inherent beauty about it which moved me many times. If you appreciate evocative, thought-provoking narratives and the likes of John Boyne you will find much to love in The Long Forgotten.
Many thanks to Picador for an ARC.
It is a piece that is stunningly written with characters that come alive on the page as they relay their individual stories to us. The denouement is expertly delivered and the reader sees the different strands of the plot tied expertly together. We are all connected to one another as humans and this book perfectly illustrates that fact. The lyricism of the narrative is not to be underestimated as it has an inherent beauty about it which moved me many times. If you appreciate evocative, thought-provoking narratives and the likes of John Boyne you will find much to love in The Long Forgotten.
Many thanks to Picador for an ARC.
April 26, 2018
I couldn't help but be seduced by the stunning cover (by @saraharnett) of David Whitehouse's The Long Forgotten. The cover shows a number of rare flower blooms and the embossed outline of a whale.
Apart from being a brilliant, unputdownable read, I continuously referred back to that image on the cover with total pleasure trying to deduce which flower it was we were tracking down next.
The Long Forgotten refers to a flight that disappeared 30 years ago, and it could also refer to the list of flowers Peter Manyweathers discovered in a love letter that fell out of a botany book he was reading that lead him on an obsessive quest to find six exotic flowers that bloom in unusual and rare circumstances.
The story opens as a man in an underwater capsule has lost communication with his research station and he has 18 minutes of oxygen left, it's an intense opening and provides a connection within the story that isn't fully revealed until the end.
We then meet Dove, a young man living in London, a university dropout working in an ambulance call centre. Raised as a foster child, we learn of his relationship with his foster parents and an extreme fear of abandonment. He is plagued by headaches that precede the invasive memories of the rare flower-hunter, a man he never knew, leading him on his own quest to find out whose thoughts have invaded his own, and what they have to do with him.
Each time Dove gets a headache, we are plunged into the story of Peter Manyweather, a man who cleans houses for a living - houses of the dead. After finding the love letter, he joins a botany class, in the hope of meeting other enthusiasts and there meets and befriends a Norwegian Hens Beng, who suggests he get on a plans and go and find the flowers.
Much of the novel occurs on these journeys, pursuing these rare blooms, and slowly uncovering the mystery of Dove's true identity.
I loved the book and it's many layers, the way they slowly unravel and at the same time, we are taken on a unique quest to hard to get to places, in search of these exotic flowers. It also puts an interesting spin on the idea of shared memories, of stolen memories, of things we may have heard that later we believe to be our own memories.
Apart from being a brilliant, unputdownable read, I continuously referred back to that image on the cover with total pleasure trying to deduce which flower it was we were tracking down next.
The Long Forgotten refers to a flight that disappeared 30 years ago, and it could also refer to the list of flowers Peter Manyweathers discovered in a love letter that fell out of a botany book he was reading that lead him on an obsessive quest to find six exotic flowers that bloom in unusual and rare circumstances.
The story opens as a man in an underwater capsule has lost communication with his research station and he has 18 minutes of oxygen left, it's an intense opening and provides a connection within the story that isn't fully revealed until the end.
We then meet Dove, a young man living in London, a university dropout working in an ambulance call centre. Raised as a foster child, we learn of his relationship with his foster parents and an extreme fear of abandonment. He is plagued by headaches that precede the invasive memories of the rare flower-hunter, a man he never knew, leading him on his own quest to find out whose thoughts have invaded his own, and what they have to do with him.
Each time Dove gets a headache, we are plunged into the story of Peter Manyweather, a man who cleans houses for a living - houses of the dead. After finding the love letter, he joins a botany class, in the hope of meeting other enthusiasts and there meets and befriends a Norwegian Hens Beng, who suggests he get on a plans and go and find the flowers.
Much of the novel occurs on these journeys, pursuing these rare blooms, and slowly uncovering the mystery of Dove's true identity.
I loved the book and it's many layers, the way they slowly unravel and at the same time, we are taken on a unique quest to hard to get to places, in search of these exotic flowers. It also puts an interesting spin on the idea of shared memories, of stolen memories, of things we may have heard that later we believe to be our own memories.
October 5, 2019
Жалко за обещаващата корица... След нелошия пролог, сюжетът и героите извикват пълно недоумение за причината тази книга да види бял свят.
П.С. Преводът също е неадекватен - “смел нов свят.”?!
П.С. Преводът също е неадекватен - “смел нов свят.”?!
March 11, 2018
Astonishing. Memorable. Touching.
Just a few of the words I noted down whilst reading this. This is my first David Whitehouse novel and will not be my last! I loved the originality of this story, the beautiful writing style and the journey it took the characters on, as well as taking me on an unforgettable journey as a reader.
Very difficult to sum this up other than this is a book about memories and about finding yourself. There is also a mystery at the heart of this story when the black box of a crashed plane - The Long Forgotten - is found and this sets off the chain of events that leads to Dove - the main character and he describes himself as single, broke and orphaned - beginning to experience the thoughts of someone else clear as day. He works for the ambulance service but even his colleagues begin to worry about him when he starts having severe headaches. These headaches are when he has his flashbacks of Peter Manyweather and his life as a plant hunter.
Peter lives in Brooklyn in the 1980's and is a cleaner. He gets to clean up buildings where people have died and normally not found for months. One day he finds a purple flower in one flat and for some reason he is inspired to find out more about this particular flower. This leads him to a completely different life, out of character, travelling round the world in the search for rare blooms and on his travels he comes into contact with some weird and wonderful characters.
Dove begins to think he's going mad! It also makes him look back on his past which was often troubled and through Peters' memories he's inspired to try and live his life a little differently too.
I loved how the threads of this story were delicately weaved together and often led you down paths you weren't expecting! It was so beautifully written that scenes jumped right off the page. It had the right balance between mystery, discovery and emotion (yep I cried!). It really makes you think about the relevance of memories and how often it's the bad memories that outlast the good.
If you are looking to read something a little different then please pick this book up! One of my Top Reads of 2018 already!!
Just a few of the words I noted down whilst reading this. This is my first David Whitehouse novel and will not be my last! I loved the originality of this story, the beautiful writing style and the journey it took the characters on, as well as taking me on an unforgettable journey as a reader.
Very difficult to sum this up other than this is a book about memories and about finding yourself. There is also a mystery at the heart of this story when the black box of a crashed plane - The Long Forgotten - is found and this sets off the chain of events that leads to Dove - the main character and he describes himself as single, broke and orphaned - beginning to experience the thoughts of someone else clear as day. He works for the ambulance service but even his colleagues begin to worry about him when he starts having severe headaches. These headaches are when he has his flashbacks of Peter Manyweather and his life as a plant hunter.
Peter lives in Brooklyn in the 1980's and is a cleaner. He gets to clean up buildings where people have died and normally not found for months. One day he finds a purple flower in one flat and for some reason he is inspired to find out more about this particular flower. This leads him to a completely different life, out of character, travelling round the world in the search for rare blooms and on his travels he comes into contact with some weird and wonderful characters.
Dove begins to think he's going mad! It also makes him look back on his past which was often troubled and through Peters' memories he's inspired to try and live his life a little differently too.
I loved how the threads of this story were delicately weaved together and often led you down paths you weren't expecting! It was so beautifully written that scenes jumped right off the page. It had the right balance between mystery, discovery and emotion (yep I cried!). It really makes you think about the relevance of memories and how often it's the bad memories that outlast the good.
If you are looking to read something a little different then please pick this book up! One of my Top Reads of 2018 already!!
May 18, 2022
Mir hat es viel Spaß gemacht über seltene Pflanzen und ihre Standorte zu lesen. Ich habe sie mir dann auch im Internet angeschaut. Manche sind wirklich beeindruckend. Es gibt 3 Stränge mit 3 Männern als Protagonisten, die alle interessanten Berufe ausüben. Am Anfang konnte ich mir gar nicht vorstellen, wie sich die Stränge verbinden sollen. Es gibt einige Begebenheiten, die wahrscheinlich in der Realität sehr unwahrscheinlich wären. Mich hat das nicht gestört aber ich könnte mir vorstellen, dass es einigen Leser*innen weniger gefällt. Bei 2 Nebencharakteren hätte ich am Ende gerne noch erfahren was aus ihnen geworden ist.
March 25, 2019
Was würdest du tun, wenn du einen Liebesbrief findest, in dem 6 unglaubliche Blumen aufgezählt sind? Tja, heute vielleicht das Internet befragen, doch im Jahre 1983 war dies nicht möglich. Würdest du aufgrund des Briefes alle 6 Blumen einmal live sehen wollen? Ich kann ganz klar sagen, nein. Doch ich verstand Peter, da dieser damit seinem Leben einen gewaltigen Ruck nach vorne brachte.
Blumen und allgemein Pflanzen gehören leider nicht unbedingt zu den Geschöpfen, die in meinem Umfeld ein tolles Leben führen würden, da der sprichwörtliche „grüne Daumen“ an andere Personen verteilt wurde. Trotzdem wollte ich es mit dieser Geschichte aufnehmen, da sie einen gewissen Hoffnungsschimmer ausstrahlte. Doch gerade zu Anfang hatte ich erhebliche Probleme in das Buch zu kommen. Die Ereignisse der ersten 100 Seiten waren so verwirrend, das ich kurz davor war, es vorzeitig zu beenden. Der schnelle Sichtwechsel, der Personen zeigte, welche ich nicht kannte und auch nicht so ganz erklärt bekam. Dove, der noch nicht so recht im Leben angekommen ist, Hens, der Womanizer, Professor Cole, der in einem Wal einen Flugschreiber findet usw., denn die Liste würde so schnell kein Ende nehmen. Ich verstand den Zusammenhang nicht und konnte nicht einmal erahnen, was diese Personen miteinander verband.
Genau hier war ich froh, das Buch nicht abgebrochen habe. Denn was sich anfangs noch als komplett verknorkeltes Wollknäuel darstellte, entfusselte sich langsam und zeigte eine liebevolle Geschichte, welche so nach und nach immer mehr Sinn ergab. Immer öfter lugten die AHA-Momente hindurch und ich erfreute mich daran, etwas so schönes zu lesen. Das klingt vielleicht übertrieben, aber ich konnte das Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen, da ich immer mehr wissen wollte.
Auch wenn die Geschichte nicht von Anfang an mein Geschmack war, so konnte der Schreibstil, ab der ersten Seiten voll überzeugen. Ich mochte es, das der Autor das richtige Maß an Details preisgab und mir damit immer noch die Möglichkeit gab, sie mir selbst zusammenzusetzen. So durchstreifte ich mit Peter durch Wälder oder befand mich mit Professor Cole in der Tiefe der Meere. Neben dem Schreibstil war es auch die Charaktergestaltung selbst, welche mich ansprach, da keine Stereo-Typen gewählt wurden, sondern Personen des echten Lebens, an die man aber überhaupt nicht denkt. Oder habt ihr euch je gefragt, wer die Tatorte reinigt oder euch an der Notruf-Hotline einen Krankenwagen zukommen lässt?
Den wohl wichtigsten Punkt habe ich mir bis zum Ende aufgespart, und zwar die Blumen selbst. Wie bereits erwähnt sucht Peter 6 Blumen, bei welchen es sich nicht um die Schönsten oder farbigsten ihrer Zunft handelte, sondern um die Seltensten. Blumen die nur alle paar Jahre blühen, eine enorme Größe erreichen können oder einfach nur fragwürdige Plätze haben, an denen sie wachsen. Alle 6 waren sehr interessant und trotzdem hätte ich mich gefreut, wenn man wenigstens ein Bild und sei es nur illustriert, eingefügt hätte. Denn das Suchen im Internet nahm dem Buch dann irgendwie wieder Flair weg. Vielleicht hätte man auch den Brief abdrucken können. Aber ein Bild der Blumen hätte mir vollkommen gereicht.
Die letzten Seiten des Buches waren schließlich eine wahre Offenbarung. Ich musste die Geschichte erst einmal sacken lassen, da das Erlebte so viele Gefühle in mir wach rief. Trotzdem würde ich das Buch jederzeit wieder beginnen, nur um noch einmal in diese unglaubliche Geschichte tauchen zu dürfen.
Mein Fazit
Dieses Buch war wie eine Blume. Erst geschlossen und voller Geheimnisse, zeigte es beim Aufblühen, was wirklich in ihm steckte. Emotionen, Abenteuer und eine ganze Menge Liebe schlummerten hinter den Seiten und zeigten mir, was wahre Schönheit tatsächlich von innen kommt.
Blumen und allgemein Pflanzen gehören leider nicht unbedingt zu den Geschöpfen, die in meinem Umfeld ein tolles Leben führen würden, da der sprichwörtliche „grüne Daumen“ an andere Personen verteilt wurde. Trotzdem wollte ich es mit dieser Geschichte aufnehmen, da sie einen gewissen Hoffnungsschimmer ausstrahlte. Doch gerade zu Anfang hatte ich erhebliche Probleme in das Buch zu kommen. Die Ereignisse der ersten 100 Seiten waren so verwirrend, das ich kurz davor war, es vorzeitig zu beenden. Der schnelle Sichtwechsel, der Personen zeigte, welche ich nicht kannte und auch nicht so ganz erklärt bekam. Dove, der noch nicht so recht im Leben angekommen ist, Hens, der Womanizer, Professor Cole, der in einem Wal einen Flugschreiber findet usw., denn die Liste würde so schnell kein Ende nehmen. Ich verstand den Zusammenhang nicht und konnte nicht einmal erahnen, was diese Personen miteinander verband.
Genau hier war ich froh, das Buch nicht abgebrochen habe. Denn was sich anfangs noch als komplett verknorkeltes Wollknäuel darstellte, entfusselte sich langsam und zeigte eine liebevolle Geschichte, welche so nach und nach immer mehr Sinn ergab. Immer öfter lugten die AHA-Momente hindurch und ich erfreute mich daran, etwas so schönes zu lesen. Das klingt vielleicht übertrieben, aber ich konnte das Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen, da ich immer mehr wissen wollte.
Auch wenn die Geschichte nicht von Anfang an mein Geschmack war, so konnte der Schreibstil, ab der ersten Seiten voll überzeugen. Ich mochte es, das der Autor das richtige Maß an Details preisgab und mir damit immer noch die Möglichkeit gab, sie mir selbst zusammenzusetzen. So durchstreifte ich mit Peter durch Wälder oder befand mich mit Professor Cole in der Tiefe der Meere. Neben dem Schreibstil war es auch die Charaktergestaltung selbst, welche mich ansprach, da keine Stereo-Typen gewählt wurden, sondern Personen des echten Lebens, an die man aber überhaupt nicht denkt. Oder habt ihr euch je gefragt, wer die Tatorte reinigt oder euch an der Notruf-Hotline einen Krankenwagen zukommen lässt?
Den wohl wichtigsten Punkt habe ich mir bis zum Ende aufgespart, und zwar die Blumen selbst. Wie bereits erwähnt sucht Peter 6 Blumen, bei welchen es sich nicht um die Schönsten oder farbigsten ihrer Zunft handelte, sondern um die Seltensten. Blumen die nur alle paar Jahre blühen, eine enorme Größe erreichen können oder einfach nur fragwürdige Plätze haben, an denen sie wachsen. Alle 6 waren sehr interessant und trotzdem hätte ich mich gefreut, wenn man wenigstens ein Bild und sei es nur illustriert, eingefügt hätte. Denn das Suchen im Internet nahm dem Buch dann irgendwie wieder Flair weg. Vielleicht hätte man auch den Brief abdrucken können. Aber ein Bild der Blumen hätte mir vollkommen gereicht.
Die letzten Seiten des Buches waren schließlich eine wahre Offenbarung. Ich musste die Geschichte erst einmal sacken lassen, da das Erlebte so viele Gefühle in mir wach rief. Trotzdem würde ich das Buch jederzeit wieder beginnen, nur um noch einmal in diese unglaubliche Geschichte tauchen zu dürfen.
Mein Fazit
Dieses Buch war wie eine Blume. Erst geschlossen und voller Geheimnisse, zeigte es beim Aufblühen, was wirklich in ihm steckte. Emotionen, Abenteuer und eine ganze Menge Liebe schlummerten hinter den Seiten und zeigten mir, was wahre Schönheit tatsächlich von innen kommt.
January 25, 2018
Once in a while, a novel comes along that is so fresh and unassumingly original that it floats way above the landscape of current new releases.
That's how I feel about this novel. The Long Forgotten is the name of a plane that crashed near the coast of Cornwall 30 years ago. When the black box is recovered, strange things begin to happen in the life of a young man called Dove. He begins to recall memories that aren't his.
Dove slowly remembers pieces of the life of Peter, one of three hunters of rare-flowers who travel the world to behold the rarest blooms.
Memory transfer is such a fascinating topic and I was completely taken by where Whitehouse took his vision of how we digest facts and coincidences, and how based on this we construct the beliefs that will drive our lives.
There is so much love in this novel, not the sugar-coated or patronising type, just pure passion and a deep sense of connection.
Three voices alternatively speak in this novel. Each holds a clue to the mystery that opens the story: what happened when this plane crashed?
The Long Forgotten is a mystery novel, and I really enjoyed how Whitehouse discreetly set his clues along chapters to lead me to a beautiful and flawless end.
That's how I feel about this novel. The Long Forgotten is the name of a plane that crashed near the coast of Cornwall 30 years ago. When the black box is recovered, strange things begin to happen in the life of a young man called Dove. He begins to recall memories that aren't his.
Dove slowly remembers pieces of the life of Peter, one of three hunters of rare-flowers who travel the world to behold the rarest blooms.
Memory transfer is such a fascinating topic and I was completely taken by where Whitehouse took his vision of how we digest facts and coincidences, and how based on this we construct the beliefs that will drive our lives.
There is so much love in this novel, not the sugar-coated or patronising type, just pure passion and a deep sense of connection.
Three voices alternatively speak in this novel. Each holds a clue to the mystery that opens the story: what happened when this plane crashed?
The Long Forgotten is a mystery novel, and I really enjoyed how Whitehouse discreetly set his clues along chapters to lead me to a beautiful and flawless end.
April 7, 2018
Firstly let me say something about the absolutely stunning cover for this book. The variety of colours of the flowers against a black background really draws the eye. I can see a lot of people picking up this book for the cover!
This is such a beautiful book for many different reasons. I loved the characters in the book and the journey, literally at times, that they go on. All of them are lonely characters, on the fridges of society. They are sleep walking through life, just trying to get by with little or no friends. Both Dove and Peter before him go on a journey of discovery as they try to unravel the mystery of what happened to the plane. I so enjoyed reading about this journey and it was heartwarming to see how much they had changed and learnt about themselves at the end.
The author has such a wonderful way of describing things that makes the reader feel that they are right there experiencing things alongside the characters. The vivid descriptions of the places they visit are stunning as is the descriptions of the unusual flowers they discover on the way. I hadn’t heard of a lot of these flowers and I enjoyed looking up all of them. I had heard of the usual looking Corpse flower however as it was featured in an episode of Go jetters!
The mystery is gradually unraveled and it was very interesting to see how it all comes together. It was a very addictive story which made the book hard to put down as I wanted to read more to discover what happened. I was also really invested in the characters and wanted to continue reading to see if they get a happy ending.
This is the first book by this author that I have read and I look forward to reading more from him in the future. If you like mysteries with heart and some beautiful descriptions you will love this book.
Huge thanks to Emma Finnigan and Picador Books for my copy of this book and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me on the blog tour.
This is such a beautiful book for many different reasons. I loved the characters in the book and the journey, literally at times, that they go on. All of them are lonely characters, on the fridges of society. They are sleep walking through life, just trying to get by with little or no friends. Both Dove and Peter before him go on a journey of discovery as they try to unravel the mystery of what happened to the plane. I so enjoyed reading about this journey and it was heartwarming to see how much they had changed and learnt about themselves at the end.
The author has such a wonderful way of describing things that makes the reader feel that they are right there experiencing things alongside the characters. The vivid descriptions of the places they visit are stunning as is the descriptions of the unusual flowers they discover on the way. I hadn’t heard of a lot of these flowers and I enjoyed looking up all of them. I had heard of the usual looking Corpse flower however as it was featured in an episode of Go jetters!
The mystery is gradually unraveled and it was very interesting to see how it all comes together. It was a very addictive story which made the book hard to put down as I wanted to read more to discover what happened. I was also really invested in the characters and wanted to continue reading to see if they get a happy ending.
This is the first book by this author that I have read and I look forward to reading more from him in the future. If you like mysteries with heart and some beautiful descriptions you will love this book.
Huge thanks to Emma Finnigan and Picador Books for my copy of this book and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me on the blog tour.
September 15, 2018
Ein Buch mit einem wundervollen Cover und einem Inhalt, der ebenso bezaubernd wie bizarr ist.
Der Roman beginnt mit einer Szene in einem U-Boot und findet auf Umwegen die Blackbox eines Flugzeugs, welches vor 30 Jahren abgestürzt und seit dato unaufgeklärt ist.
Die folgenden Szenen drehen sich um Dove, einem Notdienst-Telefonisten und um Peter Manyweathers, einem Putzmann, der 30 Jahre zuvor einen Liebesbrief in einem Buch fand, in dem sechs der seltensten Blumen der Welt aufgezählt worden sind und sich auf den Weg in die Welt machte um alle der sechs Blumen live zu sehen. Er entwickelt eine große Leidenschaft für Blumen und sein sonst so tristes Leben als Reinigungsfachmann wird bunter und durch die ganzen Reisen aufregender.
Der Schreibstil ist leicht und flüssig und passt perfekt zu der Geschichte.
Die Erzählstränge sind schön zu lesen und interessant. Die Geschichte um Peter hat mir am besten gefallen.
Einige stellen waren mir zu bizarr für so eine „leichte und zarte“ Geschichte. Die Szene zu Beginn fand ich recht seltsam und hat mir den Einstieg in die Geschichte nicht sonderlich leicht gemacht.
Der „Blumensammler“ Peter sammelt keine Blumen, wie der Titel es vermuten lässt, sondern möchte diese nur entdecken und sehen und bewundern. Das Sammeln, bzw. Pflücken der Pflanzen wir an einer Stelle von ihm sogar sehr verächtlich dargestellt.
Peter stellt in seiner Ein-Mann-Firma eine junge Frau ein, von der ich mir mehr erhofft hätte. Sie wird in die Geschichte eingeführt, taucht ab und zu mal auf, spielt aber sonst keine so große Rolle wie ich es erwartet hätte.
Dies als kleines Beispiel für die ganze Geschichte. Es gab Stellen, die so viel Potenzial hätte, aber leider relativ schnell vorbei und irgendwie etwas irreführend waren – kurios und seltsam. Und für mich leider nicht auf die gute Art und Weise.
Ich kann mir vorstellen, dass genau diese Art der Geschichte einigen Lesern gefällt -mir hat es leider nicht unbedingt zugesagt.
Das Ende fand ich allerdings großartig.
Die drei Erzählstränge hängen zusammen und werden auf eine wundervolle Weise zusammengeführt.
Traurig und schön zugleich.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2018
Dove Gale was an orphan, left on a doorstep in a moses basket, abandoned by his parents. As a young boy he was taken in by Maud and Len, an elderly couple who bestowed on him an unlimited source of love, kindness and care. They soothed his restless mind and tamed the anger and fear he felt at being abandoned once more. They loved him, taught him and welcomed him into their shared world. And in Len and Maud, he found a mother and a father. Now Dove is an emergency services control room operator, answering the calls from a multitude of panicked voices. But despite so many conversations and a room full of people, he is lonely. The days are black with feelings of grief and solitude. When he begins to recollect memories that are not and never have been his own, Dove is plunged into the past of a 1980s American flower-hunter by the name of Peter Manyweathers, who lived a mysterious and truly unforgettable life.
David Whitehouse depicts things as simple as a room, a face, or even a flower with such power and colour, it is impossible from the first word not to fall in love with his bewitching prose. I read this from cover to cover, enveloped in what has been a scintillating story, brimming with rich characters and intriguing places. From America to Sumatra to Chile, The Long Forgotten spans a lifetime and transports the reader under the wing of an endearing explorer to some of the most exotic locations. I felt as if I was by Peter Manyweathers’ side all throughout. He is such a fantastic character. Sweet, intelligent and very endearing.
After reading this, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the flowers mentioned in this book. If you look up a few, you can really see how beautifully David Whitehouse has described them. It’s almost hard to imagine that these wonders exist in some far off place when just outside sits the ordinary flowers we keep in our plant pots. I’ve popped a picture below of a flower called the corpse flower, which can grow up to eight feet, so you can see what I mean. It’s remarkable! And I really enjoyed reading snippets about them in this book. Just one more thing I loved about it!
The Long Forgotten is a bewitching novel about love, loneliness, identity and discovery. It’s will jolt you with a shock of profound fascination and leave you meditating about the significance of time and the power of memory. I loved this book and hope to be devouring David Whitehouse’s next book very soon! Wonderful!
Intriguing. Emotional. Superb.
David Whitehouse depicts things as simple as a room, a face, or even a flower with such power and colour, it is impossible from the first word not to fall in love with his bewitching prose. I read this from cover to cover, enveloped in what has been a scintillating story, brimming with rich characters and intriguing places. From America to Sumatra to Chile, The Long Forgotten spans a lifetime and transports the reader under the wing of an endearing explorer to some of the most exotic locations. I felt as if I was by Peter Manyweathers’ side all throughout. He is such a fantastic character. Sweet, intelligent and very endearing.
After reading this, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the flowers mentioned in this book. If you look up a few, you can really see how beautifully David Whitehouse has described them. It’s almost hard to imagine that these wonders exist in some far off place when just outside sits the ordinary flowers we keep in our plant pots. I’ve popped a picture below of a flower called the corpse flower, which can grow up to eight feet, so you can see what I mean. It’s remarkable! And I really enjoyed reading snippets about them in this book. Just one more thing I loved about it!
The Long Forgotten is a bewitching novel about love, loneliness, identity and discovery. It’s will jolt you with a shock of profound fascination and leave you meditating about the significance of time and the power of memory. I loved this book and hope to be devouring David Whitehouse’s next book very soon! Wonderful!
Intriguing. Emotional. Superb.
May 9, 2018
They say not to judge a book by its cover, but it’s hard not to do that in this case. David Whitehouse has truly presented a superb work of art through The Long Forgotten, both inside and out. An intricate and completely refreshing story is woven into a polished, easy to read narrative that is mesmerizing. Apart from poetic prose and breath-taking imagery, Whitehouse has created characters that are unconventional and display enormous depth. The result is a marvelous experience that is moving, inspiring, and at times melancholic.
July 23, 2018
Dove is a young man working for the London Ambulance Service. He starts getting these migraine like headaches that take him into the memories of someone else from three decades ago. The narrative follows Dove, an orphan adopted by foster parents, and Peter, whose memories are invading Dove's mind. This was a lovely exploration of love, loss and memory.
April 15, 2018
‘The Long Forgotten’ is an account of memories buried deep down in the past. The long forgotten is actually the name given to the flight that went missing in 1983 on its way from Jakarta to London. The story starts when the black box recorder of this flight is discovered after 30 years.
While the discovery starts the incomplete investigation concerning this missing flight, a young man named Dove starts getting flashbacks of a past that belongs to someone else. Leading a lonely life, Dove finds himself immersed in the memories of a flower hunter named Peter, who lived in 1980s.
As we keep turning the pages, three different stories start unfolding that envelop the reader from all the sides. Engrossing, amusing, funny and at times tragic, ‘The Long Forgotten’ is a book that transports the readers to beautiful locations and will stay with the readers for a long time.
What I liked the most about this book is how quickly this captivates the reader. I couldn’t stop reading just after 5-6 pages. Perhaps, it is because of the interesting situations that the characters are placed in that makes this book a page turner. Dove works in a call centre that dispatches ambulances. Peter worked as a cleaner in the apartments of dead people. It is also interesting to see how their being placed in these situations helps the plot to move forward.
The book has a BEAUTIFUL cover that features flowers and a whale in the background. The whale plays a crucial role in the subplot featuring the missing flight and the flowers form an important part of Peter’s story. It is Peter’s quest as a flower hunter that brings about the tragic fate that he meets. Memories and the quest to find the unknown remains at the centre of the whole book.
David Whitehouse has a lucid writing style and he knows how to keep the readers hooked. There are a lot of flower descriptions but he knows exactly where to stop so that the reader doesn’t find them boring. I actually enjoyed reading about those rare flowers and I also kept searching their pictures online.
Since the book deals with past and the story is told in a series of flashbacks, there is an element of mystery. But it is not that intense and the later half becomes very predictable. My guesses turned out to be almost completely right. But I took delight in anticipation. Otherwise being a fast paced book, the pace slows down a bit in the middle when the love triangle plays out. Also I felt that the ending was a bit hurried.
Besides that I enjoyed every bit of this book. It is going to be a favourite of 2018. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially if you’re looking for something different.
My Rating: **** (4/5)
While the discovery starts the incomplete investigation concerning this missing flight, a young man named Dove starts getting flashbacks of a past that belongs to someone else. Leading a lonely life, Dove finds himself immersed in the memories of a flower hunter named Peter, who lived in 1980s.
As we keep turning the pages, three different stories start unfolding that envelop the reader from all the sides. Engrossing, amusing, funny and at times tragic, ‘The Long Forgotten’ is a book that transports the readers to beautiful locations and will stay with the readers for a long time.
What I liked the most about this book is how quickly this captivates the reader. I couldn’t stop reading just after 5-6 pages. Perhaps, it is because of the interesting situations that the characters are placed in that makes this book a page turner. Dove works in a call centre that dispatches ambulances. Peter worked as a cleaner in the apartments of dead people. It is also interesting to see how their being placed in these situations helps the plot to move forward.
The book has a BEAUTIFUL cover that features flowers and a whale in the background. The whale plays a crucial role in the subplot featuring the missing flight and the flowers form an important part of Peter’s story. It is Peter’s quest as a flower hunter that brings about the tragic fate that he meets. Memories and the quest to find the unknown remains at the centre of the whole book.
David Whitehouse has a lucid writing style and he knows how to keep the readers hooked. There are a lot of flower descriptions but he knows exactly where to stop so that the reader doesn’t find them boring. I actually enjoyed reading about those rare flowers and I also kept searching their pictures online.
Since the book deals with past and the story is told in a series of flashbacks, there is an element of mystery. But it is not that intense and the later half becomes very predictable. My guesses turned out to be almost completely right. But I took delight in anticipation. Otherwise being a fast paced book, the pace slows down a bit in the middle when the love triangle plays out. Also I felt that the ending was a bit hurried.
Besides that I enjoyed every bit of this book. It is going to be a favourite of 2018. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially if you’re looking for something different.
My Rating: **** (4/5)
January 31, 2020
Is there a better feeling of picking up a book that you’re not very sure about yet deep down you know you’ll love immensely?
This book is the epitome of tragically beautiful but in the quietest way possible.
In this book we follow the perspectives of Dove, Peter and Professor Cole. To which their story intertwines in the most beautiful of ways. In this world we don’t choose which memories we get to keep, and Dove has just gained memories of a life that is not his own, which will inevitably lead to him discovering his past and also himself along these memories.
I’d say go into this book without knowing more, because by the end of this book you’ll realize how beautifully and carefully this story was crafted in order to instill so much heart and warmth into its core.
This book is a mystery. Of finding something because everything else seems so insignificant and small, but when finding that one thing, everything becomes so large and majestic, so meaningful and raw and true.
I flew through this, every single bit of it caught me and held on till the last page. The way flowers were described in this was mesmerizing, I ended up printing each picture and sticking it in my book to reference back to them because of how uniquely this book described them. The intricate ways of how love and nature were written about, how through the writing, you’re taken into the world of these characters and their feelings and thoughts was phenomenal. I’m entranced by how fast this book reads, how it grips you and makes you feel. I loved it with every bit of soul I have in me.
It’s a mystery and an adventure, a longing so deep and profound. This story is enriched with family and love and passion for what’s out there, it’s quiet and serene feeling encompasses you and transports you into its little details which ingrain themselves in your thoughts. I absolutely love how much this book had me feeling for every character, how much I cared and empathized and cried.
I don’t know what more to say, I just know that I want this story to stay with me forever.
This book is the epitome of tragically beautiful but in the quietest way possible.
In this book we follow the perspectives of Dove, Peter and Professor Cole. To which their story intertwines in the most beautiful of ways. In this world we don’t choose which memories we get to keep, and Dove has just gained memories of a life that is not his own, which will inevitably lead to him discovering his past and also himself along these memories.
I’d say go into this book without knowing more, because by the end of this book you’ll realize how beautifully and carefully this story was crafted in order to instill so much heart and warmth into its core.
This book is a mystery. Of finding something because everything else seems so insignificant and small, but when finding that one thing, everything becomes so large and majestic, so meaningful and raw and true.
I flew through this, every single bit of it caught me and held on till the last page. The way flowers were described in this was mesmerizing, I ended up printing each picture and sticking it in my book to reference back to them because of how uniquely this book described them. The intricate ways of how love and nature were written about, how through the writing, you’re taken into the world of these characters and their feelings and thoughts was phenomenal. I’m entranced by how fast this book reads, how it grips you and makes you feel. I loved it with every bit of soul I have in me.
It’s a mystery and an adventure, a longing so deep and profound. This story is enriched with family and love and passion for what’s out there, it’s quiet and serene feeling encompasses you and transports you into its little details which ingrain themselves in your thoughts. I absolutely love how much this book had me feeling for every character, how much I cared and empathized and cried.
I don’t know what more to say, I just know that I want this story to stay with me forever.
January 5, 2020
Колкото повече се чете тази книга, толкова повече тя ти се разкрива. Сюжетът в нито един момент не се застоява и не става скучен. На всяка една страница се случва нещо, което допълва общата картина и накрая всичките тези сюжетни линии се сплитат в една и се оказва, че всички съдби, с които се сблъскваме, имат връзка по някакъв начин.
За мен това е книга за любовта. Но не любов в романтичния смисъл на думата с шоколад и шампанско. На първо място имаме любов към идеята за любовта. За едно писмо, в което някой обикаля света и търси цветя за любимата си, само и само да я зарадва. Писмо, което на финала се оказва не това, което всички си мислим, че е, но след себе си води още повече любов и сближава (но и разделя) много хора. Любов към идеята да вървиш по стъпките на някого, който е изживял това силно чувство.
Пълното ревю може да прочетете тук ===> https://bookadventureclub.blogspot.co...
За мен това е книга за любовта. Но не любов в романтичния смисъл на думата с шоколад и шампанско. На първо място имаме любов към идеята за любовта. За едно писмо, в което някой обикаля света и търси цветя за любимата си, само и само да я зарадва. Писмо, което на финала се оказва не това, което всички си мислим, че е, но след себе си води още повече любов и сближава (но и разделя) много хора. Любов към идеята да вървиш по стъпките на някого, който е изживял това силно чувство.
Пълното ревю може да прочетете тук ===> https://bookadventureclub.blogspot.co...
September 16, 2018
»An den folgenden Tagen durchsuchten sie die restlichen Felswände und fanden nichts. Hens war sich sicher, dass die gibraltarische Lichtnelke ausgestorben war. Peter wusste, dass sie es nicht war. Sie hatten beide ihre eigene Erinnerung. Sie hatten beide ihre eigene Wahrheit.«
– „Der Blumensammler“ S.96
Die Ferienlektüre will ja immer ganz sorgfältig ausgewählt werden, das Buch soll spannend sein, nicht zu dick und schwer und irgendwie auch noch zu allen möglichen Lesestimmungen passen. Das ist nicht ganz einfach. Für meinen Urlaub in Norwegen habe ich mir darum gedacht, dass seltene Blumen doch perfekt zur grandiosen Natur dieses Landes passen. Und irgendwie hat es das auch, obwohl ich beinahe auf die Nase gefallen wäre mit meiner Entscheidung.
Drei Männer, drei Geschichten
Mit feinen Worten und farbenfrohen Bildern erzählt David Whitehouse drei Geschichten von drei Männern. Jene von Dove, ein ehemaligen Findelkind, das nun in der Londoner Notrufzentrale arbeitet. Jene von Professor Cole, der den Datenschreiber des „vergessenen Fluges PS570“ findet, aber eigentlich lieber bei seiner Frau wäre. Und jene von Peter Manyweathers, einem Tatortreiniger, der in einem alten Bibliotheksbuch einen Liebesbrief mit sechs seltenen Blumen entdeckt und beschliesst diese zu finden.
Von Anfang an ahne ich, dass all diese Geschichten etwas miteinander zu tun haben, irgendwie zusammen gehören. Und das tun sie am Ende auch, aber bis ich als Leserin einigermassen hinter diese Erzählperspektiven blicke, dauert es einen Moment. Das ist auch gleich mein grösster Kritikpunkt an diesem Buch. Bis etwas über die Hälfte des Buches verwirrten mich diese drei Perspektiven nämlich ziemlich. Ich konnte schlecht einordnen, wie die Geschehnisse zeitlich verteilt sind. Bis auf Peters Geschichte, die ganz klar in den 80ern spielt, erhalten wir Leser und Leserinnen keinen zeitlichen Anhaltspunkt. Natürlich lassen sich aus den Beschreibungen und dem Gebrauch von so einigen technischen Geräten gewisse Rückschlüsse ziehen. Dennoch war für mich eigentlich bis zum Ende unklar, ob der Handlungsstrang um Professor Cole nicht etwa doch einige Jahre in der Zukunft liegt. Diesbezüglich hätte ich mir etwas mehr Abgrenzung gewünscht, den ein oder anderen Hinweis mehr hätte mir die Lektüre erheblich erleichtert. So aber kämpfte ich mich durch die erste Hälfte der Geschichte und war nahe dran am Aufgeben, bis dann die Handlung an Fahrt auf nahm und mich die zeitliche Einordnung etwas vergessen liessen.
Ein Tanz der Erinnerungen
»Als Dove am Kanal entlang zur Arbeit geht, fällt ihm plötzlich das Moorveilchen wieder ein. Es taucht aus dem Nichts auf, wie es Erinnerungen eben tun – ein Funke aus der Vergangenheit, der ins Jetzt hinüberglimmt.
[…] Doch Dove weiss nicht das Geringste über Blumen.«
– „Der Blumensammler“ S.14
Überzeugen konnte mich das Buch dafür mit seinem Tanz mit der Realität und Erinnerungen. Immer wieder wird Dove von unerträglichen Kopfschmerzen heimgesucht und dabei zeigen sich ihm Erinnerungen, die nicht die seinen sein können. Plötzlich weiss er Dinge über seltene Blumen, die ihn nie interessiert haben und kennt Menschen in und auswendig, die er nie zuvor in seinem Leben getroffen hat.
An diesem Punkt wissen die Leser und Leserinnen mehr als Dove, denn ziemlich schnell ist klar, von wessen Erinnerungen Dove heimgesucht wird. Das Wieso und Warum bleibt jedoch bis ganz zum Ende hin im Dunkeln, lässt langsam Spannung aufkommen. Und so fliege ich ab der Hälfte des Buches nur so durch die Seiten und bewundere David Whitehouse’s Gabe, mit Worten umzugehen. Was im ersten Teil noch etwas bemüht und verwirrend wirkte, ist nun geprägt von einer Leichtigkeit und Verspieltheit, die seines gleichen sucht.
Die vollständige Rezension kann auf meinem Blog Livricieux nachgelesen werden.
– „Der Blumensammler“ S.96
Die Ferienlektüre will ja immer ganz sorgfältig ausgewählt werden, das Buch soll spannend sein, nicht zu dick und schwer und irgendwie auch noch zu allen möglichen Lesestimmungen passen. Das ist nicht ganz einfach. Für meinen Urlaub in Norwegen habe ich mir darum gedacht, dass seltene Blumen doch perfekt zur grandiosen Natur dieses Landes passen. Und irgendwie hat es das auch, obwohl ich beinahe auf die Nase gefallen wäre mit meiner Entscheidung.
Drei Männer, drei Geschichten
Mit feinen Worten und farbenfrohen Bildern erzählt David Whitehouse drei Geschichten von drei Männern. Jene von Dove, ein ehemaligen Findelkind, das nun in der Londoner Notrufzentrale arbeitet. Jene von Professor Cole, der den Datenschreiber des „vergessenen Fluges PS570“ findet, aber eigentlich lieber bei seiner Frau wäre. Und jene von Peter Manyweathers, einem Tatortreiniger, der in einem alten Bibliotheksbuch einen Liebesbrief mit sechs seltenen Blumen entdeckt und beschliesst diese zu finden.
Von Anfang an ahne ich, dass all diese Geschichten etwas miteinander zu tun haben, irgendwie zusammen gehören. Und das tun sie am Ende auch, aber bis ich als Leserin einigermassen hinter diese Erzählperspektiven blicke, dauert es einen Moment. Das ist auch gleich mein grösster Kritikpunkt an diesem Buch. Bis etwas über die Hälfte des Buches verwirrten mich diese drei Perspektiven nämlich ziemlich. Ich konnte schlecht einordnen, wie die Geschehnisse zeitlich verteilt sind. Bis auf Peters Geschichte, die ganz klar in den 80ern spielt, erhalten wir Leser und Leserinnen keinen zeitlichen Anhaltspunkt. Natürlich lassen sich aus den Beschreibungen und dem Gebrauch von so einigen technischen Geräten gewisse Rückschlüsse ziehen. Dennoch war für mich eigentlich bis zum Ende unklar, ob der Handlungsstrang um Professor Cole nicht etwa doch einige Jahre in der Zukunft liegt. Diesbezüglich hätte ich mir etwas mehr Abgrenzung gewünscht, den ein oder anderen Hinweis mehr hätte mir die Lektüre erheblich erleichtert. So aber kämpfte ich mich durch die erste Hälfte der Geschichte und war nahe dran am Aufgeben, bis dann die Handlung an Fahrt auf nahm und mich die zeitliche Einordnung etwas vergessen liessen.
Ein Tanz der Erinnerungen
»Als Dove am Kanal entlang zur Arbeit geht, fällt ihm plötzlich das Moorveilchen wieder ein. Es taucht aus dem Nichts auf, wie es Erinnerungen eben tun – ein Funke aus der Vergangenheit, der ins Jetzt hinüberglimmt.
[…] Doch Dove weiss nicht das Geringste über Blumen.«
– „Der Blumensammler“ S.14
Überzeugen konnte mich das Buch dafür mit seinem Tanz mit der Realität und Erinnerungen. Immer wieder wird Dove von unerträglichen Kopfschmerzen heimgesucht und dabei zeigen sich ihm Erinnerungen, die nicht die seinen sein können. Plötzlich weiss er Dinge über seltene Blumen, die ihn nie interessiert haben und kennt Menschen in und auswendig, die er nie zuvor in seinem Leben getroffen hat.
An diesem Punkt wissen die Leser und Leserinnen mehr als Dove, denn ziemlich schnell ist klar, von wessen Erinnerungen Dove heimgesucht wird. Das Wieso und Warum bleibt jedoch bis ganz zum Ende hin im Dunkeln, lässt langsam Spannung aufkommen. Und so fliege ich ab der Hälfte des Buches nur so durch die Seiten und bewundere David Whitehouse’s Gabe, mit Worten umzugehen. Was im ersten Teil noch etwas bemüht und verwirrend wirkte, ist nun geprägt von einer Leichtigkeit und Verspieltheit, die seines gleichen sucht.
Die vollständige Rezension kann auf meinem Blog Livricieux nachgelesen werden.
April 10, 2018
All of my reviews can be found on https://josbookblog.co.uk/
There are multiple threads to this novel, and it wasn’t immediately clear how they were connected. Firstly, there is Dove – a young man working in ambulance dispatch who was abandoned as a baby. Whilst he was taken in by a loving older couple, the emotional scars that he bears as a result of his abandonment and not knowing his birth parents are easy to see, and I felt a great deal of sympathy for Dove as he feels the need to keep other people at arms’ length, his fear of abandonment still strong even as an adult. He is a lovely if slightly unusual character, and I enjoyed the slow reveal of both his past and present, the latter of which is dominated by the memories that he begins to experience – memories that can’t be his own.
The memories he begins to experience are those of Peter Manyweathers – a man who cleans the houses of the recently deceased – usually when they weren’t found straightaway. After finding a bog violet on one of his jobs, he quickly becomes obsessed with seeking out rare flowers around the world. For me, Peter’s adventures were the best part of the novel. Whilst set in the very recent past, travel at the time was so different to what it is today, and I loved the journeys he made as he sought out increasingly rare blooms that are often situated in inaccessible places, flowering for a brief period of time. Whilst not much of one for flowers, I couldn't help but look up some these blooms myself as I read along, thoroughly intrigued by this unusual hobby.
There is also the mystery of the black box flight recorder of flight PS570, which disappeared 30 years ago, and I was intrigued to see how the novel would play out and how the various threads would come together by the end of the story, which didn't quite end as I expected it to. This is a wonderfully touching novel, by turns amusing (usually because of Professor Cole, who discovers the flight recorder) and sad. It explores themes of memory, identity and self-discovery, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
There are multiple threads to this novel, and it wasn’t immediately clear how they were connected. Firstly, there is Dove – a young man working in ambulance dispatch who was abandoned as a baby. Whilst he was taken in by a loving older couple, the emotional scars that he bears as a result of his abandonment and not knowing his birth parents are easy to see, and I felt a great deal of sympathy for Dove as he feels the need to keep other people at arms’ length, his fear of abandonment still strong even as an adult. He is a lovely if slightly unusual character, and I enjoyed the slow reveal of both his past and present, the latter of which is dominated by the memories that he begins to experience – memories that can’t be his own.
The memories he begins to experience are those of Peter Manyweathers – a man who cleans the houses of the recently deceased – usually when they weren’t found straightaway. After finding a bog violet on one of his jobs, he quickly becomes obsessed with seeking out rare flowers around the world. For me, Peter’s adventures were the best part of the novel. Whilst set in the very recent past, travel at the time was so different to what it is today, and I loved the journeys he made as he sought out increasingly rare blooms that are often situated in inaccessible places, flowering for a brief period of time. Whilst not much of one for flowers, I couldn't help but look up some these blooms myself as I read along, thoroughly intrigued by this unusual hobby.
There is also the mystery of the black box flight recorder of flight PS570, which disappeared 30 years ago, and I was intrigued to see how the novel would play out and how the various threads would come together by the end of the story, which didn't quite end as I expected it to. This is a wonderfully touching novel, by turns amusing (usually because of Professor Cole, who discovers the flight recorder) and sad. It explores themes of memory, identity and self-discovery, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 9, 2021
Managed to read this in a day.
After hearing quite mixed reviews on this books I have been holding off reading it if I was pleasantly surprised. It’s an easy read and not what I expected.
It follows the lives of three different men.
A lonely man who works as a cleaner in New York.
A young man who was adopted as a young child.
A scientist who nearly does in the ocean but is saved by a whale that dies and has a black box from a crashed aeroplane from thirty years ago inside it.
It’s a bit of a slow burner but the story comes together beautifully and I am glad that I finally got around to reading it.
After hearing quite mixed reviews on this books I have been holding off reading it if I was pleasantly surprised. It’s an easy read and not what I expected.
It follows the lives of three different men.
A lonely man who works as a cleaner in New York.
A young man who was adopted as a young child.
A scientist who nearly does in the ocean but is saved by a whale that dies and has a black box from a crashed aeroplane from thirty years ago inside it.
It’s a bit of a slow burner but the story comes together beautifully and I am glad that I finally got around to reading it.
May 22, 2018
Quite an unusual story, full of quirky characters and unbelievable flowers (some of them I have heard about before!) The story flows slowly, with more than a few intertwining unlikely circumstances, a few too many to be rightly so but still quite intriguing enough to make me smile and forgive.
The quality of writing is excellent, the metaphors and feelings were so exacting and lifelike - I wondered how so many parts could be described so well that I knew exactly what was meant.
I will definitely try to read more of this author’s works.
The quality of writing is excellent, the metaphors and feelings were so exacting and lifelike - I wondered how so many parts could be described so well that I knew exactly what was meant.
I will definitely try to read more of this author’s works.
March 24, 2023
Ein Forscher, der im Magen eines Wals den Flugschreiber eines vor Jahrzehnten verschwundenen Fluges findet. Der Inhaber einer Reinigungsfirma in NYC, der zum Hobbybotaniker wird. Ein junger, wütender Mann, der in London beim Notruf arbeitet.
Die Lebensgeschichten aller drei Männer hängen zusammen und ich mag die Idee, die dahintersteht.
Dennoch hat mich dieser Roman nicht gefesselt, eventuell liegt es daran, dass ich ihn sprachlich nicht besonders anspruchsvoll finde - was möglicherweise auch an der Übersetzung liegt.
Man kann den Roman aber schnell "weglesen", unterhaltsam war er allemal.
Die Lebensgeschichten aller drei Männer hängen zusammen und ich mag die Idee, die dahintersteht.
Dennoch hat mich dieser Roman nicht gefesselt, eventuell liegt es daran, dass ich ihn sprachlich nicht besonders anspruchsvoll finde - was möglicherweise auch an der Übersetzung liegt.
Man kann den Roman aber schnell "weglesen", unterhaltsam war er allemal.
March 16, 2021
A pleasure to read with well written characters and a good story. It's just a nice book about people's lives with a compelling narrative. Something to sit down, relax with and enjoy.
April 11, 2021
This was a present so not having chosen it myself I was a bit dubious about what it would be like, how wrong could I be, it was a fascinating book which I really enjoyed. On the back cover a very apt summary was written; 'Once the thorns of The Long Forgotten get into you, the book stays with you all day until you can get back to it' - Grazia.
June 20, 2025
#BookReview
The Long Forgotten by David Whitehouse
Sometimes a memory is all we have of someone. Sometimes a memory is all we are.
This story travels through two timelines. One follows a lonely young man in London who starts hearing the thoughts of strangers, and the other follows a man in the past who’s on a quest to find the world’s rarest flowers. Sounds odd, right? It is.It’s not really about flowers. It’s about people trying to find meaning, connection, and something or anything to hold on to.
I wouldn't call it fast paced. But if looked for something without knowing exactly what, this might resonate with you.
The best part of the book is when the two stories one from the past and one from the present slowly come together. When Dove starts to understand how his life is connected to the man who searched for rare flowers long ago, it feels special and a bit sad. It feels like finding something beautiful that was hidden for a long time.
The Long Forgotten by David Whitehouse
Sometimes a memory is all we have of someone. Sometimes a memory is all we are.
This story travels through two timelines. One follows a lonely young man in London who starts hearing the thoughts of strangers, and the other follows a man in the past who’s on a quest to find the world’s rarest flowers. Sounds odd, right? It is.It’s not really about flowers. It’s about people trying to find meaning, connection, and something or anything to hold on to.
I wouldn't call it fast paced. But if looked for something without knowing exactly what, this might resonate with you.
The best part of the book is when the two stories one from the past and one from the present slowly come together. When Dove starts to understand how his life is connected to the man who searched for rare flowers long ago, it feels special and a bit sad. It feels like finding something beautiful that was hidden for a long time.
December 20, 2017
This is the third novel by David Whitehouse, and the first one I've read, and I have to say I was very impressed. It's such an original story, told in an original way, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. To begin with, it reminded me a bit of Paul Auster or Haruki Murakami, but its emotional intensity also reminded me of Matt Haig or Rachel Joyce. It begins with the accidental recovery of a black box from a plane that went missing in the 1980s, found by a misanthropic professor in the belly of a whale which rescued him from death. Then it follows Dove, a 30-year-old man who works in an ambulance call centre in London. He was adopted and doesn't know who his real parents were; he was doing a journalism course a few years earlier, but had to drop out. Dove starts to suffer from terrible headaches, and finds himself remembering the life of another person - Peter.
Peter's story is told in full - he is in his forties, living a solitary existence in New York in the 1980s. He's a cleaner, specialising in cleaning up houses which have had decaying bodies in them. One day he finds an unusual flower in a bathroom full of mould, and in the library, he finds an misplaced love letter detailing a list of rare flowers the writer want to see for himself, in honour of his girlfriend. After meeting up with Hans, a Scandinavian fellow flower enthusiast, they decide to embark on a mission to see all these rare blooms, a mission that will taken them all over the world. Peter soon realises that Hans cannot be trusted, and is more interested in getting drunk and seducing women than he is in flowers.
So why, and how, is Dove remembering Peter's life? And what does either of them have to do with the black box? Slowly, and beautifully, these stories come together in a narrative about love, friendship and memory. I'll certainly be reading more of Whitehouse's novels.
Peter's story is told in full - he is in his forties, living a solitary existence in New York in the 1980s. He's a cleaner, specialising in cleaning up houses which have had decaying bodies in them. One day he finds an unusual flower in a bathroom full of mould, and in the library, he finds an misplaced love letter detailing a list of rare flowers the writer want to see for himself, in honour of his girlfriend. After meeting up with Hans, a Scandinavian fellow flower enthusiast, they decide to embark on a mission to see all these rare blooms, a mission that will taken them all over the world. Peter soon realises that Hans cannot be trusted, and is more interested in getting drunk and seducing women than he is in flowers.
So why, and how, is Dove remembering Peter's life? And what does either of them have to do with the black box? Slowly, and beautifully, these stories come together in a narrative about love, friendship and memory. I'll certainly be reading more of Whitehouse's novels.
January 7, 2020
Other people’s memories are never your own , no matter how much you might think they are. But you can still share them.
If one hasn’t guessed by the above quote and the book’s title, David Whitehouse’s third novel focuses on memory. Saying that Whitehouse goes about this in a unique way.
The first instance of memory is during the first chapter when a botanist discovers a black box recorder in a whale. As we all know the black box recorder is the ultimate memory machine and this discovery leads us to the seemingly separate timelines of two other characters in the novel.
The second section takes place in modern day Britain and the main focus is on dove, an orphan who is trying to remember his past, more specifically his parent’s past lives’, while in the meantime he is trying to asses his own past in order to see if there are traits that he inherited from biological parents. As a result Dove decides that he will try find his parents.
The third section is based in New York during the mid 80’s and is about Peter, a cleaner who discovers a love letter while trying to identify a plant. This letter contains a list of rare plants and Peter dedicates the rest of his life looking for them.
The book jumps between each character and the further the reader proceeds, the more details emerge and that all the characters are intricately linked, superficially through flowers but on a deeper level it’s memory.
I have stated before that I am a huge fan of books which have this type of plot structure, so I had a lot of fun reading The Long Forgotten, trying to piece the details and attempting to find all links myself. However it’s not only the plot structure that I liked but also the fact that Whitehouse has created a small cast of memorable characters. Each one distinct and usually for a plot heavy book as this one, it quite a surprise when there are protagonists that one actually cares about. Not to mention Whitehouse’s writing style, whose sentences deliver a punch but retain a rough elegance.
Maybe there could be a small bias as I gravitate towards novels such as The Long Forgotten but I found this book to be a triumph in both style and structure. Sure there are books that follow this type of plot but not too many pull it off so well.
If one hasn’t guessed by the above quote and the book’s title, David Whitehouse’s third novel focuses on memory. Saying that Whitehouse goes about this in a unique way.
The first instance of memory is during the first chapter when a botanist discovers a black box recorder in a whale. As we all know the black box recorder is the ultimate memory machine and this discovery leads us to the seemingly separate timelines of two other characters in the novel.
The second section takes place in modern day Britain and the main focus is on dove, an orphan who is trying to remember his past, more specifically his parent’s past lives’, while in the meantime he is trying to asses his own past in order to see if there are traits that he inherited from biological parents. As a result Dove decides that he will try find his parents.
The third section is based in New York during the mid 80’s and is about Peter, a cleaner who discovers a love letter while trying to identify a plant. This letter contains a list of rare plants and Peter dedicates the rest of his life looking for them.
The book jumps between each character and the further the reader proceeds, the more details emerge and that all the characters are intricately linked, superficially through flowers but on a deeper level it’s memory.
I have stated before that I am a huge fan of books which have this type of plot structure, so I had a lot of fun reading The Long Forgotten, trying to piece the details and attempting to find all links myself. However it’s not only the plot structure that I liked but also the fact that Whitehouse has created a small cast of memorable characters. Each one distinct and usually for a plot heavy book as this one, it quite a surprise when there are protagonists that one actually cares about. Not to mention Whitehouse’s writing style, whose sentences deliver a punch but retain a rough elegance.
Maybe there could be a small bias as I gravitate towards novels such as The Long Forgotten but I found this book to be a triumph in both style and structure. Sure there are books that follow this type of plot but not too many pull it off so well.
July 19, 2020
Ein Liebesbrief mit sechs seltenen Pflanzen darin, bringt Peter Manyweather 1983 dazu, um die Welt zu reisen, um diese Pflanzen zu finden und um sein neues Steckenpferd der Botanik zu frönen.
30 Jahre später bekommt Dove Gale Visionen, die ihn auf die Spuren von Peter Manyweather bringen.
Ich schätze es in Büchern überhaupt nicht, wenn Tiere zu Schaden kommen. Doch in diesem Fall habe ich gleich auf den ersten Seiten darüber hinwegsehen können, da es mich nicht so berührt hat. Ich bin auch kein großer Freund von mehreren Erzählsträngen, da ich dann immer wieder aus dem Geschehen herausgerissen werde. Die sechs Pflanzen sind sehr interessant und selten und es hat mir viel Freude bereitet, nach ihnen zu googeln, damit ich einen optischen Eindruck von ihnen bekommen konnte und vielleicht noch ein wenig mehr an Hintergrundwissen. Da ich Bücher mit einem schönen Setting und Wohlfühlorten schätze, bin entschieden nicht der richtige Leser für das Buch gewesen und wenn ein Pflanze als schafsfressend bezeichnet wird, sollte man dem lieber Glauben schenken, wenn auch nicht wörtlich. Trotz alledem ist der Schreibstil angenehm und es hat einige kluge Gedanken zu bieten.
Humor: 4 / 10 Punkten
Wohlfühl-Feeling: 2/ 10 Punkten
Liebe & Romantik: 3 / 10 Punkten
Action & Spannung: 4 / 10 Punkten
Drama: 5 / 10 Punkten
Dieses Buch Leseexemplar zur Verfügung gestellt.
30 Jahre später bekommt Dove Gale Visionen, die ihn auf die Spuren von Peter Manyweather bringen.
Ich schätze es in Büchern überhaupt nicht, wenn Tiere zu Schaden kommen. Doch in diesem Fall habe ich gleich auf den ersten Seiten darüber hinwegsehen können, da es mich nicht so berührt hat. Ich bin auch kein großer Freund von mehreren Erzählsträngen, da ich dann immer wieder aus dem Geschehen herausgerissen werde. Die sechs Pflanzen sind sehr interessant und selten und es hat mir viel Freude bereitet, nach ihnen zu googeln, damit ich einen optischen Eindruck von ihnen bekommen konnte und vielleicht noch ein wenig mehr an Hintergrundwissen. Da ich Bücher mit einem schönen Setting und Wohlfühlorten schätze, bin entschieden nicht der richtige Leser für das Buch gewesen und wenn ein Pflanze als schafsfressend bezeichnet wird, sollte man dem lieber Glauben schenken, wenn auch nicht wörtlich. Trotz alledem ist der Schreibstil angenehm und es hat einige kluge Gedanken zu bieten.
Humor: 4 / 10 Punkten
Wohlfühl-Feeling: 2/ 10 Punkten
Liebe & Romantik: 3 / 10 Punkten
Action & Spannung: 4 / 10 Punkten
Drama: 5 / 10 Punkten
Dieses Buch Leseexemplar zur Verfügung gestellt.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews