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Bonnie Jack
From the acclaimed author of the internationally bestselling Ava Lee novels, a bold and captivating new novel about a search for lost family and the cost of keeping secrets.
As a boy, Jack Anderson was abandoned by his mother in a Glasgow movie theatre. Now living in the United States and facing his impending retirement, Jack and his wife Anne travel to Scotland to track down his long-lost sister. Their journey takes them from their home in a quiet Boston suburb to the impoverished mill towns of Ayrshire, the gray cobbled streets of Glasgow, and the majestic Scottish Highlands. Along the way, Jack gets entangled in local affairs and must confront uncomfortable truths about family, legacy, and the wife he thought he knew.
Bonnie Jack, the first stand-alone novel by acclaimed author Ian Hamilton, is a compelling story about the importance of family, self-discovery, and the lengths we go to protect the ones we love.
As a boy, Jack Anderson was abandoned by his mother in a Glasgow movie theatre. Now living in the United States and facing his impending retirement, Jack and his wife Anne travel to Scotland to track down his long-lost sister. Their journey takes them from their home in a quiet Boston suburb to the impoverished mill towns of Ayrshire, the gray cobbled streets of Glasgow, and the majestic Scottish Highlands. Along the way, Jack gets entangled in local affairs and must confront uncomfortable truths about family, legacy, and the wife he thought he knew.
Bonnie Jack, the first stand-alone novel by acclaimed author Ian Hamilton, is a compelling story about the importance of family, self-discovery, and the lengths we go to protect the ones we love.
304 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2021
11 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Ian Hamilton
27 books351 followersIan Hamilton has been a journalist, a senior executive with the federal government, a diplomat, and a businessman with international links. He has written for several magazines and newspapers in Canada and the U.S., including Maclean's, Boston Magazine, Saturday Night, Regina Leader Post, Calgary Albertan, and the Calgary Herald. His nonfiction book, The Children's Crusade, was a Canadian Book of the Month Club selection.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
June 2, 2021
This is a quick, easy read, good for a summer day on the beach or at the cottage or in a Muskoka chair in the back yard.
Jack Anderson was abandoned by his mother in a Glasgow movie theatre when he was six years old. She left to take his sister Moira to the washroom and never returned. He is now a successful multi-millionaire nearing retirement. In all those years, he has not told his wife Anne and their children about his past. After finally sharing his story of abandonment and adoption, he and Anne travel to Scotland to see Moira whom he has located. While in the country of his birth, Jack learns he has more family than Moira, and meeting them has unexpected consequences.
The novel is very readable. What irritated me, however, are the unnecessary details that are included. For instance, do we really need to know what everyone is drinking? At the beginning we learn that “Anne liked gin martinis [while] her husband drank Scotch.” In fact, there are over 25 references to Scotch, not including mentions of Scotch eggs and Scotch pies! Some of the conversations don’t sound natural; for example, would a wife say to her husband of many years, “’You know I have a degree in English literature from UMass Amherst’”?
Descriptions of houses focus on windows and doors: Jack and Anne’s house “had two storeys, with six windows on the upper floor facing the road, and two huge windows on either side of a bright red double door on the ground floor." Later, we have this description: “Harry’s house was built of brick, with a red slate roof, a large window to the left of the front door, and three windows across the front of the second storey.” Then a pub “had a brown brick façade that was black in places, and small, dirty windows on either side of a glass door etched with thistles.” Moira lives “in the middle of a row of rather grimlooking houses, their doors set into walls of grey stone with windows on either side. Some of the doors had been painted bright colours.” This fixation on windows extends to characters always walking to a window and looking out; this happens at least 15 times.
There is considerable suspense. Chapters often end on a dramatic note with announcements like “’He’s dead’” and “’She’s had a visit from one of the Baxter boys. We need to talk.’” Unfortunately, there are elements that require some suspension of disbelief. Duncan Pike, “a top-notch lawyer,” becomes important in the latter part of the book, but some of his behaviour is rather shady, if not illegal. And “’Scottish criminal royalty . . . who run most of the drug and prostitution business’” and are not averse to physical violence would feel bound by a contract?
Jack is not a likeable character. His nickname in the business world is Bloody Jack, and he admits, “’I didn’t get the nickname Bloody Jack by being a nice guy. I trust no one. Everyone is disposable.’” He also admits to having trust issues; he has kept secrets from his wife and children for much of his life and his conversations concerning postponing his retirement are never mentioned to Anne: “’I love Anne, but there are things I don’t tell her, and some of those things she has a right to know. ‘” I don’t understand what Jack’s appeal is to Anne; she always seems to be walking on eggshells and reacting so as not to upset him. He has difficulty accepting people who disagree with him, and he seems incapable of forgiveness. When he makes what most people would consider a right decision, it is only because of his own self-interest and fear. And we are to believe that such a successful man has not really given more thought to his retirement and what that entails? In terms of character, Jack is not Bonnie Jack, and I found it difficult to care about what might happen to him.
There are many unanswered questions at the end, so I would not recommend the book to anyone who likes complete closure. Despite its flaws, it is entertaining.
Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
Jack Anderson was abandoned by his mother in a Glasgow movie theatre when he was six years old. She left to take his sister Moira to the washroom and never returned. He is now a successful multi-millionaire nearing retirement. In all those years, he has not told his wife Anne and their children about his past. After finally sharing his story of abandonment and adoption, he and Anne travel to Scotland to see Moira whom he has located. While in the country of his birth, Jack learns he has more family than Moira, and meeting them has unexpected consequences.
The novel is very readable. What irritated me, however, are the unnecessary details that are included. For instance, do we really need to know what everyone is drinking? At the beginning we learn that “Anne liked gin martinis [while] her husband drank Scotch.” In fact, there are over 25 references to Scotch, not including mentions of Scotch eggs and Scotch pies! Some of the conversations don’t sound natural; for example, would a wife say to her husband of many years, “’You know I have a degree in English literature from UMass Amherst’”?
Descriptions of houses focus on windows and doors: Jack and Anne’s house “had two storeys, with six windows on the upper floor facing the road, and two huge windows on either side of a bright red double door on the ground floor." Later, we have this description: “Harry’s house was built of brick, with a red slate roof, a large window to the left of the front door, and three windows across the front of the second storey.” Then a pub “had a brown brick façade that was black in places, and small, dirty windows on either side of a glass door etched with thistles.” Moira lives “in the middle of a row of rather grimlooking houses, their doors set into walls of grey stone with windows on either side. Some of the doors had been painted bright colours.” This fixation on windows extends to characters always walking to a window and looking out; this happens at least 15 times.
There is considerable suspense. Chapters often end on a dramatic note with announcements like “’He’s dead’” and “’She’s had a visit from one of the Baxter boys. We need to talk.’” Unfortunately, there are elements that require some suspension of disbelief. Duncan Pike, “a top-notch lawyer,” becomes important in the latter part of the book, but some of his behaviour is rather shady, if not illegal. And “’Scottish criminal royalty . . . who run most of the drug and prostitution business’” and are not averse to physical violence would feel bound by a contract?
Jack is not a likeable character. His nickname in the business world is Bloody Jack, and he admits, “’I didn’t get the nickname Bloody Jack by being a nice guy. I trust no one. Everyone is disposable.’” He also admits to having trust issues; he has kept secrets from his wife and children for much of his life and his conversations concerning postponing his retirement are never mentioned to Anne: “’I love Anne, but there are things I don’t tell her, and some of those things she has a right to know. ‘” I don’t understand what Jack’s appeal is to Anne; she always seems to be walking on eggshells and reacting so as not to upset him. He has difficulty accepting people who disagree with him, and he seems incapable of forgiveness. When he makes what most people would consider a right decision, it is only because of his own self-interest and fear. And we are to believe that such a successful man has not really given more thought to his retirement and what that entails? In terms of character, Jack is not Bonnie Jack, and I found it difficult to care about what might happen to him.
There are many unanswered questions at the end, so I would not recommend the book to anyone who likes complete closure. Despite its flaws, it is entertaining.
Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
June 28, 2021
A Search for Family
Review of the House of Anansi paperback edition (June 2021)
Ian Hamilton is primarily known for his forensic accountant Ava Lee thrillers (14 and counting) and his Uncle Chow Tung triad prequels (3 and counting). Although Bonnie Jack is a stand-alone family-drama-fiction diversion from the crime and thriller genre, Hamilton instinctively still frames his chapters with cliffhanger endings that compel you to keep on reading. So long time fans will not be disappointed, even if Ava Lee doesn't show up to face down the baddies with her Bak mai martial arts skills and Uncle Chow doesn't have to call his triad's Red Pole to order his 49'ers and Blue Lanterns to go to the mattresses.
Bonnie Jack is a fictional story inspired by author Hamilton's father's own real-life experience of being an abandoned child left up to adoption and relocation to Canada from Scotland. Late in life he revealed this to his family after keeping it a secret for 50 years and he proceeded to track down the lost relatives that he could find. This is explained in the author's Afterword.
Hamilton takes this basic premise and structures his novel around a millionaire American insurance businessman who makes the same revelations to his family during a Thanksgiving dinner. He has tracked down his sister in Scotland and decides to visit her in order to better understand the events of his childhood. He goes with his wife Anne and discovers even more family secrets while there and more living relatives than he had expected. There is even a brush with the criminal gang elements of Scotland and with dodgy investment bankers & criminal lawyers which a Hamilton fan will recognize as a nod to Ava Lee.
The millionaire 'Bloody'/'Bonnie' Jack Anderson is not actually a very likeable character, but he is blessed with the more insightful and personable presence of his wife Anne at his side during this adventure. In fact, as a bonus for Hamilton's Estonian-Canadian fans (of which I can say I am one) there is this exchange early in the book:
Review of the House of Anansi paperback edition (June 2021)
Ian Hamilton is primarily known for his forensic accountant Ava Lee thrillers (14 and counting) and his Uncle Chow Tung triad prequels (3 and counting). Although Bonnie Jack is a stand-alone family-drama-fiction diversion from the crime and thriller genre, Hamilton instinctively still frames his chapters with cliffhanger endings that compel you to keep on reading. So long time fans will not be disappointed, even if Ava Lee doesn't show up to face down the baddies with her Bak mai martial arts skills and Uncle Chow doesn't have to call his triad's Red Pole to order his 49'ers and Blue Lanterns to go to the mattresses.
Bonnie Jack is a fictional story inspired by author Hamilton's father's own real-life experience of being an abandoned child left up to adoption and relocation to Canada from Scotland. Late in life he revealed this to his family after keeping it a secret for 50 years and he proceeded to track down the lost relatives that he could find. This is explained in the author's Afterword.
Hamilton takes this basic premise and structures his novel around a millionaire American insurance businessman who makes the same revelations to his family during a Thanksgiving dinner. He has tracked down his sister in Scotland and decides to visit her in order to better understand the events of his childhood. He goes with his wife Anne and discovers even more family secrets while there and more living relatives than he had expected. There is even a brush with the criminal gang elements of Scotland and with dodgy investment bankers & criminal lawyers which a Hamilton fan will recognize as a nod to Ava Lee.
The millionaire 'Bloody'/'Bonnie' Jack Anderson is not actually a very likeable character, but he is blessed with the more insightful and personable presence of his wife Anne at his side during this adventure. In fact, as a bonus for Hamilton's Estonian-Canadian fans (of which I can say I am one) there is this exchange early in the book:
She looked at Anne.I wonder if this part of the story has any basis in real-life Hamilton family fact?
"You're very blonde. Is the colour real?
"It is. My family is Estonian and we're all blonde."
"Estonian. Is that Christian?"
"Very Christian. My father was a Lutheran minister."
August 14, 2022
Jack was abandoned by his mother in a theatre in Scotland in the 1930's. Fifty years later, he is wealthy, successful, and contemplating retirement. So he shocks his family by telling them that he was actually adopted and has done some tracing and found his Scottish family. Off he goes "across the pond" with his confused wife in tow to trace some of his history.
Ian was so excited about this topic that he threw out all the threads, not caring if they got sewed up neatly, if his characters (or reader) got emotional closure, or even if it made sense. There would be interesting plot ideas - Jack and his biological sister having different views of the mother that chose to abandon one child, but keep another. Jack remembers being abandoned in the movie theatre, his sister claims that would never happen. A point that is easily verified, but they never do it.
I just finished the book more frustrated. And I hated, HATED the deux ex machina that happens near the end. Ian set us up for a great climax and poof! Just disappeared it.
Ian was so excited about this topic that he threw out all the threads, not caring if they got sewed up neatly, if his characters (or reader) got emotional closure, or even if it made sense. There would be interesting plot ideas - Jack and his biological sister having different views of the mother that chose to abandon one child, but keep another. Jack remembers being abandoned in the movie theatre, his sister claims that would never happen. A point that is easily verified, but they never do it.
I just finished the book more frustrated. And I hated, HATED the deux ex machina that happens near the end. Ian set us up for a great climax and poof! Just disappeared it.
July 11, 2024
Nothing really happened. I kept reading to make sure, but it’s for sure a book with zero twists or revelations.
December 11, 2024
As a lawyer, it was difficult to root for some of the “victories” in this book. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the writing style and pacing, and learning that it was based on the authors fathers real life was so cool!
September 6, 2021
I'm usually a fan of the Ava Lee series so was looking forward to reading another book by this author in a different genre - a Boston executive's search for his roots in Scotland. It's based loosely on the true-life experience of Hamilton's father who was abandoned in a movie theatre as a boy and later searched for his relatives. But has been fictionalized. I quite liked the first half, but then it went off in different directions, got off track, and several key questions were never answered. So it really fell flat for me. The characters spend an inordinate amount of time drinking, and I thought maybe that was preshadowing something. And then, at one point, I wondered if maybe the Scottish relatives had set up some sort of elaborate scam that would lead to a satisfying "aha" moment, but no.
I really like this author, but was disappointed in this book. 2.5 stars
I really like this author, but was disappointed in this book. 2.5 stars
March 5, 2021
304 pages
3 stars
This is an average story about a man named Jack who is planning retirement. At the age of six he was left in a movie theater by his mother who said she was taking his sister to the bathroom. She didn't come back.
He was adopted by some wonderful people from Boston. They cared for him a great deal, but he has never forgotten the awful pain of being left by his mother. He decides to travel to Scotland with his wife Anne to meet his sister. There he finds a bitter elderly woman who tells him he has another two siblings – twins.
From there he and Anne meet his brother and sister and he likes them immediately. He learns that his father may still be alive and chooses to meet him as well.
This is where the story goes off the rails a bit. While the book certainly held my interest, I was left feeling that I had somehow been cheated. The characters spent a great deal of time getting drunk which disappointed me to no end. The whole lawyer thing upset me as well. I kept wondering if he was just a mouthpiece for the Baxter family. He seemed too shady for my taste. So while it was entertaining, I must say that my overall opinion is that it was shallow.
I want to thank NetGalley and House of Anansi Press Inc/House of Anansi Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
3 stars
This is an average story about a man named Jack who is planning retirement. At the age of six he was left in a movie theater by his mother who said she was taking his sister to the bathroom. She didn't come back.
He was adopted by some wonderful people from Boston. They cared for him a great deal, but he has never forgotten the awful pain of being left by his mother. He decides to travel to Scotland with his wife Anne to meet his sister. There he finds a bitter elderly woman who tells him he has another two siblings – twins.
From there he and Anne meet his brother and sister and he likes them immediately. He learns that his father may still be alive and chooses to meet him as well.
This is where the story goes off the rails a bit. While the book certainly held my interest, I was left feeling that I had somehow been cheated. The characters spent a great deal of time getting drunk which disappointed me to no end. The whole lawyer thing upset me as well. I kept wondering if he was just a mouthpiece for the Baxter family. He seemed too shady for my taste. So while it was entertaining, I must say that my overall opinion is that it was shallow.
I want to thank NetGalley and House of Anansi Press Inc/House of Anansi Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
July 6, 2022
See my full review here.
"Bloody Jack" Anderson is a ruthless American businessman, on the brink of retirement, with a secret. At a family dinner, he shocks his wife and adult children when he announces he has been keeping a secret from them for decades – he has a sister in Scotland, and has found her after more than 50 years. After explaining the story, the family encourages Jack to go to Scotland and meet his long lost sister, and find out why his mother kissed her six-year-old son and walked out of a movie theatre leaving him behind. There are complex family dynamics, and Jack's ruthless nature leads to an unintended death. While the story is based on author Hamilton's own family history, it's primarily fiction, much to his own father's relief, I'm sure. I enjoyed the description of 1980s Glasgow and Edinburgh, but I admit to growing distaste for Jack. His treatment of his family on both sides of the water is puzzling, even horrible at times. I loved the premise but wish Hamilton had chosen a gentler protanist. My thanks to Grand Forks (B.C.) & District Public Library for obtaining an interlibrary loan copy for me.
"Bloody Jack" Anderson is a ruthless American businessman, on the brink of retirement, with a secret. At a family dinner, he shocks his wife and adult children when he announces he has been keeping a secret from them for decades – he has a sister in Scotland, and has found her after more than 50 years. After explaining the story, the family encourages Jack to go to Scotland and meet his long lost sister, and find out why his mother kissed her six-year-old son and walked out of a movie theatre leaving him behind. There are complex family dynamics, and Jack's ruthless nature leads to an unintended death. While the story is based on author Hamilton's own family history, it's primarily fiction, much to his own father's relief, I'm sure. I enjoyed the description of 1980s Glasgow and Edinburgh, but I admit to growing distaste for Jack. His treatment of his family on both sides of the water is puzzling, even horrible at times. I loved the premise but wish Hamilton had chosen a gentler protanist. My thanks to Grand Forks (B.C.) & District Public Library for obtaining an interlibrary loan copy for me.
July 1, 2024
When it is so obvious that a book was written by a male author, and almost dumbed down strangely enough for a male readership, it doesn’t sit right. Chick lit is a stereotypical phrase to describe light books with predictable plots that appeal to the woman who wants a quick read on a beach or in a plane, and this book is the equivalent of chick lit for men. And not a very good one at that, because plenty of chick lit is fun and engrossing and pleasurable as escapism. But this book? The dialogue is stilted and unnatural, the characters never fully fleshed out, the repetitive pouring of drinks and glasses of Scotch misplaced and unnecessary, I could go on! The redeeming factor of this book is that it is based on the very heart wrenching truth that the author’s father experienced: being abandoned in a movie theatre by his mother. This fictionalised account of that horrific reality did not do the reality justice.
Still. It was a quick enough light enough read that I quickly got through because I kept holding out hope it would improve. It did not.
Still. It was a quick enough light enough read that I quickly got through because I kept holding out hope it would improve. It did not.
August 24, 2022
This was chick lit for men. The writing is stilted to the point of being painful, the dialogue is robotic, the story is weak and contrived, and the characters are shallow and stereotypical. It was kind of humorous seeking chick lit from the male perspective. Jack, the protagonist, was the all-perfect male: good looking, rich and powerful, and his homemaker wife's life and thoughts revolved around him - and so did his perfect and adoring children. It was sickening, in a way.
The event that started this book in motion, the mother's leaving of her son in the cinema, was based on the real life story of the author's father. This event was such an emotional bomb that it kept me reading and hoping that the book would improve over time. It never did, which was a real shame. The emotional depth of this book was zero.
The event that started this book in motion, the mother's leaving of her son in the cinema, was based on the real life story of the author's father. This event was such an emotional bomb that it kept me reading and hoping that the book would improve over time. It never did, which was a real shame. The emotional depth of this book was zero.
July 6, 2022
Oh dear, I feel bad for thinking so poorly of this work, especially knowing that the author based the story on his own father’s life, but unfortunately I found the writing here seriously lacking.
Multiple opportunities for conflict either go nowhere or are resolved (easily! repeatedly!) with endless sums of money and, in leaving the bank, this spending does almost nothing to affect the characters. At perhaps the most pivotal moment among these, it’s not even the entire inheritance (for the independently successful adult children, mind you) that gets spent, just part of it! These conflicts also don't lead to any meaningful character growth, and the dialogue is incredibly wooden. Honestly I wish I had something more positive to say :(
Multiple opportunities for conflict either go nowhere or are resolved (easily! repeatedly!) with endless sums of money and, in leaving the bank, this spending does almost nothing to affect the characters. At perhaps the most pivotal moment among these, it’s not even the entire inheritance (for the independently successful adult children, mind you) that gets spent, just part of it! These conflicts also don't lead to any meaningful character growth, and the dialogue is incredibly wooden. Honestly I wish I had something more positive to say :(
June 28, 2021
This was a change from the Ava Lee series of books and a good one at that.
Jack Anderson has a very good life but he's been wondering about his birth parents for quite a while. As he's getting ready to retire he embarks on a trip to find out why his parents didn't want him. He has some recollection of the last time he saw his Mother and sister many years ago. His wife Anne, travels with him to Scotland. What ensues is a journey that will answer some questions but bring up more. Would this search have been better left aone?
I really like the Ava Lee series but I look forward to another stand alone story from Mr. Hamilton.
Jack Anderson has a very good life but he's been wondering about his birth parents for quite a while. As he's getting ready to retire he embarks on a trip to find out why his parents didn't want him. He has some recollection of the last time he saw his Mother and sister many years ago. His wife Anne, travels with him to Scotland. What ensues is a journey that will answer some questions but bring up more. Would this search have been better left aone?
I really like the Ava Lee series but I look forward to another stand alone story from Mr. Hamilton.
September 2, 2021
I went back and forth on this one, but in the end I just can't find it in myself to round it up to a 4 star rating. The main character never click with me...I constantly found him cold and unsympathetic, especially next to his amazing wife. I also felt that the ending was anti-climatic, and that he deserved some sort of greater epiphany and comeuppance. Much of the later part of the story feels like a mish-mash of soap opera & historical fiction, complete with modern gangsters. I was determined to discover what was going to happen, and I appreciated a surprising twist near the end...but overall, this didn't hit me as hard as I thought (and hoped) it would.
September 22, 2021
A compelling premise, but the characters, and especially the dialogue, were a bit flat.
Characters going through the biggest changes and challenges of their lives would say things like 'I felt anxiety upon seeing him for the first time in three years.' The the 20-something Scottish actress and the 60-something American businessman were nearly identical in tone.
I was also disappointed because the core story is about siblings reuniting and one of the siblings is dismissed from thought after a single meeting, even though the big ending is about how far Jack is willing to go for another new-found sibling.
Characters going through the biggest changes and challenges of their lives would say things like 'I felt anxiety upon seeing him for the first time in three years.' The the 20-something Scottish actress and the 60-something American businessman were nearly identical in tone.
I was also disappointed because the core story is about siblings reuniting and one of the siblings is dismissed from thought after a single meeting, even though the big ending is about how far Jack is willing to go for another new-found sibling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2022
This book initially had the same feel as an Ava Lee story, that is to say, no matter what happens, you feel that Ava has everything under control, thanks to her friends in the Triads and her own accounting skills and her expertise in Chinese martial arts. In this book, things spin out of control for Jack, and the middle of the book was suspense-filled. The ending, however, was more in keeping with the Ava Lee formula with a conclusion made possible thanks to him having bags of money. It felt a bit anti-climactic.
March 15, 2024
Like Ian Hamilton’s Ava books, this is a page turner. I’m still debating whether I liked it or not. You definitely recognize his style. Things move along quickly. The dialogue is formal and stilted which works for Ava but not in the family context of this book. There are repetitive elements. With Ava, it’s the clothes she wears, the lucky pin, the instant coffee, etc. With this book it’s the drinking, mostly of scotch. I enjoyed the first half of the book and then it got weird. Jack, the main character, is not the most likeable person. The story ends abruptly.
December 24, 2024
Jack Anderson is the very successful president of a large insurance company that he had taken to a national level. There has always been a question in his life. He was adopted at age 6by an American couple after being brought to the US from Scotland. Why did his mother abandon him? Finding his sister, Jack and Anne, his wife travel to Scotland to meet her. She informs him that he has a brother and sister. Meeting his siblings, who knew about him leads to a variety of complications I’ve read all of the Ava Lee books by Ian Hamilton. This was an enjoyable fast read.
July 11, 2021
An interesting book, fiction based quite a lot on the story of Hamilton's father's life, abandoned by his mother in a movie theatre. Easy to read, although topic is serious & issues of concern. Hamilton writes about his father's journey at the end of the book. Some of the descriptions in the book of the visit & sight seeing in Edinburgh was even more easy to visualize, having made some of those same myself.
Not meant to be part of the Ava Lee/Uncle book series.
Not meant to be part of the Ava Lee/Uncle book series.
August 14, 2021
I am a fan of Ian Hamilton and his Ava Lee books - fast paced and well written. I found this stand alone book to be a little on the clunky side….although I loved the premise. Hamilton’s father was left in a Glasgow movie theatre by his Mother at the age of six. There followed a lifetime of feelings of abandonment and a deep,desire to understand her decision. I thought the conclusion was abrupt, unsatisfying and dealt only with the superficial aspects of the problem.
July 11, 2023
I can't decide if this would have been better as a screenplay/script or not. What started as a boring family story turned into a strange quasi-mystery with a tiny bit of corporate espionage thrown in for fun. Oh - and a Scottish gang makes an appearance. If I didn't know better, I would think this was a debut novel that was the result of a writer's workshop experience.
I can't recommend it. And I am surprised I listened to the whole thing.
I can't recommend it. And I am surprised I listened to the whole thing.
November 25, 2021
I loved the first two-thirds of this book - great story about family relationships, and a person searching for information about his past. Then it took a somewhat melodramatic turn and I wasn't so enthralled, although I still enjoyed reading it. As bizarre as the premise is (a young boy being left by his mother in a cinema), it actually happened to the author's father.
June 15, 2021
Loved it.
An enjoyable, engrossing read. Although a departure from his crime-mystery-thriller books, Ian Hamilton maintains his wonderful writing style weaving characters, dialogue, plot and location into one seamless and fast-paced drama.
An enjoyable, engrossing read. Although a departure from his crime-mystery-thriller books, Ian Hamilton maintains his wonderful writing style weaving characters, dialogue, plot and location into one seamless and fast-paced drama.
June 17, 2021
What a great solid story by one of my favourite authors! It's a family drama that has roots in Ian Hamilton's family history which makes it special. I treasured the feelings of love and family support that were shown in the book despite the drama.
June 25, 2021
Much tamer than the Ava Lee books, and less exciting. A quick read.
Based on events in the life of the author’s father, so it’s understandable that he’d want to write about them. I enjoyed the Edinburgh tour.
Based on events in the life of the author’s father, so it’s understandable that he’d want to write about them. I enjoyed the Edinburgh tour.
Read
August 1, 2021Very interesting book loosely inspired by a true story. Emotions, family relationships, bonding, decision-making processes and a trip to Scotland carry us into a broken family partly reconnecting suddenly. Well written, good reading and very recommended.
August 4, 2021
Recommending especially for fans of Hamilton's Ava Lee series--this has the same pace, attention to detail, excitement, good guys/bad guys as his series, with the added poignancy of a family story--Hamilton's father's.
It's a 'read in a day--don't plan to cook' book.
It's a 'read in a day--don't plan to cook' book.
August 5, 2021
I enjoyed this novel as it's completely different from Hamilton's usual stories. However, I did not like the protagonist, Jack Anderson and found his dialogue awkward at times. The search for family was interesting although things did not turn out as planned.
September 4, 2021
I just love Ian's writing style and would even read his grocery lists lol. I could hardly put this book down and literally devoured it. My only complaint is that it ended so abruptly. I think that it could have gone on for a lot more chapters. Thank you Ian once again for a wonderful read!!
October 19, 2021
Totally out of his usual genre, this Ian Hamilton book has the definite feel of an autobiography. For all that it is an excellent read and all honour to the author for venturing into a very personal and unfamiliar area.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2021
Recommended.
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
https://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2...
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
https://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2...
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