Hand Me Down World Audiobook (Unabridged)

" This was kind of a frustrating book for me. Ostensibly the story of a woman searching for her kidnapped son, it's told instead through the points of view of people she meets along her journey. As has been said in other reviews, we don't even get her real name, and most of the time she isn't even given one. We don't get the woman's point of view until about 2/3 through the book, and then it differs from the other accounts. You don't ever feel like you really know her. With the added not knowing who is telling the story accurately factor, it's all very alienating and distanced from the main character. Which I understand is probably the point, but it just felt like I never fully understood her motives and a lot of her actions (yes reuniting with her child was the overriding factor over everything, but some of the things she did still didn't make sense, or I found hard to excuse). However, despite that, the book was well-written and kind pulling me along till the end. "

" Reading this book felt like meeting someone from the outside in. We meet her through the conflicting truths and observations of the people she encounters in an impossible journey from the Four Seasons Hotel in Tunisia to a doorbell in Berlin. It is a beautifully crafted story of modern survival. "

" I found this book truly fabulous. I feel like i've just finished a conversation with each of the characters. I'll be thinking back to them in the months to come. "

" A really awesome idea - both for the story, and the technique of telling it half through 'testimonies' of people the woman encountered on her journey to find her son, and then half through her own eyes. It didn't work for me as well as it should have though; I got bored in the first half (too much talking around the story diluted the impact of the clever technique used) and although I enjoyed the second half, I would have liked it to be more emotionally explicit - I want to FEEL the woman's pain. Great concept, execution mediocre. "

" Not going to force myself to continue...do not enjoy the way it is written...just another book which makes me wonder who you have to know to get published "

" Got so bored in the early pages, but couldn't close the book since entering the world of Ines. This is one beautiful story. A must read! "

" I enjoyed this book, but I wasn't quite sure what I thought of the structure of it until I got to the final section, when it struck me as quite brilliant. "

" Loved this. A definite recommendation!! "

" really interesting exploration of class and culture where the two collide "

" Amazing. I couldn't stop thinking about it days after I finished it. "

" I read this 12 months ago, but enjoyed hearing Lloyd Jones speak about it at the Writers Festival. I didn't think it was as good as Mr Pip though. "

" Clever writing technique but once the novelty wore off, it got a bit frustrating. Fascinating characters. "

" An interesting concept that covers a number of social issues. I was very intrigued by where the story line was heading but good pacing was lacking. "

" I love the way this story was told from many different perspectives. Very good story. I would recommend and will seek out other books by this author when I need a new book to read. "

" Interesting plot device. The book reminded me of "Little Bee" but I can't quite put my finger on why. I enjoyed the book but I wasn't compelled to keep reading so it took me awhile to finish it. "

" Absolutely hate to do this but I didn't finish this book, shocking behaviour! I liked the idea of the story being told on the behalf of the main character and seeing how onlookers interpret her life, but felt too detached from her and that her story was lost. "

" Loved it! Just could not put it down! "

" amazing writing, great structure - unsatisfying ending. "

" Definitely not enjoying this one... Nothing to like in the main character at all - some of the supporting players were OK, but it moved on so quickly. Mr Pip was so brilliant and this was sooooo disappointing. "

" I didn't want this book to finish!! "

" I did not like this book. I could not engage with the main character at all. The way it was written may have been a little clever for me. I think it was an interesting way to tackle a narrative but it left me feeling detached from what happened in the plot. Not a fan of this one. "