The Hand That First Held Mine Audiobook

" I loved the writing style, reminded me of the Blind Assasin by Margaret Atwood. Timeless, and beautiful and kind of wispy romantic with truly interesting character whose lives wind together in surprising ways..but parts of it were so sad that it made me ache. I stayed up till 2 AM reading it several nights, but still don't know if I'd recommend it to somebody with kids..its sort of haunting. "

" Now my favourite book ever. Ever. "

" Didn't finish - wasn't sure I wanted to read about some really depressed, emotionally disconnected and confused characters... Doesn't make it a bad book at all, though, as its very atmospheric, if you want to wallow in all that misery! "

" Was slow in the beginning. Almost started to lose me, but when the stories began to come together, the book became far more interesting. "

" Well, it's not the worst book I ever read, but a big disappointment given how much I have loved O'Farrell. This time around she did her same shtick of two seemingly unrelated stories headed toward a big bang up blah blah but the writing was off as were the storylines. Very abrupt phrasing and choppy narrative, characters that were more forces of nature than people, draggy depressing tales. I was able to finish it, but she has done better and I wish this had been indicative. "

" Beautifully written, incredibly moving. Perfectly describes the utter bewilderment of the first days with a new baby and the surreal feelings experienced. Amazing author. "

" There were parts of this book that just dragged for me...mainly the Elina/Ted storyline. I really liked Lexie though. And I hate it when the author tries to be all mysterious about how things are going to connect, when I've figured it out a few chapters in. "

" i found this a little too unrealistic for some reason "

" Beautiful, descriptive prose. O'Farrell captures the depth and complexity of the emotions of motherhood. The story stayed with me for a long time. "

" Book started slow for me with two parallel stories and I was wondering how they were going to connect. The ending was very good and tied up the stories well. "

" Just finished this book. Heavy on style, some nice surprises in the story that I didn't see coming. Good "internal feelings" of all the characters. "

" Die storie het my geboei, die verteller wat gedurig "sigbaar" tussentree met 'n "this is Lexie at the house" en "she doesn't know it yet, but..." het ek hoogs irriterend gevind. "

" gorgeous novel of motherhood, 2 seemingly unconnected narratives alternate chapters to tell of an independent British woman raising her son in 1950's London and a modern immigrant to London who is overwhelmed by her new baby, wonderful writing here, Costa (Whitbread) Award Winner "

" Well written. Did not want it to end! "

" I love Maggie O'Farrell's books but this one was the best of the bunch so far. The characters were superbly portrayed and the story moved me to tears. Excellent. "

" The beginning goes between two unrelated stories of yound women in London, one a new mother and one the generation before starting her adult life in London. Wonderful descriptions of the both lives unfold into a complex story of the men thes women live with. "

" i love her writing; the way she narrates and her beautiful use of words. more character driven than plot driven until near the end. once i figured that out i was already drawn in by these people and their developing stories. would recommend. "

" First impression of this book, is that there are two stories going on, and no plot. Then 3/4 way into book it all ties together with a bit of a twist. Quite interesting actually. "

" Another haunting story by a great author. "

" Two stories that connect in the end. "

" I enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. A quick, yet interesting read. Great airplane or beach book. Made for an interesting book club discussion. "

" Superb doesn't cut it as a description where ths book is concerned--it is a truly compelling novel about motherhood,trust,love ,betrayal and mystery. "

" Excellant, she's a great writer, could'nt put it down. "

" Two intriguing stories that intersect. Many aspects to discuss in a book group. Well crafted to the point where you wonder how she thought of it all. "

" Loved, loved, loved this book. It's O'Farrell at her best. In the beginning, it's unclear where the book's dual threads related or intersect. But once it becomes clear, the story completely captivates you. First really engrossing book I read in a while, and the writing is spectacular. "

" I probably would have given this 4 1/2 stars, but it was the best thing I had read in a while. It was an interesting meld of 2 stories, that come together. Even though I could see where it was going, I was still a little surprised, and found I wanted more. "

" Involving - I wad v stressed and upset when I got home last night and started this book. Just what I needed. Not a surprise in themes or style if you've read anything by her before but it took me quite away from myself. Hate the title. "

" Outstanding book about two women's experiences with motherhood. Not at all sentimental, and felt true. "