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8 teosta 161 jäsentä 4 arvostelua

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Honestly, I found this book disturbing and the protagonist - a hypocrite. It's told from Evelyn's perspective and there is a lot of her thoughts, which are silent and not voiced, and does not portray her in the best light. I got a feeling that she looks down on others, especially when she thinks of her niece Pat. She talks so much about the love for other humans, but it does not seem she loves any human beings herself except her ghost husband and equally ghost daughter.

The book felt stitched together from different fragments and jumping back and forth in different periods of time was not smooth. I somehow felt that I just got a few glimpses of the old lady's 90 years of life, not really well fitting together glimpses, and very disturbing glimpses.… (lisätietoja)
 
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dacejav | 3 muuta kirja-arvostelua | May 16, 2022 |
An interesting tale of one woman's life during the war and the secrets she kept all those years.
The story began in 2016 and proved to be most unusual. Eva/ Evelyn is a ninety-year-old woman that likes to pull the wool over her cousin's eyes. Though her mind was sharp as the pencils she kept close she made everyone believed that she was, in fact, losing it. Inwardly she had so much fun with all that you could not help but smile at the schemes she pulled.
A story that tells the other side of the war's devastation. It tells about the turmoil of the Polish people to be reunited with their country. The brutal interrogations to find the quilty people and the hate for one man that kept her on high alert.
Through it all, you could not help but appreciate her independence, her love for her estate and flowers and the need for sharp pencils. It shows so much about this woman that walked alone after her husband passed away during the war. And it tells of her unforgettable love towards Hugh who was with her till the end. A love story with a twist as you get to know the woman and her secrets and the lengths she went through to cover it up.
… (lisätietoja)
 
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lynelle.clark.5 | 3 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Jun 25, 2020 |
My Rating: 4.5 Stars

She had many names. Evelyn Taylor-Clarke. Mrs. T-C to the caring home staff. Aunt Evelyn to her niece Pat, and Eva during her years of service during World War II. All of these names represent various sides to Evelyn that she manages to hide from many, during various stages of her life.

Presently, her niece Pat is helping her clear her home, as Evelyn is now in her nineties and, after breaking a hip, is unlikely to ever live there again. Pat is continually bringing different items to her aunt because she has many questions. Some the things include a photo of a little girl from 1951, a cache of weapons and odd clothing.

It is the weapons found that drastically change things for Evelyn. Pat is soon often accompanied by a detective at the Care Home. He has many questions about the things that were found, and even about a man who when missing years previously. However, as far as Pat, the staff and now the detective are concerned, Evelyn is all but senile, and her memory is unreliable.

Evelyn has a secret. Actually she has many, many secrets. For starters, her mind is as sharp as a tack, and she is simply play-acting. Furthermore, the story is told in varying timelines and readers are clued in to Evelyn's duplicitous nature and some of the activities she was engaged in during and after the war.

What a tangled web she wove! Young or old, Evelyn set out a path. During the war she had an objective. She never, ever lost sight of it and carried out her plans with exact precision. This book was equally startling and compelling. Kudos to Suzanne Goldring for writing such an impressive debut novel.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
… (lisätietoja)
 
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RobinLovesReading | 3 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Oct 25, 2019 |
Evelyn Taylor-Clarke-Mrs. T-C to the staff at Forrest Lawn Care Home-is as clever in her nineties as she was as a young woman. She has a secret, a promise she kept for years. The niece looking after matters for Mrs. T-C has no ideas of the lie her aunt has lived or the game Evelyn is playing.

The premise for this book was interesting: years after World War 2, an elderly lady fakes dementia to keep her secrets safe. Evelyn cleverly convinces those around her that she is losing her mind. The back and forth through time keeps the tension high, keeping the reader wondering what she did that needs to be protected.

I would have rated this a four if it werent' for the rape scene, which is closely followed by murder. There are scenes showing tortured prisoners. This is not a book to be read lightly. The author delves into the not so moral choices made after the war. And, of course, Evelyn has her revenge.

For readers who don't mind the darker aspects of the time period, I would recommend this to historical fiction readers. I received a free copy from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.
… (lisätietoja)
½
 
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TheQuietReader | 3 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Jul 25, 2019 |

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Tilastot

Teokset
8
Jäseniä
161
Suosituimmuussija
#131,051
Arvio (tähdet)
½ 3.4
Kirja-arvosteluja
4
ISBN:t
13
Kielet
1

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