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Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Midnight Library in Books

Jan 2, 2021

The Midnight Library

Matt Haig | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry

7.9

(12 Ratings)

Book Rating

Thought-provoking but predictable

I really enjoy Matt Haig's writing, both his fiction and his non-fiction, and I couldn't wait to read The Midnight Library - a sci-fi-esque, life affirming story about books is right up my street. And overall, this was worth the wait.

Nora is an endearing and relatable protagonist whose life hasn't turned out the way she wanted, and her list of regrets could fill a whole book (literally as we find out). She decides to end her life and winds up in the Midnight Library, a place that allows her to visit an unending number of alternative lives that resulted from her making different decisions. Now who hasn't wished they could change their past, make a different decision and wonder where they would've ended up? This book is definitely for those that have ever wished this and it's a dream I enjoyed reading.

The problem is that it's very predictable. I knew exactly how this was going to end from the very beginning and whilst the ending is heartwarming and very life affirming, it's a tiny bit of a let down. Which is a shame as the journey through Nora's lives is actually quite interesting.

There's a good message in this about living and appreciating your own life, but I just wish this wasn't so predictable.

Kudos

Fruit Bat (42 KP) rated Apologies to the Cat's Meat Man: A Novel of Annie Chapman, the Second Victim of Jack the Ripper in Books

Mar 1, 2018

Please note these are works of historical fiction based upon the lives of the women who he became victims of Jack the Ripper and are not about the actual killings.

Apologiesto the Cats Meat Man is the second book in the Jack the Ripper victim series. This time we join the second victim of Jack the Ripper Annie Chapman in the final week of her life. Unlike the first book, the story navigates between her past and her present. However, this does not make it any less interesting. Annie comes across as a sensitive soul that has to face the realities of a harsh world. Even though we know we what's going to happen to her the author has produced a fascinating back story about her life, which is very believable. I highly recommend this book can't wait to start the 3rd book in the series.