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A Catholic Life

Gerald Murphy

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Gerald Murphy (1931 - 2015) led a catholic life in every sense of the word. The first son of a Irish...

ClareR (5991 KP) rated The Other Half of Augusta Hope in Books

Sep 29, 2020

Augusta Hope is the other twin - Julia is the beautiful one who everyone feels able to easily connect with. Augusta is harder work. Whilst Julia wants to stay at home and marry the boy next door, Augusta wants to go to University and travel. Her favourite book is the dictionary, she collates a folder on Burundi and hopes to go there one day. Augusta follows her own path, tells people what she thinks and drives her very conventional family mad.

Alongside the story of Augusta, chapters are alternated with Parfait and his story. He lives in Burundi - a country torn apart by Civil War. Parfaits family is destroyed by the horrors of this war, so he and his younger brother leave for what they feel will be a better life in Spain. Life has more sadness to throw at Parfait, though - and Augusta is dealt a cruel hand as well. She finds solace in Spain, which is where Parfait and Augusta are destined to meet.

I liked the alternating chapters of Augusta and Parfait - this device really highlighted the huge differences in their lives early on. As the story progresses though, it also shows that no matter how different we may all appear, there are actually more similarities than differences. We are all human; we all experience love and loss.

This was such a good way to highlight the refugee crisis in Europe. At a couple of points in the story, Parfait announces to the Spanish town how many people had died in the Mediterranean that year in their quest to live a better life. This book is heartbreaking in more than this one way. Both characters suffer unimaginable loss, and both learn to value life, a feeling of home and belonging.

It’s a wonderful book, and one that I’d heartily recommend. Many thanks to NetGalley and The Borough Press for my ebook copy.

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Rappi

Shopping and Food & Drink

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We've delivered more than 3 million orders! You no longer have to leave your house or office to...

Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake in Books

Apr 27, 2018

Frank W. Abagnale tells his amazing story. He was a genius, though a criminal. That is why it took him so long to get caught (and stay caught).

I'm not going to summarize the story, because it takes away from the trill. Basically, Frank decides to leave his former life and "live it up." But of course he does it by forging checks and faking identities.

In today's modern technological world, his process wouldn't work. However, it was amazing to see Frank learn and use the system to his advantage.

I recommend this book to ages 14+ to anyone who wants a good non-fiction adventure. There is some sex but it's not explicit.

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Milleen (47 KP) rated Her Perfect Life in Books

Nov 14, 2018 (Updated Nov 14, 2018)

If you enjoy psychological drama, add this to your reading list. This happens to be Sam Hepburn's debut in this genre after much success writing young adult thrillers. This is an examination of how far someone would go to create a perfect life. Juliet, a single-mum struggling to pay her bills and earn a living and Gracie, television darling and star of her own 'Cooking with Gracie'. Their paths cross and the women strike up an unlikely friendship, but things are not quite as they seem. This is a gripping narrative that keeps you guessing right up to the last chapter. Hepburn has given the reader plenty to think about, this is a bestseller for good reason.