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Parfait and all the descriptions of war-torn Burundi, made me weep for all the lost souls killed in these senseless power struggles that seem to consume Africa. His story is so compelling, so tragic and so perfect. All copies of The Other Half of Augusta Hope have now been allocated. Don't forget that if you win one you will need to add your thoughts and questions for Joannathe end of March on this thread. My only criticism is that there were patches were I became a little bogged down and the narrative seemed to drag.
Augusta's love of words and her delving into their origins, plus her ability with languages, might have irritated her family, but they are distinct advantages in helping to bridge the gap between her and Parfait. Once a friendship has been established in fresh territory, they soon recognise one another as soul mates who truly understand one another, and are amazed at how interlinked their stories are. A truly awesome book. I loved the wordiness, the descriptions, the quirkiness that Joanna Glen has used to tell this epic tale. Throughout the book Glen skilfully brings these lives together and although the ending is perhaps predictable and a little sentimental, I really enjoyed it and at times found Glen's story quite emotional. I could identify with the feelings she expressed throughout this book and I am thankful to Durham Book Swap for the loan of a copy of it. I experienced many emotions in this story. Family and the ties that bind can be powerful but destructive also. Home can mean something very different to individual members of the same family. I was swept along, becoming part of both these characters lives.I really enjoyed this unusual story of love, friendship, family and words. As a linguist, I completely understood Augusta's obsession with words and language. I loved her interest in the world, wanting to find out and explore, see the world beyond her boundaries. With more than 200,000 listeners, the Squiggly Careers podcast is an accessible look at modern careers. The tie-in book runs to self-help type but Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis have hit upon a simple idea: if you work out your values and what you’re good at, it’s likely to motivate you to be confident about what you want to do in the future. Of course, not everyone has the luxury of effectively designing their own career, but for those who find the possibility of moving fluidly between roles and companies either overwhelming or exciting, Tupper and Ellis are invaluable guides. Augusta is the second-born twin. Her sister Julia was born on the last day of July and Augusta the first day of August, hence their names. Julia is beautiful and her mother's favorite. Augusta is cerebral, interested in words, reading the dictionary to learn word origins. Augusta is fascinated with other countries and dreams of Burundi. Hi, I am an avid reader and have been all my life. I put it down to being an only child and having a teacher for a mum. The idea of this blog is to share my passion for reading and review new and upcoming books as well as those that may have been out for several years. A set of twins are born minutes apart which gives them different birthdays. This difference defines them forever. One dark and one fair. One studious and one not so interested. One serious and the other flighty and in the moment. Augusta is precocious and interested in the world and words. As a young child she spins the globe and puts her finger on the spot that will be her favorite--Burundi.
Augusta has a twin sister Julia while Parfait has a brother Wilfred. We follow their lives and experiences and only later find out how their lives are connected. I don't think I can praise this book highly enough, to be honest. It's beautifully written, the prose often laugh out loud which I did, simply because the family dynamic described often resembled my own, and although I didn't laugh at the time felt I could when reading about it. Augusta and Julia are twins. They were born at roughly the same time which made them twins but that is where the similarity ends. They are very different people, Julia beautiful and ready to please, Augusta different, quirky, a little offbeat. I liked her immensely. She loves words, reads the dictionary endlessly and loves etymology. I recognised her immediately. I was the same when I was young and I have autism, so I'm guessing she may also be autistic. Augusta is also an adventurer and wants to see the world, particularly Burundi which she has a special interest in simply because she liked saying the word, and then discovers she wants to know more. Her story is narrated side by side with Parfait, born in Burundi and witness to many atrocities, particularly those which involve his own family. Joanna Glen's extraordinary debut is fiercy intelligent, lyrical, interspersed with the magic of Lorca's poetry, questions of what home and family means, amidst our contemporary world and the ills that afflict it. Living in Hedley, Augusta is the younger twin, her beautiful sister, Julia, who is supportive of her and her world, despite the fact that the sisters could not be more different. Julia is the favoured daughter, much more conventional, everything their parents wish Augusta was. Augusta is more challenging, so very bright, obsessed with words and her favourite book, the dictionary, but so socially awkward, correcting teachers, so inquiring about everything, so no, she really does not fit in a family that is so restrictive in its world view. Augusta wants to escape the narrow confines of her existence, and at a young age, she decides Burundi is her most favourite country, as she obsessively sets out to find out all that she can about it. Joanna Glen has written this story so beautifully raw and open emotionally that I couldn’t read it without feeling those emotions and causing me to shed many tears. It is a wonderful piece of writing.Augusta Hope has always been different. Different from her Mum and Dad and different from her twin sister,her neighbours and friends. She enjoys words and Burundi and she doesn't like the small town she lives in finding it very parochial. Absolutely brilliant - quirky, original, funny, moving and wonderfully written. Basically, it's everything I love in a novel; Gavin Extence, author of The Universe Versus Alex Woods The Other Half of Augusta Hope: Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2019. Augusta Hope has never felt like she fits in. And now that she's an adult, Augusta has no interest in the goings-on of the small town where she lives with her parents and her beloved twin sister, Julia. Thanks so much to Harper Collins, Joanna Glen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read THE OTHER HALF OF AUGUSTA HOPE. A therapeutic dose of high-strength emotion' GUARDIAN Augusta Hope has never felt like she fits in.
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