Stephanie Jane recenzis Second Chances de Miriam McGuirk
Gentle family life drama
3 steloj
Second Chances is a heart-warming family life drama in which the lives - and lies - of several people connected within one small community are irrevocably changed as a result of one young man's hungover induced mistake. I really liked the concept underpinning this novel and the natural way in which Miriam McGuirk connects her characters. Molly is indeed at the heart of the tale, but I felt that it was the elderly people who actually made this story their own.
The writing style is rather like having a lengthy chat with a friend in that McGuirk does tell readers what happens to Molly, Jamie, Florence, Rita and Stanley, and Colonel Bryce Beckwith, but we meander gently through their lives and pasts on the way to the resolution. I did find this slow pace frustrating to begin with, but once I settled in after a few chapters, the prose did …
Second Chances is a heart-warming family life drama in which the lives - and lies - of several people connected within one small community are irrevocably changed as a result of one young man's hungover induced mistake. I really liked the concept underpinning this novel and the natural way in which Miriam McGuirk connects her characters. Molly is indeed at the heart of the tale, but I felt that it was the elderly people who actually made this story their own.
The writing style is rather like having a lengthy chat with a friend in that McGuirk does tell readers what happens to Molly, Jamie, Florence, Rita and Stanley, and Colonel Bryce Beckwith, but we meander gently through their lives and pasts on the way to the resolution. I did find this slow pace frustrating to begin with, but once I settled in after a few chapters, the prose did feel appropriate to the story being told. It was good, too, to see so many strong intergenerational friendships.
While I did think certain characters were forgiven rather too easily, that was in keeping with Second Chances' mood and atmosphere. I appreciated the overarching message that it is never too late to turn one's life around and make up for previous mistakes and lost opportunities.