Skip to main content

Review: When I Was Invisible

When I Was Invisible When I Was Invisible by Dorothy Koomson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Was I pleased to finish this book?!!! It has to be one of the worst books I've read this year, and it was a complete and utter slog to get through.

On paper, I should have loved it, because it featured lots of things that I like to read about-ballet, nuns and celebrity lifestyles, but what I found so annoying was the constant to-ing and fro-ing of the year, the location and the person in the story.

The two main characters are both called Veronica Harper who meet at school aged 8 years old...one is Roni and the other calls herself Nika, and they soon become best friends, sharing a love of ballet, and it is at their ballet lessons, that a wedge appears that will change the course of both their lives forever.

I think I would have loved this book if it hadn't kept leaping around, one chapter went from 1988 to 2012 to 2016 and covered Birmingham, London and Brighton.

If you can read this book in one or two sittings, or around a pool or on the beach then it will probably all make sense, however, if you dip in and out of the book, on a commute into work, or just before bed, you will need to remember which character is being described, and what part of the story you're on.

I am so relieved its over, and had I not been recommended this book by a friend who read it on holiday, then I would have thrown in across the room after the third chapter, but I didn't, I saw it through to the end and it's two weeks of my life I won't get back.

View all my reviews

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Life Interrupts Reading (And Why Books Always Wait For Us)

I've been very quiet on here over the last 18 months. Reading, something that usually anchors me, slipped quietly into the background, not because I didn't love it anymore, but because life asked me to put my energy elsewhere. The main reason is my mum. She's 89 and I adore her. Following a dementia diagnosis, she moved into residential care, a road I never imagined navigating, and one that came with a steep learning curve. In the early days there was a small silver lining, her care home was close enough that I could pop and visit her every day during my lunch hour and those visits mattered more than I can put into words. Over the last year though, her dementia has progressed very rapidly. There was pneumonia, and then on Christmas day sepsis. And as if that wasn't enough, a relative made the decision to move Mum to another care home further away from me, but nearer to her, meaning that I can no longer see her every day. Losing that routine felt like another quiet grief...
Post a Comment
Read more

Diva written by Daisy Goodwin and published by Aria and Aries

  Opera singer Maria Callas known as “ la divina” with her fabulous voice was born with note only a gift of singing, but also the drama and beauty needed to succeed on the worldwide operatic stages. Sadly, liked a bird in a gilded cage, Maria’s life is lonely, and although surrounded by people and her husband she feels isolated. When she meets the fabulously rich shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, her isolation melts away. For the first time in her life, she believes she's found a man who sees the woman rather than the legendary soprano. Desperately in love, Onassis introduces her to a life of unbelievable luxury, mixing with celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. And then, suddenly, it's over. The international press announce that Onassis will marry the most famous woman in the world, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, leaving Maria to pick up the pieces. This is a fictional account based on true events, think of The...
Post a Comment
Read more

Maybe Next Christmas by Emma Heatherington

  Maybe Next Christmas" by Emma Heatherington was a delightful festive read that truly delivered in the end. While I found the beginning a little slow, once the story picked up, I was completely hooked and couldn’t put it down! Emma's storytelling and knack for building relatable, heartfelt characters shines through, making the journey worth it. The Christmas charm, along with themes of love and second chances, make this one feel as cozy as her other novels. Definitely recommended for fans of Christmas romances or anyone looking for a feel-good, warm festive read!
Post a Comment
Read more