| Tamzin Hardy | ||
Book Review The Pursuit of Happiness by Douglas Kennedy A novel of many twists and turns where fate and destiny intermingle so frequently that I didn’t doubt that this would be a gripping story. Beginning with Kate at her mother’s funeral, I was drawn into a world of uncertainty where questions demanded answers. Witnessing an old woman keeping her distance at the funeral left Kate, and me, wondering ‘who is this woman?’ When no family members claim to know, I felt despondent but excited because surely Kate’s world would soon come crashing down as reality crept up on her? As the story turns from Kate’s voice to Sara’s – the main protagonist – I became addicted to Sara’s world. Strong emotions enveloped every page. Filled with an enthralling mix of emotions from love, trust, despair, betrayal and hope, I was catapulted into Sara’s world of 1940’s America where suspicion and high morals often had devastating consequences. Like a compelling movie, I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. Douglas Kennedy’s master storytelling is so pleasing that I felt elated for Sara when things were going well, and understood her frustration and despair when her fleeting happiness turned into tragedy. Sara’s voice maintains an inner strength throughout and despite hoping that she would find eventual contentment, I had to accept that perhaps things were never going to run smoothly. At the moment I thought I had the plot vaguely figured out, I would turn another page to find the next surprise ready to unfold! This in turn was strangely compelling and certainly added to its appeal. The authors observations throughout struck me as being incredibly real and genuine. Historical events are used to help the story flow ensuring it comes across as pure and insightful. As it reaches its climax, I began thinking about the characters and how they came to be in each others lives. I was left to consider that if the plot had turned out the way I originally wanted it to, would I have been quite so satisfied? It had the ability to make me consider my own situation in life, have I done the right thing, could one decision have serious repercussions in the future? As a result one thing was clear; that sometimes things don’t turn out the way we expect them to. All any of us can do is try.
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