Customer Reviews

Addition

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After reading the description of this book, I knew it would be an interesting read - at least for me. The main character is a counter, which is one form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Everyone has some level of OCD. My OCD is a very mild form of counting. I like fours and multiples of fours. It is not debilitating in any way, but I often find myself going through the proverbial motions. I tell you this not to portray myself as a weirdo, but to set the stage for my state of mind while reading. Grace, the protagonist, is a counter in the extreme sense. Her number of choice is ten. She counts steps to and from her apartment to the grocery store. She counts the poppy seeds on her cake, and subsequently eats it in the corresponding number of bites (which proves quite difficult if the number is less than 15 or more than 30).

I really like Grace. She has an astounding sense of humor and a high level of intelligence. She knows she's a little different and accepts her life as it is. She lost her teaching job due to obsessive counting of children instead of teaching them to count. She loves her family, but has no friends. She has a very structured meal plan and her clothing selections are planned out indefinitely.

Everything changes for Grace when she meets Seamus. Seamus is an average-looking but persistent man who won't take `no' for an answer. He pursues Grace until she agrees to go out with him. Their relationship blossoms and she becomes so distracted at times that she often forgets to count. Things get even more complex for Grace when she agrees to seek help for her problem.

I can't say any more without giving away the story. Suffice it to say that Grace really does know what she wants from life. Seamus is an amazing man. Best of all, this is a quite good story. It drew me in from the first page and I couldn't put it down until I got to the last.

Bottom Line - Grace is a real `character' and is sure to make you laugh. Although the book has a few tense scenes, the author delivers difficult subject matter with a lighthearted approach. I'd certainly be willing and interested in reading more by this author.

'Addition' isn't an awful book, and I admit I *had* to finish it. I guess you could say it was a page-turner in an irritating way.

My first gripe is with the love story, which I really didn't believe. I found Seamus bland, and couldn't really see what either of the protagonists saw in each other. It almost seemed to be a relationship of convenience. Also, Jordan's description of semen as 'pearlescent' made me laugh so hard I couldn't take the relationship seriously thereafter.

Secondly, I thought the story trivialised OCD--made the condition look somewhat 'charming' and 'easy'. I don't claim to be an expert on the condition, but I'm not sure Grace would magically forget about counting just because a nice man's in her apartment. Her journey through therapy, too, seems extremely simplified.

The last thing I found irritating was the sheer number of numbers one had to read. I skipped a lot. Call me insensitive, but a page on the description of a toothbrush and its bristle count isn't the most stimulating text I've ever read.

But, as a piece of chick-lit, it *was* entertaining, most of the time.

Grace has a type of OCD which means that she is obsessed with counting and measuring her world. Numbers and routines dictate her life. For example, the number of poppyseeds on her cake determine how many bites she must take to eat it (between 20 and 30 is optimal). She shops in multiples of 10 and when she discovers one day in the supermarket that she has only 9 bananas, she swipes one from the shopper behind her. Which is how she meets Seamus.

I thought the subject matter of this book might make it a somber read, but it's not at all. Grace is a witty narrator and the books tears along - I easily read it in a day. The story is about her relationship with Seamus and how they come to terms with her condition. In many ways it's a celebration of the way that we are all unique. It's a sweet, quirky, warm little book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's hard to believe that this is Toni Jordan's first novel. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

Written in the first person, this book provides unique insight into the mind of someone with Asberger's Syndrome (in the book it is referred to as OCD, but reminded me more of someone with Asbergers). Grace Lisa Vandenberg is completely aware of her idiosyncrasies. She understands that living this way - counting and measuring everything - is her way of coping with a sometimes frightening and confusing world, and she is unapologetic - mostly happy with her life, while occasionally wistfully wishing to be "normal". What surprised me is how funny this book is - I laughed and laughed and just didn't want to put it down. I would have recommended this to any good reader over 12 but due to the some sexual content, I am amending that to older teens and all adults. I enjoyed this book so much I went to the author's website to see what else she has written but found that this is her first book. I only hope it is the first of many.

This is the story of Grace, a thirty-something OCD sufferer who's lost her teaching job and now spends her days counting things...in fact, she counts just about everything. (numbers are Grace's particular brand of OCD). By illustrating the details of Grace's everyday life, the author shows how debilitating a disease it is. But the story's never maudlin and often very funny, as Grace is revealed in all her OCD glory -- including how she meets her boyfriend Seamus. However, a secret in Grace's past that's linked to her OCD threatens their relationship. How this issue gets resolved was the only weak part of the story. Still, an offbeat and original story that's worth your while.

I read Addition in 4 hours and 33 minutes and 20 seconds (or in 266.33 minutes) and I loved every minute of it. I laughed out loud more than 10 times and nodded my head twice that many times. Toni Jordan has written a warm and humorous novel which gently taught me what it is like to count and count again.I loved this book! Times ten!!

I really enjoyed this book. The main character, Grace, has a compulsive disorder that makes her count, measure and time everything. She has to go on leave from her job as a teacher after a particularly bad episode sends her to the hospital. Grace still manages to have some semblance of a life. It's just a very ordered life. She goes to the same store on the same day and buys the same items. She eats the same meals and goes to the same cafe every single day at the same time.
Grace meets Seamus after stealing one of his bananas in the grocery store checkout line in order to have her mandatory 10 bananas. She later sees him at her daily cafe where he asks her out. Seamus notices Grace's quirks but they don't immediately turn him off. In fact, he seems pretty okay with them. He doesn't seem to want to change her. When she's with him she even forgets to do some of her routines. He's good for her. When eventually Seamus tries to get Grace to get help for her problem, you can tell it's because he wants her to be happy, not because he wants her to change for him. Grace and Seamus's romance is so sweet and realistic. I found myself both pitying Grace for her near-debilitating problem and envying her for her wonderful boyfriend. And Grace's relationship with her niece, Larry, is very cute, too.
I've heard and read enough about OCD to know the traits the author gives Grace are very realistic. There are people who can barely function because their disorder has such a tight hold on them they can't even leave their house. And while they may get some relief from drugs and therapy, often the side effects are worse than the condition. Even though Grace's life is affected by her disorder, she's still a funny, smart woman. I enjoyed reading about how she thinks, feels and reacts to things. I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone, but mostly women. And it's a quick read, too.

ADDITION is different in a few ways which appealed to me. It takes place in Australia but doesn't make you feel uncomfortable that you're in a different country as I am with some books that take place in a place other than my home country. Grace lives a life that has specific rules based on numbers and even though she's odd, she's easy to like. Seamus is the main man in her real life and although he doesn't have a fancy job where he has to wear a pin-striped suit and tie to work everyday, you have total respect for him and you're glad he and Grace are in a relationship.

Yes, ADDITION is a love story, a life story, a story of families and relationships between a man and a woman, a woman and her niece, a woman and her mother and a woman and her sister. ADDITION is written so you want to turn the page and see what exactly is going to happen next.

Definitely an enjoyable new book by a clever new author.

Grace has a type of OCD which means that she is obsessed with counting and measuring her world. Numbers and routines dictate her life. For example, the number of poppyseeds on her cake determine how many bites she must take to eat it (between 20 and 30 is optimal). She shops in multiples of 10 and when she discovers one day in the supermarket that she has only 9 bananas, she swipes one from the shopper behind her. Which is how she meets Seamus.

I thought the subject matter of this book might make it a sombre read, but it's not at all. Grace is a witty narrator and the books tears along - I easily read it in a day. The story is about her relationship with Seamus and how they come to terms with her condition. In many ways it's a celebration of the way that we are all unique and about learning to accept one another for the way that we are. It's a sweet, quirky, warm little book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's hard to believe that this is Toni Jordan's first novel. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

Grace Lisa Vandenburg is a primary teacher who lives in Melbourne. She's not working now, because she's a counter. She counts everything, from the 1768 bristles in her toothbrush to the 920 steps she takes to the local café every morning. She's divided her face into five zones and wipes each zone five times every morning. And, of course, she gets up at the same time every morning. So how could she ever work, she'd be too busy counting kids.

Grace is obsessed with Nikola Tesla of electricity fame, Coast to Coast AM and PRESTIGE FAME as well. Tesla was a counter too. To say that Grace isn't normal would be an understatement, but who wants to be normal anyway?

Then Grace meets Seamus Joseph O'Reilly, who like Grace has 19 letters in his name and now maybe Grace might start counting a little less as Seamus starts counting a bit more in her life. This is a delightful romantic comedy, which will make a wonderful movie (I'm sure they're going to do that, because this story is just too good for them to pass up). Everybody likes to feel good once and a while and this book will do that for you.