Customer Reviews

The Distance Between Us

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book may not be the best of all O'Farrells books but it should still be read. Much like with her other books, I couldn't put this one down. The story is a lot different then her other books - not as sad but just as compelling. It keeps you interested all the through. I loved it.

This is the fourth Maggie O'Farrell book I've read and I want to say it's her best yet, but I've felt that way about all of her books. She has a remarkable ability to pull you into the story and not let you go until you read the last word. Normally I hate when writers jump around in time, but O'Farrell is so skilled that instead of annoying you when she does it, you find yourself shaking your head in admiration at how brilliantly she handles the jumps. She's like an extremely talented juggler. Every ball is kept in play by some magical means only the juggler understands, and there's never a loss of control. Finally all the balls come home, and the reader is treated to a marvelously satisfying ending. I love O'Farrell's work. How I wish she'd been writing for a long time so that she'd have a huge backlist. Unfortunately, the only thing I have to look forward to now is her new book, which I've got on pre-order. RECOMMENDATION: Order all her books. You won't be sorry.

I'm a fan of Maggie O'Farrell's and was really looking forward to reading this. O'Farrell has always been about love, but love with a twist of melancholy. In this book, classic romance creeps in a big way and ... for me, part the thrill has gone [soft] for it.

The characters in "The distance between us" are not as involving and her writing is a lot less dark, losing some of its bite in the process.

In summary, this book is still a pretty good read, but it doesn't pack the same punch as some of her previous work (e.g. this is nowhere near as hard hitting as "After You'd Gone).

I did enjoy the story of these two young people who have had more than their fair share of trajedy and family complicatons in their lives thus far. One could say that curcumstances are forced upon them, time and time again.

There were times when I became so frustrated, wanting to shout at the book, "For goodness sake, tell him (or her)," or "Don't do that!" Simple words or actions at the appropriate time would have save a whole mess of complications. I am sure that you have read similar books, or seen films, which have made you feel exactly the same way. But without those moments, the book would not be at all interesting, so, although frustrating, these twists are necessary.

I have seen that other reviewers were nott too keen on the way that everything came together too neatly at the end, but I disagree. Although the main threads of the story were neatly, and predicatably, tied up, there still were many loose ends. For example, I would have liked to know what the consequences were for all of the other main characters in the book.

The one thing that did irritate me about the way this story was narrated was the way that it skipped about so much in time and place. At times this was confusing, but mostly it was just annoying. Hence only three stars.

An articulate writer, a true master of prose, who tells a story as only the Irish can that will pull at your hearstrings.

This is the third book by Maggie O'Farrell I have read. I find her writing absolutely captivating. Despite the fact that this story had a much more satisfying ending (i.e., less dark), I don't think it will leave a very lasting impression me. I sobbed when I read After You'd Gone, and I was positively disturbed after reading The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. These are both much stronger emotions that just feeling warm and satisfied. Yet as much as I try to categorize which of these three I like best, I can't. Each has its own unique merits to recommend it.

In The Distance Between Us, we meet Stella and Jake and, in typical Maggie O'Farrell fashion, we are also given their family histories. As Ms. O'Farrell slowly lays the story out for us, one absorbing layer after another, we learn of the tragic chain of events that caused the deep dark secret Stella keeps, which she has spent her whole life trying to run away from and which has left her feeling unworthy of happiness. And we acutely feel Jake's loneliness and sense of detachment as he desperately searches for something to connect him to the world around him.

If you're new to Ms. O'Farrell, be warned: you might find her style difficult to read at first. She jumps around a lot chronologically, without warning, and if you're not paying attention it's easy to get lost. But if you're like me, you become so engrossed in the story that you quickly learn to ignore it. At least this book did not change perspective - it was all told in the third person, which isn't always the case with her writing. And for this reason, I believe The Distance Between Us would probably be a good starter book if you've never read Maggie O'Farrell before.

I am a fan of Maggie O'Farrell's writing, my favorite being After You'd Gone.

In this story she chronicles the lives and parallels of Stella and Jake. I found the writing to be wonderful as always and the characters were engaging as well. It is a different type of love story but one I definitely enjoyed.