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the hypnotists love story

3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 · rating details · 2,029 ratings · 397 reviews

Ellen O’Farrell is an expert when it comes to human frailties. She’s a hypnotherapist who helps her clients deal with everything from addictions to life-long phobias. So when she falls in love with a man who is being stalked by his ex-girlfriend she’s more intrigued than frightened. As Ellen is about to discover, we’re all a little crazy – even her.

Published (first published October 1st 2011)

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Jun 16, 2013 Viviane Crystal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ellen O’Farrell is living a good life, with a successful hypnotherapist career and owning a home she inherited from her grandparents. So what’s missing? A great love. She spends a great deal of time reflecting on how it could be that she’s so good at helping others to solve problems but not so great on her own male relationships. So now she’s ripe for romance when she meets Patrick. Everything feels so right, even when Patrick tells her that his ex-girlfriend is a stalker who follows him everywh...more Ellen O’Farrell is living a good life, with a successful hypnotherapist career and owning a home she inherited from her grandparents. So what’s missing? A great love. She spends a great deal of time reflecting on how it could be that she’s so good at helping others to solve problems but not so great on her own male relationships. So now she’s ripe for romance when she meets Patrick. Everything feels so right, even when Patrick tells her that his ex-girlfriend is a stalker who follows him everywhere, leaves him constant text messages and phone messages, and even leaves notes attached to his windshield on the car. It strikes the reader as dangerous, as a phenomenon that feels like a foreshadowing of a violent end to someone!
So why is it that Ellen doesn’t feel grossly perturbed by all this but instead focuses on the growth of the care she and Patrick now increasingly share? As the stalking increases, Ellen and Patrick’s life together grows closer. Patrick meets Ellen’s mother and she meets his family. Ironically, both sides seem rather obsessed with the previous relationships had before now. There’s an additional complication with Jack, Patrick’s son by his first wife, Colleen, his first wife who died and whom he loved dearly. But it was Saskia who took care of Jack like a mother and now she has no connection to him at all. One wonders where this is all going.
It will take a “rock bottom” scene for these complex connections to sort themselves out, with all sides having to face some significantly painful truths, clear some outstanding misunderstandings, and learn to move forward having memories of these personalities that cannot help but be part of the past but learning they cannot be part of the present and don’t have to determine the future!
It sounds like a simple plot involving three people, but it’s not as it slowly develops from simple outrageousness to an audacious, panoramic map of how many people from our past inhabit our present lives in more than complex ways. It’s a book about healing the past in order to fully engage and relish now and forever. Very, very nicely crafted mystery/romance fiction, Ms. Moriarty!
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May 20, 2013 Jan Pelosi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved What Alice Forgot so I really wanted to read this too. I really did like this book in spite of the fact that I had incredibly strong feelings (negative) for the virtually all of the characters. Anytime I want to keep reading a book, I know I must like it. I really can't explain why I liked this book, but here are my random thoughts while reading it:

What in the heck kind of name is Saskia? Seriously? OK, I looked it up, and it does appear to be a real name (however odd). Yes, Saskia is nu...more I loved What Alice Forgot so I really wanted to read this too. I really did like this book in spite of the fact that I had incredibly strong feelings (negative) for the virtually all of the characters. Anytime I want to keep reading a book, I know I must like it. I really can't explain why I liked this book, but here are my random thoughts while reading it:

What in the heck kind of name is Saskia? Seriously? OK, I looked it up, and it does appear to be a real name (however odd). Yes, Saskia is nuts (or is she?), but at least she realizes it and admits it. When Saskia takes all her clothes off and goes swimming and then "opens her eyes" over and over, I think, seriously? Who opens their eyes in salt water more than once intentionally? She would have been blinded by pain. The author did say that Ellen lived on the ocean. These kinds of things really bug me in a story.

Ellen too is nuts, she just doesn't realize it. She is the most unprofessional "professional." Telling her clients about her personal life? Really? How unethical. And then to go home and blab to Patrick about what her clients are doing and saying. I really didn't like Ellen. She was so needy, very mamby pamby (my lingo for wishy washy). No wonder her boyfriends kept dumping her. It was infuriating to read about her. I wouldn't want to be friends with a person like that.

Rosie is nuts too, and for that matter, so is Patrick. I really, really didn't like Patrick--what a self-centered bastard. And I couldn't believe the way he talked to his 8-year-old son. What a creep. He could be such a jerk one minute and loving the next. If the storyline were to continue, my guess is that he would eventually snap and turn out to be a very abusive husband. He just wasn't very likeable. What did Ellen see in him?

When I first read about the client (Luisa) demanding a refund, again I thought "Seriously?" Maybe the author was attempting a bit of humor here, but it just sounded stupid to me. Then later, of course, it all made sense, but reading it at the time made me a little nuts.

Turns out that just maybe Saskia (still a dumb name) is more rational than anyone else -- I think.

And what was it with the chocolates. Stop it! Added nothing to the story in my humble opinion.(less)

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Mar 27, 2013 Joanne Guidoccio rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hypnotherapist Ellen O’Farrell is enjoying her fourth date with Patrick Scott, a self-employed suburban surveyor. When he says, “There’s something I need to tell you,” Ellen immediately tenses and expects the worst. To her surprise, she learns that Patrick has a female stalker, Saskia. More intrigued than frightened, Ellen could barely “keep the undercurrent of joy out of her voice” as she commiserated with Patrick. Ellen wants to get into the woman’s mind and discover what motivates her behavio...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Carolyn Hill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OK, I know this is more chick lit than great literature, and I hand out five stars like my favorite gourmet handmade chocolates, but for sheer entertainment value, I'm tempted to give this full accolades. I loved this story. The Hypnotist's Love Story tells about the romance between Ellen, the hypnotist, or more accurately, hypnotherapist, and Patrick, a grounded surveyor who is a widower with an eight-year-old son. Ellen comes to find out there is a third wheel (or fourth if you count the dead...more OK, I know this is more chick lit than great literature, and I hand out five stars like my favorite gourmet handmade chocolates, but for sheer entertainment value, I'm tempted to give this full accolades. I loved this story. The Hypnotist's Love Story tells about the romance between Ellen, the hypnotist, or more accurately, hypnotherapist, and Patrick, a grounded surveyor who is a widower with an eight-year-old son. Ellen comes to find out there is a third wheel (or fourth if you count the dead wife) in the guise of an ex-girlfriend turned stalker. Saskia, the stalker, will not leave Patrick alone - constantly leaving him text messages, letters, flowers, and following him even on dates with Ellen. Unable to elude her and never knowing where or when she may show up, Patrick is understandably angry and stressed. Ellen, whose career is built on helping people cope with debilitating problems, is intrigued by the idea of a stalker. Ellen's calm and soothing demeanor, her positive focus, and her penchant for New Age thinking are the perfect antidote to Patrick's tense wariness. She posts Buddhist quotes on her refrigerator and helps clients deal with pain, infertility, and smoking habits. She is nice and totally likeable. Unknown to her, the stalker is also a client. This is an interesting set-up, but the author, Liane Moriarty, makes it compelling by giving a first person voice to Saskia, the stalker, while Ellen's story is in third person. In doing so, Saskia, while her actions are repellant, becomes sympathetic. We come to understand her obsession, and how normal can tip over into crazy. What elevates this book above average chick lit is it never feels contrived. Moriarty is a compassionate writer and has a gift for creating sympathetic characters with warmth and humor. She is wonderful at setting a realistic scene with dialogue and self-talk that ring true, and her children talk and act like real kids. Though she captures the every day, her story is above the ordinary, and when she deals with emotions, she handles them with genuine care, never becoming cheesily sentimental or maudlin. For those who may think the set-up is an unrealistic situation, with a woman stalking a man for years, I had a conversation today that was eerily coincidental. I was catching up with a man I hadn't seen in years, and he was telling me about the problems he was having with a woman stalker, how it had affected him and disrupted his life. Having just finished this book today, I felt like I could understand his situation a little better, how a stalker could make you feel powerless and out of control of your own life. Thanks go to Liane Moriarty for expanding my perspective in a totally enjoyable way.(less)

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Sep 19, 2012 Talia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
This is definitely a perfect beach read book. It took me awhile to pick it up but, in the end, I enjoyed it. It focuses on a clinical hypnotist named Ellen O'Farrell and her budding relationship with a new man, as well as the baggage they both carry with them, including his stalker.
The structure of the book was neat, with chapters interspersed throughout of Saskia's (the stalker) point of view. I liked that Moriarty included her thoughts in the work,...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I decided to read this book as I loved the author's other novel, What Alice Forgot. I preferred the other book, but this one was OK.

What surprised me was how the author explored the life of the stalker, rather than just the people being stalked. I thought it would be creepy, but I ended up rooting for the stalker to be healed.

I liked how the author explored the reasons someone has a hard time letting go of a past relationship, and how that could drive them to hang on through stalking. I actuall...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Pamela Kramer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“The Hypnotist’s Love Story” by Liane Moriarty is proof positive that an author’s writing keeps getting better and better as she writes more and more books. Moriarty’s debut novel was “What Alice Forgot,” a charming story about a thirty-something woman who forgets everything that happened in the last ten years -- including her children and a very messy ongoing divorce.

In “The Hypnotist’s Love Story,” Moriarty takes on a very different kind of subject -- a stalker. Ellen O’Farrell is a hypnotist...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Karly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The idea of someone's new boyfriend having a stalker seemed like it could be a rather interesting premise, so I was excited to read this book. There were a few events that were predictable yet unexpected at the same time. You could guess that the stalker would (pretend to) be one of the hypnotist's clients, but you weren't sure which one she was. What was troubling about this book was that it was somewhere between disturbing and on the edge of being scary but was presented in such a matter of fa...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Lisa Christen rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had such high hopes for this book. First read about it nearly a year ago and was so looking forward to getting it. Turned out to be good, but not as good as I had hoped. I couldn't decide between a three or four stars. Decided on the three as it just didn't pull me in.

The story is about Ellen, a hypnotherapist whose patients are struggling to lose weight, to be able to speak in public, along with other addictions and phobias. She meets Patrick and falls for him and his son, but before things g...more

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May 31, 2012 Jillian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Working in the field of psychology begs people to ask questions about how the mind works and how people respond to unusual situations. This is particularly true for realms of psychology that some may view as mystical or as magical. Hypnosis is one aspect of psychology that I am frequently asked about when people express interest in the field and the first question I generally hear is, “Is hypnosis real?” with the second being, “Can a hypnotist make me do something I don’t want to do?” In The Hyp...more Working in the field of psychology begs people to ask questions about how the mind works and how people respond to unusual situations. This is particularly true for realms of psychology that some may view as mystical or as magical. Hypnosis is one aspect of psychology that I am frequently asked about when people express interest in the field and the first question I generally hear is, “Is hypnosis real?” with the second being, “Can a hypnotist make me do something I don’t want to do?” In The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty, a free book from librarything to review, the reality of hypnosis is questioned, examined, answered in the way that fiction novels do and the question of whether or not a hypnotist can make someone do something they don’t want to do is touched upon.

Did Liane Moriarty hit upon it realistically? Well, it’s a fiction novel. Psychology is highly subjective to the person. It made for a great story.

Ellen is a hypnotherapist living in the beach house her grandparents left her. By all accounts, Ellen leads a normal life, with the exception of having been raised by three women and never knowing her father. She dwells on this throughout the book, which leads to her eventual discovery of him. Sometimes people should be careful what they wish for, as our dreams are often better than reality. As Ellen discovers her father and the truth about who he is and how he came to be her father, she is also in the midst of a blossoming relationship with Patrick. Patrick is a widower with a young son who has a secret that he feels could harm them all: he has an ex-girlfriend who stalks them. Ellen, rather than fearing the stalker, is intrigued by her and the motivation she has behind stalking all of them. The twists in the story are somewhat expected, but it is still an entertaining story that I was able to read quickly. The ending felt inauthentic to me. I did question Ellen’s motives behind what she did as well as Saskia’s response: Is it what Saskia truly wanted? Is it what Ellen truly wanted? Throughout the book I questioned Ellen’s motivation for staying in a relationship for someone who was clearly living in the past and frequently wondered if she was there for the excitement Saskia provided. Would a stalker, too, intrigue you, or would you be fearful? Would you be able to relate to the stalker and her feelings? Would you have empathy for the loss experienced on all levels? Overall, this was a great read and I enjoyed it a lot. (less)

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Apr 11, 2012 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ellen O'Farrell is a hypnotherapist with a gift for helping her clients making better lives for themselves. It seems unfair that her own relationships have ended in rejection and loss - until she meets Patrick on the Internet. Over dinner one night, Patrick confides his secret: he has a stalker, his ex-girlfriend, Saskia. Ellen is more intrigued that frightened; but that is before she finds that she may know more of Saskia than she thought she did.

Despite its peculiar plot twist, The Hypnotist's...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Ms Tlaskal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a present from my Mum for Christmas (she particularly enjoyed 'Three wishes' by Moriarty) and it delivered more than I thought a big fat beachside book would (still was a good head rest). Firstly I learnt a lot about hypnosis and the difference between a hypnotherapist and a hypnotist. Ellen, the hypnotist of the story says that we are all trying to hypnotise the other in relationships, she is just a professional at it. She is 35, single, meets a man online, who has a 8 year old son......more

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Jan 04, 2013 Danielle Tilston rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really fab book, quite enchanting! :-)

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Aug 08, 2012 Teena in Toronto rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having a stalker sounded like an interesting premise for a book.

It's written in two voices. When it's in first person, it is Saskia, the stalker. When it's in third person, it is everything else that is happening.

Patrick and Saskia lived together after Colleen, Patrick's late wife died. One day he tells her it's over and she's lost everything. She can't let go so starts to stalk him, hoping he'll come back to her.

I didn't really care for Ellen ... I found her weak. She's in her mid-30s and has a...more

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Oct 17, 2011 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ellen might just be on the cusp of something. After three failed long-term relationships (one of which hurt, quite a lot) and trawling through Internet dating sites, Ellen might just have found something worthwhile. Patrick. A surveyor; man of maps. Widowed, with an eight-year-old boy called Jack. He might be ‘the one’ (not that Ellen necessarily believes in ‘the one’, thanks to a feminist single mother, but it would still be nice…)

But on their fourth date Patrick announces that he has somethin...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Kerri Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up this book but because I loved "What Alice Forgot" so much. Although this one took me longer to get into and wasn't quite as good a read, I still really enjoyed the themes and concepts.

The first thing you notice is that Ellen's story is in the third person and Saskia's story is in the first person. This made it easy to navigate between the stalker (Saskia) and Ellen (the hypnotist).

The story navigated between the two girl's stories with credibility so that you could see the pros and...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, kindle, aussie-author

(3.5 stars)

Liane Moriarty’s books What Alice Forgot, Three Wishes and The Last Anniversary are some of my favourites on my bookshelf, so I was very much looking forward to reading her fourth novel. With her somewhat quirky and unusual but vividly portrayed and likeable characters, Moriarty has provided yet another enjoyable read – one to look forward to after a hard day at work, putting my feet up, making a cup of tea, and losing myself in another world for a while.

The book tells the story of E...more
(3.5 stars)

Liane Moriarty’s books What Alice Forgot, Three Wishes and The Last Anniversary are some of my favourites on my bookshelf, so I was very much looking forward to reading her fourth novel. With her somewhat quirky and unusual but vividly portrayed and likeable characters, Moriarty has provided yet another enjoyable read – one to look forward to after a hard day at work, putting my feet up, making a cup of tea, and losing myself in another world for a while.

The book tells the story of Ellen, a thirty-something hypnotherapist longing for a fulfilling relationship but getting more than she bargains for when she falls in love with Patrick, a handsome widower and single father of eight-year-old Jack. But as Ellen soon discovers, Patrick comes with even more baggage than his grief for his dead wife: a stalker who is following the new couple on every outing, leaving messages, even breaking into Ellen’s house and masquerading as one of Ellen’s client client. Ellen discovers that this mystery woman is Saskia, Patrick’s ex-girlfriend, who had been his partner and a loving mother to Jack for three years until Patrick suddenly broke off the relationship. Always willing to see the best in people, Ellen does not get angry or jealous, but instead feels a strange kinship with the woman Patrick so despises.

It is a credit to the author to be able to make the character of Saskia not only believable, but also likeable, and enable the reader to understand her pain, emotional turmoil and motivations for her actions, however wrong or strange they may seem. Probably the one thing I like best about Moriarty’s books is that they leave me with a warm afterglow, believing in the good in people. Contrary to most other people’s reactions, Ellen does not get jealous or hateful when confronted with Patrick’s ex-girlfriend stalking them, but tries to understand her pain. Who else does that? But through Ellen’s kind-heartedness, and Saskia’s first person narrative, the reader also gets the chance to feel empathy for Saskia rather than disgust over her actions. I love to be reminded that there is always a flipside to every story, and that it is better not to judge people unless we have been in their situation. As Saskia tells her story, I felt more and more drawn to her, feeling her pain. Of all the characters in this story, Patrick irritated me most for the best part of the book, and only partly redeeming himself in the later pages (so much for being non-judgmental!).

Written with insight and humour, this is a novel which will warm your heart and make you smile. A nice break from my usual fare of murder mysteries.
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Mar 29, 2013 Jen Kirsch rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An absolutely compelling read. A love story, and a complicated one at that, with stalkers and widows and kids all in the main characters new mans life.

I believe - and always have - that it is possible to love and be in love with more than one person at the same time. Relationships and our connections to people are all so very different and contain such various layers. I'm appreciative of the depths of this book, which show just that.

What we read, whether we like it or not, seeps into our subco...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I will say up front I loved everything about this book. I picked it randomly while scrolling through books on Amazon - the title caught my eye and as soon as I started reading it I was completely hooked.

Ellen is a 35-year-old hypnotherapist who, despite her apparent serenity, has had several bad relationships and has resorted to dating online. She meets Patrick, a widower with a young son, who seems to have a lot of potential. On their fourth date, he says he has something to tell her, and she i...more I will say up front I loved everything about this book. I picked it randomly while scrolling through books on Amazon - the title caught my eye and as soon as I started reading it I was completely hooked.

Ellen is a 35-year-old hypnotherapist who, despite her apparent serenity, has had several bad relationships and has resorted to dating online. She meets Patrick, a widower with a young son, who seems to have a lot of potential. On their fourth date, he says he has something to tell her, and she instantly thinks he's going to tell her it's not working out, only to be shocked by him telling her he has a stalker.

Initially and throughout much of the book, Ellen is intrigued by the idea of the stalker. She would love to know more about it but Patrick gets upset when she brings it up or tries to find out more. As Patrick and Ellen's relationship deepens, Patrick's stalker becomes more invasive and desperate.

Given the description about, you'd think this book is kind of scary, this evil stalker who won't leave poor Patrick and Ellen alone, but the author provides narration from both Ellen and the stalker, so you understand why (even if you don't agree) she is stalking Patrick. She has no conscious intention of hurting Patrick or his son, Jack - she is just unable to let go of the life they led.

My favorite character is Ellen - although my only criticism is I kept having to remind myself she was only 35 years old - I kept feeling like she was in her forties or fifties, based on the way she is written. But I loved her constant self-analysis, the way every slight disagreement or disappointment with Patrick made her doubt whether they should be together, the way she loves her clients and genuinely wants to help them. More than her external dialogue with any of the other characters, I loved her internal dialogue with herself - how honest she was, and how she had to rely on herself. I identified with her a lot. I loved how she was able to discern other's feelings and unspoken problems. She was a perfect balance of caring and selfish, in that she tried to care for everyone else but didn't let that become her identity.

The ending of the book is perfect - and I enjoyed every moment I spent reading this book. I would highly recommend and anticipate many more beautiful stories from this author!(less)

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Jun 21, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: women-s-fiction

Liane Moriarty doesn't release books often enough for my tastes. Her stories are creative, upbeat but also true to life. While this is nominally a love story, the romance between Ellen and Patrick is anything but a fairy tale. They meet through an online dating site, slowly fall in love, but are challenged by the ghosts of Patrick's past - his first wife died, and his previous girlfriend Saskia has been stalking him for several years, ever since their breakup.

I didn't expect to feel so much empa...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Kamila rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read more: http://www.sensualappealblog.com/2012...

I have to say I was hooked from the first page and I read the book in a couple of days. And this is a thick book, you guys! Over 400 pages of page-turning exciting unexpectant fun. I honestly loved it. It was surprising and a little frustrating at times, but yet very relatable and likeable. All of the characters were described very well as to have a clear picture of who they are, what they do, how they act… I felt like I was a part of the story....more

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Dec 06, 2012 Heather McKeon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was an interesting book. I've decided that Liane Moriarty really like to write books about crazy people. And this one is probably the craziest so far. What I've read of hers, I can't remember them being in 1st person, always 3rd. But this one was written about Ellen in 3rd person, and she was a fairly normal woman, dealing with life, love, work, etc... But Saskia was written in 1st person - and she is a sad, depressed, obsessed with her ex, stalker. So it was really weird because you wanted...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Hypnotist's Love Story By Liane Moriarty Ellen is a hypnotherapist that runs a small successful practice out of the beachfront cottage she inherited from her beloved grandparents. She is in her mid thirties and has been through the gamut of unsatisfying romantic relationships. When Ellen meets Patrick her entire life changes. He is a widow with a beautiful, 8 yr old son named Jack and wants all the same things that Ellen is searching for. Except for one rather large detail, Patrick is being...more

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Mar 23, 2012 Jen D. Fabico rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-50-book-pledge, family, first-reads

Book 17 for my 2012 Reading Challenge is The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty.

Upon realizing that I had won this book as a first-read, I was so excited. Again, this type of book is not one I would typically select in a bookstore, but I this year I have been exploring my appetite for reading, and found that I do enjoy these types of books! Initially, I was drawn to the title. What an odd thing I thought to myself before reading the caption. And it was also because of the title, that I de...more Book 17 for my 2012 Reading Challenge is The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty.

Upon realizing that I had won this book as a first-read, I was so excited. Again, this type of book is not one I would typically select in a bookstore, but I this year I have been exploring my appetite for reading, and found that I do enjoy these types of books! Initially, I was drawn to the title. What an odd thing I thought to myself before reading the caption. And it was also because of the title, that I decided to move the book up on my reading list.

The Hypnotist's Love Story explores the everyday life of Ellen, a hypnotherapists who helps clients through their personal traumas, pains, and phycological hurdles. She treats people by having them look at themselves through hypnosis similar to a deep meditation. Ellen has also began dating a man named Patrick, a single parent raising a young boy. In addition to the pressures of first impressions while dating, Ellen has to deal with Patrick's son Jack, as well as Patrick's ex-girlfriend turned stalker: Saskia. The story is explored through Ellen and Saskia's point of views. The Hypnotist's Love Story explore the idea of personalities and egos - why people become the way they do. It delves into the anxious feelings of new beginnings while leaving that pit in your stomach from a long and excruciatingly painful heartbreak.

As a reader, it was a little difficult to read. The ideas and concepts were all over the place as if someone was explaining every single thought that went through their mind throughout the course of a day. Every single thought! So save myself from the pain, I found myself glossing over several pages at a time and looking for where the narrative continued once again. Since this is the pre-edited version, I would very much suggest for it to be trimmed down around the edges. It has the potential to be a passionate and witty book as the plot was very simple with many intricate details.

However, it did get quite confusing at many parts -- especially since so many characters were thrown in. Did it really matter if Ellen had an interesting client with some weird diagnosis if it has nothing to do with the plot? No. I don't think so at least. In fact, it really hindered the rest of the book. I did enjoy the fact that it was told through two different points of view. But that definitely needed to be cleaned up as well. At times, I wasn't sure who was talking and if was taking place presently or if it was something that had happened in the past. There were many small details but I won't go into all of them as it would probably take longer than rereading the book.

Overall, I am giving this book 2 out of 5. It seems harsh, but... well, maybe it is harsh but that's just how I feel. I'll also admit that I had to reference the book again for this review because I forgot the main character's name. It has potential but it needs to be cleaned up big time. And I like books that are well written.

Book 18 for my 2012 Reading i is What Necessity Decrees by Carola Robert.(less)

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Aug 05, 2012 Terri Tinkel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: family, marriage

I have read other books by this author. When I first started this story, I was not sure I would enjoy it. But as I read further; it got very interesting. The hypnotist is a woman who helps people with their problems. She has finally met a good man who has a young son. Then he tells her about his serious problem. He had broken up with another woman after a long term relationship. The woman is stalking him. The hypnotist doesn't not want to lose this man because she has fallen in love with him. Th...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, chick-lit

The Hypnotist's Love Story is pure chick lit - a genre I generally avoid - yet it was a pleasing, enjoyable read. Like most chick lit, the story was about relationships and love. Specifically, it is told from the perspective of a hypnotherapist named Ellen who begins dating Patrick (a widower with a young son) as well as from the perspective of Patrick's stalker, a woman named Saskia. Saskia is Patrick's ex-girlfriend, who he dated seriously shortly after the death of his wife, and who never got...more The Hypnotist's Love Story is pure chick lit - a genre I generally avoid - yet it was a pleasing, enjoyable read. Like most chick lit, the story was about relationships and love. Specifically, it is told from the perspective of a hypnotherapist named Ellen who begins dating Patrick (a widower with a young son) as well as from the perspective of Patrick's stalker, a woman named Saskia. Saskia is Patrick's ex-girlfriend, who he dated seriously shortly after the death of his wife, and who never got over him after they broke up. She spends most of her waking hours following Patrick around wherever he is and sending him incessant emails, letters, and texts. When she discovers he is dating Ellen, she begins to stalk the both of them.

What sets above and beyond the average book in this genre is that the characters were three dimensional and realistic. Ellen, while self-assured and self-confident also displayed what I felt was realistic self-doubt about herself and her relationship. Patrick wasn't the stereotypical love interest in that he was complicated and not always shown to the reader to be perfect. For example, he had a temper, he was in love with Ellen but not in an obsessive sort of way, he was a procrastinator, and wasn't always considerate of Ellen's feelings. Yet he was kind, loving, and romantic. He felt real, as did their relationship. The "Twilight effect" of the crazy, possessive yet hot love interest that seems to be pervading all romantic literature these days makes me crazy. I can't think of anything less hot then having some dickhead stalk me and order me around because he "loves" me.

I also found Saskia to be a complex antagonist. Yes, she was stalking them, and in real life would be horribly creepy. But the story is written so you are inside her head, you understand her motivations even though you think she's nutso. By the end of the story I wanted more. I wanted to know what would happen to her next.

Despite what kind of sounds like it might be a creepy story, this book is actually light, breezy, and funny. When it was all over, I felt sad that I wasn't going to get to spend any more time with the characters.(less)

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Nov 17, 2011 Marianne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Hypnotist’s Love Story is the 4th novel by Australian novelist, Liane Moriarty. The hypnotist is Ellen O’Farrell, actually a hypnotherapist who helps clients deal with addictions, phobias and confidence issues. Ellen falls in love with Patrick, but before the relationship goes far, he warns her he is being stalked by his ex-girlfriend, Saskia. Ellen finds that she is more intrigued than frightened by this, and in fact, would love to meet her. Saskia, however, has been posing as one of Ellen’...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Sally906 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction

Ellen O’Farrell is a clinical hypnotherapist who helps her clients overcome phobias, addictions and other mental problems. As THE HYPNOTIST'S LOVE STORY opens, Ellen is on the fourth date with a very nice man she met through an Internet dating site. Patrick is a widowed father of one, seven year old Jack, and Ellen is beginning to think he might be ‘the one’. It’s almost too good to be true; surely there must be a fly in the ointment somewhere! Well there is, and she is called Saskia.

Saskia is P...more Ellen O’Farrell is a clinical hypnotherapist who helps her clients overcome phobias, addictions and other mental problems. As THE HYPNOTIST'S LOVE STORY opens, Ellen is on the fourth date with a very nice man she met through an Internet dating site. Patrick is a widowed father of one, seven year old Jack, and Ellen is beginning to think he might be ‘the one’. It’s almost too good to be true; surely there must be a fly in the ointment somewhere! Well there is, and she is called Saskia.

Saskia is Patrick’s ex-girlfriend, and in the three years since he has told her their relationship was over she has been stalking him. Nothing violent mind you, it is more that she gives him excessive non-stop attention. Saskia follows him relentlessly, turns up at his favourite places, texts him, phones him and generally never leaves him alone. Patrick assures Ellen that Saskia is not a danger, just a nuisance that brings Patrick’s temper to boiling point at times. He even refers to her as the ‘bunny boiler’ on more than one occasion. Ellen is professionally intrigued at what makes Saskia tick, she thinks that stalking is an obsessive behaviour the same as an addiction or phobia. Ellen also thinks that if circumstances had allowed, she could have successfully treated Saskia. What Ellen doesn’t know is that Saskia has been masquerading as a client and she herself is now being stalked.

The story isn’t just about Ellen. Saskia also tells the story, giving the reader insight into why she is doing what she is doing. She knows Patrick broke up with her three years ago, but she still doesn’t believe he means it, they are meant to be together. She still mourns for Jack who she considers to be her son, who she raised from a baby after his mother died. Saskia has no life outside obsessing after what she has lost and believes will be hers again. She has given up friends and the carefree life she once knew to concentrate on her obsession. Very quickly the reader knows that this state of affairs cannot go on any longer. Something has to give - but what, who and how?

THE HYPNOTIST'S LOVE STORY is not a romance, and it is not a heavy read, despite its subject matter there is a lot of humour in it. It is very well written, and balance is given equally to the stalker and the stalkees with sympathy divided equally to all concerned. I think that Saskia’s story is touching and vulnerable. She knows deep down her behaviour is wrong yet cannot stop. She is as much a victim to her obsession as Patrick, Ellen and Jack are. There is a lot going on in this story, different threads to the stalking plot that all weave in and out of the main story that show, like the human mind, that there is a lot going on below the surface of the various relationships, past and present, and that they all influence Patrick and Ellen’s love story.
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Sep 21, 2011 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-are, aussie-author

The common image of a stalker brings to mind violent ex husband's and obsessed fans but in The Hypnotist's Love Story, Patrick is an ordinary suburban surveyor who for three years has endured the excessive attention of his ex girlfriend, Saskia. Many women can relate to perhaps being overly interested in their ex-partners movements post break up, but usually the concern wanes as they move forward. Moriarty explores what happens when someone is unable to let go of a relationship, how grief for an...more The common image of a stalker brings to mind violent ex husband's and obsessed fans but in The Hypnotist's Love Story, Patrick is an ordinary suburban surveyor who for three years has endured the excessive attention of his ex girlfriend, Saskia. Many women can relate to perhaps being overly interested in their ex-partners movements post break up, but usually the concern wanes as they move forward. Moriarty explores what happens when someone is unable to let go of a relationship, how grief for an envisioned future can turn into a obsession that has very little to do with love. Saskia is a fascinating character, her behaviour is plainly wrong yet Moriarty shows how Saskia is as much a victim of her obsession as Patrick and Ellen are. It's surprisingly easy to sympathise with her emotional pain, particularly as her story unfolds through a first person perspective.
As a woman who is still in contact with her ex boyfriends sister, Ellen recognises the impulse to still be privy to the details of an ex-partners life. Assured Saskia isn't violent, Ellen's initial mild concern gives way to an almost professional fascination. Ellen is a hypnotherapist and considers Saskia's obsessive behaviour similar in nature to an addiction or phobia which she successfully treats in her practice. In fact Ellen is more concerned about the spectre of Patrick's deceased wife than his living stalker. While Saskia remains unseen it is understandable that she is more of an abstract concept for Ellen, but once Ellen discovers that Saskia has been masquerading as a client and follows her interstate, I expected her to take the situation more seriously. I don't think anyone I know would be so accepting of Saskia's harassment and I'm not sure Moriarty is completely successful in explaining why Ellen is so ambivalent particularly in the latter half of the novel. I would have preferred Ellen's motivation to connect with Saskia been more clearly defined, even though I recognise that Moriarty's intention is to illustrate the complexity of the relationship that can form between the stalker and their victim.
While the relationship between Ellen, Patrick and Saskia, dominates the story, the author also explores how separations and newly formed relationships affect family and friends. The end of Saskia's relationship with Patrick also ended her association with his son, parents and siblings, an additional blow when she had so little support available, while the decision by Ellen's mother to not inform the father of her pregnancy prevented Ellen from forming a connection with him. There are several lesser themes that Moriarty touches on that weave together to create a well rounded story.

The Hypnotist's Love Story is a complex tale of obsession, grief and love which Moriarty admits was inspired by a real life experience. I found it a compelling and intriguing examination of the intricacies of relationships. There is much more to this story than is neatly summarised in the blurb and Moriarty tells it with consummate skill.
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Apr 15, 2013 Joy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

I give this book 3 stars because I finished it, but the more I think about it the more I lean toward 2 stars. The writing is good, but I really didn't like 2 of the 3 main characters. Actually, it's not that I didn't like them, it's that I felt completely indifferent about them. Ellen, the hypnotist, was just completely average in every way, which I found pretty boring. Patrick, the man being stalked, just seemed like the stereotypical man who can't seem to take "proper" care of his son or put h...more

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About Liane Moriarty

Liane was born on a beautiful November day in 1966 in Sydney. A few hours after she was born, she smiled directly at her father through the nursery glass window, which is remarkable, seeing as most babies can’t even focus their eyes at that age.

Her first word was ‘glug’. This was faithfully recorded in the baby book kept by her mother. (As the eldest of six children, Liane was the only one to get...more Liane was born on a beautiful November day in 1966 in Sydney. A few hours after she was born, she smiled directly at her father through the nursery glass window, which is remarkable, seeing as most babies can’t even focus their eyes at that age.

Her first word was ‘glug’. This was faithfully recorded in the baby book kept by her mother. (As the eldest of six children, Liane was the only one to get a baby book so she likes to refer to it often.)

As a child, she loved to read, so much so that school friends would cruelly hide their books when she came to play. She still doesn’t know how to go to sleep at night without first reading a novel for a very long time in a very hot bath.

She can’t remember the first story she ever wrote, but she does remember her first publishing deal. Her father ‘commissioned’ her to write a novel for him and paid her an advance of $1.00. She wrote a three volume epic called, ‘The Mystery of Dead Man’s Island’

After leaving school, Liane began a career in advertising and marketing. She became quite corporate for a while and wore suits and worried a lot about the size of her office. She eventually left her position as marketing manager of a legal publishing company to run her own (not especially successful) business called The Little Ad Agency. After that she worked as (a more successful, thankfully) freelance advertising copywriter, writing everything from websites and TV commercials to the back of the Sultana Bran box.

She also wrote short stories and many first chapters of novels that didn’t go any further. The problem was that she didn’t actually believe that real people had novels published. Then one day she found out that they did, when her younger sister Jaclyn Moriarty called to say that her (brilliant, hilarious, award-winning) novel, Feeling Sorry for Celia was about to be published.

In a fever of sibling rivalry, Liane rushed to the computer and wrote a children’s book called The Animal Olympics, which went on to be enthusiastically rejected by every publisher in Australia.

She calmed down and enrolled in a Masters degree at Macquarie University in Sydney. As part of that degree, she wrote her first novel, Three Wishes. It was accepted by the lovely people at Pan Macmillan and went on to be published around the world. (Her latest books are published by the equally lovely people at Penguin in both the US and the UK)

Since then she has written two more novels for adults, as well as a series of books for children.

Liane is now a full-time author. She lives in Sydney with her husband, her new baby daughter Anna, and her son George, who likes to sit on her lap while she works, helpfully smashing his fist against the keyboard and suggesting that she might prefer to be watching the Wiggles instead.

Once upon a time she went heli-skiing and skydiving* and scuba diving. These days she goes to the park and ‘Gymbaroo’ and sings ‘I’m a Little Cuckoo Clock’ at swimming lessons. She has discovered that the adrenaline burst you experience from jumping out of a plane is remarkably similar to the one you get when your toddler makes a run for it in a busy car park (less)

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