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Postcards From a Stranger
(Postcards #1)
by
A secret lies buried at the heart of her family—but it can’t stay hidden forever.
When Cara stumbles across a stash of old postcards in the attic, their contents make her question everything she thought she knew.
The story she pieces together is confusing and unsettling, and appears to have been patched over with lies. But who can tell her the truth? With her father sink
...moreKindle Edition, 348 pages
Published
August 7th 2018
by Lake Union Publishing
(first published June 9th 2017)
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Kerrie Haynes
No, once the mom reappeared in the story, she never explained why she stayed away.
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A charming story about family. Cara, a wedding dress designer lives with her elderly father, who is slowly succumbing to Alzheimer's. She was always led to believe her mother died when she was 2 years old, and her upbringing was a little neglectful. It's only when she discovers dozens of postcards in the attic from her mother, sent years after her death that she realises her mum may still be alive, and tries to hunt her down.
The only thing I didn't like about this novel was how negatively it por ...more
The only thing I didn't like about this novel was how negatively it por ...more
This book is about controlling people's lives and about bullying. But also about regret and forgiveness.
Cara looks after her demented father and one day, when she goes up to the attic where she was never allowed to go, she finds hundreds of postcards addressed to her and her brother. She tries to find out what's been hidden from her for all these years. ...more
Cara looks after her demented father and one day, when she goes up to the attic where she was never allowed to go, she finds hundreds of postcards addressed to her and her brother. She tries to find out what's been hidden from her for all these years. ...more
Unfortunately, this didn’t work for me. I went into the book thinking it would be a breath taking, edge of your seat kind of read but it just wasn’t. I found myself skimming a lot because there was so much unnecessary information. The big reveal wasn’t really anything too awesome and it was completely predictable. I felt no connection to the characters and actually ended up hating Cara because she was really annoying.
I enjoyed “Post Cards from a Stranger” very much. I absolutely love the way it was written by Imogen Clark. It wasn’t exactly a fast page turner, but more of a gradually evolving story — getting more interesting with every chapter.
It’s a story about a family of two children who live with their father, Joseph and they are told early in their life that their mother died. When they get older, the daughter Cara, begins to have questions about her mother. At the same time, the father has a very serio ...more
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union for the eARC.
What a lovely book this is...heartbreaking and sweet, with a great ending I didn't see coming.
The story is told from different perspectives and in different timelines by members of the same family. Cara, believing her mother died when she was 2 years old, is now in her 30's and looking after her father who is suffering from Alzheimer's. The way her feelings are described is very realistic: the irritation, the guilt, the claustrophobia and the love ...more
What a lovely book this is...heartbreaking and sweet, with a great ending I didn't see coming.
The story is told from different perspectives and in different timelines by members of the same family. Cara, believing her mother died when she was 2 years old, is now in her 30's and looking after her father who is suffering from Alzheimer's. The way her feelings are described is very realistic: the irritation, the guilt, the claustrophobia and the love ...more
This was a light breezy read though the topic was definitely a deep one. Cara finds postcards in the trunk which opens up the proverbial can of worms. Trying to decipher and get to the bottom of her parents' marriage and what really happened decades ago causes Cara to travel to the United States and then back to London till a funeral brings the past to the present.
The author Imogen Clark has tried to bring twists and suspense and a sense of family to this clearly difficult topic of bullying in a ...more
The author Imogen Clark has tried to bring twists and suspense and a sense of family to this clearly difficult topic of bullying in a ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I had been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it on Goodreads. It appealed to my love of history and how circumstances can change people's lives. "Postcards from a Stranger" certainly fit my criteria.
The story is about a family whose mother presumably past away when Cara and her brother were very young. The father was left with 2 children to raise. He tried his best, but had one rule. They must never enter the attic. The children never did. Now the father is old and his health ...more
The story is about a family whose mother presumably past away when Cara and her brother were very young. The father was left with 2 children to raise. He tried his best, but had one rule. They must never enter the attic. The children never did. Now the father is old and his health ...more
Ok story of a thirtysomething single woman who grew up motherless and ends up taking care of her difficult father with Alzheimers. Fairly stilted story that takes its time to get to where it's going. The story never comes alive though and I struggled through most of it, but there were moments of engagement when Cara discovers that her Mum is not dead as her father has told her her entire life, but may be alive. But the search never really engages.
...more
GNab Postcards from a Stranger is an excellent story, wrapped around a disjointed, broken family, their decisions and choices and the repercussions of those choices for years and generations to follow. It is a story to warm your heart. I will watch for more from Imogen Clark. I really like her style. And I love her definition of 'mother'.
I received a free electronic copy of this modern British novel from Netgalley, Imogen Clark, and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank ...more
I received a free electronic copy of this modern British novel from Netgalley, Imogen Clark, and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank ...more
Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.
This is a poignant and emotional tale of family secrets and lies. A controlling father and a distant brother and a dutiful daughter make up the family dynamic. Cara is the daughter who struggles to juggle her wedding dress business whilst caring for her father who suffers with Alzheimers.
I loved Cara, her gentleness and her artistic ability, her relationship with her best friend and the way she saw the best in people. I will definitely look for more books by this ...more
This is a poignant and emotional tale of family secrets and lies. A controlling father and a distant brother and a dutiful daughter make up the family dynamic. Cara is the daughter who struggles to juggle her wedding dress business whilst caring for her father who suffers with Alzheimers.
I loved Cara, her gentleness and her artistic ability, her relationship with her best friend and the way she saw the best in people. I will definitely look for more books by this ...more
All my reviews can be found on my blog: https://pageturnersnook.wordpress.com
What a read! Such an emotional rollercoaster. This is my first read by Imogen Clark and she writes in such a way that the story sucks you in, consumes you and makes you feel you’re actually a part of it. Her writing style flows easily, willing you into a plethora of emotions that could quite easily be your own life. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried so much. This could be you, or it could be me!!!! I can’t help but think that ...more
What a read! Such an emotional rollercoaster. This is my first read by Imogen Clark and she writes in such a way that the story sucks you in, consumes you and makes you feel you’re actually a part of it. Her writing style flows easily, willing you into a plethora of emotions that could quite easily be your own life. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried so much. This could be you, or it could be me!!!! I can’t help but think that ...more
NOTE: May include SPOILERS! This book wasn't quite a 4 start read, but I couldn't bring myself to give it only a 3. There were a few issues in the book that I either didn't find entirely believable (i.e.: how little the main character remembered none of her very real abuse, and how the dad was portrayed as just 'not good with children'). But if you can get past that then I thought it was an interesting read. I liked the repeated theme of how each of the relevant women had to deal with controllin
...more
Beautiful, poignant. Loved this.
I really got into this book; I think it was mainly a sense of empathy for a character whose life, like mine, had changed due to caring responsibilities for a Dad. Although there the similarities ended, but I was drawn in by the cleverly woven patchwork of the story over three generations of down trodden women. However, and for a reason I can't put my finger on I was a little disappointed by the ending. Maybe it's because everything seemed to get neatly tied up and the world was rosy, which felt
...more
This was a fascinating read. A page turning mystery with good characters, good writing and a good satisfying story. I was surprised at how old fashioned and horrid some of the men were but sadly quite common. A great ending.
Themes of loss and Alzheimer’s, taking care of a parent who wasn’t the best parent is a huge challenge. Joe the father went from taking no care of the children to being a single parent. He was not a good father. Annie’s father was even worse. Years of abuse and neglect leaves ...more
Themes of loss and Alzheimer’s, taking care of a parent who wasn’t the best parent is a huge challenge. Joe the father went from taking no care of the children to being a single parent. He was not a good father. Annie’s father was even worse. Years of abuse and neglect leaves ...more
A really enjoyable read despite the daily struggles that Cara faces in dealing with her elderly father and her distant brother.
I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Cara and Mrs P, her father’s nurse. I don’t want to give too much away but I also loved Cara’s persistence and determination to find out more and track down people overseas.
Unlike many books, the last few chapters were a crescendo and brought the story to a satisfying conclusion rather than a rushed/abrupt ending.
My firs ...more
I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Cara and Mrs P, her father’s nurse. I don’t want to give too much away but I also loved Cara’s persistence and determination to find out more and track down people overseas.
Unlike many books, the last few chapters were a crescendo and brought the story to a satisfying conclusion rather than a rushed/abrupt ending.
My firs ...more
This began well but then became trite and shallow. Almost all women are wonderful or have redeeming qualities, while the men, apart from Simeon, are most unappealing. At least it was only 99p on Kindle!
A charming, easy read; I loved hearing the British accents and words in my head. I enjoyed how Clark (as a mother of four!) explored reasons why a mother would leave her children. The plot was a bit predictable, but I love endings tied neatly with a big bow. Overall, heartwarming and pleasant.
Boring
I thought that this book was going to be full of mysteries and secrets but to be quite honest once Cara met her Aunt in America the book became extremely boring.
I thought that this book was going to be full of mysteries and secrets but to be quite honest once Cara met her Aunt in America the book became extremely boring.
There was a lot of potential for this story, but for me personally, it fell flat. I predicted just about all of the major plot twists and the character development did not quite make sense.
This was a good book. I guessed the ending pretty early, but still really good and worth reading.
The best part of the book was her relationship with her father and how she coped with his illness.
Really enjoyable read. At first I thought it was going to be predictable but I was wrong! I always enjoy books by this author, and this one was no exception.
Cara is a 33 year old woman who lives with her elderly father and creates made to order wedding dresses for a living. She has lived her entire life believing that her mother died when she was two years old leaving her to the care of her father who seems to delight in diminishing others. Her older brother Michael has escaped to marriage, children and a life in London as an attorney, leaving Cara to care for her father who is in an advanced stage of demensia. When Cara discovers postcards to her a
...more
Don’t judge anyone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.
This is the kind of book that I really enjoy, a story that could happen to you or someone you know, the big things that happen in small, ordinary lives.
Cara is caring for her dad, who has dementia. Previously, he was a difficult man and as a reader I had trouble reconciling my feelings for his previous incarnation with the broken man he is now. Like Cara, I had to accept that, whoever or whatever he had been, that person is gone an ...more
This is the kind of book that I really enjoy, a story that could happen to you or someone you know, the big things that happen in small, ordinary lives.
Cara is caring for her dad, who has dementia. Previously, he was a difficult man and as a reader I had trouble reconciling my feelings for his previous incarnation with the broken man he is now. Like Cara, I had to accept that, whoever or whatever he had been, that person is gone an ...more
lovely discovery through a friend who was reading it.. charming book, so engaging from the very first words. Well written, never dull. The main character Cara is so real, you just want to cheer for her and tell her that everything will be ok.
My only negative comment is about the ending.. SPOILER... why does she need to find a husband and have a child to be happy? I mean, this is a woman who leaves the comfort of her home and flies to San Francisco to discover the truth about her family's past an ...more
My only negative comment is about the ending.. SPOILER... why does she need to find a husband and have a child to be happy? I mean, this is a woman who leaves the comfort of her home and flies to San Francisco to discover the truth about her family's past an ...more
Cara is still living in her childhood home, taking care of her father who has Alzheimer’s. One day she goes into the attic, a room her father forbid her and her brother to ever go into. In a box she finds some postcards which shocks her to her core and she realizes that everything she thought she knew about her parents is a lie.
Later, she finds out that what she thought the postcards meant was not the truth at all and she is completely shocked all over again.
She goes on a mission (alone because ...more
Later, she finds out that what she thought the postcards meant was not the truth at all and she is completely shocked all over again.
She goes on a mission (alone because ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I wanted to like this book because it dealt with themes that were familiar to me. But about halfway through the book, I felt as confused and frustrated as the dad who has dementia and I decided it would be better for myself and everyone else involved if I simply chose another book. The book changes voice from one character to the other with little to no warning and I found it quite jarring.
There are books where this is successful but I think it would be better to stay in one characters POV for ...more
There are books where this is successful but I think it would be better to stay in one characters POV for ...more
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Readers also enjoyed
Bestselling author Imogen Clark writes contemporary women’s fiction about the secrets that hide at the heart of the families that she creates. She lives in Yorkshire with her husband and children (who hopefully have no such secrets to tell!)
POSTCARDS FROM A STRANGER and THE THING ABOUT CLARE both reached the top of the Amazon Kindle Charts in the UK and Australia and WHERE THE STORY STARTS has be ...more
POSTCARDS FROM A STRANGER and THE THING ABOUT CLARE both reached the top of the Amazon Kindle Charts in the UK and Australia and WHERE THE STORY STARTS has be ...more
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