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The Truth About Melody Browne
by
Lisa Jewell
When she was nine years old, Melody Browne's house burned down, taking every toy, every photograph, every item of clothing and old Christmas card with it. But not only did the fire destroy all her possessions, it took with it all her memories - Melody Browne can remember nothing before her ninth birthday. Now in her early thirties, Melody lives in a council flat in the mid
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Paperback, 326 pages
Published
April 9th 2009
by Century
(first published January 1st 2009)
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Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
I loved this, as with many of you on here I too could not put it down and read it in less than 24 hours.
Melody is an ordinary 'dinner lady' with a realistic character, not unlike myself, far from the usual early twenties Irish girl, living in New York, with a handsome successful business man for her love interest blah blah blah, as is the case in many other chick lit's, so it made what in some ways was an unrealistic story into a believable, heart rendering and beautiful account of a lovely lit ...more
Melody is an ordinary 'dinner lady' with a realistic character, not unlike myself, far from the usual early twenties Irish girl, living in New York, with a handsome successful business man for her love interest blah blah blah, as is the case in many other chick lit's, so it made what in some ways was an unrealistic story into a believable, heart rendering and beautiful account of a lovely lit ...more
I haven't read any of Lisa Jewell's books before, but this hit several notes with me and it certainly won't be the last one I read either. This is her seventh novel, so I have plenty to keep up with.
Melody, lost everything so possessed in a fire at her home when she was just nine years old. This was so traumatic for her that she also lost all her memories up until that point. How horrible would it be to not remember a huge chunk of your life, I know you don't remember every little detail of you ...more
Melody, lost everything so possessed in a fire at her home when she was just nine years old. This was so traumatic for her that she also lost all her memories up until that point. How horrible would it be to not remember a huge chunk of your life, I know you don't remember every little detail of you ...more
This HAS to be Lisa Jewell's best book! From the first page I was sucked in. It was written so well, with such depth of feeling that it was as if you were reading an actual true story about a real person. Melody seems so real, like someone living just down the street or around the corner. All the characters are very strong with personalities that step off the page, they all have faults and you don't always like them but they make the story what it is. The way Melody's past and present is set out
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What an emotional journey this novel has taken me on.
As the description says, Melody can't remember anything prior to being nine years old. I think in some ways it has held Melody back not knowing and she struggles to fully move on with her life.
The story flicks between present day and to different parts of Melody's past leading up to her being nine. This way we slowly learn along with Melody, what her life was like in those missing years.
This is such a beautifully written novel with a whole arr ...more
As the description says, Melody can't remember anything prior to being nine years old. I think in some ways it has held Melody back not knowing and she struggles to fully move on with her life.
The story flicks between present day and to different parts of Melody's past leading up to her being nine. This way we slowly learn along with Melody, what her life was like in those missing years.
This is such a beautifully written novel with a whole arr ...more
The truth is...
I found this boring.
I found this boring.
When I chose this book, I think I was expecting something else. My previous knowledge of Lisa Jewell was Ralph’s Party, a sweet romantic comedy about flatmates. Lisa Jewell has certainly grown up over the years and THE TRUTH ABOUT MELODY BROWNE proves it! This book is an emotional rollercoaster that really took me by surprise. The subject matter got extremely dark at times, and I am not afraid to say that I shed a tear or two more than once during this book, but overall I was left with what I th
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This is my first book by Lisa Jewell, so I started it with no expectations at all.
The beginning was kind of slow but once Melody started to find out more about her past, it got kind of interesting.
Now I have finished the book I have to say that I felt entertained and bored at the same time. I did like to find out about Melody's past but I didn't like the way it was told. Sometimes it felt like the author was only dumping Melody's experiences from the past on the reader. I would have prefered to ...more
The beginning was kind of slow but once Melody started to find out more about her past, it got kind of interesting.
Now I have finished the book I have to say that I felt entertained and bored at the same time. I did like to find out about Melody's past but I didn't like the way it was told. Sometimes it felt like the author was only dumping Melody's experiences from the past on the reader. I would have prefered to ...more
Well . . . it was a moving story, but I didn't find the premise of it very plausible. And then I was very confused because as the story shifts back and forth from present to past, the present Melody is gradually recovering memory. But not necessarily the memory of the narrated past events. What she knew and what I knew were not the same, but I only figured that out towards the end. And the very last scene brought tears to my eyes, but it ended too soon, and I felt a little frustrated.
This book is set in both the past and the present, as Melody Browne uncovers childhood memories she has buried for many years.
This is a light read, and also a book I couldn't wait to finish. I just needed to know what happened next. It's not brilliant, but it is interesting, and Jewell's writing style is easy to sink into.
The book suffers from an unevenness between the past and present sections - the past is much more interesting and colourful than the present, which is lightly sketched in. The ...more
This is a light read, and also a book I couldn't wait to finish. I just needed to know what happened next. It's not brilliant, but it is interesting, and Jewell's writing style is easy to sink into.
The book suffers from an unevenness between the past and present sections - the past is much more interesting and colourful than the present, which is lightly sketched in. The ...more
A huge departure from her earlier novels. This is very sweet, despite being wildly unrealistic and a bit slow to start. I found the aspects of the story told twice (once by the direct omniscient narrator and the other as Melody discovers it) very clunky.
Still, I couldn't put it down.
Still, I couldn't put it down.
I have to start this review by saying I don’t know how I ever managed to miss reading this one but better late than never!
I love Lisa Jewell’s style of writing, the way she draws you into the story is fantastic and like her more recent books, despite the girly cover this is no ordinary chick-lit.
The story of Melody Browne concentrates on the life of a woman who has no memory of her life before she was 9 and rescued from a fire by her father. Then on her first date for years something happens wh ...more
I love Lisa Jewell’s style of writing, the way she draws you into the story is fantastic and like her more recent books, despite the girly cover this is no ordinary chick-lit.
The story of Melody Browne concentrates on the life of a woman who has no memory of her life before she was 9 and rescued from a fire by her father. Then on her first date for years something happens wh ...more
I read this book in such a hurried pace. Suddenly, I realise that I can read if I wanted to. Lots of commitments or excuses are delaying me in reading books.
The plot: Melody forgot everything before her house being burnt down. When she went for a date with a guy she met on a bus, the guy brought her to a show where she was being hypnotised. Bits by bits, her memories came flooding back. She remembers sketches of her life.
My review: For a novel, that keeps on going on and forth between the past a ...more
The plot: Melody forgot everything before her house being burnt down. When she went for a date with a guy she met on a bus, the guy brought her to a show where she was being hypnotised. Bits by bits, her memories came flooding back. She remembers sketches of her life.
My review: For a novel, that keeps on going on and forth between the past a ...more
I read this book within a few days whilst sitting in the sunshine in my back garden – and it was a perfect feel-good book to read at this time! I enjoyed Lisa Jewell’s book, she managed to show how our childhood can be directly connected to building a secure, happy adulthood.
Melody had a real journey of discovery through this book, which all started after a disastrous first date to a hypnotist show. After being hypnotised and subsequently collapsing on stage, this triggered regular disturbing fl ...more
Melody had a real journey of discovery through this book, which all started after a disastrous first date to a hypnotist show. After being hypnotised and subsequently collapsing on stage, this triggered regular disturbing fl ...more
I really liked this book, it only took me two sittings to read it in. I found the plot really interesting and intriguing, one that was a bit different from other chick lit books that I have read. Lisa Jewell is another new author to me but I really like her style of writing, even though she flits back to the past and now, she manages to do it without the reader getting too confused. She writes with emotion which I liked and I did shed a few tears. A joy to read.
Lisa Jewell has been called the queen of chick-lit but she's much better than that. Like a younger, female Nick Hornby , she writes deceptively simple prose and uses everyday details to anchor her images. I really liked Ralph's Party, her first book. Nothing else has quite matched that for me.
The Truth About Melody Browne is about a young woman who has lost the memory of her childhood and begins to recover it after an encounter with a stage hypnotist, only to find that it is full of terrible tra ...more
The Truth About Melody Browne is about a young woman who has lost the memory of her childhood and begins to recover it after an encounter with a stage hypnotist, only to find that it is full of terrible tra ...more
3.5 stars
This was an enjoyable read.
The pacing of this story was maybe a little off, the story alternated from being really intriguing to be a bit slow and boring but apart from that i found the story to be enjoyable, i was emotionally invested in the story and i definitely got a little glassy eyed in parts.
This was an enjoyable read.
The pacing of this story was maybe a little off, the story alternated from being really intriguing to be a bit slow and boring but apart from that i found the story to be enjoyable, i was emotionally invested in the story and i definitely got a little glassy eyed in parts.
This is a stealth good-read masquerading under a chick-lit cover. As do most of Lisa Jewell's books, it tugs at your heart-strings. I highly recommend anything that she writes. And I'm amazed that her books aren't as well known as those by Jane Green or Marian Keyes, because, in my opinion, they deserve to be!
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If you enjoyed this book, you might wish to try Innocence by Kathleen Tessaro or Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes.
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If you enjoyed this book, you might wish to try Innocence by Kathleen Tessaro or Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes.
Amazing book, so clever how it was written. I literally didn't want to put it down! Would highly recommend it. So heart felt and funny too in places.
I have to admit that when I first saw the cover of this novel I thought that it would be a corny kind of story. I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE WRONG! This novel is an amazing story of life and tragedy with twists and turns everywhere. It was an absolute page turner and I loved it!!!
I read this book while on holiday this year and I could not put it down. I found it addictive to keep reading to find the answers. Loved it.
Jan 21, 2010
Sylbeattie
added it
Heat Magazine's review on the front of this book says'Life-affirming and uplifting...perfect', and, for once, I agree. The story takes you on an emotional journey as Melody recovers the memories she lost after being in fire as a child of nine. A mix of child memories and present day action really involve you and make you live Melody's history as she reclaims it. I read it from cover to cover in one day and felt cheated there was no more when I had finished it.
Feb 12, 2016
Val Bayhon
rated it
it was amazing
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I wish I had more time right now to elaborate but let's just say this book exceeded my expectations and is one of the best books I've read in a very long time. It's a genuine intruiging novel that grabs you and doesn't let go. I had planned to just read the first few chapters but was unable to close it until three hours later, after turning the final page. It made me tear up on more occassion that one too - a truly gripping novel.
This book is about a girl called Melody Browne. When she was nine years old, her house burned down, taking every object in the house. It didn't only take down the house, but it took Melody's memories as well. She cannot remember a single thing before her ninth birthday. One day, after being asked out on a date, she and her "boyfriend", Ben, went to see a show. There, Melody had fainted and when she came back around, she had little snippets of her life before she was 9. She explored her memories
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Absolutely loved this book. Lisa Jewell at her best. The writing is very fluid and entertaining. The story is lovely and credible. Melody Browne is a middle-aged urban heroin who finds in her long lost forgotten past a new found credibility in her unfulfilled potential. Just adorable.
Well, I managed to finish it, by the will of "I've got almost all the way through it!" It was so terribly boring, and even though it was, I thought it was going somewhere at one point and it just.. didn't. It had a little potential but I wouldn't recommend it. Sorry!
Slabé 3*, veľmi slabé… Dlho som rozmýšľala nad 2*, ale nerada dávam zlé hodnotenie knihám, tak som sa nakoniec zľutovala… Nepáčil sa mi štýl knihy, všetko bolo písané moc s nadhľadom, ako keby sa nič nedialo, nikoho to nezaujímalo… A nakoniec to ani mňa nezaujalo… A čo bolo najhoršie všetko o minulosti hlavnej postavy - Melody sme sa dozvedeli dlho pred ňou… Nebolo to zaujímavé pátranie, odhaľovanie minulosti kúsok po kúsku… Proste nám autorka pekne polopate napísala, čo sa stalo, a potom po asi
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Light fiction and easy reading, but Lisa Jewell just has a knack of writing books that have such likeable characters and twisty interesting storylines that you don't want to put them down.
The only issues I had were these: I would be very doubtful that Penny was educationally subnormal as they used to say (very un-PC term) as her language reasoning and replies just do not ring true. It just stuck out as not quite right
The other thing that was a little unclear until the end was that I thought Melo ...more
The only issues I had were these: I would be very doubtful that Penny was educationally subnormal as they used to say (very un-PC term) as her language reasoning and replies just do not ring true. It just stuck out as not quite right
The other thing that was a little unclear until the end was that I thought Melo ...more
I have read all of Lisa Jewells books and to be honest, although I have enjoyed all of them I had no expectations for this one. I have recently been "let down" by books I have looked forward to so just brought this one and hoped for the best. I was NOT dissapointed. It was an unusual story about Melody who had lost her memory from when she was a little girl. Now in her thirties with her own teenage son her life has the strangest turnaround and she starts to discover all the secrets of her forgot
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I absolutely loved this book. I read it in 2 days. Quite upsetting in some bits and I really felt for the small child Melody. Not sure if she got it right with the child's age I know when my kids were 5 years old I don't think they would have been so good at working stuff out. However this could have been because of the situations she found herself in.
I'm a real fan of Lisa Jewell but always have to read something a bit lighter after reading her books as they are sometimes a bit upsetting.
This ...more
I'm a real fan of Lisa Jewell but always have to read something a bit lighter after reading her books as they are sometimes a bit upsetting.
This ...more
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Lisa Jewell (born 19th July 1968, Middlesex, London) is a popular British author of chick lit fiction. Her books include Ralph's Party, Thirtynothing and most recently 31 Dream Street. She lives in Swiss Cottage, London with her husband Jascha and daughters Amelie Mae (born 2003) and Evie Scarlett (born 2007).
Lisa's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/LisaJewelloff...
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“She felt like a creature born to reside on the bottom of the ocean floor, dark and flat and half-blind, slowly rising through the icy water to the glittering light above.”
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