The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox in Around the World in 80 Books

Aug 26, 2011 Laura rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hf, x13-wishes, fis-list, download-library, ashley-s-list, a-lucky-one, library

Man, I love to read. Opening a book by an author you've never read is like having a plane ticket to an unknown destination. You don't know where you're going, or exactly when you'll arrive. You just have to trust the pilot to get you there in one piece, hopefully with a smile on your face. Maggie O'Farrell doesn't disappoint, let me just tell you.

I don't think I'd have ever added this book if I paid lots of attention to the title or the cover. Both make me think of a frilly-froo-froo type read a Man, I love to read. Opening a book by an author you've never read is like having a plane ticket to an unknown destination. You don't know where you're going, or exactly when you'll arrive. You just have to trust the pilot to get you there in one piece, hopefully with a smile on your face. Maggie O'Farrell doesn't disappoint, let me just tell you.

I don't think I'd have ever added this book if I paid lots of attention to the title or the cover. Both make me think of a frilly-froo-froo type read about women who love to shop and/or care about fashion. Which is pretty much the UN-me. Quoting now from page one, so this is no spoiler:

Let us begin with two girls at a dance. ... Or perhaps not. Perhaps it begins earlier, before the party, before they dressed in their new finery, before the candles were lit, before the sand was sprinkled on the boards, before the year whose end they are celebrating began. Who knows? Either way it ends at a grille covering a window with each square exactly two thumbnails wide.

I hope the author or publisher reads this review. For the love of God, please, please release another edition of this book with a new cover: a close-up of that window with an eye pressed to it, peering out. Just an eye. In the corner. And watch the sales skyrocket. The cover of the book I read, which is a girl looking down at her fancy blue dress barely tiptoes around the fringes of what the book is about. You want to draw a reader who will appreciate this book? Change the cover, and boom.

In this book, you will float through the minds of several people. Two of them can be quite disjointed in their thoughts. She puts you right there. You will experience everything. This isn't exactly an easy read. It's a fast read, but you can't help but cringe at times as the horribleness begins to unfold. Still, it's hard to put down. You'll skip from past to present, and from one character to the next, without any chapter breaks at all. She simply skips a few lines and presents you with another scene. Loved the audio performance too, by Anne Flosnik.

Highly recommended. Let me know what you think of this one. This would be a great book for a group discussion.

ETA: Be careful you don't read too many reviews prior to the book. The less you know, the better. I really just wanted to try and convince people to look beyond the horrid cover and title. ...more

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Apr 02, 2010 Daisy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: india, sisters-twins, scotland, asylum, aroundtheworld2018

I love the name Esme.

On p. 47 of this, I realized I love this story. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

She doesn't like second-had clothes. She told Iris this once. What if someone died in them, she said. So what if they did, Iris replied.

--what I call a button.

Well, I fell for this.
But why is the dress on the cover blue when a red dress is in the story? ...more

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Sep 28, 2018 Chantal rated it it was amazing

Though its hard to believe, in the not too distant past women could be placed in insane asylums by their husbands or families if they refused to conform to norms.

Women could be sent to psychiatric institutes indefinitely if a family member said a woman was not behaving as she should.

The novel begins by Iris learning she has a great Aunt she never knew about, Esme, who has been in a mental institution for sixty years.

Since Cauldstone is closing, the institution looks to Esme's nearest relative ...more

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Oct 20, 2013 Ellen Librarian rated it liked it

There's a lot to like in this book. Esme, a woman who has just been released from a mental institution after 60 years, is a great and unforgettable character. Even though I guessed some of the plot twists before they were revealed, there were many times I didn't want to put the book down.

I actually listened to this book and I highly recommend the narrator.

That said, I found the ending rather unsatisfying and jolting. Same thing with the young protagonist's relationship with her step-brother. I j ...more

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Jan 23, 2014 Rachel N. rated it really liked it

Iris Lockhart discovers she has a great aunt, esme, who has been locked up in a psychiatric hospital for over 60 years. Iri's grandmother Kitty never mentioned her sister. Now that the hospital is closing Iris has to decide what to do with esme. The story alternates between the present and Kitty and esme's memories of the past. I found the story very interesting. I've read that a lot of people were shocked by the ending. I saw the ending coming for quite awhile but dislike the open ended nature ...more

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