From the Bookshelf of AfterEllen.com Book Club…

Landing

Emma Donoghue

Finish date: November 30, 2013

Discussion: November 2013

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 3 topics — 10 comments total

November 2013

Landing.
By Jill · 8 posts · 92 views

last updated Nov 23, 2013 10:30AM

Bottle Rocket Hearts.
By Jill · 1 post · 43 views

last updated Nov 02, 2013 04:17PM

What Members Thought

Mar 16, 2009 Helen Corcoran rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, lgbt, 2008

Emma Donoghue is a writer I happened to stumble across a few years ago when I noticed Life Mask on a shelf. I liked the cover, liked the blurb even more, so I went off and bought it. I loved it: it was a type of historical that I hadn't found for years, based on real historical people that read smoothly and easily.

So I was, nevertheless, very happy to finally get my hands on this, and I immediately started to tear through it. Donoghue is a very good writer; she takes you by a firm grip and hauls Emma Donoghue is a writer I happened to stumble across a few years ago when I noticed Life Mask on a shelf. I liked the cover, liked the blurb even more, so I went off and bought it. I loved it: it was a type of historical that I hadn't found for years, based on real historical people that read smoothly and easily.

So I was, nevertheless, very happy to finally get my hands on this, and I immediately started to tear through it. Donoghue is a very good writer; she takes you by a firm grip and hauls you into the story so you find yourself rooting for the characters before you realise what's happening. That happened to me in Life Mask and it happened to me here too: I finished the book in two days, which hasn't happened to me for a while.

Overall, I loved the book. I zoomed through it. Donoghue hasn't lost her touch at all. So this makes it even harder for me to say what's coming next: the conflict sucked.

All of sudden, the characters couldn't be together! For absolutely no reason I could fathom! And this went back and forth, back and forth. An ex made a troubled reappearance that was never resolved. Actually, there were several plot threads that were left hanging, mostly involving secondary characters, which irked me no end. I know it's how it goes in real life, but fiction is not real-life, and I like my plot threads resolved, thank you. There was also meaningless conflict thrown in literally in the last four pages that had me boggling and going, "Wait, what?" right at the end, and so I didn't really enjoy the ending at all. I think possibly the book should have been longer, so even if the conflict had remained, it could have been fleshed out and made work a bit better.

So, overall, I enjoyed the book. Donoghue's earlier work is letting me forgive a lot of this book's faults, and the simple fact that I've seen her write a lot better than this. But the fact that the conflict just doesn't ring true left a sour taste in my mouth, especially since I'd both been looking forward to this and paid a lot more for a hardback than I normally do. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 12, 2010 Elaine Burnes rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lesbian

I liked it a lot even though it was all quite new and different for me--young Canadian woman meets older Indian-Irish flight attendant (in most unusual circumstances) and they develop a long-distance relationship. At moments it seemed like the obstacles were enormous and just when you think they've got it settled, ye old government regulations block seemingly any hope. Then simple emotion enters. While fairly early on I felt I knew how it might end, I had no idea how she'd actually get there. An ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 04, 2013 Ali rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: guilty, abandoned

Ugh, I couldn't even finish this one. I got about half way through, and I was so bored and uninterested that I couldn't read another word. The characters have zero chemistry, and it's just too painfully contrived. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 15, 2013 Amy (folkpants) rated it liked it

Starts off as a nice, cute romantic relationship. However the chemistry does not last and I found myself, by the end, not caring if the couple ends up together or not.

1 like · Like · see review