The One Memory of Flora Banks in Turning Pages by Penguin Books NZ

Jan 22, 2017 Aimee rated it liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, sent-from-publishers, read-in-2017

I received a copy of The One Memory of Flora Banks from Penguin Random House New Zealand to review.

I thought this sounded really interesting when I first read the synopsis. When the book arrived it came with a letter, which is from the book, and it made me want to read it even more. I did enjoy the book but there was one thing that annoyed me. Flora was very repetitive and I get why but reading the same things over and over drove me crazy. I know Flora has amnesia so she has to read notes more I received a copy of The One Memory of Flora Banks from Penguin Random House New Zealand to review.

I thought this sounded really interesting when I first read the synopsis. When the book arrived it came with a letter, which is from the book, and it made me want to read it even more. I did enjoy the book but there was one thing that annoyed me. Flora was very repetitive and I get why but reading the same things over and over drove me crazy. I know Flora has amnesia so she has to read notes more than once. The thing that annoyed me the most was her memory of the kiss and how many times it was brought up. I felt like I read about it 100 times.

If you can get passed that, or if it doesn't annoy you like it did me, the story is pretty good and has some horrible twists. I did think it was a bit immature of Flora to think this guy she kissed was her "Prince Charming" and if she could find him then he'd fix her brain. But then again, her amnesia had something to do with that as well. In her heead she's not always seventeen. I just kept forgetting and that's on me.

And don't get me started on her parents. That's one of the horrible twists to the book. In the letter that was sent from the publisher with the book it has something like 'can I trust mum?' at the bottom of the letter so it had me wanting to know why Flora wouldn't be able to trust her own mother. I can see why her mother feels the way she does but her actions are so horrible I just couldn't like her after that. And her father was just as bad. He may not have agreed with what his wife was doing but he didn't do anything to stop it. Okay, that's all I'm going to say about Flora's parents because they make me so angry and I don't want to spoil anything.

I thought Flora was kind of brave but also a little stupid. Taking off to find this guy she kissed when she knew her memory wasn't exactly the best was so reckless and she could have ended up anywhere. But at the same time, Flora was really smart about how she did it.

As much as Flora's habit of repeating herself annoyed me, I did like The One Memory of Flora Banks. I loved all the twists, some of which I didn't see coming at all, and the ending was really good. I liked that it wasn't a happily ever after but ended with hope. Sometimes I like when stories don't end wrapped in a pretty bow. It feels unrealistic. This ending felt real. ...more

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Jan 14, 2017 chelsea reads rated it it was amazing

i'm honestly so glad i picked up this book. i was a little weary as it sounded like it'd be full of cliches and horrible stereotypes. for the first half of this book, that's exactly what it feels like. it isn't till the second half/near the end where we learn that it's nothing like that at all. i was so worried that flora would be cured of her amnesia because of kissing a guy (which is one big yawn). instead it's emphasised how she's remembering something when she shouldn't be able to. flora goe i'm honestly so glad i picked up this book. i was a little weary as it sounded like it'd be full of cliches and horrible stereotypes. for the first half of this book, that's exactly what it feels like. it isn't till the second half/near the end where we learn that it's nothing like that at all. i was so worried that flora would be cured of her amnesia because of kissing a guy (which is one big yawn). instead it's emphasised how she's remembering something when she shouldn't be able to. flora goes on an adventure and does things that she's previously believed she couldn't do. (it's so hard to not give spoilers here, it's so good and all i want to do is talk about it).

in the end the biggest let down was the slow start. i found it hard to get into. i think this is because flora is mentally still a ten year old and it makes for a rather boring narrator. plus, it's highly repetitive. i found myself skipping large chunks of text as she's just summarising what she knows. in saying this, it's also highly accurate to the illness that flora is coping with, which is why i didn't rate it lower for this. i'm more than happy that she thinks and acts like a ten year old. i thought she'd somehow act like the seventeen year old that she is, but she doesn't. i mean, how can someone act 17 if they have no memories of the past 7 years.

okay then there's the characters. this kinda goes with the stereotypes i mentioned earlier - which were entirely blown to hell and back. flora kissed a guy. that guy is her best friends boyfriend. the guy turns out to be a douche and her friend (although being problematic at first) forgives her and together they shit talk the guy. i love it.

i found the characters so unique and interesting. flora was so impulsive and fun to read. i loved seeing her cope with everything (writing notes, etc) and living her life even with everything that's happened to her. her mum has told her she can't do this or that and she's proved time and time again that she can. no illness can stop her.

i feel so bad for flora's mum. she's gone through so much and has so many psychological issues. yes, she shouldn't treat flora the way she does, but i can see why she did. i'd like to read a story of her mum going through everything and possibly even getting the help she clearly needs. i completely disagree with the father and wish he'd done something sooner to help flora instead of pretending it was for the best.

anyway, i really liked the ending. it definitely wasn't what i was expecting. i got really sad over the turn of events and honestly want nothing but the best for flora. it was so well written. everyone has their issues and their ways of coping with it. i'm glad that this was explored throughout the book. i would really love to know what happens next in flora's life and how far she goes. (although i think this is a standalone).

i definitely recommend this book to everyone. i think it's a phenomenal read (and also helped me out of a slump, which is great). emily barr did a good job writing this as it felt really realistic. ...more

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Mar 25, 2019 Shar rated it it was amazing

The One Memory of Flora Banks was a book I was not expecting to enjoy as much as I did. It left my heart feeling so full of life as I witnessed the adventure of the beautiful Flora. She was a character whom inspired me beyond measure and I the writing made me feel like I was in her head. Some say that it was quite repetitive but I really loved that aspect, It brought a sense of reality to the novel and showed the audience that this it was like to suffer with this disability. This story brought a ...more

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