All the Little Hopes (June 2022) Buddy Read Discussion - Melanie & Rosina

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Welcome to the All the Little Hopes Buddy Read Discussion thread! This thread officially opens on June 4th and anyone can join at any time. Please keep in mind that spoilers are allowed in this thread but only up to the group's current reading place. Do not spoil the book if you've read further than the group. Any extra days can be used to catch up!

Each day we will be reading by chapters or page numbers. Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on Goodreads. The suggested Buddy Read discussion schedule is as follows:

Week of 06/01
June 4: Chapters 1-22
June 5: Chapters 23-41
June 6: Chapters 42-59
June 7: Catchup

Week of 06/06
June 6: Chapters 42-59
June 7: Catchup

PARTICIPANTS
~ Melanie
~ Rosina

[Rosina]

Melanie
I havent got my copy from the library yet....it was shipped 11 days ago....

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

When the book arrives just let me know to correct the dates.

[Rosina]

mina wrote: "When the book arrives just let me know to correct the dates."

Thanks mina ...im hopeful it will be here in 3 days...

[Rosina]

I got notification that my library copy arrived so will be good to start on June 4th.

[Melanie]

I’ve read this author before and really enjoyed her. And, I have a friend who gave this title 5-stars, so I’m super hopeful this will be a great read.

[Rosina]

The copy I got from the library is a paperback. Ever since i had my eye surgery last year I have relied on ebooks and audio for my reading. When I read physical books my eyes get tired much faster. I will do my best to keep up.

i have only read Chapter 1 this morning and I already love this story and Lucy. When I was young I was much like Lucy I devoured Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Agatha Christie books. I too lived on a farm and would find a place to nestle down to read and avoid doing my chores.

i can tell already that I will need to find more books this author has written. Great choice thanks for picking this one.

[Melanie]

Oh no. Eye surgery. That sounds rough. Just take it at your own pace. My copy is due in four days so I’ve got to move along before it goes back. The nice thing about e-books is there are never any late fees, the bad thing is you can be right in the midst of trying to hurry and finish and there is absolutely nothing you can do to keep it from disappearing when it’s due.

[Rosina]

For the eye surgery I was off work I had a very agressive cataracts and had both lenses replaced. I no longer need glasses which I am happy about but my eyes get tired after working on a compputer 8 hrs/day....

Some people have told me that if you turn your ebook to flight mode or turn the wifi off you can still keep reading the book even if the library takes it back....Ive never tried it myself...

[Rosina]

I didnt get a chance to read this weekend. I have had a headache and just cant shake it. I will be reading this but not as fast.....So far enjoying and cant wait to get back to reading it.

[Melanie]

I just finished the second day of reading -- and will likely finish up tonight on schedule because I've gotten to the part of the book where I've got too much momentum to slow down. A couple of thoughts I can share without any spoilers.

First, I love reading books set in North Carolina. I'm from coastal Virginia and spent summers in North Carolina and I think it is my favorite place in the world. So this book had me at hello, even though it is set a bit more inland than my old stomping ground, and a bit more rural. I can still recognize the hearts of the people I'm reading about. It's their open hearts and striving I recognize and I loved them from the first pages.

Second, I didn't know there was a German POW camp in Elizabeth City during World War II. I knew that there was a coast guard station on the Outer Banks and that they kept a keen eye looking out for German U-boats, and that there were even a few incidents during the war, but I had no idea Elizabeth City had a POW camp. So that was news to me.

Third, Whenever I read books that have characters that come of age but were written by older authors, I can't help it -- I evaluate how well they handle that element of the book. For one, I can't really remember that period of my life and I'm always struck when people can. And two, sometimes I think coming-of-age stories get overly romanticized and then it rings kind of inauthentic to me. This writer is masterful. I mean masterful. I am really impressed. From the anticipation and excitement to the absolute groan-out loud moments and little eruptions. I mean it's almost uncomfortable to read it's done so well.

Okay, that's a few thoughts without spoiling any of the plot points, but I can tell you I'm really loving Lucy and Bert. They are going to stick with me for a long time.

[Melanie]

Oh my gosh. So good. Loved it. Let me know after you've had a chance to read it and we can compare notes, but I won't spoil anything for you.

[Rosina]

i got some reading done today. I am starting Chapter. Oh gosh...Loving this book....makes me think of a female tom sawyer story...
(view spoiler)[ So the purple honey...im intrigued what is causing that??
Where has Larry gone? Did he get killed? Trula I cant wait to learn more about her. (hide spoiler)]

Thanks for picking this one to read. I will have to find her other book and read it too..

[Melanie]

I don’t know if you ever read Jan Karin’s Mitford series. There were parts of reading this book that game me strong Mitford feelings, but the ending was just a stunner! Still keeping my mouth tightly shut.

[Rosina]

starting Ch23.....

oh gosh (view spoiler)[that mystery illness and Trula used the purple honey to help cure....wonder what it was? (hide spoiler)]

[Rosina]

Starting Ch39

Oh my goodness lots has been happening.
(view spoiler)[ So the girls play with a WeeJee board and both get told the initials of their first love. Bert - FT Lucy -ARM. Also that Larry is HOME. So Bert finds her FT and that turns out bad. Next day he is missing and then they go back and WeeJee tells them he is HOME as well. So does HOME mean heaven or does it stand for something else....Hmmm...
I am pretty sure that ARM is Ricky Miller and he probably has a first name that starts with A....
The Germans arrive and start work on the farm. I thought maybe the family might know more German words. Too bad Oma was still alive maybe she could help.
Will we find out about Helen hubby? She is so heart broken and still Baby Girl has no formal name but I do like that the Aunt calls her Betty Jean.
Now the girls have had tea with Patricia and the A team. This could spell trouble for Bert...I hope not.... (hide spoiler)]

I am reading chapters between doing housework...Just want to finish today but might not happen as we have company for dinner and cards tonite....

[Rosina]

All right lets discuss..

I cant thank you enough for introducing me to this author. Cant wait to find her other novel. One thing i hope is that she writes a sequel to this book. I want to know what happens as Lucy and Bert get older.

(view spoiler)[ So Tiny Junior is the killer. Didnt see that coming. I was thinking that the men had disappeared or killed but not by the same person. I would have liked to have more back story on Tiny and Flossie.
Were you as surprised as i or did you figure it out? (hide spoiler)]