[Subdue] The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell, 3.5 stars

[NancyJ]

I loved Hamnet, despite a long sad section, so I was looking forward to reading more by this author. The writing is absolutely beautiful, and the story overall is unique, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Usually I like the female characters more than the men, but there were two male characters I'm most likely to continue to think about.

The book is set in London in two time periods, about 50 years apart. They are connected, but you need to wait to learn it. In the first story, Alexandra/Lexie is desperate to leave home, and goes to London hoping for something more exciting. She quickly meets Ennis, who later gives her a job on his arts magazine. The second story involves a young couple who have just given birth to a baby. It was a traumatic delivery and the mother almost died. Both are experiencing memory lapses or periods of disorientation.
The story was interesting overall, but the pacing was off, and there were areas that I really wish were explored more fully. The writing is quite lovely and I might have enjoyed it more if I wasn't distracted by the mystery of the connection. I suspect that all of this author's books need to be read at a leisurely pace.

[Holly R W]

Nancy, this is a book that I've tried to read twice, due to glowing reviews of it here on GR. Each time, I've read a good portion of it, but decided to not continue. I would have liked to have found out how the characters in the book connected.

I was quite interested in your review and your mixed reactions to the book.