does it get better at the end?

[[deleted user]]

i hardly ever dont finish a book but this was one of the few. the pace just slowed down soo much. should i make an effort to pick it back up again?

[Camille]

The story is almost like two books. The first part at the school has a different feel altogether from the end of the book which covers the war years in England. There is a little sense of rushing to tie up the loose ends but I liked the humor through out. It was an enjoyable cozy that fit the gray days of January very well.

[[deleted user]]

I loved the first two thirds of the book, but the ending is jarring and doesn't feel like it belongs to the same story. I've noticed that with a couple of Eva Ibbotson's books, she lulls you into a happy place and then yanks you out of it with the ending.

[Camille]

I agree with Emily about the ending of the story.

[Miss]

I have to say that just before the end was heart-wrenching but it does end (through sorrow) on a happy note. You know Ibbotson always gets her lovers happily married by the end.

[Themaruaders]

deleted user wrote: "i hardly ever dont finish a book but this was one of the few. the pace just slowed down soo much. should i make an effort to pick it back up again?"

i finished this a year ago, i was slow but the ending was good

[Katerina]

The whole thing was great. I love Eva Ibbotson's romances

[Gerrie]

deleted user wrote: "i hardly ever dont finish a book but this was one of the few. the pace just slowed down soo much. should i make an effort to pick it back up again?"

I really love Eva Ibbotson, and have read all her romances as well as her three wonderful young adult books. Song for Summer is among my favorites. However, the one problem I have with her - and the only problem - is that her endings sometimes seem to be too abrupt, although that was not the case here. However, I still think that even with abrupt endings in some of her books, she was a wonderful story teller, who created rich characters with great depth and personality. And I love her charming, whimsical secondary characters, who are also fully realized.

I would encourage you to pick up the book again. I love Ellen and Marek's story (as well as the delightful supporting cast) from the golden days in Austria to the darker days of World War II England.