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Book Review of Paula Spencer

Paula Spencer
Paula Spencer
Author: Roddy Doyle
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Hardcover
reviewed on + 636 more book reviews


It was certainly a fast read. Still there were a few things about it that bothered me. First of all, it didn't seem to be the type of sequel that was meant to be read immediately after its predecessor - mostly in the disconnect between how _The Woman Who Walked Into Doors_ was written in first-person, whereas this was written in third-person. I'm not quite sure about the reasoning behind that difference... and also, it did quite a bit of summarizing the first book - and many of those shocking images were repeated here. Not verbatim, but close. And, my own personal pet peeve - no chapters!! Which was surprising how this was much more of a novel than _The Woman Who Walked Into Doors_ - time passed in a linear fashion. And while there were answers to some of the loose ends of the first book (her older son's future is answered), in regards to her relationship with her children, this one felt more unfinished in a way. I suppose because the reconciliations that the book seemed to be leading up to never quite happened. And maybe that makes it more realistic, but it was still a bit of a disappointment. I guess the first one was just more of a piece of art to me, and this one was just a novel, if that makes any sense at all. Mostly, I was angry at the dust jacket for giving away information that didn't happen until the end of the book.
Now, all of that's not to say that I didn't like the book - quite the contrary, I did enjoy it, just not as much as TWWWID. And I am looking forward to continuing to read his work.