Search This Blog
April Reviews Link-Up
May Reviews Link-Up
June Reviews Link-Up
July Reviews Link-Up
August Reviews Link-Up
September Reviews Link-Up
October Reviews Link-Up
November Reviews Link-Up
December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (7)
- France (1)
- Indonesia (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Italy (1)
- Scotland (2)
- The Netherlands (1)
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Friday, May 09, 2014
Coincidence or Fate? East African Author Lets You Decide
7:52 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Coincidence, a novel by J.W. Ironmonger, an author who was born and raised in East Africa, tells one of those stories that's too difficult for me to describe on my own. Luckily, a more skilled plot summary-er has already done the work for me:
On Midsummer's Day, 1982, three-year-old Azalea Ives is found alone at a seaside fairground. One year later, her mother's body washes up on a beach—her link to Azalea unnoticed. On Midsummer's Day, 1992, her adoptive parents are killed in a Ugandan rebel uprising; Azalea is narrowly rescued by a figure from her past. Terrified that she, too, will meet her fate on Midsummer's Day, Azalea approaches Thomas Post, an expert in debunking coincidences. Azalea's past, he insists, is random—but as Midsummer's Day approaches, he worries that she may bring fate upon herself.
Intriguing, no? I thought so. The book's unique premise made me snatch it up right away. Although I think I was expecting more of a thriller than a literary novel, I still found Coincidence both interesting and satisfying. With most of the action taking place during the scenes set in Africa, the story does gets slow at times, especially when narrated by Thomas. Still, his ruminations on coincidence are fascinating. While the novel's probably worth reading just for Ironmonger's vivid portrayal of the rugged beauty and senseless brutality that defines Uganda, it's also different, absorbing and, overall, enjoyable.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for strong language, violence, and sexual content
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Coincidence from the generous folks at Harper Collins. Thank you!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Reading
Listening
Followin' with Bloglovin'
-
-
-
The Lady of Larkspur Vale6 hours ago
-
Need a laugh?7 hours ago
-
-
Long Time Dead by T M Payne8 hours ago
-
First Lines Fridays: April 26, 202410 hours ago
-
Daily Prompt 25 April Thursday12 hours ago
-
-
A Heart Full of Headstones - Ian Rankin17 hours ago
-
-
-
-
City Girls1 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
Final Cut by Marjorie McCown2 days ago
-
-
-
-
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth3 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Sunday Post6 days ago
-
Reading as a retreat from reality1 week ago
-
Reading Recap March 20242 weeks ago
-
-
March Monthly Wrap-up3 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?6 months ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra10 months ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ▼ 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
0 bookworm(s) said...:
Post a Comment
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!