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The House We Grew Up In 9781846059247 Books

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The House We Grew Up In 9781846059247 Books

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

My Review: The Bird family lives in a quaint old house nicknamed The Bird House in the Cotswolds where the childhoods of the four Bird children - Megan, Bethan and twins Rory and Rhys - are filled with their annual Easter egg hunts and other childhood memories lead by their eccentric mother Lorelei. Life is good for the Birds until one fateful day when one instance shatters their idyllic family life and sends them all into a tailspin, each dealing with the devastation in their own way. Sounds awesome, right?

I adore great character development in a book and The House We Grew Up In was one of the best characterizations of a family in turmoil that I've read in a long time. The story is told from the viewpoints of Megan, Bethan and their mother Loralei and jumps back and forth to different time frames in the family's life. The members of this family are believably flawed, make poor decisions and their dysfunction quickly begins to show.

One would think that this focus on their daily lives would get dull quickly but I was absolutely absorbed in the Bird family. Getting into their inner thoughts helped me to become emotional about their plight. I experienced feelings of sadness to utter frustration and anger, to incredulity and finally understanding and even sympathy.

When Lorelei's issue was first brought up (I don't want to give it away so I'll keep it vague) I wasn't sure where the author was going with it. As her behaviour worsened it was very frustrating for me (as well as pragmatic Meg who really connected with) but, at the same time, the author slowly reveals why Lorelei has changed so drastically since her family was torn apart. It's during this revelation that I began to have a better understanding and even sympathy for the way Lorelei dealt with her pain as well as sympathy for her loved ones who tried desperately to understand and deal with her.

This book admittedly has a lot going on. From describing how people deal with grief in different ways, looking at mental illness, death and relationship issues between spouses, parents, children and siblings. It's a veritable melee of relationships and emotion. But it works and never felt soap opera-ish to me.

This was a wonderful family drama that Jewell tells with insight and sensitivity. It was absorbing and was hard to put down for any length of time. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Other books I have reviewed by Lisa Jewell: Before I Met You


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The House We Grew Up In 9781846059247 Books Reviews

I did not want to put this book down. I would read until the wee hours of the morning. The story had my attention - but I was tired, so I forced myself to put it aside. I didn't want to finish it with only half my brain working. The sacrifice was worth it; finding out how the Bird family becomes so fractured was compelling.

The story is told through a series of flashbacks and from different family members point of view, in third person. Despite this, the story was not confusing at all.

Jewell did a masterful job of creating sympathy for each of the characters - flaws (and oh, they have them) and all.
This was one of the best books that I have read this year. Beautifully written, it introduces the reader to the Bird family who live in a picturesque village in the Cotswalds in a charming house. The slightly eccentric Lorelei lives there with her husband, Colin, with their four children. They appear to lead an almost idyllic existence, happy in each others company. They even have an ongoing family tradition annual Easter egg hunts. They seem to be an almost enviable family, until one day something happens that will change each of their lives profoundly.

How their lives change and what happens to them and why is revealed slowly and inexorably.The author expertly and delicately peels the layers back for the reader, advancing the heartbreaking family drama that unfolds. Central to it all is Lorelei, whose life goes so out of control that she is unable to help her husband or her children, much less herself. This book is a sensitive look at why people end up as they are. Sometimes, they end up as collateral damage, when their mother finds herself unable to cope with the unkindest cut of all.

This is a a sensitively drawn portrait of a family in so much pain, it goes off the rails. It is about how its individual members find ways of coping with that pain, even if they do not fully understand how or why they got to that point in the first place. The author brilliantly brings it all to a head in the final denouement that makes the reasons for all that happened to this family come together in one moment of startling clarity. Bravo!
My streak of reading really good books lately continues with this one. I took a chance when this was on sale awhile back since the story sounded intriguing and the cover art drew me in. The story revolves around the Bird family who inhabits a comfortable home in the Cotswolds. The mother, Lorelei, is full of a youthful exuberance that seems to be more childish than childlike at times. The four children are raised in this "perfect" family, but the cracks in the foundation are felt even when not yet seen. Told in the present day when the family is coming together to bury Lorelei, there are flashbacks to events over the years along with emails Lorelei has been exchanging with a friend she met online which give a glimpse into her final weeks.

There is a feeling of tension and suspense as the reader tries to piece together what has transpired to change this family from a close-knit one to a family geographically scattered and emotionally estranged.

A great read that is hard to put down once started. Subject matter of hoarding is explored with sensitivity and a lack of sensationalism that I very much appreciated. Loved it from beginning to end.
My Rating 4.5/5 stars

My Review The Bird family lives in a quaint old house nicknamed The Bird House in the Cotswolds where the childhoods of the four Bird children - Megan, Bethan and twins Rory and Rhys - are filled with their annual Easter egg hunts and other childhood memories lead by their eccentric mother Lorelei. Life is good for the Birds until one fateful day when one instance shatters their idyllic family life and sends them all into a tailspin, each dealing with the devastation in their own way. Sounds awesome, right?

I adore great character development in a book and The House We Grew Up In was one of the best characterizations of a family in turmoil that I've read in a long time. The story is told from the viewpoints of Megan, Bethan and their mother Loralei and jumps back and forth to different time frames in the family's life. The members of this family are believably flawed, make poor decisions and their dysfunction quickly begins to show.

One would think that this focus on their daily lives would get dull quickly but I was absolutely absorbed in the Bird family. Getting into their inner thoughts helped me to become emotional about their plight. I experienced feelings of sadness to utter frustration and anger, to incredulity and finally understanding and even sympathy.

When Lorelei's issue was first brought up (I don't want to give it away so I'll keep it vague) I wasn't sure where the author was going with it. As her behaviour worsened it was very frustrating for me (as well as pragmatic Meg who really connected with) but, at the same time, the author slowly reveals why Lorelei has changed so drastically since her family was torn apart. It's during this revelation that I began to have a better understanding and even sympathy for the way Lorelei dealt with her pain as well as sympathy for her loved ones who tried desperately to understand and deal with her.

This book admittedly has a lot going on. From describing how people deal with grief in different ways, looking at mental illness, death and relationship issues between spouses, parents, children and siblings. It's a veritable melee of relationships and emotion. But it works and never felt soap opera-ish to me.

This was a wonderful family drama that Jewell tells with insight and sensitivity. It was absorbing and was hard to put down for any length of time. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer My sincere thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Other books I have reviewed by Lisa Jewell Before I Met You