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A different, emotionally beautiful and rewarding debut about love, hope, and all the strange little things that come together to make up a family. Augusta and Parfait, born on different continents into different worlds, both want to leave everything behind but does that ever solve anything? What a first sentence! Those few words stayed with me throughout the entire book, sitting, waiting, every now and then tapping me on the shoulder to say hello. I so love how this story unfolds, two separate tales, are they on a collision course or destined to remain forever apart? Joanna Glen has set intricate strands from the past coiling and twisting together through to the present to create a feeling of tension and mystery. While undeniably and wonderfully quirky, there is a real sense of warmth here, even when your heart may feel as though it is about to crack in two. As I read I found myself filling up with love for The Other Half of Augusta Hope. It has been chosen as a Debut of the Month and a LoveReading Star Book too, as it really is that gorgeous!
Explore our '80+ Books That Deliver a Hug' listicle for more feel-good or uplifting books.
Augusta Hope has never felt like she fits in.
At six, she's memorising the dictionary. At seven, she's correcting her teachers. At eight, she spins the globe and picks her favourite country on the sound of its name: Burundi.
And now that she's an adult, Augusta has no interest in the goings-on of the small town where she lives with her parents and her beloved twin sister, Julia.
When an unspeakable tragedy upends everything in Augusta's life, she's propelled headfirst into the unknown. She's determined to find where she belongs - but what if her true home, and heart, are half a world away?
In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion some of our Reader Review Panel were also lucky enough to read and review this title. You can click here to read the full reviews.
Two very different, engaging characters from thousands of miles apart and extremely different backgrounds. How and why are their absorbing life stories so inextricably linked? This enjoyable tale will introduce on a roller-coaster of emotions through a range many carefully observed life observations. It will draw a reader in and keep them focused, hoping that certain decisions will be made. This book would make a great holiday addition. Full review
An enjoyable story with fascinating characters. Full review
A book full of emotions that will leave you looking at the world and loved ones in a slightly different way! Full review
'I found it both a mesmerisingly beautiful portrait of a young woman discovering what home means to her, and a poignant depiction of how our actions can touch other people's lives in ways we could never have anticipated. Augusta and Parfait are wonderful characters; I was willing them on to find the happiness and peace they both deserved' Sarah Haywood, author of The Cactus
'Joanna Glen weaves a uniquely heartening and hopeful story. A story about pain, the solace of words and our search to belong, to a place, to a person. Welcome to the world of the wonderful Augusta Hope' Jess Kidd, author Himself and Things in Jars
'Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read - an extraordinary masterpiece' Anstey Harris, author of The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton
'Absolutely brilliant - quirky, original, funny, moving and wonderfully written. Basically, it's everything I love in a novel' Gavin Extence, author of The Universe Versus Alex Woods
'The most gutsy, endearing and entertaining meditation on the meaning of human existence that you're ever likely to read' Deborah Orr
ISBN: 9780008314194
Publication date: 26/12/2019
Publisher: The Borough Press an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780008314156
Publication date: 13/06/2019
Publisher: The Borough Press an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Hardback
| ISBN: | 9780008314194 |
| Publication date: | 26th December 2019 |
| Author: | Joanna Glen |
| Publisher: | The Borough Press an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 384 pages |
| Genres: | Reader Reviewed Books, Crime / Mystery, Debuts of the Month, Debuts, Family Drama, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Relationship Stories, Star Books, |
| Categories: | Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Adventure, |
Joanna Glen read Spanish at the University of London, with a stint at the Faculty of Arts at Cordoba University in the south of Spain. She went on to teach Spanish and English to all ages, and, latterly, was a school principal in London. Joanna's short fiction has appeared in the Bath Flash Fiction Anthology. She lives with her husband and children on the River Thames in Battersea, returning to Andalusia whenever it gets too grey.
More About Joanna Glen
