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Liked It “this has been a fast read...discovering the mystery behind the photograph was intriguing in itself... |
Didn’t Like It “The construct was too forced - getting to know Kath through those who loved her, well or poorly. I did however really enjoy all the Britishisms, it made me feel back at home.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“Rather haunting.”
Roberta B wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Your wife meant the world to you. You've struggled to get on with your life after her sudden, unexpected passing. In your struggle to move forward, you discover a photograph of her...a photo of her and a man who looks vaguely familiar to you, hands intertwined and hidden, as lovers do. Now imagine, as you delve deep into the meaning of the photo, that you discover everyone you know was in on the relationship but you.
Rockville Library Quick Picks wrote this review Wednesday, September 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
What would you do?
The Photograph is a lyrical, haunting, quick read from Penelope Lively that will have you thinking twice about your actions and who may be watching you!”
“A widower is driven to obsession when he finds an incriminating photo of his wife during their marriage--while Lively has us believe the wife is the shallow, empty character, in reality, it is those around her who are clueless.”
SweetSerenity wrote this review Monday, September 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“this has been a fast read...discovering the mystery behind the photograph was intriguing in itself...
mona17 wrote this review Monday, June 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
kath's life unraveled at the same time glyn and elaine are both coping with the hurt caused by the photograph...in the end, ironically, it appeared that glyn and elaine caused much more pain to kath's life...mary packard enlightened everyone to the mystery of kath's suffering...”
“Very well-written. A deep understanding of human relationships.”
dids wrote this review Thursday, May 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“The construct was too forced - getting to know Kath through those who loved her, well or poorly. I did however really enjoy all the Britishisms, it made me feel back at home. ”
Lauren wrote this review Wednesday, April 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“BORING. I could not care for any of the characters, all so incredibly self centered, except for this weird fixation on one person, Kath. The book revolves around Kath's influence in each of these people's lives, and how, even after death she continues to have a hold on them. Mary, Kath's friend, was the only one to seem to have any personality of her own, and care for Kath in a non superficial way, and she didn't even show up until the 2nd to the last chapter! UH!”
Becky S wrote this review Tuesday, February 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Although well written, the plot was a bit slow. The characters, I thought, had overly-exaggerated reactions to a discovered photo, which led to bizarre behavior. Kind of a "stalking of a ghost" story.”
Marilyn L wrote this review Thursday, February 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I agree with a lot of the other reviewers. I didn't care about any of the characters and the story itself was predictable and even at the end did not reveal anything exciting. Good thing I borrowed it from the Library before buying it...”
Cassandra C. wrote this review Tuesday, February 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The Photograph is found by Glyn Peters one day while clearing out a closet in his home. The photo shows is wife Kath, who it seems has met with some kind of tragedy. In the photo Kath is surreptitiously holding hands with her brother in law Nick, who is married to her older sister Elaine. This sets Glyn on a mission to discover if Kath and Nick had an affair, if so who knew about it and was his entire marriage a sham?
Ladyslott wrote this review Friday, November 14 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I have to say I am pretty ambivalent about this book. The story of Kath is revealed little by little through the eyes of Glyn, Elaine, Nick, their daughter Polly and Nick’s former business partner Oliver. They each remember Kath as being extraordinarily pretty, vivacious and outgoing. Apparently nobody ever saw the darker side of Kath.
While the premise of this book is very good- how a photograph can change lives – almost in an instant. The main problem is every one of the characters isn’t anyone I would care to know and it is hard to like a book with such unappealing people. Elaine is a cold fish, Nick has major Peter Pan issues and Polly was completely self absorbed. I did kind of like Oliver but he seemed rather peripheral to the storyline. The biggest problem of all is that I really didn’t care that much for Kath, a person who didn’t seem to do anything with her life, falling back on her beauty to make it through. She didn’t really work, didn’t have any overriding interests, floating through life and for some reason we are supposed to feel sorry for her. I found the premise of a beautiful woman who no one understands a bit trite. The big secret that Kath was keeping wasn’t that astonishing, nor was the big reveal about “that day” that is referred to throughout the book. I found the ending anti-climatic and the wrap up of Elaine and Nick’s storyline unbelievable given the circumstances. Good writing doesn’t always make for a good book.
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