Danielle D Female, 29. United Kingdom

The thing that struck me most about this book was the excellent consistency of voice and characterisation to the point where there are no absolutely no surprises because you know the narrator so well you can almost predict his actions and thoughts. That's not to say the book is predictable but that it takes you on a journey through the narrative and plot which makes you feel like you are there, as a character in the book. (Perhaps that's just my imagination going overboard!)

I got through this book very quickly and was never once bored or distracted whilst reading it. The pace is perfect for the plot and although the story covers sensitive and difficult issues, they are worked into the story in a completely appropriate way.

I'd recommend this book to anyone, especially if they are particularly bad at seeing social issues in society from a someone else's perspective!

This book seems to cover so much that it tries a bit hard to please everyone reading it. Childhood, pedophilia, life changing football pools win, relocation, homosexual relationships, 9/11, missing family member, memory loss - you can see what I mean about it trying to cover too much all in one book. Strangely it sort of works though. It was enjoyable and kept me interested but I wouldn't necessarily call it addictively compelling which for me is a sign of a 'brilliant' rather than just a 'good' book.

When I enjoy a book I rave about it, i'm afraid I'd rather not talk too much about this book. Perhaps it's because I generally don't like books with chapters that jump around between different periods i of time and different characters, but I just could not settle with this book.

I took it on holiday with me and I was still reading it weeks after I got back, not because I am slow at reading but because my engagement with it was frustrating. I admit, there were sections (mainly those set in 2008) that I really liked and thought that the writing moved very well, but unfortunately the sections that interweaved with these got me a bit lost.

Ambivalence was the overall feeling I had when I had finally finished this book, readily looking forward to reading something completely different next.

If you liked Submarine, then Wild Abandon will certainly be your next Joe Dunthorne fix. He cleverly weaves a very subtle and open plot between moments of pure descriptive and amusing joy. It seems behaviour and relationships within a commune aren't easy to predict and the novel seems to take you on a journey you would never expect to find yourself on. If you want a light-hearted, amusing read that will allow you to try and get to know some very odd characters, read Wild Abandon. The title suits the overall experience of the book perfectly. Hmm, what to read next...?

Hats off to you sir, Hisham Matar - the language is extremely well crafted, the characters are extremely well formed and the plot leaves you extremely well connected with the incredibly woven themes of love and loss. The pace and size of the book reminds me of the experience of reading 'On Chesil Beach' but this, in my view, surpasses McEwan's novela. There's no doubt that a tremendous amount of thought, effort and time has gone into this book with no sentence left ambiguous, no word out of place and yet one huge question left unanswered - the disappearance. 'The Anatomy of a Disappearance' perfectly describes what is an incredibly powerful insight into what Hisham has personal reasons for communicating through his writing. A powerful and unforgettable read.

I really enjoyed reading Drabble's "The Millstone" so I when I saw that a collection of her short stories was being published I was keen to read it. The stories are perfect for reading too and from work, with a 30 minute commute I could usually finish one in the morning and one in the evening. I loved how they are ordered according to the date they were written, Drabble's consistency throughout her writing career is remarkable. When I got to a story which mentioned "Waterstones" I knew I was reading a more recent one but other than that the stories are timeless.

....but it took me a long time to get through it for some reason. By the end I couldn't wait to finish and start a new book. Nice that it was set in 1958 but read like it was written in the Naughties. Without giving too much away, I constantly felt a bit sorry for the girls that the story followed, the power heels on the front cover are quite reflective of the outward perception they give of themselves but the author very cleverly exposes their incredible sensitivities and insecurities with men. The whole book gave me flashbacks to conversations I had with girls at University who had come straight from all-girls schools!

...and I had to sneakily read it first without creasing the spine!

Whilst I was reading this book, I was looking forward to every tube ride, lunch break and evening free to read a little bit more. It was so intriguing to find out so much about Jules' brutally honest experience of pregnancy and being a Mum, she doesn't hold anything back and by the end of the book you wish that she was one of your friends!

I gave it to a friend of mine who is 6 months pregnant, she took it on holiday and finished it in 2 days! Its one of those books that you want to give to every pregnant friend you know so that they can enjoy it too.Sharing this book and passing it in isn't really an option as it's got some really useful info and recipes for baby and toddler food in the back.

The photography and design is every bit as beautiful as the narrative, well done the Olivers!

I really loved this book and am
now lucky enough to have a signed copy of it on my bookshelf! Considering it was her first novel, I think Dawn did really well at keeping the plot tight and the story moving whilst giving you so much to identify with each of the characters. The dialogue was good, the mother daughter relationship was totally believable and hilarious to read at times. A light-hearted, easy holiday read. You just can't fail to love it.

I usually like Sebastian Faulkes novels, and if you've got a lot of time on your hands to invest in character descriptions then you might like this book. It didn't grip me, infact I got half-way through the book and still didn't really see any plot progression. I really don't like to abandon books but a friend of mine had read it and said 'not much else happens from there on'. I had lots more books on my shelf that I wanted to read so I had to let it go. Sorry Sebastian - I won't give up on you but this one was just a bit too detailed on the character descriptions...a little less conversation and a little more action please!