The Rain Before It Falls (Hardcover)

from gidders

The beautifully told story of a family blighted by destructive relationships, principally between mothers and daughters. Sentimental, though in my opinion never crossing the line in to maudelin, the story is told through a series of twenty photographs. In this it is reminisent of Beryl Bainbridge...

from hoot

I needed a day to process this book after finishing it. This is hands down, one of the most well-written novels I have read in a long time. The character depth is astounding! I felt as though I knew these people, that their story could have been in my family. Jonathan Coe's highly acclaimed "The ...

from michaeldwebb

Wow! I really, really loved this book. I read this in the same week as Anne Enright's The Gathering, and my reaction between to the two couldn't have been more different - by the end of this book (which I read really quickly) I was a wreck, deeply moved, whereas The Gatherling just did nothing fo...

from rolyat

how the author, a man, can write so well in a woman's voice is beyond me. the story unfolds as the main character takes us thru the years of her life by describing 20 photos. an excellent read!!!!!

from jayne_charles

A welcome return to form for Jonathan Coe - I thought the Rotters Club was a bit of a turkey, and avoided its sequel. A lot more conventional than a lot of his other work, this is a look back through the history of a family, and the effects of bad parenting down the generations. Rare, too, for su...