4.23

2

Mar 25, 2011

487 pages of pure torture!
What Alice Forgot was not at all what I expected. That should teach me never to read a book that hasn’t been rated by at least one of my trusted friends. You see, I thought this would be a well written, intelligent, heartwarming story about a woman who loses ten years of her life, but finds some other, maybe even more valuable things instead. Obviously, I was very wrong. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t normally mind reading the Aussie version of a Maeve Binchy novel, but I 487 pages of pure torture!
What Alice Forgot was not at all what I expected. That should teach me never to read a book that hasn’t been rated by at least one of my trusted friends. You see, I thought this would be a well written, intelligent, heartwarming story about a woman who loses ten years of her life, but finds some other, maybe even more valuable things instead. Obviously, I was very wrong. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t normally mind reading the Aussie version of a Maeve Binchy novel, but I DID mind reading a boring Aussie version of Tara Road.

In the beginning of What Alice Forgot, Alice is lying on the gym floor (Gym?! What's she doing in a gym? She hates that sort of thing!), surrounded by strange people who are asking all kinds of silly questions. The whole situation is pretty surreal since Alice has no idea how she got there in the first place! However, it takes more than that to upset her these days: she is only 29, she has a new house, an amazing sister who also happens to be her best friend, a baby on the way and a husband who tells her things like: “Don’t be ridiculous, you goose, you know I’m bloody besotted with you.” when she’s feeling insecure. One of them will surely arrive soon to take care of her. Now, if only these people around her would stop acting like they know her! The person they’re talking about can’t be Alice, because Alice is not having her 40th birthday party in a few days, she is not obsessed with exercise, she doesn’t have three children and she most certainly isn’t getting a divorce any time soon! Why would she? She and Nick are so happy together!
Only half an hour later she’s in a hospital, her sister refuses to answer her calls, Nick is yelling at her from Portugal and a strange boy is calling her Mum. She has carelessly misplaced a decade of her life!

Sounds interesting, right? Yes, I thought so, too. Maybe it would have been if Liane Moriarty knew when to stop. 250 pages would have been more than enough for this story, the other 237 were completely unnecessary. I could go into details, but the thought of wasting another minute on this gives me a headache.
I was just checking the other ratings for this book. It has 4.02 average rating so I guess that makes me the odd one out for wanting to give it one star. I only added the other one for those few laughs Moriarty managed to squeeze out of me.

My recommendation: Run for your lives!
...more

5

Jan 23, 2013

I don't give out a lot of 5 stars.

THIS. Was worth it. Spoke to me on several levels. In fact parts were painful to read since it felt like Moriarty was describing my life, and I didn't like what I saw? I think you can describe this as Chick-Lit... which I normally wouldn't be thrilled to read, but dang. I LOVED this book for so many reasons.

I'm 39, I have 3 kids, my husband is in the middle of the crazy part of his career and travels a TON, I can't seem to say no to anything--volunteering at I don't give out a lot of 5 stars.

THIS. Was worth it. Spoke to me on several levels. In fact parts were painful to read since it felt like Moriarty was describing my life, and I didn't like what I saw? I think you can describe this as Chick-Lit... which I normally wouldn't be thrilled to read, but dang. I LOVED this book for so many reasons.

I'm 39, I have 3 kids, my husband is in the middle of the crazy part of his career and travels a TON, I can't seem to say no to anything--volunteering at school, church, scouts you name it. And lately I'm going slightly insane with it all. Yeah... all points are the same for Alice.

I didn't hit my head and forget the last ten years of my life and so far I'm keeping my marriage together but it sure makes ya think twice.

Easily the best takeaway from this book is the way everyone around Alice finds they are seeing their OWN lives in reflection to Alice's memory of them from ten years ago. And they don't much like what they see either. Alice of course isn't very happy about the changes made in her life and through witty remarks and often hilarious mis-discoveries she works out what has happened to her in the past ten years (including 'meeting' her children for the 'first' time!).

Favorite 'scene': When the oldest daughter is in BIG trouble and instead of immediate punishment, they simply spend some time with her and sure enough SHE shares what happened in a much more meaningful way than yelling at her ever would have done. LOVED That.

I sure could have done with less 'F-words'? Seemed a bit egregious, didn't mean to but I stopped counting at 10+ by half way through the book.

Makes ya think? What have I done in the past ten years? What did I want to become? What HAVE I become? And what would I change if I could?

What Alice Forgot, Makes me want to remember to become a better person by the time I'm 49.


This is seriously going to evoke an amazing book club discussion. ...more

4

Jun 01, 2011

Rating Clarification
First half of the book: 2.5 Stars
Second half of the book: Solid 4 Stars
Epilogue: Undeniably 5 Stars

First off, What Alice Forgot is so different from my normally preferred genres. This adult fiction covers a broad array of topics that frankly scare the shiz out of me, including divorce, death, infertility and a complete breakdown of the family unit. If I would have known the heavy topics this book grappled with, I might have called a pass, but in the end I’m glad I gave this Rating Clarification
First half of the book: 2.5 Stars
Second half of the book: Solid 4 Stars
Epilogue: Undeniably 5 Stars

First off, What Alice Forgot is so different from my normally preferred genres. This adult fiction covers a broad array of topics that frankly scare the shiz out of me, including divorce, death, infertility and a complete breakdown of the family unit. If I would have known the heavy topics this book grappled with, I might have called a pass, but in the end I’m glad I gave this Aussie book a chance. Well worth it!

As you can tell from my Rating Clarification, the first part of the book is a bit more difficult to get through IMHO, but once the story hits mid stride, I fell into Alice’s journey and the cadence of the storytelling had me hypnotized. I’m so glad I stuck with this book to the end, because it was definitely a conclusion that left me hopeful and encouraged after the long, challenging journey that Alice went through to get her memory back.

The writing is clever as it covers the events in the third person, but intermittently includes journal entries and letters written by the MC’s sister, Elisabeth, and her adopted grandmother, Frannie, which do a great job of offering a different perspective. One of the book credits state this story is a romantic comedy and at times I asked myself, “Are they serious?” What’s so funny and comedic about Alice’s situation? But then somewhere along the line Alice begins to fall into her own and I relaxed right along with her to eventually realize, it’s all going to be just fine.

About the book: On a typical hectic day for Alice, she wakes up from a head injury to find that she’s lost the last ten years of her memory. The current year is 2008, but the last she can remember is dated back to 1998. In those ten years, she finds her marriage is in the middle of a messy divorce, she’s had three children all with a “unique” style about them, friends she once had have drifted apart and others have died. But most importantly, as she begins to see her older self through a different lens, she realizes, she’s not that happy with who she’s become.

This story is truly a journey of self revelation as it forces you to look at yourself from a different perspective to see who you’ve become and what you’ve chosen to do with your life. It made me ask myself - Would my younger self like what I’ve become today? Do I still take the time to enjoy life and the people that I love? Have I become so caught up in the fast pace of every day that I no longer stop to realize what’s important to me and who I need to embrace? All very deep seeded emotional considerations that I will ponder for quite some time. Great book that should NOT be missed.

Thank you to Tina for lending me this great read. Crystal, you’re next. Hope you enjoy. :)
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5

Mar 21, 2018

I opened this book on my eReader, tapped my way to the beginning, and then fell into the story headlong – without checking the depth of the water first. Lucky for me, this story has both incredible depth and breadth; I could have safely dived off a hundred foot cliff right into this amazing novel.

This is a family story and there is a ten-year time period where the immediate family and their extended families are challenged with several crises; a time where many changes happen over a relatively I opened this book on my eReader, tapped my way to the beginning, and then fell into the story headlong – without checking the depth of the water first. Lucky for me, this story has both incredible depth and breadth; I could have safely dived off a hundred foot cliff right into this amazing novel.

This is a family story and there is a ten-year time period where the immediate family and their extended families are challenged with several crises; a time where many changes happen over a relatively short period of time. Some of those changes bring friction along in a suitcase that won’t stay closed.

Alice has an accident with some exercise equipment that throws her for a loop right away. She hates the gym and exercise – why was she even here?

The problem was that she couldn’t attach herself to a “today” or a “yesterday” or even a “last week.” She was floating helplessly above the calendar like an escaped balloon.

Alice lost her memory of the past 10 years and was having great difficulty coming to terms with what was apparently her “current life”. Her “future self” puzzled her, embarrassed her, mortified her, and made her say “I’m sorry” repeatedly. To her frosty husband, to her children, to her neighbours – it seems there were very few people that she hadn’t offended or upset or hurt somehow.

This story is about how Alice’s “younger self” decides she is going to change what the future looks like so that when her memory returns, everything will be back to normal again. It is heartwarming and sometimes cringe-worthy. It is moving enough to bring tears to one’s eyes several times throughout.

This is Liane Moriarty at her best: telling fascinating family stories with relatable characters and excellent plot development. I have no idea how she kept track of the perspectives of the various characters in this book and wrote them so convincingly and congruently. This book was 5-Stars worth of enjoyment for me, and I highly recommend it! ...more

5

Jun 10, 2017

I put "What Alice Forgot" on hold so many times that I felt like a receptionist at a medical center. It's so unfair to do this to a book, but I'll blame life, because it just happens. I was also a bit hesitant reading my second novel by Liane Moriarty. I had loved "The Husband's Secret," and sometimes it's difficult for an author to write another equally successful novel. Thanks to this author, Alice was always amazingly fresh in my mind, every time I would start reading again. There are not a I put "What Alice Forgot" on hold so many times that I felt like a receptionist at a medical center. It's so unfair to do this to a book, but I'll blame life, because it just happens. I was also a bit hesitant reading my second novel by Liane Moriarty. I had loved "The Husband's Secret," and sometimes it's difficult for an author to write another equally successful novel. Thanks to this author, Alice was always amazingly fresh in my mind, every time I would start reading again. There are not a lot of books that could have survived all the interruptions this one had.

After Alice suffers amnesia from a gym accident, she awakens as the woman she was mentally ten years earlier; in an older, "younger-looking" body; to a foreign lifestyle; and surrounded by many friends she doesn't even know. If that isn't difficult enough to have to struggle with, she has three children who were born during those lost years, and she finds out she is divorcing the husband she adores.

All the other characters in this novel contributed greatly to the storyline. Each one was so unique and endearing, with their own lives closely woven into Alice's. Moriarty had me cheering for them, also.

I thought the concept of losing the last ten years of your life made a very fascinating storyline. Going through the journey with Alice trying to right the mistakes and accept the realities was filled with heartache, frustration, suspense, surprises, and plenty of laughter.

Highly recommend to those who want an entertaining book with likable characters.
4.5 stars

Looks like I found a new, dependable author. ...more

5

Oct 07, 2012

If I were to forget the last ten years of my life, and wake up with no memory of those ten years.....what would I regret? What would surprise me? What would make me proud? Which relationships have changed for the better, which ones have changed for the worst? This book really made me think. Have I evolved into the person, wife, and mother that I envisioned ten years ago. My poor husband had to listen to my thoughts almost chapter by chapter. He is such a good sport! I liked so much about this If I were to forget the last ten years of my life, and wake up with no memory of those ten years.....what would I regret? What would surprise me? What would make me proud? Which relationships have changed for the better, which ones have changed for the worst? This book really made me think. Have I evolved into the person, wife, and mother that I envisioned ten years ago. My poor husband had to listen to my thoughts almost chapter by chapter. He is such a good sport! I liked so much about this book. I love a happy ending. I liked the letters that Frankie wrote Phil. I liked the letters Elizabeth wrote her therapist. I loved Elizabeth. I love how the story was told through the different perspectives. loved the young Alice and learned to love the "old" Alice. How fun to be lost in a book! As a warning there is some bad language. ...more

2

Dec 15, 2014

Pedestrian. The writing, the story, the characters all just too pedestrian. There was nothing that lifted this book in to the realm of interesting, or even 'mildly interesting'. It's the sort of book I keep in the glove compartment of my car. I know I'm never going to read it but there is always the possibility (view spoiler)[especially with the vehicles I drive (hide spoiler)] of being stuck with a broken-down truck or a road block with nothing to read. That sort of book.

Not one star because I Pedestrian. The writing, the story, the characters all just too pedestrian. There was nothing that lifted this book in to the realm of interesting, or even 'mildly interesting'. It's the sort of book I keep in the glove compartment of my car. I know I'm never going to read it but there is always the possibility (view spoiler)[especially with the vehicles I drive (hide spoiler)] of being stuck with a broken-down truck or a road block with nothing to read. That sort of book.

Not one star because I didn't hate it. Two stars because it was b-o-r-i-n-g. ...more

4

Mar 08, 2014

Alice appears to be a popular name for book titles: Alice in Wonderland; Go Ask Alice; Still Alice; and now, What Alice Forgot. Luckily, none of them are the same Alice. This one fell on the wayside as I thought I had already read the “Alice" book. Moriarty has a talent for weaving emotional themes into a story and still have them appear light and playful. This novel was no exception. The premise was enticing - Alice is in her regular Friday spin class and falls off, bumps her head and loses 10 Alice appears to be a popular name for book titles: Alice in Wonderland; Go Ask Alice; Still Alice; and now, What Alice Forgot. Luckily, none of them are the same Alice. This one fell on the wayside as I thought I had already read the “Alice" book. Moriarty has a talent for weaving emotional themes into a story and still have them appear light and playful. This novel was no exception. The premise was enticing - Alice is in her regular Friday spin class and falls off, bumps her head and loses 10 years of her life. And just like Humpty, she needs to be put back together again. She awakes forever 29 (wouldn't we all want to be there) and finds not only does she have 3 children whom she doesn't remember, but is going through a divorce and is estranged from her sister. The pieces, however, just don't seem to fit back so neatly into place. She doesn't like the woman she has become and has been given a chance to change the direction of her life: Back to the way it was when her relationships made sense and didn't get lost in the frenzied life of minutia. The jigsaw comes together for the reader through the structure Moriarty uses: Alice is the main POV but cleverly Moriarty gives us a fuller story through her sister's letters to her psychologist and her Grandmother’s writings. A thoroughly enjoyable read. 4★ ...more

5

Mar 11, 2019

Hold your ponies!!!!
I read this book years ago. I still have a physical copy.
For some reason my review has disappeared but I came here to share with anybody who has not read it - and is interested - it’s a $1.99 Kindle Special today.

This was one of my favorite books by Liane Moriarty

It’s FUNNY- FUN....
I remember once getting hurt on a spin bike at the gym- actually bleeding.
Paul laughed - In those days he did rigorous competitive mountain biking.... and had never been hurt. ( ha, wish that Hold your ponies!!!!
I read this book years ago. I still have a physical copy.
For some reason my review has disappeared but I came here to share with anybody who has not read it - and is interested - it’s a $1.99 Kindle Special today.

This was one of my favorite books by Liane Moriarty

It’s FUNNY- FUN....
I remember once getting hurt on a spin bike at the gym- actually bleeding.
Paul laughed - In those days he did rigorous competitive mountain biking.... and had never been hurt. ( ha, wish that story still held true for him)....
But point is... how many people do you know get hurt on a spin bike?

The story is really fun.
You can expand your imagination as much as you want.
What things in your life would you love to never remember? Totally forget? Any?

Ha... Goodreads wanted to forget the old review I wrote! Lol
Haha... no problem!

Enjoyable!! ...more

5

Jan 09, 2017

I found What Alice Forgot to be a humorous, uplifting and an enjoyable book with the right balance of heartache. The concept was interesting with a little mystery to it as well.

Alice has a fall at the gym and loses her memory of the last 10 years. I really enjoyed how the story was told through Alice's eyes as I learned how she has changed and also the people around her as she pieces the events of the last 10 years together. She remembers the people around her and their situations as they were I found What Alice Forgot to be a humorous, uplifting and an enjoyable book with the right balance of heartache. The concept was interesting with a little mystery to it as well.

Alice has a fall at the gym and loses her memory of the last 10 years. I really enjoyed how the story was told through Alice's eyes as I learned how she has changed and also the people around her as she pieces the events of the last 10 years together. She remembers the people around her and their situations as they were 10 years ago and given little clues which creates the mystery of how the events of their lives have changed and shaped who they are today.

What Alice Forgot gets 5 bright stars from me because I had a bright smile after finishing reading this novel.

http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi... ...more

2

Aug 29, 2014

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty was not and enjoyable or satisfying read for me.

I found this book over written and very repetitive and to be honest I struggled to finish it.

There was so many times in this book that I wanted to scream as Alice just seemed to round and round in circles and I felt this book could have been wrapped up in 250 pages. Everything about this book was OK apart from the ending which I found dreadful. I couldn't believe the Epilogue and that really left me frustrated.

I What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty was not and enjoyable or satisfying read for me.

I found this book over written and very repetitive and to be honest I struggled to finish it.

There was so many times in this book that I wanted to scream as Alice just seemed to round and round in circles and I felt this book could have been wrapped up in 250 pages. Everything about this book was OK apart from the ending which I found dreadful. I couldn't believe the Epilogue and that really left me frustrated.

I know many of my friends have loved this book and I am sorry but just didn't work for me. It took me three weeks to finish this one and I am very glad to move on to something more rewarding.


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4

Jul 16, 2015

Thirty nine year old Alice has had an unfortunate fall at her gym and ‘lost’ ten years of her life. When she comes around she’s convinced she’s a slightly over weight twenty nine year old with a severe exercise aversion – what’s going on!

What happens from this point is told from several points of view:
1) We see it from Alice’s point of view, experiencing recollections and revaluations as she does.
2) We hear extracts from a journal compiled by Alice’s sister, Elizabeth, in which she documents Thirty nine year old Alice has had an unfortunate fall at her gym and ‘lost’ ten years of her life. When she comes around she’s convinced she’s a slightly over weight twenty nine year old with a severe exercise aversion – what’s going on!

What happens from this point is told from several points of view:
1) We see it from Alice’s point of view, experiencing recollections and revaluations as she does.
2) We hear extracts from a journal compiled by Alice’s sister, Elizabeth, in which she documents her own struggle to conceive but also comments on her relationships with Alice and her views on others close to her.
3) We are given access to an ongoing blog produced by Alice’s surrogate stepmother in which she also adds insight into Alice’s life and her relationships with others.

My fear was that this could turn out to be the worst sort of chic-lit: light and frivolous with nothing at its centre to hold my interest. I needn't have worried, I quickly found myself believing Alice’s (unlikely) plight and found myself enthralled by her, at first, small discoveries which gave hints of much bigger surprises to follow. The three way telling of the story was a great idea too as it added elements to the unfolding tale that were outside of Alice’s own purview.

I won't give any more information on how the story unfolds, but I will say that it's clever and held my attention throughout. I wanted to know what had happened in the missing ten years and, moreover, as Alice started to learn and recall some of the missing detail I loved the way that she appraised it with her twenty nine year old mind and personality. Wouldn't it be great to see the next ten years of your life played to you almost as a movie! Or would it…

This, I think, is the best aspect of this book. It’s a difficult trick to pull off but as Alice absorbs the changes to her life and the key events of the missing period she struggles to understand how she could have become the person everyone is telling her she is now. Looking at her new life through her old lens it just doesn't make any sense. And it's all told so well that this is all perfectly understandable and believable. It certainly made me think about how I've changed over the past ten, twenty or even thirty years, in a way I've not done before. I know everyone changes but can we look back and see when or why? What were the key events that caused a change or were there no such key events; does it just happen? And what about relationships – of course they mature and sometimes deepen or maybe end, but can we always identify the path?

It's not a perfect book - some of the twists are telegraphed and some sections rattle on a little too long – but it’s intelligently written and certainly gave me pause for thought. It’s the second book I've read from this author and I’ll certainly go back for more. I love the Sydney settings and the ‘voice’ of the characters. The books are at times hilariously funny at at other times truly sad, there’s plenty of light and shade. It’s also a refreshing change from the European and American books that make up ninety nine percent of my literary diet. ...more

5

Mar 22, 2011

Aussie Book challenge 2011 #7

What Alice Forget, tells the story of a women who thinks it's the year 1998, about to have her first child and is happily married to her husband, Nick. But a bump on the noggin changed all that....
What would you do if you lost 10 years of your life and all the wonderful moments you were looking forward to already happened, but you don't remember? How would you feel waking up to emotions that were still very much alive in your heart and thoughts, only for the true Aussie Book challenge 2011 #7

What Alice Forget, tells the story of a women who thinks it's the year 1998, about to have her first child and is happily married to her husband, Nick. But a bump on the noggin changed all that....
What would you do if you lost 10 years of your life and all the wonderful moments you were looking forward to already happened, but you don't remember? How would you feel waking up to emotions that were still very much alive in your heart and thoughts, only for the true reality of it to be very different? How would you feel if you realized that you may not like yourself very much and question what you've become?
For Alice Love, lossing her memory might just be the best thing that's ever happened to her.

This my friends, is a sensational book!

Liane Moriarty truely has written such a brilliant book! Those who know me understand my love/hate relationship with contemporary, and I've always claimed that I'm not much of a fan, so this goes to show you that it takes the right book to get me gushing.

I've always been fascinated with memory-lost type books, but rarely stumble upon them, or well, to this extent anyways. I love the way Moriarty writes this in a way that it feels just as confusing and muddled for the reader as it does the charcter. Not that I was confused, but I felt like I was through Alice. I don't think I'm explaining right, so your just going to have to read the book to see what I mean. But I loved that...detached feeling that we got from Alice's life. There were so many times I would stop and wonder what I would do if I lost my memory. How devastated I would feel if I couldn't remember my own children or my relationships with friends, sisters or even my own husband. Very thought provoking stuff. I could really sympathize with what Alice was going through.

I really loved these characters. Alice's 'younger' mind is like a breath of fresh air. So sweet and spirited almost childlike. Her 'older' self I didn't like so much. To controlling in an out of control lifestyle. Nick is one of those characters that you want to grow old with, and even though I felt like I knew him better through Alice's memories and I was slightly annoyed that we didn't get the 'present' Nick till halfway through the book, he still made a huge impact with how I wanted the story to end.
I adored their children, Madison, Tom and Olivia. Such personalities! Truly adorable.
I think I could have lived without Elizabeth's homework entries, not that she wasn't an interesting character, but I'm more of a focussed on one issues kind of reader and wanted to get back into Alice's story. That's just me being impatient really.

Basically, I just loved this book. It's extraordinarily well wrtitten and the concept blew my mind. What I loved the most was that this story was quite simple. Sure there were tragic times, but there was no huge devastation, scandal or catastrophes. It's just a story about one womens life and how beautiful fate can really be.
It's uplifting, warm, funny, smart and made me feel all good inside.
It also made me want to hug my kids and my husband and breath them in, turning me into a sentimental fool, but there it is.

Another great Aussie-experience! An amazing read!

Special thanks to, Liane Moriarty, the goodreads- First-Read program and Penguin Group Publishing!
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5

Jan 10, 2017

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

4.5 Stars and rounding up.



^^^^^ I know, right? I bet you never would have expected that out of me! I’d blame it on my period, but I wasn’t buddy reading with Aunt Flo. Maybe I hit my head like Alice. *shrug* Whatever the reason, I just loved this story.

What Alice Forgot is about . . . .

“The day Alice Mary Love went to the gym and carelessly misplaced a decade of her life.”



Actually, it happened in spin class but Swifty eating it Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

4.5 Stars and rounding up.



^^^^^ I know, right? I bet you never would have expected that out of me! I’d blame it on my period, but I wasn’t buddy reading with Aunt Flo. Maybe I hit my head like Alice. *shrug* Whatever the reason, I just loved this story.

What Alice Forgot is about . . . .

“The day Alice Mary Love went to the gym and carelessly misplaced a decade of her life.”



Actually, it happened in spin class but Swifty eating it on the treadmill makes me laugh real loud.

When Alice wakes up she discovers 10 years of her life missing. No longer 29, pregnant and enamored with her spouse, Alice is now pushing 40 with three children and a pending divorce. And that’s not all . . . .



Why yes, McFly. Alice has indeed become an asshole – a/k/a an overachieving supermom of the most hellish variety . . . .

“A bull terrier? How had she changed so much in just ten years? She was more like a Labrador. Anxious to please and overexecited.”

With her memory misplaced, Alice decides to take the bull by the horns and get her old life – and more importantly her husband – back, but she’ll have to navigate her way through co-parenting in the interim . . . .

“Are you children always this tiring?”

“Pretty much.”



I don’t know if it was simply a case of right place/right time or what, but I enjoyed this book so much. Alice (and her sister and grandmother) were relatable (and sometimes hilarious) and I ate it up . . . .



Really the only thing I didn't like was the whole "Gina" storyline. I didn't think it was particularly interesting, and it seemed like a copout for Alice becoming such a douche. This was also my first Liane Moriarty (I'm on an eternal library hold for Big Little Lies) and it seemed like she was trying to create some sort of "mystery" vibe rather than being willing to fully grab the Women's Fiction genre by the balls.

Super chick litty, but still bigly recommended.

My buddy Ron 2.0 tends to add a little inspirational song stylings to his reviews. Normally music doesn’t play in the background while I’m reading, but since I just discovered this is in the works to be a movie I haven’t been able to get “Once In A Lifetime” by the Talking Heads from playing on an endless loop . . . .

And you may ask yourself, well
How did I get here?
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground



Same as it ever was . . . . .
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4

May 29, 2018

Miracles in Disguise


Errare Humanum Est cos we are supposed to evolve from mystakes. However, the evolution process requires at least once in a while, we'll keep consciousness loud and clear

Still, when consciousness tends to remain in a long sleeping mode, one mystake leads to another and they'll soon gather in a snowball that will definitely melt into a swamp of problems claiming to be solved. And there we are, swimming and diving, hardly keeping our heads above, fighting for oxygen....

When Miracles in Disguise


Errare Humanum Est cos we are supposed to evolve from mystakes. However, the evolution process requires at least once in a while, we'll keep consciousness loud and clear ????

Still, when consciousness tends to remain in a long sleeping mode, one mystake leads to another and they'll soon gather in a snowball that will definitely melt into a swamp of problems claiming to be solved. And there we are, swimming and diving, hardly keeping our heads above, fighting for oxygen....

When these sorts of chaos take over, accidents usually drop by. 

Why?

To provide a way out!

An accident will have a pausing effect — we'll be strained to ???? stop ???? — a revision of all the wrongs and rights (providing there were any rights?!) will be required, in order to start a process which will hopefully lead us to the light at the end of the tunnel.


Alice got one of those!... ...more

4

Oct 12, 2017

What DID Alice forget? Well, after a fall at the gym, apparently everything! I'm beginning to truly adore these amnesiac stories - really! I am! How many ways can it happen? How long will it last? Will the husband be a baddie or a good guy? But I digress....this is about Alice. Why did she forget? She even forgot her own kids!! And none of the people from her past like her anymore including her sister or husband! Hmmmm....

While this all seems a bit trite when written this way, the book itself What DID Alice forget? Well, after a fall at the gym, apparently everything! I'm beginning to truly adore these amnesiac stories - really! I am! How many ways can it happen? How long will it last? Will the husband be a baddie or a good guy? But I digress....this is about Alice. Why did she forget? She even forgot her own kids!! And none of the people from her past like her anymore including her sister or husband! Hmmmm....

While this all seems a bit trite when written this way, the book itself actually is quite marvelous. As Alice tries to rediscover herself and her memories, she learns a great deal about why she changed over the years, the events that led to those changes and how they affected all of those around her including, or most especially, her sister, Elizabeth.

In a sense, this is a lot like "It's a Wonderful Life" as Alice learns to appreciate her old self once more. It was a very redemptive book; I think one of Moriarty's best. ...more

4

Oct 18, 2012

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I found this to be a thought-provoking book. It highlighted just how complex are the factors that contribute to the dissolution of a marriage, how easy it is to become caught up in the fixation on the negative, how terribly difficult it is to forgive ("[Forgiveness] was such a lovely, generous idea when it wasn't linked to something awful that needed forgiving."), and how the pain we experience forms our characters ("It wasn't just that her memories of the last ten years were back. It was that I found this to be a thought-provoking book. It highlighted just how complex are the factors that contribute to the dissolution of a marriage, how easy it is to become caught up in the fixation on the negative, how terribly difficult it is to forgive ("[Forgiveness] was such a lovely, generous idea when it wasn't linked to something awful that needed forgiving."), and how the pain we experience forms our characters ("It wasn't just that her memories of the last ten years were back. It was that her true self, as formed by those ten years, was back. As seductive as it might have been to erase the grief and pain of the last ten years, it was also a lie."). The pain we experience forms our characters, and this books asks—what if we really could forget that pain?

But we can't forget it, except in a fantasy like this novel; that pain has left its mark, and only time can ease it, allowing a new character to form yet again—at best, we can achieve a balance, but how do we even do that? Alice is able to do it only with a sudden loss and recovery of memory, but it makes one think about achieving that difficult balance of perspective in real life. ("Now it seemed like she could twist the lens of her life and see it from two entirely different perspectives. The perspective of her younger….sillier innocent self. And the older, wiser, more cynical and sensible self.")


What most impressed me about this book is that I think it "gets" marriage in a way most fiction doesn't. Marriage isn't about the rightness of the match itself, or about the quality of the person we marry, but about the *time in*, and the willingness to *put* that time in. "It was never so much that Dominick was wrong for her and that Nick was right. She may have had a perfectly happy life with Dominick. But Nick was Nick…They could look at an old photo together and travel back in time to the same place…" Marriage cannot be simply put asunder, because of the tangled threads ("How strange [divorce] was. Wouldn't it be a lot less messy if everyone just stayed with the people they married in the first place?"). Time binds: "Each memory, good and bad, was another invisible thread that bound them together, even when they were foolishly thinking they could lead separate lives." It's not a romantic view of marriage, but nor is it a cynical one, and it seems to me a very true one. There is actually something quite beautiful in it: "Early love is exciting and exhilarating…Anyone can love like that. But love after three children, after separation and a near-divorce, after you've hurt each other and forgiven each other, bored each other and surprised each other, after you've seen the worst and the best—well, that sort of love is ineffable. It deserves its own word."


I could have done without the Frannie subplot and Mr. Mustache which seemed to be inserted solely to add spacing to the main storyline, and I found Elisabeth writing to her psychologist to be an odd and unbelievable narrative device (as were Frannie's letters to a long dead fiancé), and of course as many have pointed out, amnesia doesn't work like that. But when I put these quibbles aside, and suspend my disbelief, I found the book very well worth reading.
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5

Feb 12, 2011

Before my review, here's what Liane has to say about writing this book (which is in lieu of me composing my own synopsis, haha):
I had always wanted to write a story about time travel but I found the logistics made my head explode. Then I read a story about a woman in the UK who lost her memory and behaved like a teenager – she didn’t recognise her husband or children. I realized that memory loss is a form of time travel. So I came up with the idea of a woman, Alice, who loses 10 years of her Before my review, here's what Liane has to say about writing this book (which is in lieu of me composing my own synopsis, haha):
I had always wanted to write a story about time travel but I found the logistics made my head explode. Then I read a story about a woman in the UK who lost her memory and behaved like a teenager – she didn’t recognise her husband or children. I realized that memory loss is a form of time travel. So I came up with the idea of a woman, Alice, who loses 10 years of her memory. She thinks she is 29, pregnant with her first child and blissfully in love with her husband. She is horrified to discover she is 39, with 3 children and in the middle of a terrible divorce. It’s like the younger Alice has travelled forward in time. Readers tell me that what they liked best about this novel was how it made them think about the choices they’d made and wonder how their younger selves would feel about the lives they are leading now.

I know (!) I ADORE time travel novels as well (and amnesia stuff) ~ and the whole concept of this one is just so brilliant ~ travelling forward to meet yourself ten years in the future. sigh. And while a premise like that could get complicated and messy ~ it didn't ~ it's written so effortlessly with that genius Moriarty touch where all the plot threads come together just so cleverly.

It's not just the concept that had me falling COMPLETELY in love with this book.

It was pretty much EVERYTHING that has me gushing about it:

The writing. Oh ~ yes, Liane Moriarty is the sister of my fave YA writer, Jaclyn. They both have a GIFT with words. They write in a whimsical style which just has you loving the turns of phrase and sentiments. It's prose you can sink into and sigh about. it's also funny-clever-delicious writing. I am in awe and envy over the prose.

The characters. Liane is like some kind of anthropologist. She GETS people and their quirks and finds tiny truths in those little moments as if she's been inside your own head (and in your kitchen during the mad morning scramble).

Mostly ~ I ADORED Alice and all her family. Nick is the kind of HOT male lead that has you swooning one moment and completely in love with him and then the next he is an absolute douche bag, but it's his flaws that make him all the more endearing and real to life. The family scenes were stunning ~ I could read those kinds of anecdotes all day. I honestly fell in love with Alice's children ~ just delightfully done.

The mystery ~ things unravel as we try to discover along with Alice just all the things that happened in the ten years she lost. Some you can guess and others will surprise you.

It's this whimsical blend of fun (sometimes incredulous, but none-the-less cool) but also has a deeper meaning under it all that makes you stop and consider your life and your priorities and all that stuff.

Perhaps similar in concept to Sophie kinsella's But whereas Kinsella's is commercial, stereotypical rom-com (a fun, guilty-pleasure kind of read), What Alice Forgot is gorgeously written, and a story that will resonate.

I really couldn't put this book down and I love it hard.

Liane Moriarty is my favourite chick-lit type writer. And not only is What Alice Forgot one of my fave reads this year ~ it's on my list of all time fave books.

ALSO: the film rights to this book recently sold (!!) It's going to be BRILLIANT!

OH! and the grandma has a blog and ARGH it's truly hilarious ~ and the comment section is laugh-out loud funny and there's even a commenter who's a secret admirer. Too funny. (very reminiscent of some of the blogging in Jaclyn Moriarty's

*this is one for people who love their chick-lit well written, breezy and fun and also a little bit deeper at heart. Also for fans of Jaclyn Moriarty who are looking for an adult read :D ...more

4

Aug 04, 2018

I'm normally not a big fan of amnesia story lines because they give me anxiety as it feels like torture having to wait for the person to eventually recall their memories. However, I gave this book a shot because I loved The Husband's Secret and Big Little Lies and thankfully, this turned out to be an enjoyable read.

It's 1998 and Alice is happily married and expecting her first child. Or at least that is what she thinks after hitting her head at the gym. In reality the year is 2008, Alice has I'm normally not a big fan of amnesia story lines because they give me anxiety as it feels like torture having to wait for the person to eventually recall their memories. However, I gave this book a shot because I loved The Husband's Secret and Big Little Lies and thankfully, this turned out to be an enjoyable read.

It's 1998 and Alice is happily married and expecting her first child. Or at least that is what she thinks after hitting her head at the gym. In reality the year is 2008, Alice has three children, and is in the process of divorcing her husband. What has happened in the last 10 years to get her to this place? Is it possible this memory loss will give her the opportunity to fix the wrongs in her life?

Pretty much from the get go I was hooked as there were quite a few mysteries to play out such as why Alice and Nick were divorcing, why she had a strained relationship with her sister, and why Alice at 40 seems to have a different personality and interests than she did ten years ago. While I wouldn't say I loved this book as much as the other books I have read by the author, this one was a solid, entertaining read. There was one thing though I did not care for involving a story line that gets wrapped up at the end of the book. It's an annoying trope that I am sick of reading in books or seeing in movies and tv shows although I'm probably in the minority with that opinion. (Trying to be vague so I don't spoil anything). However, overall this is a good read even if you have a rough idea how it's going to turn out in the end. Definitely give this one a shot if you like Liane Moriarty's other books.

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5

Nov 30, 2016

Liane Moriarty has done for Australia, what Maeve Binchy did for Ireland. They both brought the ordinary people of their countries alive on an unprecedented scale. Liane Moriarty is an international bestselling author. Look at her impressive bio on GR.

With Maeve Binchy's passing, a nation mourned. It was the first time an author received that kind of funeral attendance in living memory. Liane Moriarty has the world in an even bigger state of devotion. And the mystery is that you cannot pinpoint Liane Moriarty has done for Australia, what Maeve Binchy did for Ireland. They both brought the ordinary people of their countries alive on an unprecedented scale. Liane Moriarty is an international bestselling author. Look at her impressive bio on GR.

With Maeve Binchy's passing, a nation mourned. It was the first time an author received that kind of funeral attendance in living memory. Liane Moriarty has the world in an even bigger state of devotion. And the mystery is that you cannot pinpoint the magic in her writing. Her stories are just talking in a language women can understand perfectly. Which makes it chick-lit of course. But there's an angle to it. A serious reality-check.

Louise Penny did the same for Canada with her murder mysteries set in her Three Pine town and its inhabitants.

It's the tone and the settings. The total ambiance of their stories. Whatever it is, we're gobbling it up.

In What Alice Forgot the art, or rather secret, of staying married is defined. The two main protagonists are the sisters Alice and Elisabeth who bring their own smorgasbord of challenges to the table.

Alice, being the main character, sustained a serious bump to the head during a spinning session, which temporary switched off her current persona, and started up her alter ego, confronting the person she has become since her 29th birthday ten years before. A decade of her life were wiped out. She had to rely on the people around her to redefine her, and the image was not a good one of herself. She was in the process of a divorce, her friend Gina passed away, she had a relationship with a new man, and did not know her three children from Adam.

Elisabeth had trouble getting pregnant, which became a unsettling obsession for her, and her relationship with her sister was sort of non-existent. Their mother became a champion salsa dancer, marrying a man both sisters, and practically the whole community, had some social issues with. But Barb understood his soul and did not care what anyone thought about him or their relationship.

That's all I'm going to reveal. Yep, we stop here!

Many characters fill up the colorful background to the mystery of Gina's death, Elisabeth's bizarre actions and Alice's crave for perfection. The moral of the story is that you should use stilettos to catch a man, and use stilettos to get rid of him afterwards if you want to. In between the two choices, lies the secret of how to keep a man. Catching him is a different art from keeping him. All the men in the women's lives are strong characters with different appeals. Likable fellows with flaws. Well, yes, like all the female characters in the book, they have their reasons for being who they are.

We're taken along for the ride and enjoy every moment, cheering them all on on this mysterious suspenseful journey to the biggest lemon meringue pie ever baked! Big enough for a whole community to absorb. We're part of it.

LOVED THIS BOOK. ALL OF IT! ...more

3

Nov 14, 2011

I loved aspects of this book and I really wanted to love this book because the premise was interesting, but it fell short for me in a few ways. This was a highly readable book, it flowed fast and you really did not have to stop and think about it too much. This was just the type of book I needed right now because I was not in the mood for a text that would make me think. As a result, I actually quite enjoyed the book initially until I thought more about it. What bothered me about this book was I loved aspects of this book and I really wanted to love this book because the premise was interesting, but it fell short for me in a few ways. This was a highly readable book, it flowed fast and you really did not have to stop and think about it too much. This was just the type of book I needed right now because I was not in the mood for a text that would make me think. As a result, I actually quite enjoyed the book initially until I thought more about it. What bothered me about this book was the characterization of Alice and of the female characters (and most of the characters were female). Alice fell into that quirky and slightly air-brained female role that we see everywhere these days: books, films, tv shows, You know, that girl who is different and whimsical in an entirely unrealistic way. "Old Alice" was like that for me. Sure her light-hearted way of thinking about the world was cute and funny, but it became old and irritating fast. I recognize that she just lost her memory, but that does not mean she has to sound like such a child all of the time. Conversely, "New Alice" seemed harsh and one-dimensional and entirely unrealistic as an extension of what Alice used to be. Moriarty does give us a bit of a rational for why "New Alice" did some of the things she did in the scene where her memory flooded back, but not much. I guess the Alice we are left with at the end is supposed to be a balance of the two extremes, but the ending doesn't let us see enough of her to really make a judgement on it. All in all, did I enjoy the book? Yes because it was the light read I needed, but I don't see this as a book that I would re-read because there just isn't enough substance to warrant coming back to it. ...more

4

May 06, 2016

What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty is a 2010 PanMacMillian Australia publication.

With so many books out there, there is bound to be an author that slips by unnoticed, and for me, sadly, Lianne Moriarty falls into that category.

I knew her books were well received and popular, but I could never seem to find the time to fit one into my schedule. But, my local overdrive library heavily promotes her books, so finally, I took the plunge and put a couple of them on hold.

This book turned out to be What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty is a 2010 PanMacMillian Australia publication.

With so many books out there, there is bound to be an author that slips by unnoticed, and for me, sadly, Lianne Moriarty falls into that category.

I knew her books were well received and popular, but I could never seem to find the time to fit one into my schedule. But, my local overdrive library heavily promotes her books, so finally, I took the plunge and put a couple of them on hold.

This book turned out to be an excellent introduction to this author’s work and I can certainly see why her books are well liked. I absorbed this story like a sponge, savoring every nuance and subtlety.

It was a coincidence, this book has an underlying Mother’s day theme, so it was fitting I found myself reading it this week. The story centers around Alice, a woman on the cusp of her fortieth birthday, who takes a serious tumble, and hits her head hard enough to cause severe memory loss… ten years of lost memories to be exact.

Alice believes it is 1998, while in reality it’s 2008. A lot can happen in ten years, and for Alice it’s confusing, heartbreaking, scary, and sad.

Also contributing to the story is Alice’s sister, Elisabeth and her adopted grandmother, each realizing, via Alice’s switch back to 1998, how they have lost their way or let time slip away from them.

Amnesia plots are tricky in many aspects, but this story has a definite whimsical quality to it, despite the heavy issues at hand, and was handled adeptly.

Alice and Nick are on the brink of divorce, but why? A tragedy has occurred, but what happened? Will Alice get her memory back? If she does, will she change or go back to being her old self again?

Wouldn’t it be interesting to go back in time and basically get a do-over? What changes would you make? Were you a better person back then than you are now, or vice versa?

It’s so easy to allow our careers, and other outside forces, to take over, slowly infiltrating our lives, changing us and bending us until we lose sight of our real goals and priorities. If we were given the opportunity to see ourselves a decade into the future, would we like the people we became? Would be proud of our accomplishments, or would we feel sad by the way we traded love and relationships off for money, houses, and careers or allowed others to interfere or invade the goodness we had? Would we regret our choices?

This story will challenge you to take a good hard look at your life and the choices you have made. Don’t forget the things that matter most, like your marriage, your children, and your family. Friendships are important and work is a huge part of our lives, but they shouldn’t be the most important thing, nor should they become an undue influence on our relationships or personality.

Many will see themselves in this story in one form or another, and can relate to busy, busy, busy lives, the irritants that pop up in married life, the ups and downs, the resentments that can settle in, the trite grudges, the awkwardness of coping with friends who split up and feeling loyalties divided, or maybe from having to compete with a friend for your spouse’s attention, with jealousy rearing its ugly head as a result. How common is Alice and Nick’s story?

But, Alice is not the only one who has gone through incredible changes. Her sister’s struggles with fertility have left a mark on her, which has changed her personality and the dynamic of her own marriage. My heart went out to her, but I’m happy she considered all her options and was so proud of how she persevered in the end.

The other story regarding Alice and Elizabeth’s adopted grandmother was also poignant and sweet, but I do wish we had been given more one on one conversation with her, instead of merely reading her thoughts via letters written to an old beau who died many years ago.

Overall, this is a unique and thought provoking story, and perhaps a cautionary one too, but one that is full of second changes and hope that left me feeling at peace now that all is as if should be. I am really excited about this author now and have already queued up another of her novels.

This one gets 4 stars





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4

Jan 10, 2017

Great story, great characters, great plot! What an enjoyable page-turner that made me think. Liked this one more than Moriarty's two recent novels. 4.5stars! Great story, great characters, great plot! What an enjoyable page-turner that made me think. Liked this one more than Moriarty's two recent novels. 4.5★stars! ...more

4

Feb 08, 2015

My favorite Moriarty book so far. Smarter and more thought provoking than the later novels I have read. It really made me think about who I was and who I've become. If you could have a do-over for the last ten years of your life, what would happen? What would you decide? An enjoyable, lighter read for me at the right time.

4

Mar 22, 2018

Clever and funny.

As with all of Moriarty's books, this one's filled with very rich, fully-developed characters. They are just so wonderfully relatable, so very, very real. I knew I liked this author when I was laughing out loud by page 3. I've since read 'The Husband's Secret' and 'Big Little Lies', but this was my first introduction to Moriarty, and this was the book that made me a fan.

Moriarty has a very special ability to cover serious issues and suspenseful situations, while simultaneously Clever and funny.

As with all of Moriarty's books, this one's filled with very rich, fully-developed characters. They are just so wonderfully relatable, so very, very real. I knew I liked this author when I was laughing out loud by page 3. I've since read 'The Husband's Secret' and 'Big Little Lies', but this was my first introduction to Moriarty, and this was the book that made me a fan.

Moriarty has a very special ability to cover serious issues and suspenseful situations, while simultaneously making you laugh out loud for comic relief. She's an extremely gifted, very entertaining storyteller, as so many people already know. This one's a great read. ...more