Etta and Otto and Russell and James - January (2015) book club

Took a bit getting used to no speech commas. That being said it didnt detract from the flow of the tale. I think the lack of specifics in the tale is more than compensated by the inferred emotion coming from the pages. There's more to be sussed out by imagining whats not said from what is. It was enjoyable, but more difficult to read than others I've read recently. I felt robbed on the pages that had little written on them. What was the purpose of this please Emma? Also the ending left more questions than a satisfying conclusion for me personally. But would thoroughly rate it. Thank you G.Net.

Thank you for sending me a book I would not have chosen in a book store, not my usual reading but this was absolutely wonderful, enchanting and memorable, thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you for my copy of Etta and Otto and Russell and James which I enjoyed reading.

I thought the cover itself is worthy of mention as it is so unusual and in particular, somehow helped me visualise James! The endpapers are also intriguing, for as one delves deeper, one realises the significance of each object.

It took a page of two before I could submerge myself in the book, as was the lack of speech marks but as I progressed I found I little trouble differentiating the characters who were speaking.

I love the idea of Etta taking her journey and it has given me ideas for the future! I was rooting for Etta and willing her to complete her journey safely........

James as her companion was just wonderful and once I had suspended belief, he became an eminently understandable integral player in the story.

The pages I thought were outstanding were 243-5. I won't spoil this section for others (who may not have reached this spot yet) but these words were some of the best I have read regarding sudden warfare.

Almost as riveting was the sadness of pages 249/50. Written so simply, one immediately understands and sympathises with Etta's terrible problem. Very sad.

I do admit being a little confused at the latter stages of the book when Otto and Etta merge and a little unsure as to why.

My questions for Emma Hooper are: I was puzzled as to the character of Bryrony and would love to know what Emma felt Bryony brought to the story and therefore what was Emma's intention in introducing her? Secondly, why did Otto/Emma merge? Apologies if I have missed something fundamental here! Thank you for a very different, mesmerising book.

I found this book intriguing and challenging at first but once I had got well into it found many poignant moments and was encouraged to continue reading. Like other club members I did find the ending a little confused or rather the ending challenged my understanding of the story as it developed.

Books on writing suggest using the viewpoint of more than one character is best avoided whilst flashback should be used sparingly. This novel would seem to flout both conventions and my question for the author would be did she consider using the viewpoint of a single character or telling the story more sequentially?

Absolutely loved this book. A bit like Harold Fry, only better! Well done Emma Hooper and thank you Gransnet

I wanted to like this book. It is an unusual story but very difficult to follow because of the flipping of timelines. By the time I got to page 100 I felt it flagged and unusually for me had to give up. Sorry.

I was thrilled to receive this book...the cover is delightful !!
But now I've finished reading it, I have to agree with many of the earlier comments ......I found it very confusing which really spoiled my enjoyment of the book.
I would also like the author to make it clear to us all what exactly happens at the end.
Does Etta drown herself ?
Does Otto die in the home ?
What about Russell ?
I wonder.....will it make it all clearer if I reread it?
Sorry to the author for being so negative.

Sorry, but I just didn't enjoy this book. I did finish it but was really happy to. The "Harold Fry" book, on a similar theme was so much better on all levels. Thank you though, GN for the opportunity to read a wide variety of books.

Thanks Gransnet for this beautiful treat of a book!

I've started reading it and what a clever story - takes you on a journey with the characters, looking for their own particular dream. And aren't we all?

Thank you for my copy. I really loved this book. I thought it was beautifully written and loved the style and the layout as well as the cover which other people have mentioned.

i found the end confusing - this is not a criticism as it's left me thinking which is a good thing! But I would love to ask the author

(SPOILER ALERT)

- did Etta die?
- did Otto die?
- Did one or both have dementia
- Was it all a dream?

In short - please tell us what really happened as I can't stop wondering!

Thanks for my copy - arrived over Xmas. Unusual cover - unusual storyline!

A great choice for a book club discussion as it was so difficult to distinguish between reality and delusion
I just loved the language in this book - it was almost a poem and I enjoyed reading it very much
There are so many questions for the author
have all the characters died by the end?
what is the significance of the papermache animals?
but the oddest section to me was the scene in the care home - is that when Etta dies?
It is a book I will go back and read again and I very rarely do that
Thank you for my copy

Thank you for my copy. I have now got the time to finish reading it and will post a further comment then.

I love the look and feel of the book. The way it is written on the page is a delight. Something different to show my book club.

I have just finished my copy of Etta & Otto & Russell & James and really enjoyed it,I found it hard to get going but once I did there was no putting it down,the cover of the book is delightful and will claim a place on my book shelf for display purposes just because the cover is so unusual.
My question to the author would be.
Where did the idea come from regarding your story do you know personally some people who have been through similar in their lifetime.

Thank you for this book. The cover is wonderful and I really want to keep it on view for everyone to see! I found the story interesting and quite easy to follow at first, but then lost the plot somewhat and got quite bored with it. Not one I would recommend, sorry!

hi Shysal just signed up for the newsletter email. Thanks for your help. Like u i never win a thing. i can buy raffle tickets, play bingo ....yuk not my thing and do the lottery but nothing comes my way!

marylane1996, welcome to Gransnet. If you have signed up for the newsletter email, it will contain details of how to apply for a free copy of the book of the month. Most times you will be successful. When you have read it, you can add comments or questions to the relevant thread. If you don't get the newsletter and are interested in other book offers and prizes too, have a look under the 'Competitions' heading beneath the logo at the top of the page. In my normal life I never win anything, but my grandchildren and I have benefitted from lots of freebies from Gransnet.

Hi I would love to join the book club how do i go about it pls. Just joined gransnet before xmas and i love reading

I have read all of the comments about this book and there were very few positive comments. I was wondering whether the author financed the publication of the book herself. I read about 40 to 45 books a year and this was the poorest by far.

I am struggling with this book. It is just not grabbing my interest, working through it but it is a chore.

After an intriguing beginning it began to lose its appeal as the main characters lacked any real depth and the magical reality didn't ever gel for me. I would like to ask the author what was her inspiration for writing this novel.

I have now finished the book, and as I feared when I posted my first thread having got half way through, there was a sting in the tail, and - SPOILER ALERT for those who haven't finished it - I think she drowns herself? I thought it began to get a bit "odd" as it went on, what happened to Russell? All a bit confusing but I did look on the inside covers as one of you pointed out, and yes, that was a clever idea. And like someone else said, I dont think I will be recommending it to my friends. Sorry.

I lent it to my daughter to read over Xmas first and she loved it. Now that all the festivities and mince pies are out of the way I'm looking forward to reading it too. Thanks for my copy Gransnet.