A Year of Marvellous Ways: Sarah Winman

I agree. It took a chapter or two to fall into the rhythm of this story but I loved it once it clicked. I enjoyed her earlier novel 'When God was a Rabbit' so wanted to enjoy this one too and wasn't disappointed. It probably is a woman's story but I thought it reminded me of Neil Gaiman's stories and they are popular with men so perhaps it's an individual thing rather than a male or female thing...

I didn't hate the book but I didn't love it either, though I wanted to. The blurb referenced Dylan Thomas and Angela Carter but Winman isn't in their league, and I think that the constant effort to be "poetic" is the book's biggest weakness. Combine that with magical realism and there were a few moments when the prose made me grind my teeth.

On the other hand, if you just follow the characters and let the writing wash over you, it is mostly a quite soothing read. Comforting, almost, as even the more dramatic moments are rarely shocking. I wasn't very taken with Marvellous herself but I found Drake, the traumatised ex-soldier, quite interesting and I cared about him whereas Marvellous never seemed like a real person.

All in all, it was an enjoyable read but not one I felt passionate about. I would read more of Winman's work if I encountered it but I wouldn't go out of my way to seek it out.