Book Description Twenty years ago, Abigail Sorenson’s brother Robert went missing one day before her sixteenth birthday, never to be seen again. That same year, she began receiving scattered chapters in the mail from a mysterious guidebook, whose anonymous authors promised to make her life soar to heights beyond her wildest dreams.These missives have remained a constant in Abi’s life – a befuddling yet oddly comforting voice through her family’s grief over her brother’s disappearance, a move across continents, the devastating dissolution of her marriage, and the new beginning as a single mother and café owner in Sydney.Now, two decades after receiving those first pages, Abi is invited to learn ‘the truth’ about the book. It’s an opportunity too intriguing to refuse – she believes its absurdity and her brother’s disappearance must be connected. What follows is an entirely unexpected journey of discovery that will change Abi’s life – and enchant readers. Gravity Is the Thing is a smart, unusual, wickedly funny novel – heart-warming and life-affirming. Customers Review: I love Jaclyn’s books and this was no exception. It is supposedly her first Adult book, but having read the Spell Book and the Colours trilogy, I can never understand how or why these categories are used. Having heard Jaclyn speak with her two writing sisters a year or two ago, I find the three sisters share some of their skills (according to them, from their father who had them write stories to be read by him from a young age). Although different in their style, they all get children better than most, as well as motherhood (ironically the most disappointing thing for me about Liane’s 9 Perfect Strangers, was the lack of children (other than a 21 year old daughter)).I found the style, issues raised, character development and the gentle winding trip to the end, to be exemplary. I only felt she wandered a bit towards the end with her philosophical musings.Highly recommended.
I thought this book was absolutely delightful. I frequently wondered how much of the author was invested in Abigail, her main character. Surely to be able to write a person whose brain runs around in circles one would have to be a little that way oneself!Personally I would love to meet Abi. She was intelligent, funny, caring and original. Someone very special. Her story was alternately funny and sad and sometimes heartbreaking. I admit to tears especially the scene in the hospital when the man I really wanted her to be with turned up to hold her hand!What else to say but that I loved the whole book and will be thinking about it for days. Jaclyn is one very talented author – just like her sisters!
There are few words to describe the useless rambling of this meaningless story. It shamelessly wastes your time with nonsensical babble and the occasional insult to the American conservative. If I could get my money back I would.
“What did you like or dislike?” say the reviewing-instructions. I can’t even say. This is a book to dive into, experiencing its voice and navigating its bumps and curves. It’s really, really wonderful. It’s so well-written that you don’t even know you’re reading. Just open it, love all its characters, and sigh when it’s over.Do it.
Slow to get into but, in the end, really lovely. The existential questions, the seeking, seeing and surrender all hit at the appropriate moments. It left me in tears with its wistfulness but also with a kind of wisdom. The voices of both mother and child are true-to-form, as are the reality and magical-realism of loss and the subsequent grief. Beautiful descriptions of food, Australia, and humanity. I’ve never written a review before, but this book moved me. As someone who reads and rips apart text for a living, I can’t speak more highly than that.
The story line is weak and the characters were not believable. Our book club chose this book based on the recommendation of Jo Jo Moyes, and we were all very disappointed.
Interesting story, well written, good characters with situations I could identify with. I laughed out loud – something I seldom do with a novel
I just didn’t get it. Well, I got it but it wasn’t what I wanted it to be. I thought the book was weird and it was a disappointment. |
57 reviews