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Thursday, June 19, 2014

Blog Tour: Joint Review: Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey

Author: Emma Healey
Publisher: Random House
Date of publication: June 2014

'Elizabeth is missing' reads the note in Maud's pocket in her own handwriting, and the one on the wall.

Maud's been getting forgetful. She keeps buying peach slices when she has a cupboard full, forgets to drink the cups of tea she's made and writes notes to remind herself of things. But Maud is determined to discover what has happened to her friend, Elizabeth, and what it has to do with the unsolved disappearance of her sister Sukey, years back, just after the war.

A fast-paced mystery, an unforgettable voice: you will laugh and cry but you'll never forget Maud.


At first, I was a little wary of this book.  It's told from the point of view of a woman with a form of dementia.  Her ramblings seem random and confused most of the time.  But as she tells stories of her past, we begin to see clues as to what happened to her sister 70 years before.  The mystery was interesting and has a satisfying conclusion

What resonated with me most was how heartbreaking Maud's life is now.  Her confusion and memory loss make her life a little chaotic and really sad.  I also felt for her daughter and grand-daughter as they try to learn to live with her disease.  I ended up really liking this book.  It was a unique idea and a great debut!  I look forward to reading more from this author!

I wasn't really a fan of this book.  While I can appreciate the author's talent in taking this inventive approach, I didn't particularly care for it.  I think it comes from my own life experiences in dealing with elderly people with dementia.  I don't want to read about it in my pleasure reading.   

I was impressed with Emma Healey's ability to reel out the story through Maud's seemingly repetitive ramblings.  So, while I didn't connect with this book, I will seek out her future writings.  



About the author:


Emma Healey holds a degree in bookbinding and an MA in creative writing. Elizabeth Is Missing is her
first novel. She lives in the UK.

Find out more about Emma at her website and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.


Emma’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, June 10th: Anita Loves Books
Thursday, June 12th: Doing Dewey
Monday, June 16th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Tuesday, June 17th: Always With a Book
Wednesday, June 18th: Peeking Between the Pages
Thursday, June 19th: From the TBR Pile
Monday, June 23rd: Kahakai Kitchen
Tuesday, June 24th: A Bookworm’s World
Wednesday, June 25th: Ace and Hoser Blook
Thursday, June 26th: BoundbyWords
Monday, June 30th: Book-alicious Mama
Tuesday, July 1st: Time 2 Read
Wednesday, July 2nd: Tina’s Book Reviews
Thursday, July 3rd: Mockingbird Hill Cottage
Monday, July 7th: Tales of a Book Addict
Thursday, July 10th: 5 Minutes For Books

1 comment:

trish said...

I love it when an author's writing stands out like it appears Healey's does!

Thanks for being on the tour!