(4 / 5)
I really enjoyed this book. It was a refreshing change from the usual doom and gloom books I have been reading lately!
The story follows an affluent family in Sydney – predominantly mother and daughter and their escapades, beginning from the late 1960s to the present. It spans 3 generations of drama and intrigue and mainly focuses on the relationship between mothers and their daughters.
I was pretty much hooked on the book and finished the first half in one sitting, then it slowed down a little bit and picked back up again towards the end.
The novel is set out quite differently. It is told from multiple perspectives. Each chapter reads like a diary entry. At times I felt that the different perspectives were still written quite similarly and if I came in mid-chapter it took me a minute to remember who I was reading about. It wasn’t hard to get mother and daughter mixed up as they were purposefully so similar, however at times even the friends perspectives sounded like they were the same person with the same way of thinking. And I felt that perhaps there were too many perspectives to read about.
However, it was well written overall. I enjoyed the diary-like style, and I LOVED the relationships and conversations between the characters! I also enjoyed the glimpse of Australia in the 1960’s. I don’t read novels set in Australia usually and I don’t read many Australian authors.This blog and GoodReads has certainly allowed me to be exposed to some wonderful Australian talent and for that I am truly thankful.
The novel did jump ahead in time a lot. One minute it was the 60’s, and the next minute the 80’s and 2000’s. Although the change was abrupt it was easily forgotten as you quickly became immersed in the new aspect of the story.
I enjoyed the romantic relationships with all the women and their partners in the book. A few scandals and other events kept it interesting and made for a very easy read.
Eleanor and Celeste! What can I say? I have never encountered such egotistical self-centred manipulative women in a book before. Not two of them at once anyway! They were extremely enjoyable to read, especially the horrible things that they would do to each other. I loved to dislike them both, yet like them both at the same time!
This book did make me think and reflect on my own relationships, especially with my mother. I know that although I don’t exactly see it or admit it easily, I realise that I am very similar to my mother in many ways – we not only look similar, but we have very similar attributes. It was such a shame that Celeste did not realise and reflect on the similarities and make amends with her mother until later on in life. So much wasted time. It made me appreciate that my mother and I have a good relationship, I don’t mind at all that we are similar. She is a wonderful woman.
As our parents get older we realise that life doesn’t last forever. Soon we are mere memories of a future generation. Its our job as mothers to do our part and try to shape that generation, while embracing the similarities of the old one. It is good to have a reminder of that in this book.
Would I recommend Piece by Piece?
Yes, absolutely recommend it for fans of womens fiction and family saga’s. It was a lovely entertaining book and I am thankful for the opportunity to read it.
Many thanks to the author Cathie Whitmore for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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