Book Review - Watermelon - Marian Keyes
I previously posted about challenging myself to read more books (see here: *insert link to reading challenge blog post) and I'm very proud of myself for finishing another one!
Plot
Over the last few weeks I've been delving into the world of a young woman, Claire, who's husband leaves her whilst she's in hospital recovering from childbirth.
Hooked on the book as soon as I started it, we get a real insight into her life as she moves back home to be with her parents whilst finding her new place in the world... only now she has a newborn baby in tow.
Honest Review
I found myself quite connected to the main character in this book, there are many things she goes through and deals with that I can relate to. I wasn't left at the hospital by my husband after just giving birth, but throughout the book she completely reinvents herself - she faces and overcomes many challenges, she goes from being someone she doesn't recognise to thriving in her new world.
Struggling with her postpartum body she spends much of the book refusing to look at herself in the mirror and it's only down the line she realises in doing this she hasn't seen how far she's come with other changes that she wanted to make, such as losing weight. This is something I could definitely connect to, having had such an up and down relationship with my own weight over the years. My business was actually formed on the back of one of my weight loss journeys, when I was struggling to find sweeter treats to enjoy within my calorie intake... so this gripped me really, as I could totally put myself into her shoes and feel how she was feeling in those moments.
I think that's one of the most powerful things a book can do really, isn't it? You almost feel like you're a part of the pages yourself.
At over 500 pages it's definitely one of the longer books that are on my reading list but one I'm glad I chose to pick up. Despite its length I was invested from start to finish. The author, Marian Keyes, does a really good job at filling those slower moments with relatable things, and they thread it all together so you want to keep reading even when there's nothing in particular happening... like a life event.
I went into this one with an open mind but relating so much in parts to Claire, the main character, I found myself not being able to put the book down. I just kept wanting to know what was coming next, keen to see where she ended up and how all of the challenges she was facing would affect her. I wanted to know if she got closure, and I think she definitely does (no spoilers here for that though, you'll have to read it to find out for yourself!)
Books like this, though fictional, can give you a little bit of hope that things can and will work out in the end, and in a way can be inspiring in the real world.
I found it to be that way for me.
My thoughts?
A solid 9.5/10 on this one for sure.
I can't wait to get my hands on the next book - keep your eyes on my blog for the next book review!