Hand That First Held Mine, The
O'Farrell, MaggieLexie and Elina are young women living in London 50 years apart; Lexie is a journalist in 1950's Soho and Elina, a present day artist who along with her partner Ted is recovering from the traumatic birth of their first child. When Ted seeks to understand his own childhood, the dual stories begin to collide, solving a decades-old mystery and exposing the reader to the richness of lives passionately led. This is a novel of mesmerising characters and family secrets well seasoned with the peaks and troughs of love and parenthood.
Comments from Groups
An engrossing read about relations in different eras which lead to a lively discussion about life, love and babies. Christchurch 010 Divided opinion although most read it through. Lacking conclusion in some areas. Auckland 277 Good discussion. Light and easy to skip through. Wanganui 002 All loved this book, good discussion. Very moving. Northland 001 We were (nearly all) surprised at how enjoyable this was. Excellent narrative, description, characters. Whangarei 008 All the group liked this book. Some even went to find other books by the same author Nelson 042 Several of our members referred to this book as 'purple prose' - a phrase that I had not come across before but when used to describe ornate or extravagant passages then the phrase, for our group, was apt. The telling of two stories simultaneously was interesting, but didn't necessarily add to the overall flow. The twists and turns of the book kept us reading but not really enthralled. Although the questions were straightforward, there wasn't as much 'conversation' about the book as one would have expected, with enthusiastic themes of love and motherhood the main topics. Christchurch 099 Most of the group found it a good read but not memorable, and had to read the end for the plot if they had read the book a month ago! Tauranga 022 Some thought it a cleverly written and good read, others a disjointed and complicated read. All agreed that the characters were very good. Whakatane 005 An excellent read. A complex novel with a great 'coming together' at the end. Especially clever writing about coping with a new baby. Nelson 007 Many thought that this was the best book they've read! An intricate weaving of two tales, and a compelling description of life in Soho in the 60s. Kaukapakapa 001 We absolutely adored "The Hand That First Held Mine", from the opening sentence until the fascinating finish. Its many storylines, twists and turns, kept us glued to each page eager for more. A beautifully written novel, well crafted and poignantly perfect. Maggie O'Farrell is a wonderful writer. Dunedin 067 A winner with the whole group. Great to end the year on a high. Enjoyed the slow unfolding of the dual storylines, with the unveiling of the full connections left right to the end. The whole description of coping with a new baby in the house, struck a very familiar chord. Well recommended. Beautifully written. Auckland 285 It was well written, but was confusing at the beginning as it swapped from generation to generation. Once we became more familiar with characters, the book became alive and became hard to put down. Masterton 013 Our group found the first few chapters a bit slow and hard going, but it was worth the perseverance. There was a mixed reaction within the group, but still a recommended read. Hastings 007 This was a well written book enjoyed by everyone in our group. The revelation of unexpected connections between characters created a compelling storyline. Tauranga 034 This was our 'book of the year' - thank you! Everyone appreciated the author's skill in drawing the different eras together, and making connections between Lexie and Innes in the 50s, and Ted and Elina in the present. Lexie and Innes were beautifully drawn characters that we'll remember for a long time. Hamilton 003
Pages
374
374
Year
2010
2010
Reviews
10-01-2024
Our group really enjoy Maggie O'Farrell's writing and this was no exception. The device of 2 parallel stories/timelines, which can be laboured in other books, was felt to be cleverly deployed in this book. The characters had depth and a great analysis of character and development. Highly recommend.
02-11-2023
Not well liked at all, Lexie's side was better received than Elina's. But generally thought to be unrealistic.
31-07-2023
Beautiful writing. Very clever plot, interesting characters. We absolutely loved this book. A new favourite author.
13-07-2023
Another wonderful book from Maggie O'Farrell. Very insightful and captivating. A true to life description of motherhood too.
24-05-2023
A great read by a terrific writer, thank you.
25-07-2022
Many of us enjoyed Lexie's story more than Elina's, and thought that the thread with the son was beautifully drawn. The female characters were deeply etched and well described, though the male figures were slightly on the periphery. 3 out of our 10 found it hard to get in to but enjoyed once they had. All in all, we enjoyed it.
22-04-2022
Most of our group really loved this book. O' Farrell's convoluted plot, beautiful writing and well drawn characters held our attention to the suspenseful end. Not enjoyed by our one male member.
17-03-2022
We all loved this book, with everyone having similar comments. It was a bit slow to get into and work out all the different characters and initially the time difference was a long way apart. As it went along it was obvious that they were tied in together somehow - it was very cleverly done. Great characters - we had a much smaller group due to Covid hitting our area quite hard but there were four of us and we talked about it a lot and had a really good discussion about lots of aspects of the story. It's the best book we've read for quite awhile and they're all good so high praise...
02-03-2022
The group decided that the novel was cleverly constructed, and was a great read.
05-11-2021
Fantastic read. Delved into the many aspects of motherhood - good, bad, and indifferent. Highly recommend.
06-09-2021
Most of our group thoroughly enjoyed the writing of Maggie O'Farrell. Her descriptions were made to make you feel as though you were there, and it was amazing how both stories in the end blended together. Not so nice though for the people unable to have children. One of our members found it stereotypical, and this was quite sad. Overall, a very good read.
21-04-2021
Some of our group felt a bit unsettled by the alternate chapters, but all found it very well-written and one of the best books we've read.
07-10-2019
One member of our group didn't persevere with this book. The majority of our group didn't enjoy it. We found it unrealistic and insubstantial, and were not convinced by some scenarios. The threads of the two stories were not executed or resolved well. However, the book generated good discussion on relationships, memories and motherhood.
26-06-2018
The initial view from the group was this book was bland but by the time we had finished discussing it that thought had changed and instead we felt it was thought-provoking and the content was very good. As we are all mothers we could relate to the dialogue.
27-02-2018
Most of our group enjoyed this book. It generated quite a lot of discussion and invoked nostalgia for our own childhoods and first memories. We found the plot intriguing and none of us guessed the end. We enjoyed the way that it was written with the alternating lives. We also found the interweaving of the lives interesting and this instigated conversations about the way that this has happened in our own lives.