This is a beautiful, warm read. Real, messy, heart warming, sad, funny and just when you think there may be a semi happy ending, a wonderful and moving twist that made me cry. Gorgeous characters that I wanted to know more about and this is exactly what the book does, it takes you back and tells their stories then brings you to the present. And it isn't all smiles and joy but at the heart of the book is...love. Beautifully written, hard to put down, I was sad to finish it so I have now ordered Ruth's first two books. A perfect autumn read.
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Real, relevant, contemporary. Just lovely. An unexpected twist at the end. The one you expect, and the one you don't. Inter-generational, inclusive, and rooted in Welsh culture. Just a lovely book.
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Love Untold by Ruth Jones is a beautiful love story set over the years and one that I just could not put down. It is also a book that had me reaching for the tissues as the ending approached. If the book was heartfelt and beautiful (which it was), the ending was absolutely superb. The love which simmered underneath the whole book came full circle. This is a book about four generations of women within the same family. It is about their love and relationships with each other and with those around them. Mistakes are made over the years. Absences happen. There seems no way back – but love binds everything together. We see the fierce, protective and loyal love of a mother. Mothers want the best for their children, even if they are wayward. A mother’s love never dies. Grandma Grace is the matriarch of the family. Her love is deep and wide. Her love has no boundaries. Those who are hurting will always find that her arms are open wide. The action is seen through various points of view. It alternates between characters and time periods as we see instances and relationships that have shaped characters lives. All the characters were well drawn, likable and realistic. They were easy to empathise with. Love Untold is a most beautiful book about a family, its’ interactions, its’ relationships – and most of all its’ love. We all need a Grandma Grace in our lives.
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I loved reading this book. It’s the 3rd book I’ve read by Ruth Jones who has the ability to create characters who become increasingly real to the reader making them care about them which makes a book so worthwhile. With interesting plot lines as the book moves on, I’ve been hooked all the way through. This lady is so talented and I love her work on screen in series such as Stella and Gavin and Stacy and it’s clear to see that she is just as good at transferring her many skills to writing books. I look forward to my next Ruth Jones read.
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As Grace nears her 90th birthday she wants to keep the celebrations to a minimum; having a wild swim in the sea and spending time with her granddaughter, Elin, and great granddaughter, Beca. There is one person missing from her celebrations that she would love more than anything to bring back into the family fold, her daughter, Alys. Is 30 years too long to heal the rift? This was the second book club choice for my work book club for this month and to be honest, it’s not a book I would have chosen for myself and I would have missed out on a real treat. This is essentially the story of 4 generations of women from the same family; Grace, Alys, Elin and Beca. The chapters change focus between the four of them so each gets their time to shine and the reader really gets to know each of the four women. The story isn’t told in a linear way, we go back in time in places to see how the characters have ended up in the positions they are in now. It’s a really effective way of telling the stories of all the women and worked really well. The characterisation is excellent. These four women had their own distinct personalities but you could also see the little similarities as would be expected with relatives. I also felt that you could see where some of the characters had influenced others. After spending her early childhood with a chaotic, alcoholic Mother, Elin is very rigid and controlled in her behaviours and relationships. I really enjoyed Jones’ writing style. I’m sure this is going to be a bit of an unpopular opinion but I am not a “Gavin and Stacey” fan so it wasn’t a given to me that I would enjoy this but it had a lovely easy reading flow to it. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but Jones tugs at the old heart strings at times and I did almost cry in public whilst reading today. This is definitely an occasion where I’m glad a book club pick has pushed me to pick up a book I probably would never have read otherwise because I would have missed out on a gem here.
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I did enjoy it but thought it was too long.
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The story is good, and a nice easy summer read. I didn’t enjoy at the beginning, though as started to get to know the characters I loved it! Ruth Jones first novel Grass is Greener is a good read, my favourite her books.
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Loved the characters in this book. You can just imagine them, brought to life by skilful writing . Really enjoyed the story, and favourite character was Grace. Loved the twist too.
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Das Buch hätte eine tolle Ausgangslage, 4 Generationen, und die ganzen Verwicklungen. Dennoch war es mir zu sprunghaft, der häufige Wechsel zwischen den Zeiten, auch wenn ich natürlich verstehe, und schon früh ahnte, dass der Rückblick am Schluss notwendig ist, um nicht schon alles zu verraten. Eigentlich schön geschrieben, aber die Helden bleiben dennoch irgendwie zu distanziert. Deshalb nur 4.4 Sterne.
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Book was in mint new condition and came in timely fashion. Thank you!
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A little slow starting but another incredible story from Ruth Jones with some fantastic twists that garners some serious pulling of the heartstrings
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Usually love this author's books but this one was just meh. Also found the colloquial grammer used whenever characters spoke irritating, ie the way all the gs were dropped - "nothin" "pickin" etc. Ended up not finishing.
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This is the kind of book you never want to put down, read late at night and first thing in the morning. Ruth Jones has written so well, it's a joy to read. Highly recommended.
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