Official Review: Is It Not Enough? by Duncan Anthony

[kio]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Is It Not Enough?" by Duncan Anthony.]

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Ever since her husband died, premature widow, Eleanor, has been withdrawn from the world around her and pushed away those she loves.

One fateful 24 hours, however, change Eleanor’s perspective forever. First, a poetry reading of her friend, Michael, starts to make her feel lonely, pressed, and misses her brother, David. Missing her brother causes her to call him up and get invited over by his wife, Margaret, the wife whom Eleanor doesn’t get along with. Once there, however, the two get into a fight and Eleanor realizes that she’s no better off than Margaret. She’s just been going through the motions of life and never found happiness after her husband’s death.

To make matters worse, some rowdy teenagers come at her outside her house gate and start making gross faces/ signs at her, beating on her car, and blocking her way home. Badly shaken up and no longer able to suspend her disbelief about her life, Eleanor heads to the island of Arran to stay with her friend, Ruth. There, she decides she doesn’t want to become as jaded as her friends and wants to change.

Change is never easy, however. After she tries to pursue a relationship with her friend, Michael, she sees his true side and starts to lose hope in ever finding happiness. That is, until she meets Hugh Miller. She feels comfortable with him and enjoys his company, but is it too good to be true? Can she truly find love and happiness again?

A sweet story, but I had a hard time getting into it. Except for the main character, the other characters were not as fleshed out as readers would like to see in such a character-driven book. The motivations are a little eschewed and feel off.

The plot is endearing, but lacks conciseness and some continuity. The story drug in places, but other places where the reader would’ve liked to see more (ex. Her relationship with Michael, Ruth, David, and Hugh), it felt short and incomplete. The character dynamics felt a little forced and the motivations for them felt lacking. Although this may have been reminiscent of what the character is going through.

I did like, however, the internal dialogue of the main character. It made the reader feel for the pain and other feelings that Eleanor was going through. I also liked her imaginative creations about the different people in the book.

Overall, I’d rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. It was interesting and enjoyable to read, but the characters lacked something that helps the reader to relate to them. Readers who are a little more avid about character-based novels, however, might enjoy reading this book.

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[amybo82]

I really like this review! You point out both high and low points of the book, and it seems like the author could improve the story with your suggestions!

[GCAnth]

Thank you for taking the time to read and constructively review my Dad's novel.
You mention a lack of character development in the other characters. This was intentional so that the reader relates to and connects emotionally with Eleanor the main focus of the novel. On reflection though the characters of her nephew and brother could perhaps have been a bit more developed. So in that respect there is definitely some food for thought.
Thank you again for the review.

[kio]

thank you for the clarification GCAnth. I did enjoy reading it. Thanks, amybo82 for the constructive comment as well. That will be useful for future reviews