Offical Review: Reality of a Dream by Maela Torre
Posted: 03 Mar 2013, 09:42
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Reality of a dream" by Maela Torre.]
Reality of a Dream is the first novel published by Italian writer Maela Torre.
When Emma’s English teacher asked her to write a letter to a Scottish boy named Billy, she had no idea this homework assignment would have such a great impact on her life. They wrote to each other frequently for ten years and because of that they became great friends.
When Emma’s family dies in a tragic car crash, Billy asks her to spend some time with him in Scotland; this would allow her to escape a house painfully empty and would help her cope with her loss. Once there, Billy – who had also lost his parents, at a young age – helps her deal with her grief, while sharing his life and lots of Scottish legends.
Even though the author is Italian, we can definitely sense her passion for Scotland. I really enjoyed this because she seemed quite knowledgeable about this country. The way she described some of the places and all of the legends she incorporated in the story were, as far as I’m concerned, a strong point, especially because they made the surroundings seem a lot more realistic. We could definitely picture some of the places she describes in her story thanks to all of the details she putted into them.
As far as the characters are concerned, I have to say I wasn’t that impressed. They were likable but that was it. It was easy to feel sorry for Emma and to be more sympathetic towards her situation, but I wanted more! I wanted to see a bigger change in her from the moment she started to realize she loved Billy and that she was getting to a better place after her tragic loss. As for Billy, I think he didn’t grow at all! He was introduced to us as this sweet guy from Scotland who wanted to help out a friend. He was kind and really supportive of Emma but it’s quite easy to see, from the start, that there was more to his gestures than just pure friendship. We can definitely see, from the beginning, that he’s deeply in love with Emma and that he wants to spend his life with her. It’s sweet and endearing but as far as Billy’s character is concerned, that is it; there isn’t a lot more going on!
As for the plot, there were some interesting elements but it was predictable and pretty basic. It was obvious, from the beginning, what was going to happen between the characters and how the story would end, even with the twists introduced by the author. I should also point out that some of the scenes were a bit cheesy and unrealistic – honestly, I really doubt that some of them could actually happen in real life.
I would give this book 2.5 stars out of 4. Overall I liked it and I think it’s an easy and quick read in spite of the fact that it deals with grief. However, I felt that the book wasn’t well balanced because two thirds of it were spent on creating something that actually wasn’t real and then the ending seemed a bit rushed and repetitive. I think that if the author really wanted to surprise the reader, she could have changed the things a little bit instead of repeating some of the formulas that she had already used. I couldn’t bring myself to rate it 3 stars because I don’t think it was that good, but it was definitely more than just fair.
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Buy "Reality of a dream" on Amazon
Reality of a Dream is the first novel published by Italian writer Maela Torre.
When Emma’s English teacher asked her to write a letter to a Scottish boy named Billy, she had no idea this homework assignment would have such a great impact on her life. They wrote to each other frequently for ten years and because of that they became great friends.
When Emma’s family dies in a tragic car crash, Billy asks her to spend some time with him in Scotland; this would allow her to escape a house painfully empty and would help her cope with her loss. Once there, Billy – who had also lost his parents, at a young age – helps her deal with her grief, while sharing his life and lots of Scottish legends.
Even though the author is Italian, we can definitely sense her passion for Scotland. I really enjoyed this because she seemed quite knowledgeable about this country. The way she described some of the places and all of the legends she incorporated in the story were, as far as I’m concerned, a strong point, especially because they made the surroundings seem a lot more realistic. We could definitely picture some of the places she describes in her story thanks to all of the details she putted into them.
As far as the characters are concerned, I have to say I wasn’t that impressed. They were likable but that was it. It was easy to feel sorry for Emma and to be more sympathetic towards her situation, but I wanted more! I wanted to see a bigger change in her from the moment she started to realize she loved Billy and that she was getting to a better place after her tragic loss. As for Billy, I think he didn’t grow at all! He was introduced to us as this sweet guy from Scotland who wanted to help out a friend. He was kind and really supportive of Emma but it’s quite easy to see, from the start, that there was more to his gestures than just pure friendship. We can definitely see, from the beginning, that he’s deeply in love with Emma and that he wants to spend his life with her. It’s sweet and endearing but as far as Billy’s character is concerned, that is it; there isn’t a lot more going on!
As for the plot, there were some interesting elements but it was predictable and pretty basic. It was obvious, from the beginning, what was going to happen between the characters and how the story would end, even with the twists introduced by the author. I should also point out that some of the scenes were a bit cheesy and unrealistic – honestly, I really doubt that some of them could actually happen in real life.
I would give this book 2.5 stars out of 4. Overall I liked it and I think it’s an easy and quick read in spite of the fact that it deals with grief. However, I felt that the book wasn’t well balanced because two thirds of it were spent on creating something that actually wasn’t real and then the ending seemed a bit rushed and repetitive. I think that if the author really wanted to surprise the reader, she could have changed the things a little bit instead of repeating some of the formulas that she had already used. I couldn’t bring myself to rate it 3 stars because I don’t think it was that good, but it was definitely more than just fair.
***
Buy "Reality of a dream" on Amazon