Justin Cartwright - The Promise of Happiness - Book Review
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Justin Cartwright - The Promise of Happiness - Book Review
Cartwright is an accomplished author and The Promise of Happiness lives up to the high standard set by his previous works, which include; 'Interior', 'Look At It This Way', 'In Every Face I Meet', 'Half in Love' and 'White Lightning'.
This novel follows five characters and portrays how they cope with the unfolding events that will undoubtedly change all their lives. The characters are all distinct from each other, sharing little in common other than the fact they all happen to be members of the Judd family. Charles, the father, finds it easier to urinate outdoors. Daphne, the mother, finds it hard to cook anything involving fish, a particularly nasty disability considering how close she lives to the sea. Juliet, the prodigal daughter, is struggling to cope with freedom and her use as a not entirely blameless scapegoat. Charlie, the son, is finding it hard to settle down and wonders how he turned socks into an online empire that Germans want to buy into. Sophie, the youngest of the Judd children, is trying to stop being a rebellious teenager, a worthy goal, considering she hasn't been a teenager for a good few years.
The novel has all the makings of a classic. The reader cannot help but sympathise with each one of the Judd family members and is compelled to continuously ask, will they be OK? Reading the book everyone will share character traits with at least one of the characters, so the reading experience will be different for different people, depending on which character you most identify with. Are you on the cusp of making a million? Are you going through a midlife crisis? Are you the one everyone expects so much of? Are you a long ignored housewife who, now the children are gone, finds they share less and less with their husband? Or are you the youngest, living in the shadow of your apparently more talented sister? Whoever you are, you will enjoy this book on some level.
The Promise of Happiness gets a Great Book Guide score of 77% - a pretty good book, which will appeal to a wide range of readers, but unlikely to reach your top 5 book list.
This novel follows five characters and portrays how they cope with the unfolding events that will undoubtedly change all their lives. The characters are all distinct from each other, sharing little in common other than the fact they all happen to be members of the Judd family. Charles, the father, finds it easier to urinate outdoors. Daphne, the mother, finds it hard to cook anything involving fish, a particularly nasty disability considering how close she lives to the sea. Juliet, the prodigal daughter, is struggling to cope with freedom and her use as a not entirely blameless scapegoat. Charlie, the son, is finding it hard to settle down and wonders how he turned socks into an online empire that Germans want to buy into. Sophie, the youngest of the Judd children, is trying to stop being a rebellious teenager, a worthy goal, considering she hasn't been a teenager for a good few years.
The novel has all the makings of a classic. The reader cannot help but sympathise with each one of the Judd family members and is compelled to continuously ask, will they be OK? Reading the book everyone will share character traits with at least one of the characters, so the reading experience will be different for different people, depending on which character you most identify with. Are you on the cusp of making a million? Are you going through a midlife crisis? Are you the one everyone expects so much of? Are you a long ignored housewife who, now the children are gone, finds they share less and less with their husband? Or are you the youngest, living in the shadow of your apparently more talented sister? Whoever you are, you will enjoy this book on some level.
The Promise of Happiness gets a Great Book Guide score of 77% - a pretty good book, which will appeal to a wide range of readers, but unlikely to reach your top 5 book list.
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