Just okay

Any additional comments?

I knew before starting this book that other reviewers had said it was not Jojo Moyes' best. I love her stories and the people in them and said, how bad could it be. It wasn't bad. In fact, it was a great story and very, very well narrated. I just found myself not liking ANYONE. Not one single character, as well-written as they were, were likable. Not even Lottie. In fact, the only character I cared about was a minor one, Frankie. Everyone else was long suffering and made the people they loved miserable, or at the very least, not happy. I wanted to root for someone. Anyone. Instead I found myself saying on too many occasions, 'Why would you do that!?'

24 people found this helpful

Enjoyable Surprise

Based on the reviews, I kept this in my library for quite awhile before I decided to tackle it. But let's face it, a Jojo Moyes book that's of a lesser quality(for her) is worlds better than most other authors. The ending is a bit cryptic, but you can google a question and there are some opinions (Goodreads) that will help deciphering it. Also, this book is basically one of mass characterizations. Because of that, I like ages, etc. to jive neatly. And this one doesn't. Camille can't be in her late 30's if 50 years have passed. A lot of Moyes' books have a strain of melancholy but no unduly so. I do get impatient with formulas that rely so heavily on individuals not communicating or assuming and getting it completely wrong. But then that does happen quite often in real life so it's not unbelievable. As all of Moyes' books, this is well written. Another reviewer said she didn't like ANY character. I was just the opposite. I loved them all. We're all flawed complicated beings that are messy to unravel and that's the fun of this type of work. If you're reading these reviews to see if this one is worth your time & credit, GO FOR IT. I've now read every Moyes' novel and am left wanting….sigh….but there are still one or two by Liane Moriarty for me to sink into.

8 people found this helpful

Windfallen & Jojo Moyes; You FEEL so much with her stories!

For those of you who LOVE to read/listen to a story that makes you feel a part of it, Windfallen is in the top 10. The narration is PERFECT. I love a book that you can see in your head like its a movie; I love a book that I can't stop until my eyes blur or I pass out. Windfallen made for a few nights of "insomnia" like devotion to find out what happens next. Jojo your words are an emotional roller coaster and I loved them all. Thank you for ability to make a reader participate vicariously with all your characters. A true love story this one.

6 people found this helpful

An epic story of beautifully written love /heaertb

Jojo is a master of creating intense suspense merely through misunderstandings between characters one loves. Through layers of time, place and generations

6 people found this helpful

Moving character drama

Where does Windfallen rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Somewhere in the middle. It is definitely a beach read, but Jojo Moyes writes some of the best of those.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Probably added more plot. It held my interest for sure due to its complex and flawed characters, but it didn't generally hold a tone of tension...

Have you listened to any of Michelle Ford’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't, but I plan to. She is a very good narrator!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Portions made me smile, others did make me cry.
I also have a unique perspective as a blind woman on the character of Camille. I loved how Jojo Moyes made her character just happen to be blind. Had she been sighted, some of the events would've still happened anyway. Camille is independent, flawed, and dealing with her blindness with its own complexity, neither an angelic "super" blind person who can do everything herself nor a woman entirely dependent on others.

Any additional comments?

This is definitely a light beach read, but one always needs a few of these. I like Jojo Moyes as a writer. Though this is not her best book ("Me Before You" and "The Ship of Brides" are my personal favorites), she depicts the small-town English life, both past and present, with fantastic flawed characters and a charming, haunting house.

6 people found this helpful

Jojo hits another home run.

What did you love best about Windfallen?

Jojo is one if my all time favorite. Very well written and creative. Wind fallen seems to start out slow, but as the characters start to take form I can see why it seems to start out slowly. As her usual books it all comes together in the end. I like the reality that her books don't always have the perfect happy ever after. Michellr Ford does an excellent job performing.

6 people found this helpful

love her books!

love her books. so many characters. many points of view. love the different time lines.

4 people found this helpful

A Good Book.

I really struggled to get into this book as it was not the beginning I expected. Ended up really enjoying it.

2 people found this helpful

Another Delicious Apple from the Moyes Tree

Jojo Moyes does have a fondness for keeping you totally confused for a good portion of her books, but it makes for surprise turns throughout the story….a bit like those Chinese balls you unravel, never knowing what sort of treasure will fall out. Definitely worth hanging in with this one, as the writing is superb and her characters endearing. Her blind character was especially fascinating, as were her eccentric bohemians upsetting the small British seaside town.

All right. The truth is I can't honestly tell you why I get so drawn in to Jojo Moyes novels, but I do, every one I've listened to or read. Thoroughly engaging and infinitely quotable, so fine was Moyes' prose in this book.

The narrator was lovely with the most of her voices, but her American dialects keep shifting, so at times it's confusing who's speaking and the southern accent was a tad painful. Luckily these characters were in a very small part of the book and the strength of the story well covers the small gaffs.

4 people found this helpful

Good but predictable

I enjoyed the book but it was slow getting going and the ending was predictable. the thing I don’t like is the ending was wrapped up so quickly. Without giving anything away i felt like the author ran out of steam at the end of. the last 10 minutes of the book wrapped everything up and it just wasn’t enough. 10 minutes is too short to wrap up an entire book of characters and stories.

1 person found this helpful