I really enjoyed this book. It was uplifting, with good character development and dealt well with import topics such as depression, ADHD, and the importance of friends and a supportive community in our lives. I have not read her previous book but have added The Memory Library to my want to read list.
I agree with Candace! I didnāt like Grace in the beginning to the book and found her a bit hard to take, I didnāt like how she treated her grandson, and then when she had her āawakeningā I didnāt think she cleared the air with him. The she depended upon his IT ability to help HER. Iwhtout that book club, she would never have āgrown upā and look outside her own opinions and assumptions.
I really liked it. This wonderful uplifting book is a book about books and about the community that can be formed when you get a group of book lovers together. I also liked that the book club and new friends helped take Graceās grief to a smaller part of her life instead of being her whole life like it had been.
This was an āOKā book for me. I just couldnāt get used to the idea of a āsilentā book club, and I also had trouble relating to Graceās character. She came across as a very judgmental person who didnāt have time for others, including her husband and other family: how could she not have known about his interest in books, his book club and keeping a journal, etc? Then she suddenly had a complete reversal which didnāt ring true with me. Hallmark movie material!
I liked the book but thought of it as a āsummer readā.
I didnāt particularly like this book. I found Grace annoying and exhausting and the authorās treatment of ADHD and depression to be ponderous and heavy handed.
I liked it, but didnāt love it. I was thinking it would be about a book club and its various membersā stories, which it was to a certain extent. However the constant referrals and discussions about ADHD, and other neurodivergent tendencies were heavy handed.
For me it was just OK. I found it highly predictable; once Grace ran out of the first book club you almost knew she would become a member for example. But a book that embraces the joy of reading was what kept me going.
I went into The Forgotten Book Club not knowing what to expect, but I ended up enjoying it much more than I anticipated. The story felt uplifting and heartwarming, especially watching Grace navigate grief and rediscover meaning through friendship and books. I loved the unique concept of a silent book club and how the characters grew closer over time. It wasnāt perfect, but overall it was a thoughtful, comforting read that left me feeling hopeful.
I hadnāt thought about the authorās handling of ADHD was like hitting the reader over the head again and again until you mentioned it. Appreciate the point you made because it made wonder whether the author did that as a way to point out and/or help us understand that at times, it can feel like weāre being hit over head again and again when living or working with someone who has ADHD. I volunteer in two different settings with two different people who have ADHD. With one of the two people, Iāve found myself thinking āEgads - enough already.ā If I were to go back and reread this book, Iād try to see how she frequently she presented ADHD from the perspective of those without it.