A wonderful book. I defy you not to fall in love with Flora Banks. 5 stars.
Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for giving me an e-copy of this book for review.
The One Memory of Flora Banks will be published on 12th January.
The blurb: Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora’s brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend’s boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this one memory breaks through Flora’s fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake is responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world, Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step toward reclaiming her life.
With little more than the words “be brave” inked into her skin, and written reminders of who she is and why her memory is so limited, Flora sets off on an impossible journey to Svalbard, Norway, the land of the midnight sun, determined to find Drake. But from the moment she arrives in the arctic, nothing is quite as it seems, and Flora must “be brave” if she is ever to learn the truth about herself, and to make it safely home.
My take:
Regular readers of my blog will know I’m miserly with my 5-star ratings. In 2016 I read and reviewed 117 books and gave only 3 of them 5 stars. This makes me feel that when I come across a book I want to give 5 stars, I should be able to set off sort of klaxon, write “ALL OF YOU READ THIS NOW!” and that should be enough.
But that would be a bit lazy, wouldn’t it? 😉
I was about twenty pages into this book when I started to suspect it would be a 5-star read. Why? In one word: Flora. In Flora Banks, Emily Barr has created a heroine you don’t feel able to abandon and, more importantly, you don’t want to. For while her inability to retain memories makes her vulnerable, it also makes everything she does incredibly brave and bold.
I spent parts of this book cringing and biting my nails. Other I wanted to jump up, punch the air and cheer. Mostly, I wanted to climb inside the pages and give Flora a hug. Not only because she was often alone and understandably frightened, but because she was adorably adventurous, determined and hopeful.
The author’s first-person portrayal of a mind unable to retain memories of anything more than a few hours is terrifying, heart-breaking, exhilarating and frustrating. It gives the story a thriller-like edge and makes us intimately complicit in all Flora’s actions. After all, when her parents leave her alone, the one person who stays with her through everything is you, the reader.
I won’t say anything else about the plot of this brilliant book because I think you’ll enjoy it all the more for knowing as little as possible in advance. Just know that if you’re looking for a character-driven story with a fantastic central heroine, you should get yourself a copy asap.
Overall: please, please don’t think because this is billed as Young Adult fiction it’s not for you. However old you are, read this book, fall in love with Flora Banks, remember her name and pass the word on.
Claire Huston / Art and Soul
Putting it on my list!
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Hooray! If I can persuade one other person to read it, then my work is done 🙂 It’s brilliant.
Thank you!
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I LOVE THIS BOOK! Great review!
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Yay! It’s so great to find people to rave with about it 🙂 I could understand how some people might find the more repetitive bits slightly frustrating, but I just thought they were so effective in showing how terrifying it must be to live with amnesia like Flora’s. Such good writing!
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Yeah the repetition was a little annoying, but like you said it’s very effective! I loved how you just jumped into Flora’s head and saw everything the way she did. I adore Flora!
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I need to read this!! Awesome review 😀
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Thank you!
You DO need to read it. It’s brilliant. This will be one I’ll be telling everyone about for the rest of the year 🙂
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You’re welcome! I’ll have to add it to my new TBR list 🙂
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I’m on the hunt for a new book club read…this may be a contender! 🙂
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You could talk about a lot around this book, particularly the moral questions raised by the last few chapters. You could also have a good debate about whether the way the author depicts Flora’s amnesia is effective or frustrating/annoying (some readers have found it unnecessarily repetitive, but I just thought it was brilliant and very frightening).
Not everyone will love it as much as I did, but I can’t imagine anyone will dislike/hate it (although there’s always someone out there with a 1-star review).
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Reblogged this on TackFiction and commented:
So excited for this release, have heard only positive reviews!
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For once the hype is right! 🙂
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I’m so glad! and very excited to get a copy! 🙂
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Also adding this one to my list, looks awesome 🙂
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I’m so pleased 🙂 I’ll have loads more people to rave with when you’ve all finished!
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OK.. I’m totally excited! The blurb is fantastic, the setting in Norway is fantastic, our main character sounds simply fabulous and your review just completely sold me! Definitely marking this book as a ‘sooner rather than later’ read! 🙂
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Hooray! You won’t be sorry 🙂
The part in Norway (just over half the book) was brilliant. It was refreshing to be somewhere so different, particularly when compared to how trapped Flora was at home.
I hope you enjoy it 🙂
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I love the sound of this book 🙂
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It’s terrific! I wish I had time to read it again already. Perhaps later this year 🙂
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I have it pending on NetGalley, but not approved so far, possibly because I don’t have YA under my preferences, but I do enjoy a few YA books, and this one sounds particularly good 🙂
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Brilliant review Claire! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed it so much.
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Thank you!
So am I. I was a bit disappointed I only came across 3 books I wanted to give 5 stars to in 2016. I’m hoping that finding a 5-star one this soon into 2017 is a good omen! 🙂
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Yay. So happy you loved it as much as I did. I finished it at 12.30am on 1st January so it got my first 5 star review of the year too. Couple of things niggled but it just made me so happy I had to do it.
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Exactly! I had a couple of small small issues too, but the last few chapters were so powerful I decided to let them go 🙂 I had an overwhelming desire to climb into the book and take Flora away to a better life. I just loved her!
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I requested this from NetGalley, but not sure it was approved. Definitely can’t wait to pick it up. 😍
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I hope you can get a copy soon. It’s SO good! 🙂
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Just reading the first lines of your review make me wish I had a copy of this one in my hands right now. I will definitely try to read it ASAP! Great review.
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Thank you very much!
You’re going to love it. I’ll be surprised if there’s anyone who doesn’t like this book.
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Sounds excellent. I’m putting it on the list.
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Hooray! While it’s YA, I definitely think there’s a whole other layer of the story to appreciate if you have your own children.
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Coming in the post by Monday, I hope. I’ve got a good feeling about this one!
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Can’t wait to hear what you make of it! 🙂
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Dying to read this book as well! Your objective five star rating only pumped up my excitement! Thank you for an intriguing review. 🙂
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Yay! I’m so glad at how many people are putting in on their TBRs 🙂 I’ll have lots of people to rave about the book with soon.
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Love this review. This book is next on my list now 🙂
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Thank you.
I’m so pleased. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did 🙂
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I’ve got this on my review TBR and I’m even more excited to read it after reading your review. I may have to bump it to the top and start it very soon.
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I think you’ll like it very much. Can’t wait to find out what you think! 🙂
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This is already on my TBR and this review is just making me all the more excited to get my hands on a copy!
Great review as always, my dear 🙂
Seems like 2017 is off to a great start with a five star read 🙂
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Thank you very much 🙂
I’m so so happy that I’ve already come across a 5-star read. I was a little disappointed I only gave 3 books 5 stars last year, but having one under my belt already in 2017 seems like a good omen!
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LOL, Claire you are miserly when it comes to giving 5’s. Will definitely add this to my reading list.
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I am so difficult to please 🙂 I don’t know, there’s just something about a 5-star book I can’t describe. It’s a feeling I get as I’m reading. I can pretty much tell my half way through whether it’ll be a 5-star book or not.
I hope you enjoy it!
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hahaha ok I think I should read this then! Plus I’m always intrigued when someone says it’s better to know very little about a book!
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I hope you enjoy it 🙂
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Pingback: WWW Wednesday 11th January 2017 | Art and Soul
Great review. This sounds absolutely amazing. Going on the TBR…
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Yay! You won’t be sorry 🙂
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Thanks for such a great review. You have definitely achieved in convincing me to read it, and I look forward to doing so!
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Thank you! I’m so pleased. I hope you love it 🙂
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That’s it, I’m adding it to the list! 🙂
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Yay! I hope you enjoy it. It’s wonderful.
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Pingback: ARC REVIEW: The One Memory Of Flora Banks – by Emily Barr | It's All About Books
Sounds fabulous!
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It’s wonderful. I’ve been very glad to see so many other readers enjoying it too. I hope it’s a great success for Emily Barr 🙂
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