This is the second Lucy Dillon I've read (after the delightful "The Ballroom Class"), and whilst this one has its moments, it's not a patch on her earlier one. Thirty-something Gina has been through adversity on more than one occasion in life and she comes across as someone whose inability to move on with her life becomes slightly frustrating to The Reader. I wanted to give her a good shakedown and tell her to get on with her life. Dillon is skilled at writing genuine emotion, but this reads as if weighed down by its central character's sadness. I found A Hundred Pieces of Me to be a slow burner book. It didn't have me totally and utterly hooked from the first page, but it did interest me and I thought the concept was very clever. It wasn't until quite a way into the book that I became hooked. Each chapter begins with a flash back to some time in Gina's past. It doesn't really seem to follow any particular pattern, but it moves almost too seamlessly between the past and the present. I did catch myself occasionally thinking "right, which era am I reading about now" but after a while it becomes second nature and it works amazingly well.I loved Gina (inspirational), I loved Buzz (heartbreakingly cautious), I loved Willow (adorable!) and I loved Nick (why isn't he in my life)!!!The story is life affirming, it's inspirational and hopefully will make you want to live life to the full. Towards the end of the book, the scene between Gina and her mother had me sobbing!I'm not entirely honest how I feel about the end. For the book, and the message that the book conveys, it is perfect. But part of me was disappointed not to know more. There are loose ends which are very much not tied up. However, having looked at the other reviews of the book, I notice that Lucy Dillon has a habit of revisiting loved characters in her future books to check in on them and see how they're getting on (I hadn't read a Lucy Dillon book previously so didn't know this). I hope more than anything, that Gina features (happily) in a future book!
Do You like book Quando Nascono I Desideri (2014)?
Okay, I still love Lucy Dillon, but this one didn't get me as much as the other once.
—pinkstergirlygirl
Very enjoyable. Sad when I had finished it.
—Sarahbery4705
