The Distance Between Us. Maggie O'Farrell

This is the fourth Maggie O'Farrell book I've read and I want to say it's her best yet, but I've felt that way about all of her books. She has a remarkable ability to pull you into the story and not let you go until you read the last word. Normally I hate when writers jump around in time, but O'Farrell is so skilled that instead of annoying you when she does it, you find yourself shaking your head in admiration at how brilliantly she handles the jumps. She's like an extremely talented juggler. Every ball is kept in play by some magical means only the juggler understands, and there's never a loss of control. Finally all the balls come home, and the reader is treated to a marvelously satisfying ending. I love O'Farrell's work. How I wish she'd been writing for a long time so that she'd have a huge backlist. Unfortunately, the only thing I have to look forward to now is her new book, which I've got on pre-order. RECOMMENDATION: Order all her books. You won't be sorry.

I'm a fan of Maggie O'Farrell's and was really looking forward to reading this. O'Farrell has always been about love, but love with a twist of melancholy. In this book, classic romance creeps in a big way and ... for me, part the thrill has gone [soft] for it. The characters in "The distance between us" are not as involving and her writing is a lot less dark, losing some of its bite in the process. In summary, this book is still a pretty good read, but it doesn't pack the same punch as some of her previous work (e.g. this is nowhere near as hard hitting as "After You'd Gone).