'After You'd Gone' was Maggie O'Farrell's debut novel, written when she was in her 20s, which is being re-released this March. This is a story which, though fictional, feels very much taken from real life - it is unsentimental and grounded in everyday details, to the extent that it sometimes feels partly social history. The structure dots around in time and between characters, with a young woman Alice as the main focus.

'After You'd Gone' reminded me a bit of reading Margaret Atwood's first novel 'The Edible Woman' - it's interesting to see how a writer of that stature started out, their raw talent, but at the same time it's not in the same league as the later masterpieces which got you hooked. In this case, there is an emotional fearlessness and honesty to the writing which is recognisable from O'Farrell's wonderful 'Hamnet'. Unfortunately, though, this book just wasn't my cup of tea - I really wanted to like it, but as it progressed, I didn't care enough about the characters to feel gripped by the story. This is definitely an outlier opinion, given the number of 5 star reviews on NetGalley.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I read this originally when it first came out and was blown away by it then, so I jumped at the chance to re-read it and although I didn't remember many of the details I just remembered the big event where Alice sees something through a mirror. It didn't disappoint this time around and I was glad. The different perspectives and different timelines is a well worn structure now in many books, but here it is part of the narrative and essential that we see it all as a piece, because otherwise it wouldn't shock us or surprise us when we find out the mystery that Alice sees. O'Farrell is good at characters and these, even the minor characters are really lively and life-like, even the fairly dull minor characters come alive. It's a good one to re-release and it hasn't dated at all I don't think. Superb.

An absolutely mesmerising novel. Do not be put off by the swerves in narrative viewpoint - I was a bit thrown at first - because you quickly get used to it. In fact, the reason (the narrative reason, that is) for the flickers of point of view become clear as you read. What you have is an epic novel that spans generations of relationships that lead to the protagonist, Alice. You *need* to know all of the innermost thoughts of her grandmother and her parents that lead to the most poignant and heart-wrenching storyline. Honestly, brilliant. Read it, and actually, literally, weep. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege of the ARC.

Having read all of Maggie O'Farrell's books - or so I thought - I soon realised I had never read her debut novel.
This is written partly as a mystery - Why did Alice try to kill herself.
What did Alice see at the railway station?
Why was Alice's childhood so wretched and different from her sisters?
Why did Alice struggle in her relationships until she met John?
The story of Alice shifts from one period in her life to another - seemingly in a random way - is she living her past in her coma?
I do not like love stories, but I love this book. I love the way it is written, the angst of Alice's life; her closeness to her grandmother, but the distance from her mother.
I loved this book.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Maggie O'Farrell/Headline for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A really good read. The story is beautifully written and focuses on the characters Alice and John and how they deal the obstacles put in their way and how Alice's mental health affects her and her family .It was nteresting learning the background of the characters and it flowed quite with plenty of plots and a secrets that will devastate Alice and leads to another tragedy in her life.,It was heartbreaking at times and a love story that will make you feel emotional and sad but also some happiness at the same time..

I'm amazed that this is an early novel by Maggie O'Farrell and one of the few I hadn't read. As ever, the writing is beautiful, nuanced and engaging with her characteristic intelligence when playing with time. She weaves elements of the backstory in tantalising glimpses with the present and creates an intriguing sense of half-understood threads which knit together in a satisfying whole by the end. A fascinating exploration of love, communication and grief. An absorbing, thought provoking read.

I absolutely loved this book. It's raw and honest, heart-breaking and powerful. Maggie O'Farrell is a wonderful storyteller and the writing is brilliant. The construction of the story is messy and confused, which absolutely reflects the protagonists viewpoint, but never done in a way that leaves the reader behind. There is a reason I will read everything this wonderful author writes, and this book is one of them.

Thank you Netgalley for an E-ARC. The power of love and grief make themselves known in vastly different ways within this, one, book.

I think the story got lost on the style of writing for me and I struggled to immerse myself in it fully.

She is such a great writer; I certainly could never fault Maggie Farrell on her skill with language. I came to this book after being captivated by Hamnet, but this novel did not really work for me. I think it was the structure, and this is a me-problem, in that I crave linear stories or at least to keep the flashbacks to a minimum. Here I felt as though I was dumped in the middle of a story I didn’t understand and left there for too long before things started making sense by which time I had tired of the effort.

But I can’t bring myself to give it only 2 stars when it’s not really a fault of the novel, but a fault of how I receive such narrative.

This was my first book by this author and loved it. Definitely more literary style but had enough drama in it to keep me entertained. Really well written and gripping highly recommend

What an absolutely wonderful book. After You’d Gone begins with a distraught young woman involved in an accident and then takes us back to see what brought her to this place. I don’t want to give too much away as the story unfolds so beautifully on the page but suffice to say that, although this was Maggie O’Farrell’s debut novel, it is already an incredible piece of writing. The structure flits between characters and time frames but is never confusing and there is huge emotional depth. I first read it many years ago – long enough to have forgotten many of the details – and it’s fascinating to see what a talent she was right from the start after years of enjoying her work. Superb.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

I have loved all Maggie O'Farrell's books which I have read, and this is definitely in my top three favourites. It is beautifully written, and incredibly moving without being overdone. I loved the switches between time periods, and points of view, which enabled the story to unfold naturally. A really beautiful book, which I will heartily recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie O’Farrell’s reissue of her debut novel, a love story that starts out extremely confusing.
Which usually for me is annoying, but this only made me want to read it more. The pacing was good, and of course, the language and the writing were beautiful (but sometimes mess as well) as we slowly start to untangle the confusion of the beginning.

The book is not divided into chapters but rapidly switched back and forth between diffefent timelines based on three main characters, Alice, Ann and Elspeth. It also switched back and forth between first person and third person perspective. The book is haunted by this question, what is it that she saw? What was there all along that she never saw before? But when you do find out, you’re left with questions. At least I was left with many questions. And no solutions.

Alice & John together, I loved. Ann & Ben just made me sad. But a lot of the book was descriptive and a lot of the events were pointless and only led to more questions, without resolution. And I don’t think the ending was good enough for me, personally.

This really is a fantastic book. Maggie O'Farrell is one of the most amazing authors I've every read and I'm always hooked by the fact the characters and stories are incredibly different from each other. Would highly recommend After You'd Gone - and all of her books.

Although full of emotion and often very moving and intense I found the writing style grated on me and the confusing timelines were rather annoying. A good story I just couldn’t get past the style.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC

Astonishing but a little frustrating.
Alice is Alice – a troubled child, rebellious teenager, and suspicious of love. The one day the unexpected happens and she falls so deeply in love she would rather walk away than risk the pain. And yet she takes a leap of faith.
This book opens a wound. It is a study of emotion, driven forward by life events. It is most suitable for those who want to immerse themselves in no holds barred, gritty, realness of what it is to be human.
The story is about love, the fear of love, and the realisation of that fear when the worst happens and it is almost beyond belief that an author can craft out of words the cruelty, rawness, and self-destructiveness of grief.
After You’d Gone is such a hard book to review, because the book is about emotion and to do it justice requires a skill with words which I do not possess. Its as though I need to be telepathic so that you, the reader, can know how I felt afterwards.
But it’s also a frustrating read. I can’t ‘criticise’ because the book is too moving, too full of grace, too insightful for that, however, for me the high literary style was a concern. There are no chapters, just acts. And the point of view character can jump from one paragraph to the next. For the first fifty pages or so I was disorientated, spun around by the head hopping, and struggled to understand what was going on and whose story it was. I consciously had to consider who was ‘speaking’ and that kept reminding me I was reading a book. Needless to say once I got into the rhythm and began to accept these jumps, I couldn’t put the book down.
Possibly a book that is even more powerful and more devastating with a second read; which I will do, but need to breathe for a while and recover first.

I was given a copy of After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell by NetGalley and Tinder Press in exchange for an honest review.

Around a 2.5 rounded down.

Gee, what a confusing read.

I read Instructions for a Summer Heatwave because of the idea (the summer heatwave of '76) and was slightly indifferent to it. However, this book had an interesting concept and I was ready to try another of her books.

I felt it was quite good in parts. However, it had a few elements that really ticked me off. Firstly, the book is divided into three unequal parts (non-lower, which confused me) and, therefore, has a messy structure, with the second part being extensive and with no real breaks; it's just a mass of text with line breaks. Second, it is also non-linear and multi-narrative (plus a combination between first and third person). Third, I did not find the protagonist enchanting; I found her brash and unrestrained. People like her exist, but I wasn't sure if she was strong enough to keep the story going.

This book could have been a lot shorter as its central mystery weaves in and out. The secondary stories, I don't think, landed particularly well. I guess it was like a light family saga. The scene in the restaurant was excellent nearing the end of part 2 was superb. In general, the book largely improved, although based on the themes, it was a depressing read.

I feel uncertain about giving this book two stars as O'Farrell can write, but I feel I'm just not her target audience, especially considering how loved this book is. However, with time, I'd try a third book from her.

Oh my goodness this was such an emotional book. I was laughing and crying all the way through. A brilliant story with romance and laughter . But, sad as well. What a great debut book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

My first time reading this, it's a very different writing style which mixes up the timeline, although this was confusing to start with it kept me gripped and the authors writing style is superb