Today we’re welcoming back Emma from Year of The Yes fresh from her recent wedding planning over on Rock My Wedding!
I was just a little bit excited about my book club reads because this one is by my very favouritest author, Cecelia Ahern. For me, Cecelia’s stories are the true essence of beautiful storytelling – captivating, enchanting, awe-inspiring and moving in equal measures.
When her latest books come out I always try to snap them up and devour them quickly, but more recently time has been getting away from me and I have had a couple of the newbies winking at me from the book shelf for too long now. So when I was looking for suggestions to share with you lovely lot, that you could snuggle down and welcome the chillier weather in with, I knew that a Cecelia Ahern would be just the ticket.
The Marble Collector tells the story of a father who has lost his memory, and a daughter who is trying to piece together his past and work out her own future at the same time. Sabrina Boggs discovers a mysterious collection of marbles in her father, Fergus’ belongings. All are catalogued and categorised by name and value, an interest that she didn’t know father possessed. The problem is, neither does he seemingly.
Sabrina’s journey of discovery for the story behind the marbles lasts just one day, but delves into a lifetime of her father’s secrets.
The thing I loved most about The Marble Collector is the perfect unraveling of two parallel stories. Fergus’ story spans generations, while Sabrina’s takes place in a day. Yet it still feels like it is every bit Sabrina’s story as it is her father’s. She finds herself through the things that her father has forgotten.
Ahern tells a story about memory, family, love, loyalty and secrets that makes you wonder how much of our parents’ stories we really know – and how much of our own stories will be lost to generations to come.
As with all of Ahern’s book, it is an easy and enjoyable to read – but it always makes you think about how the story relates to your life, or to the world around you.
It hasn’t toppled my current favourite Cecelia Ahern read (One Hundred Names, in case you are interested) but it is a wonderful story, beautifully told. The perfect read to snuggle up under a blanket and delight in.
So, hands up, who else is a Cecelia Ahern fan? And if you were reading along with me, how believable did you find it that Fergus could hide so much of his life from his family? Did you think there were similarities between Sabrina and her father? And most importantly… what other is your favourite Cecelia Ahern?!
Would love to hear your thoughts lovelies, so get commenting below.
I love Cecilia Ahern too and always eagerly await a new book. I read The Marble Collector some time ago. It was enjoyable but not my favourite and I have to confess ‘One Hundred Names’ was my absolute least favourite of hers. I struggled to finish it and was relieved when I did. Her style of writing has certainly changed or at least the topics she writes about. I always loved her earlier books when they had a certain about of ‘magic’ about them, particularly ‘A Place Called Here’ and ‘If You Could See Me Now’. I also loved ‘The Year I Met You’ a more recent one. I notice she has another book called ‘Lyrebird’ out which I haven’t read! Off to Amazon now!
So pleased to hear from a fellow Cecelia Ahern fan Kate!! Reading your comment has actually made me want to re-read all of her books.
Unless they are a very strong favourite, I am rubbish at remembering what any book is when I have put it down.. but I think I loved ‘If you could see me now’, and don’t think I was as much of a fan of ‘A place called here.’ There’s one which has an absolutely brilliant father character in it (I think it is ‘Thanks for the memories’) who has a really funny scene at an airport about whether he’s packed his own case. Me and my friend always quote it every time we fly!!
I have to confess I haven’t read ‘The Year I met you’ but it’s on my book shelf so I think that might be my next read… before I allow myself to buy ‘Lyrebird’!! You’ll have to let me know what you think of it if you get there first!! x
I also love many of Cecelia Ahern’s books. This one I bought, because I found that the cover looks so pretty. Unfortunately, I must say that I didn’t enjoy reading it. I couldn’t feel any passion for marbles and found it rather boring, that Cecelia wrote a whole book about the fascination of marbles. I also didn’t like the charakters. This is a book, I cannot recommend to anybody, as I had not much joy in reading it. However, it didn’t put me off reading other books from Cecelia Ahern and I will definitely read One Hundred Names.
Really pleased to hear it didn’t put you off Cecelia Ahern Mia, and I hope you have more luck with One Hundred Names! x
I agree with Mia, I didn’t enjoy this book very much and actually stopped reading it before the end (which I never used to do, but now I feel life is too short to plough through a book you’re not enjoying!). I enjoyed the flashbacks to her fathers past, but I didn’t relate to Sabrina at all. I might check out a hundred names though, thanks for the recommendation x
It’s funny how we all like different things from different books isn’t! I have to admit, I found Fergus’ story more enthralling than Sabrina’s too.
Hopefully One Hundred Names will be a more successful read for you though, or if you prefer a bit of Ahern magic ‘The Time of my Life’ was good too. Happy reading 🙂 x