I didn’t know if the author could pull off another amazing read after the fantastic my name is Leon, but I needn’t have worried. The trick to time is a fantastic heartfelt story of love and loss, spanning 60 years in the life of Mona, how she deals with her loss in life and with love. Beautifully written. Fully recommend this book. An amazing author, can’t wait for the next one!

The Trick to Time is an unforgettable tale of grief, longing, and a love that lasts a lifetime.. It’s engaging from the very start,tastefully and sensitively focusing on the heart wrenching subject of stillbirth. I liked how it was told from two different timescales and found the changes in time easy to follow.

Not my usual genre but I like to break out of my comfort zone occasionally , and I liked the sound of this book.It is basically a story of a woman looking back at her life and is very character driven, I did enjoy this step into the unknown and although I am keen to get back to my usual thrillers and Sci Fi it is really good to be able to read new authors and enjoy a new writing experience, I did read her first book and I like her thinking so will be looking out for more books .

Kit de Waal’s writing deals with emotionally harrowing themes with a sensitive and delicate touch. This is a sad, sad story of stillbirth and its effect on the people involved. Without any hint of lecturing her audience, she shows how social attitudes to stillbirth and the counselling care available to parents have changed since the 1970s.

The two main characters cry out equally for our sympathy - though they handle it very differently, Mona and William’s lives are defined by their experience. Mona is such an appealing character - resourceful and resilient for herself, caring and practical for others, she is just the friend anyone would want. Following her journey over half a century was a real pleasure. If there was a downside to the story for me, it would be the character of Karl - the only jarring note in an otherwise truly engaging read.

A worthy follow-up to the magnificent achievement of ‘My Name is Leon’, one of my favourite books last year, and highly recommended.

Review copy courtesy of Penguin UK, Viking via NetGalley, many thanks.

A fan of Kit De Waal since 'My Name is Leon', this book is just as gripping. A heartbreaking and heartwarming tale, funny at all the right moments, you can't help but be swept up in Mona's life and root for her every step of the way.

I rarely award five stars, but The Trick to Time is so deserving of all the accolades it will surely get. I started it yesterday, finished it today and it will live with me for time to come. It will make an excellent choice for Book Club reading. There is seamless movement back and forth through the time marking Mona's life as we live with her what was, what is and what would or could be. It is a story of loss and love. The ending was unexpected and left me agreeing with the poet Robert Browning that "All's right with the world". Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read what will surely be a Best Seller.

Normally when I sit down to read, I have a rough idea of what I think of the book...this one I'm still having mixed thoughts about.  

The story itself is heartfelt & quite interesting, with an eclectic mix of characters that all have their own tragic story.  This obviously made for an engaging read, however the uncorrected proof copy I was sent & read felt a bit...disjointed as a result of the layout. The layout seemed a bit erratic, as it jumps between the present day and the past without any real indication (at the beginning of each chapter/flashback) of the time period. I found this a little frustrating, as one of the central features of this novel is the contrast between Mona's present day experiences, and her memories from the early 1970's, of the tragic past that tore her and William apart.  

Overall I did enjoy this novel, and it was a relatively quick read too, with plenty of plot content to keep you entertained.

***stars from me!

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully written second novel about waiting, being lonely and loving. I did guess the 'twist' less than half way through the novel but I didn't feel that I lost anything. The emotions were so fresh and raw. I also loved Mona. Enjoyable and well written.

A simple and moving story of a woman turning 60 and reminiscing about her life. Running a wooden doll shop and helping women who have lost a baby, this is a well written love story which I read in a couple of days with more than a couple of tears.

Having really loved "My Name is Leon" I was looking forward to reading what Kit De Waal came up with next, and "The Trick To Time" certainly doesn't disappoint. Centering around Mona, a dollmaker living in British seaside town, lovingly crafting handmade dolls that she sells to collectors around the world, and who does an amazing sideline in bereavement counseling for mothers who have suffered stillbirths, miscarriages and cot deaths. Working with the local carpenter, she creates perfectly weighted wooden babies, saying "Feel the weight" as they take them in their arms and their pent-up grief overflows.
Mona has her own past that she doesn't divulge to her visitors. A past love, William; a past life as an Irish immigrant in Birmingham during the years of the reign of terror of the IRA; a past peppered with her own losses, heartbreaks and secrets. However, the past rarely stays buried forever, and as Mona embarks on a new courtship with a neighbour, Karl, her feelings start bubbling up to the surface revealing the full story of the past.
Once again, De Waal creates a rich collection of vivid and believable characters, who will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride through their lives. The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars was the denouement twist that left me a little baffled, but I won't reveal any plot spoilers.

The Trick To Time is a heartfelt novel about grief, imagination, and memory. It tells the story of Mona, who came over to Birmingham from Ireland in the 1970s, fell in love, and then found herself in tragic circumstances. Decades later by the sea, she runs a doll shop and seems too caught by the past to do much outside of her routine.

The narrative cuts between Mona in the present day and the story of her life from growing up in Ireland to meeting William in Birmingham and marrying him. In this way, it can focus on the past and memories whilst showing the reasons behind some of Mona’s modern day actions and choices. Her life in the present is at a kind of crossroads, with her shop assistant leaving for a new job, a big birthday happening, and a new neighbour interested in her. This is the kind of novel that is about falling into the world and emotion of the characters, and thinking about grief and imagination through its lenses.

The Trick To Time will appeal to those who enjoy novels about characters and about big themes like grief and love that take place over decades.

It’s a while since I devoured a book in a day. I just adored this!

I really loved My Name is Leon so was keen to read the new novel by Kit de Waal, and had seen some very positive early reviews. But this book has exceeded my expectations. I was nearly in tears by page 30 and the emotional punches do not let up, but with such a skilled captivating writing style, that I could have read more and more.

Plot wise this is completely and utterly different to Leon, it was like reading a debut in that respect. An author I will now want to read again and again. Truly wonderful