Cover Image: The Other Half of Augusta Hope

The Other Half of Augusta Hope

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Member Reviews

This is a well written story of Augusta Hope and her twin sister Julia, two very different people right from the beginning. They are brought up by a repressed mum and dad in 60s/70s England. Julia (born just before midnight July 31st) conforms while Augusta (born after midnight August 1st) rebels at everything that comes her way. AUgusta loves words and reads dictionaries for pleasure. Julia is middle of the road at school and finds a boyfriend in high school, who she marries. Her hopes are to have her happy home with husband and children. Augusta goes off to university and wants to travel. Things nevery work out as you expect though, so there are a few bumps in the road. What happened on a holiday to Spain when the girls were 14 has a lifelong impact on the whole family, and alters their destiny forever. In a parallel story we meet Parfait, from Burundi, who experiences great family tragedy. Burundi has always been Augusta's country, the one she chose to find more about because of its interesting name. She learned all about it, and continues to take an interest. Parfait chose Spain as his interest, and aimed to love there. Will their worlds collide? A sad, wistful, and lovely story. #augustahope #netgalley

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This is a well written book which took me through a range of emotions. It has an original storyline which you don’t often get these days so held my interest all the way through.

I loved the way the author made the main character real - by that I mean her flaws annoyed me - just like they would in a real friend.

My only constructive feedback would be although this is a tale of two intertwined lives, Augusta’s story dominated. Parfait’s seemed an add on. Still it was an enjoyable and at times thought provoking book.

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A sterling effort and at times very absorbing, but at times its just so slow and repetitive. The story arc is predicatble, whichb wouldn't matter if the caharacters were more intriguing. All in all, it could have been a third shorter. I feel many will love the slow, dreamy pace and prose but its just not my taste

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It's remarkable that this is a debut novel. Such assured writing and such an original idea. Augusta is a lovely warm character who the reader roots for. Parfait has a fascinating personal story. The delicious feeling as their stars gradually align is what makes this book super rewarding, and memorable.

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Augusta Hope is a bit of an oddball, a little girl so obsessed with words that she reads the dictionary from front to back, and picks a random country in the library that she spends her life dreaming of. Her twin sister Julia is the opposite, the pretty one, the one who fits in, the one who falls in love and knows everything she wants in life, whilst Augusta just knows that she doesn’t know and doesn’t fit in. Half way across the world, in a country that Augusta obsesses about, a young boy has to deal with civil war, death and loss, and an epic journey to make it to a safe place he can call home.

The Other Half of August Hope follows these dual journeys – of Augusta and Julia making their way in the world, and Parfait’s struggle to find somewhere safe. I can’t say much more without giving away the story, but this is a book about journey and change, about finding out who you are, about family and friends, love and loss. Joanna Glen is a gifted storyteller who has created lively characters whose journey I fully experienced.

The Other Half of Augusta Hope is beautiful and brave and had me smiling, laughing and crying all in one sitting. Five Stars. Check it out on Amazon.

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What a nice find. This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

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I loved this book, the themes of flowers and butterflies, of new life, of the search for oneself. Augusta is an amazingly rich character who feels like she never fits, her twin Julia being the pretty, the popular, the simpler character, but it is Augusta who narrates her story in the most compelling way. Parfait lives in Burundi with his family initially but moves to Spain which is where the stories intertwine. This was a satisfying story to follow and Augusta and Parfait clearly characters made for each other - the other half of. Their stories intertwine without them being aware of it and come to a satisfying conclusion. Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for a review.

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I started reading slowly, savouring the beautiful writing and getting to know twin sisters Julia and Augusta, and finished in a rush as I couldn’t put it down. The book really grabbed me from about halfway through, as the two strands draw Augusta and Parfait together. It is a clever, well-written novel about love, loss and family, with an unforgettable central character, Augusta. I loved the earlier chapters with the sisters growing up in the suburbs, Julia so sweet and kind, poetry-loving Augusta questioning and quirky. There are some incredibly sad moments too and I had to put down the novel a few times but it is ultimately an interesting, beautiful read with a heroine you won’t forget.

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I fell in love with this book after the first few chapters... I wished I was more like Augusta Hope! My heart broke over and over for Parfait. I laughed and cried in equal measure. Just stunningly wonderful!

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This is, quite honestly, astonishing for a debut novel - it would suit anyone who doesn’t quite fit in, who feels like a fish out of water, who’s family looks at them sideways and secretly thinks them a bit weird, but loves them anyway - well, meet Augusta Hope.

She is all those things, she also loves words, she soaks up knowledge like a sponge and stores away facts. She is part of a duo, her twin Julia is her equal and opposite in all things, where Julia is beautiful, gentle and kind, Augusta is gangly, fiery and frustrated with her lot. She longs to escape her suburban existence in Willow Crescent and when the world as she knows it falls apart she does just that.

I loved this book, it was a joy to read,I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars because it had some pacing issues and some of the characters that I thought we were going to get to know in more depth, we didn’t. In particular I would have enjoyed spending more time with Wilfred who stopped speaking because there was nothing more to say. These are small points, and who doesn’t have some growing to do after their first novel - it really was a brilliant book, full of heart.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I stayed up past midnight to finish The Other Half of Augusta Hope over the weekend. I can’t recommend it highly enough! It’s a magical tale around the formative years of twin girls in suburban England (you can almost hear the lawnmowers at the weekend!) and how a fascination with words can guide your life. I adored witnessing quirky, kind, eccentric Augusta growing up in a family which craves above all else normality. The tragic twist of course is how this normality sets up their path towards tragedy. I loved the intertwining of the lives of Parfait and Augusta.
A lovely, freshly delivered, coming of age novel which deftly covers contemporary subjects of stillbirth, refugees and mental health ... beautifully handled. I'd give it 6 stars out of 5 if I could! Looking forward to reading more by this author.

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I found this a bit slow at the start, Augusta was an interesting character who was misunderstood by virtually everyone around her. There are highs, lows and tragedies in her life and the novel follows how she deals with the events. A nice read.

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I really wanted to love this book but just couldn't love it enough to review on my own website. The writing is great but the two stories, sitting side by side, just didn't work for me, I thought Augusta was a really intriguing quirky character but I found her parts a little slow. Parfait's side was more interesting though - so a better balance would maybe have worked better for me. I felt it was too disjointed. I know I'm in the minority, so just guess that either the book isn't for me - or isn't for me right now (if that makes sense).

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This a book of hope overcoming adversity viewed from two different aspects. It is a book you need to give time to germinate but once it starts to grow you get sucked into the stories of the two main characters.
My only criticism is that I would like to have heard more about one of them and their struggle.
A book worth reading.

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Julia & Augusta Hope were twins. Julia was born on July 31st and Augusta in the early hours of August the second. Julia was the pretty one, the ordinary one, the one who did what was expected. The kindest way to describe Augusta was 'odd'! She loved words and poetry & faraway places. At seven she decided the Burundi was her favourite country & read the dictionary for pleasure. She didn't seem to understand that she was a little strange- she was as she was.

Parfait lived in war-torn Burundi. His family are torn apart by civil was & he dreams of taking his siblings to Spain.

This was an unusual book. The narrative is split between Augusta & Parfait; between England, Burundi & Spain. It took a while to get into, but it was worth the effort. This is beautifully written & I'd like to thank Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

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I very much enjoy coming of age novels, so I knew this was going to be good. The idea of two protagonists leading separate yet similar paths in life was incredibly clever. I believe the author studied language, and you could really tell that based on Augusta’s love of learning words and what they mean.

Everything rang incredibly true, entirely believable, not just some faff about fate and finding love. No. This was a harsh reality for both protagonists for different reasons, realities which were thoughtfully written and incredibly impactful. I enjoyed the knowledge used, the linguistics, the geography, the settings and their parallels. A book where you can get lost in the settings is wonderful, but to be able to do it whilst jumping between two locations is impressive. Not once did I feel unsure about where I was or wonder when it would be over. I have these images of the settings in my head and visiting them is a delight.

Honestly, above all that, it made me cry on the train to work. It was so sad and yet so heartwarming and I thought it was a truly wonderful piece of writing. I would definitely want to hear more from this writer!! She approaches things so wonderfully and uniquely that I think her second novel will be just as wonderful.

4/5 stars!

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Absolutely brilliant. Heartbreaking, moving, funny at times, this book had it all. Two fabulous characters.

I didn't want to put it down.

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The story of Augusta Hope is inspiring and thought provoking. She is determined to live life to the max. Her Twin Julia is the perfect child, but Augusta certainly isn’t. The section of the book which deals with the troubles in Burundi was for me very emotional. This was a real page turner and I read it while on holiday.

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This is a book about relationships, love and loss. Twins Augusta and Julia live with their strait laced parents. Augusta to is academic loving words while Julia is gentler and more obedient. The other art of the story concerns Parfait who lives in Burundi with his parents and siblings. His is a story of violent loss and an heroic journey across Africa to Europe.
This should have been a riveting book; it sounded as though it had everything but I really struggled with it.
The beginning was good and the end wad satisfying but the middle was drawn out. August was too pedantic and her family too intractable.

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Joanna Glens debut novel is the story of twins Julia and Augusta Hope who live in the quiet suburbs of Henley Green.

The twins are poles apart Julia being quiet and the model daughter and Augusta being independent, and unwilling to conform to society’s norms. Augusta loves to read her dictionary and decides that Burundi is her favourite country after finding it in her atlas.

The story is written from two main characters narratives,; Augusta and Parfait who is living in war torn Burundi He dreams of escaping his home country to start a better life with his siblings.

The descriptions of the twins lives from childhood to adolescence is brilliant and the expectations of fitting in to family and society norms were explored beautifully.

Parfait’s life in Burundi brought another dimension to the book. Growing up in poverty and war is unimaginable but his strong character and caring nature shines through.

The two characters are bound together by a shared experience of personal grief and loss, and their mutual love of Spain. When they meet in the novel it feels like they are both destined to find each other.

This novel explores many serious issues not normally addressed in everyday reading. I really enjoyed how it pulled at my heartstrings and made me think of the plight of people living in other countries who don’t enjoy the freedom I do in their everyday life. I also loved how not conforming to society’s expectations and being different was celebrated.

Overall I enjoyed this unique book the only downside for me was that it was a little slow paced. Maybe it’s because I’m an impatient reader at times and others may not agree with me.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for my chance to read this well written debut novel.

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