Member Review

Call My Name by Jenni Ogden

Thank you Netgallery for providing me with an ARC audio copy for an unbiased review.
Narrated by Naomi Barton.

This is a story that swings through quite a lot.
The main protagonists are Cassandra and Olivia, whose mothers were best of friends, having met in a Sumatran prison camp during WWII.
The main thrust of the story though is when Olivia loses her mother at 13, and becomes part of Cassandra's family in Australia.
She and Cassandra's friendship only strengthens, and eventually they both land up living together with their husbands in a commune style set up. Although in separate houses, their lives are interlinked throughout.

This book was good, but it feel down in two main areas for me. The 1st was too much drama and angst going on. That might sound like it isn't a bad thing for a book of this type, but it was just too many different directions, and it actually became repetitive for me, and I felt we weren't gaining anything new from it. It lacked focus as a result, and that was disappointing.

The 2nd is for the audiobook version so won't apply for the printed options, and can be discounted if audio isn't the choice you'd make, but while Naomi Barton wasn't a bad narrator, I also just felt she didn't bring a depth of narration I usually hope to find with the audiobooks I listen to. I know narrators are usually a more personal preference, so this might not be something others find.

I've been vying between what to give this as a rating because when it was good, it was pretty great. I just felt let down in the areas I mention.
I think I'm going 3/5 on this, because 3.5 isn't an option, but I personally feel it doesn't quite do enough to allow me to round up to 4/5. So I rate this good but nothing too much that stood out for me.