About the author:
ABBIE GREAVES studied at Cambridge University before working in a literary agency for a number of years. She was inspired to write her first novel, The Silent Treatment, after reading a newspaper article about a boy in Japan who had never seen his parents speak to one another before. Abbie lives in Brighton. @AbbieGreaves1 IG @abbiegreavesauthor www.abbiegreaves.com
The book is out NOW and available in treebook and ebook format, click HERE for Amazon.
The Ends of the Earth by Abbie GreavesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Time taken to read - 1 day
Pages - 325
Publisher -
Source - Review copy
Blurb from Goodreads
Mary O’Connor has been keeping a vigil for her first love for the past seven years.
Every evening without fail, Mary arrives at Ealing Broadway station and sets herself up among the commuters. In her hands Mary holds a sign which bears the words: ‘Come Home Jim.’
Call her mad, call her a nuisance, call her a drain on society – Mary isn’t going anywhere.
That is, until an unexpected call turns her world on its head. In spite of all her efforts, Mary can no longer find the strength to hold herself together. She must finally face what happened all those years ago, and answer the question – where on earth is Jim?
My Review
Bless her, poor Mary is devoted to her vigil. If she isn't working or volunteering she is spending her time with her sign at the train station "Come Home Jim" - it has been seven years and Mary hasn't missed a day. We don't know what happened to Jim nor why Mary does this. People think she is mad. When Mary gets a call to the volunteer line her whole world is shook and Mary's routine and life are about to take a huge turn! Alice is a reporter who chances upon Mary and wants to know more about her Jim, because of Alice's own past she can't let it go and won't stop until she gets answers.
So the story splits between present day, Mary's life/vigil and her past - how she met Jim, the impact he had on her life and what led up to the vigil.
I have been struggling to read, looking after a family member, stress city and now after effects of covid ugh my concentration is rubbish. This book I managed to sink into and read well over 100 (maybe closer to 200 if I remember) pages in one sitting. I haven't managed that since before everything kicked off here.
You feel for Mary, she is obviously devoted to Jim but what happened to him, where is he? I had so many theories and none wasn't even close. I got pulled into the story, their courting, the early days, the sadness and heartache in the present. Mostly just super nosey and wanting to know where Jim was!
Alice is a good character too, *journalist* you are like oh God she is going to exploit Mary for her own gain but she actually she really likes Mary and wants what is best for her. However she is also at risk of losing her job and Mary's story "Come Home Jim" could do just that but at what cost.
The characters are flawed but loyal and have heart so quite relatable for the reader, to us or loved ones. It was nice to pick up a book and fall into someone else's lives if only for a wee while. That is why I have always loved reading, the perfect escapism from your own life for a short time. This is my first time reading Greaves, she creates characters and situations you just want to know more and more about, if you want a page turner and to step into someone else's chaos for a little while. The book covers a fair few themes, relationships, friendships, love, recovery, mental health, loss, grieving, families, secrets to name but a few. 4.5/5 for me this time, as I said this is my first read by this author it won't be my last.
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Loving the cover, this is a book that certainly appeals to me ... that you managed 100/200 pages in a sitting for the first time in a while sealing the deal as it were.
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