Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty - Revision history

Sue at 07:37, 1 September 2023

2023-09-01T07:37:21Z

Sue at 13:01, 31 March 2018

2018-03-31T13:01:45Z

Sue at 13:44, 3 February 2015

2015-02-03T13:44:54Z

Sue at 13:24, 16 April 2011

2011-04-16T13:24:02Z

Sue: Created page with '{{infobox |title=Whatever You Love |sort=Whatever You Love |author=Louise Doughty |reviewer=Luci Davin |genre=Literary Fiction |summary=Laura plans revenge after losing her 9 yea…'

2010-06-15T05:53:45Z

Created page with '{{infobox |title=Whatever You Love |sort=Whatever You Love |author=Louise Doughty |reviewer=Luci Davin |genre=Literary Fiction |summary=Laura plans revenge after losing her 9 yea…'

New review

{{infobox
|title=Whatever You Love
|sort=Whatever You Love
|author=Louise Doughty
|reviewer=Luci Davin
|genre=Literary Fiction
|summary=Laura plans revenge after losing her 9 year old daughter in an accident, in a beautifully written and utterly compelling novel.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|paperback=0571254756
|hardback=
|audiobook=
|ebook=
|pages=320
|publisher=Faber and Faber
|date=June 2010
|isbn=978-0571254750
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571254756</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0571254756</amazonus>
}}

Two police officers knock on Laura's door. They break the news to her that her 9 year old daughter Betty has been run over and killed. Betty's friend Willow is in hospital. Immediately, I was drawn into this story of a mother's worst nightmare coming true.

I hesitate to read stories about bad things happening to children, especially now I have my own, but I have enjoyed several of Louise Doughty's five previous novels, and I decided to take the risk of reading something that might upset me. I did find it upsetting, unsettling, thought provoking and utterly compelling, as Laura contemplates taking a terrible revenge:

''I am calm as I make this promise: I am going to find out what you love, then whatever it is, I am going to track it down and I am going to take it away from you''.

In her grief, Laura has many shocking but totally believable thoughts, such as jealousy of Willow's mother that her daughter is still alive. Doughty's descriptions of the days following the tragedy, of Laura attending the funeral, struggling to deal with her younger child Rees are interspersed with Laura's memories of her passionate relationship with her ex-husband David and of her dead daughter. Picking out some of the details from the book, they would seem hard to relate to or to understand, but while I was reading, I was totally caught up in the emotional power of the story. Laura's mental health is understandably precarious.

While a lot of the novel is taken up with reflections on the past, Laura's plan for revenge on the driver who killed her daughter adds some plot and suspense to the story.

This powerful, disturbing and beautifully written novel is highly recommended.

Thank you to Faber & Faber for sending a copy of Whatever You Love to The Bookbag.

I cannot think of anything similar to recommend but another novel about motherhood and about a relationship, told from the viewpoint of a woman remembering her past, is [[Repeat After Me by Rachel DeWoskin]].

{{amazontext|amazon=0571254756}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=7377154}}

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← Older revision		Revision as of 13:24, 16 April 2011
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 Two police officers knock on Laura's door. They break the news to her that her 9 year old daughter Betty has been run over and killed. Betty's friend Willow is in hospital. Immediately, I was drawn into this story of a mother's worst nightmare coming true.
-I hesitate to read stories about bad things happening to children, especially now I have my own, but I have enjoyed several of Louise Doughty's five previous novels, and I decided to take the risk of reading something that might upset me. I did find it upsetting, unsettling, thought provoking and utterly compelling, as Laura contemplates taking a terrible revenge:
+I hesitate to read stories about bad things happening to children, especially now I have my own, but I have enjoyed several of Louise Doughty's five previous novels, and I decided to take the risk of reading something that might upset me. I did find it upsetting, unsettling, thought-provoking and utterly compelling, as Laura contemplates taking a terrible revenge:
 ''I am calm as I make this promise: I am going to find out what you love, then whatever it is, I am going to track it down and I am going to take it away from you''.
@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 Thank you to Faber & Faber for sending a copy of Whatever You Love to The Bookbag.
-I cannot think of anything similar to recommend but another novel about motherhood and about a relationship, told from the viewpoint of a woman remembering her past, is [[Repeat After Me by Rachel DeWoskin]].
+I cannot think of anything similar to recommend but another novel about motherhood and about a relationship, told from the viewpoint of a woman remembering her past, is [[Repeat After Me by Rachel DeWoskin]].  For more from Doughty, try [[A Bird in Winter by Louise Doughty|A Bird in Winter]].
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-{{infobox
+{{infobox1
 |title=Whatever You Love
 |author=Louise Doughty
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 |date=June 2010
 |isbn=978-0571254750
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571254756</amazonuk>
+|cover=0571254756
-|amazonus=<amazonus>0571254756</amazonus>
+|aznuk=0571254756
 }}

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 {{infobox
 |title=Whatever You Love
 |author=Louise Doughty
 |reviewer=Luci Davin
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 |buy=Yes
 |borrow=Yes
 |pages=320
 |publisher=Faber and Faber
@@ Line 37: / Line 32: @@
 I cannot think of anything similar to recommend but another novel about motherhood and about a relationship, told from the viewpoint of a woman remembering her past, is [[Repeat After Me by Rachel DeWoskin]].
-{{amazontext|amazon=0571254756}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=7377154}}
+{{amazontext|amazon=0571254756}}
 {{toptentext|list=Orange Prize 2011}}
 {{commenthead}}