Book Review - The Unravelling of Maria By F J Curlew

As you may have noticed I have been a little quiet on here, Lockdowns, home schooling, pregnancy and then sleepless nights took its toll and although my obsession with books was still there, I had no energy to read, only to add to the ever growing to be read pile.

 So, after what feels like forever, but in fact is only about 7 months I have finally managed to pick up a book and actually read it, within 3 days I had devoured it! 

The book in question was The Unravelling of Maria by F J Curlew. The author kindly sent me a copy to read and review. (My apologies that it has taken me so long.)

Goodreads rating - 5/5

My Rating - ★★★★★

Genre - Modern and Contemporary Fiction 

F J Curlew spent time as a teacher in Estonia and Eastern Europe and now lives in Scotland. She has written four books; The Unravelling of Maria I believe was her forth novel.

Synopsis

Lovers separated by the Iron Curtain.

Two women whose paths should never have crossed.

A remarkable journey that changes all of their lives.

Maria's history is a lie.

Washed up on the shores of Sweden in 1944, with no memory, she was forced to create her own.

Nearly half a century later she still has no idea of her true identity.

Jaak is fighting for Estonia's independence refusing to accept the death of his fiancée Maarja, whose ship was sunk as she fled across the Baltic Sea to escape the Soviet invasion.

Angie knows exactly who she is. A drug addict, a waste of space. Life is just about getting by.

A chance meeting in Edinburgh's Cancer Centre is the catalyst for something very different.

Sometimes all you need is someone who listens.

My Review

The Unravelling of Maria reads at a very slow Pace and is based on three characters, Maria, Jaak and Angie. The story of their lives is told, as it switches between each character and jumps back and forth in time. To start with I found this difficult and wondered if I was going to enjoy it, but after about 20 chapters it had me hooked. The story of their lives unfolded slowly and I was drawn in, felt like I was apart of their journey. Leaving me in a whirlwind of emotions, crossing my fingers that things would work out and not wanting to put the book down.

At the beginning I found Angie’s Scottish accent a problem, I found it hard to read, sometimes I was having to re read bits, but, as time passed it became easier and I became accustomed to her, I feel that it actually gave more depth to her character.

Throughout the book, the writer covers some difficult subjects, but all is done in a very knowledgeable easy to read way. Reading this book not only gave me a story of survival, love and friendship, it gave me an insight to Estonia’s history which I knew nothing about but, I have found very interesting.

I feel the story came to quite a natural and satisfying end which I enjoy, I don’t like to be left with questions, so would I recommend, yes it was certainly a very enjoyable read. I’m certainly intrigued as to what else this author has written.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review your novel Fiona, I have thoroughly enjoyed it.