June 9, 2023
Reallllllyyyy reallllllly liked this one
Displaying 1 - 30 of 268 reviews
April 16, 2015
3.5 stars
The Good
~ The heroine wasn't one of those pathetic heroines you see a lot of in YA. She didn't lose all common sense at the sight of a love interest and she actually used her brain. (There wasn't a love interest, but I thought at the end that she would fall in love with Jack.) Yes, she made some stupid decisions, but you couldn't blame her for them and you would probably have done the same thing in her shoes.
~ The premonitions were very cleverly done, and weren't treated as some sort of gimmick.
~ The structure. It sounds stupid, but it was clever how the chapters were ordered in descending numerical order, so from 101 to 1. It tied in well with the idea of the narrator not knowing the end of her own story. The story flowed well, and it never felt jarring or unexpected.
~ The twist. That was very, very well done and I never expected it.
The Bad
~ The writing style. It's very simple and plain, and I prefer a bit more description and I like metaphors and such. There was none of that here.
~ The main character's detached narrating style. She never seemed to feel any emotions, and so you couldn't empathise with her. This got less of a problem at the end of the book, but it was quite off-putting at the start. The author actually says in his notes at the end that he prefers to write emotional scenes in an understated way, but I think this is quite risky; you risk alienating your readers so they don't feel anything in these supposedly emotional scenes. This was definitely a problem for me.
At the end, I actually found myself enjoying the writing style; the calm and steady voice seemed perfectly suited to the book, so that was another plus.
Despite my fairly low rating, it was actually a good book. It was one of those books that you don't expect to like, but they actually surprise you, and it's much better than many other in its genre (YA). I will read more from this author in the future. It's a book that's very complicated and it's very hard to rate with the goodreads system; it's so much better and has no much more depth than most YA out there.
Also, an important note:
Do not read the author's notes at the end before you finish the book. There are major, major spoilers for the ending there.
The Good
~ The heroine wasn't one of those pathetic heroines you see a lot of in YA. She didn't lose all common sense at the sight of a love interest and she actually used her brain. (There wasn't a love interest, but I thought at the end that she would fall in love with Jack.) Yes, she made some stupid decisions, but you couldn't blame her for them and you would probably have done the same thing in her shoes.
~ The premonitions were very cleverly done, and weren't treated as some sort of gimmick.
~ The structure. It sounds stupid, but it was clever how the chapters were ordered in descending numerical order, so from 101 to 1. It tied in well with the idea of the narrator not knowing the end of her own story. The story flowed well, and it never felt jarring or unexpected.
~ The twist. That was very, very well done and I never expected it.
The Bad
~ The writing style. It's very simple and plain, and I prefer a bit more description and I like metaphors and such. There was none of that here.
~ The main character's detached narrating style. She never seemed to feel any emotions, and so you couldn't empathise with her. This got less of a problem at the end of the book, but it was quite off-putting at the start. The author actually says in his notes at the end that he prefers to write emotional scenes in an understated way, but I think this is quite risky; you risk alienating your readers so they don't feel anything in these supposedly emotional scenes. This was definitely a problem for me.
At the end, I actually found myself enjoying the writing style; the calm and steady voice seemed perfectly suited to the book, so that was another plus.
Despite my fairly low rating, it was actually a good book. It was one of those books that you don't expect to like, but they actually surprise you, and it's much better than many other in its genre (YA). I will read more from this author in the future. It's a book that's very complicated and it's very hard to rate with the goodreads system; it's so much better and has no much more depth than most YA out there.
Also, an important note:
Do not read the author's notes at the end before you finish the book. There are major, major spoilers for the ending there.
December 19, 2008
Really - a glimpse of World War I life through the eyes of an upper class girl who can see the future (deaths, that is) and runs away to France in hope of finding her brother and saving him from his death. There's nothing in here that we haven't seen, be it trenches or shell-shocked soldiers. The characters are definitely not deep; in fact, there are hardly any interesting, difficult, twisted characters to meet and be entertained by. The protagonist herself speaks with in a monotone, a constant "I must...I must". It is obvious that her words are meant to be dramatic and fateful, but they don't hit the mark. Some aspects of the story are quite far-fetched, and not realistic enough to bring us into the setting of the true horrors and personalities. I must say that the ending had potential, which is why I gave the book 2 stars instead of 1. There was a possibility of a great twist here, which was nevertheless not emphasized enough, and the reader could predict was was coming on a couple of paragraphs before it happened (in this situation, those paragraphs are significant enough). It could have been a great book - it just needed a change of aspects, much deeper and more realistic characters, and, well... it needed to have been better written. All in all, it's an airplane read - short enough, captivating enough, but definitely nothing close to excellent, or even good, in the writing itself.
June 20, 2016
Is there a good way to say I read this in under an hour at 2am without sounding a bit obsessive? I literally couldn't put it down.
I love all of Marcus Sedgwick's books so maybe I'm a bit bias on that count, although they are really really good. I think his target audience is for people slightly younger than me (maybe?) which could explain the easy going pace, which makes the book all the more readable for me. Yet despite the super short chapters and the pacing, it isn't simplified down to a cliche. He uses terminology like VAD which helps enhance the story.
His books always have a sort of eerie atmosphere to them, another reason why I love them so much. This time it was in the form of a raven, and the uncanny connection between the main character and Cassandra from the greek myths. The way that the wounds are described also have a hand in making the book seem very dreary and slightly unapproachable.
I love all of Marcus Sedgwick's books so maybe I'm a bit bias on that count, although they are really really good. I think his target audience is for people slightly younger than me (maybe?) which could explain the easy going pace, which makes the book all the more readable for me. Yet despite the super short chapters and the pacing, it isn't simplified down to a cliche. He uses terminology like VAD which helps enhance the story.
His books always have a sort of eerie atmosphere to them, another reason why I love them so much. This time it was in the form of a raven, and the uncanny connection between the main character and Cassandra from the greek myths. The way that the wounds are described also have a hand in making the book seem very dreary and slightly unapproachable.
March 13, 2016
It's not a bad book but narrated too matter-of-factly so that it was impossible for me to empathise much with Sasha, the main character. I also think that the premonitions could have been explained more.
July 23, 2014
There is no secret that I have loved all of Marcus Sedgwick’s books so far and The Foreshadowing makes no exception.
The lyrical yet simple writing style paired with a story of heroism, war and sacrifice, with just a splash of magical realism, makes for a fast-paced and tense read. The chapters’ countdown builds the suspense in such a way that you can’t help but keep reading ‘one more chapter’ and the way the story is formed is one of the most realistic sounding portrayals of war that I have read for younger readers. There are obviously some aspects that diverge from the realism, such as the premonitions and some of the things the protagonist gets away with, but it is fiction, and great fiction at that. This is one of my favourite Sedgwick books so far and I can’t wait to dive into more of his work.
I would definitely recommend this novel if you want some historical fiction with a twist. I can’t believe more people aren’t reading this!
The lyrical yet simple writing style paired with a story of heroism, war and sacrifice, with just a splash of magical realism, makes for a fast-paced and tense read. The chapters’ countdown builds the suspense in such a way that you can’t help but keep reading ‘one more chapter’ and the way the story is formed is one of the most realistic sounding portrayals of war that I have read for younger readers. There are obviously some aspects that diverge from the realism, such as the premonitions and some of the things the protagonist gets away with, but it is fiction, and great fiction at that. This is one of my favourite Sedgwick books so far and I can’t wait to dive into more of his work.
I would definitely recommend this novel if you want some historical fiction with a twist. I can’t believe more people aren’t reading this!
April 3, 2016
First of all thanks so much to my best friend for actually buying me this book to read.
All I can say about this book is, WHOA. I read this book in literally 24 hours.
Well this definitely has to be one of the best books I have EVER read. This book is so cleverly written and amazing I can't even begin to explain it. The story of Sasha (Alexandra) and her preconceptions of being able to see the future really plays with your mind. I am not going to spoil anything major in this book but I loved how the chapter numbers were ordered backwards as a relation to her life and being able to see the ending at the start. It started with chapter 101 and ended with chapter 1. Very clever.
I think that everyone should read the Foreshadowing at some point in their life. I highly recommend it and know for sure it will not let you down if you are looking for a good read. I wish I could give this book 100 stars. WHOA!
All I can say about this book is, WHOA. I read this book in literally 24 hours.
Well this definitely has to be one of the best books I have EVER read. This book is so cleverly written and amazing I can't even begin to explain it. The story of Sasha (Alexandra) and her preconceptions of being able to see the future really plays with your mind. I am not going to spoil anything major in this book but I loved how the chapter numbers were ordered backwards as a relation to her life and being able to see the ending at the start. It started with chapter 101 and ended with chapter 1. Very clever.
I think that everyone should read the Foreshadowing at some point in their life. I highly recommend it and know for sure it will not let you down if you are looking for a good read. I wish I could give this book 100 stars. WHOA!
August 6, 2016
Novels about war (even ones for younger readers) are not my usual choice as more often than not they leave me feeling really sad. This one I found sad but because of Sasha's terrible and tragic power I also found it to be captivating.
August 17, 2016
I knew Sedgwick would get me out of my 'everything is just ok' book funk!
March 3, 2023
This is a fiction book written by Marcus Sedgwick. This author has written many other books such as flood land, the book of dead days, the ghosts of heaven, and many more. I have not read any of his other books but this is one of my new favorites so I met have to check the others out to see how they compare. The main character in this book is a girl named Shasha/Alexandra she has two older brothers named tom and Edgar. Tom wants to become a doctor and Edgar joins the war. The key part in this book is Sasha and the fact that she has visions. These visions allow her to see the future. Sasha also wants to become a doctor so she starts out as a VAD at her dad's hospital that he runs. When working with patients she gets visions, and all the visions she has are about death. So if she sees a patient shell gets a vision of him/her dying. She doesn't know when or where they die just that they will die. She tries to tell people but no one believes her. Eventually, Edgar dies and Tom decides to join the army, I think that he decides to join the war because his father wants him to, and his brother died fighting and he wants to also. Tom sends a letter home and later that evening Sasha grabs the letter and has a vision (This is where the book gets good.) Her vision is of her brother Tom getting shot, she doesn't know where or who shot him but he gets shot and falls to the ground in her vision. She already lost 1 brother so her mission in the book is to go find tom and bring him back home safely. She wants to tell her mom but because no one believes her that she has visions she decides to run away from home and find tom herself. She goes through this journey to try to find tom. She eventually finds tom with the help of a friend she meets along the way and when she talks with tom he doesn't want to go back with her, Sasha doesn't want to lose another brother so as tom walks away Sasha grabs the revolver that was given to her to protect herself, points it at tom and shoots. The only way you're allowed to leave the war is if you are wounded. So Sasha shoots him and he is taken to a hospital and that's where the book ends. This book was definitely well-written and never got too hard to read. I liked the short chapters it had. It is one of my favorite books so I definitely recommend it to you. It has many plot twists and is full of action. It definitely was not what I expected it to be, which I like the mystery. Overall this book gets a 10 out of 10.
July 25, 2017
Interesting spin on Cassandra's story. Interesting plot twist.
This book actually kicked my reading for historical fiction this month, okay end of the month.
I really like short chapters, especially in books that need to keep you engaged in the story. And this does it not only with the intriguing premise, but also with the short chapters.
I am becoming more interested in the greek myths and I did not know this was a sort of Cassandra of Troy retelling in World War One.
This is a not really focusing on character development, other than the main character Sasha or Alexandra, since Sasha is her nickname, but it also has an intersting dynamic regarding family and how even though the members of said family don't always get along that does not mean they don't care for each other.
I really liked the discovery of the visions and how they came to be, turning into something else as the time passed.
The novel also dwells a little on the fact that at war the soldiers are mostly used as puppets. Seeing them as secondary characters in every book and movie, but never thinking about their life or the horrors that might change them forever. This could have been explored more, but I think given the relationships between characters it did a pretty good job.
After getting to the plot twist of the book, and gasped a little and said fuck out loud, I keep wondering how can our will and perspective really change the future. This whole changing the future, or changing a future you don't want it's really tricky I think, because how do you know you are not heading towards what you want to avoid, by trying to avoid it?
Anyway, moving on from my philosophical stuff, this is an intersting perspective on World War One and also foreshadowing, thus Cassandra of Troy's story.
I highly recommend checking out Sedwick's works because they really bring something special, either because of the story or because of its characters.
This book actually kicked my reading for historical fiction this month, okay end of the month.
I really like short chapters, especially in books that need to keep you engaged in the story. And this does it not only with the intriguing premise, but also with the short chapters.
I am becoming more interested in the greek myths and I did not know this was a sort of Cassandra of Troy retelling in World War One.
This is a not really focusing on character development, other than the main character Sasha or Alexandra, since Sasha is her nickname, but it also has an intersting dynamic regarding family and how even though the members of said family don't always get along that does not mean they don't care for each other.
I really liked the discovery of the visions and how they came to be, turning into something else as the time passed.
The novel also dwells a little on the fact that at war the soldiers are mostly used as puppets. Seeing them as secondary characters in every book and movie, but never thinking about their life or the horrors that might change them forever. This could have been explored more, but I think given the relationships between characters it did a pretty good job.
After getting to the plot twist of the book, and gasped a little and said fuck out loud, I keep wondering how can our will and perspective really change the future. This whole changing the future, or changing a future you don't want it's really tricky I think, because how do you know you are not heading towards what you want to avoid, by trying to avoid it?
Anyway, moving on from my philosophical stuff, this is an intersting perspective on World War One and also foreshadowing, thus Cassandra of Troy's story.
I highly recommend checking out Sedwick's works because they really bring something special, either because of the story or because of its characters.
August 12, 2017
4.5 stars ****
This was my first Marcus Sedgwick novel and now it most certainly won't be the last. I really enjoyed this. It wasn't my favorite per se but I could not put it down. It was such a unique idea and I was intrigued from the beginning to the end.
This was my first Marcus Sedgwick novel and now it most certainly won't be the last. I really enjoyed this. It wasn't my favorite per se but I could not put it down. It was such a unique idea and I was intrigued from the beginning to the end.
April 1, 2024
4,5 Sterne
Das Buch hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Toller, mitreißender Schreibstil, glaubwürdige Charaktere, tolle Atmosphäre
Man fliegt durch die Seiten und ist absolut gefesselt in der Geschichte
Das Buch hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Toller, mitreißender Schreibstil, glaubwürdige Charaktere, tolle Atmosphäre
Man fliegt durch die Seiten und ist absolut gefesselt in der Geschichte
July 31, 2019
Compelling story with a great blend of historical events. The simple writing style made it a lighthearted read, though the previously anticipated allure of the ending didn't satisfy me much.
October 23, 2022
Clever, sad, well aimed at tweens.
March 9, 2017
I read the book “The Foreshadowing”, by Marcus Sedgwick because when I was looking for a good book it stood out to me. What interested me the most when I was first deciding on getting this book was the fact that the summary involved a lot of intense events. These types of book are my favorite because they keep me from getting bored. This book is about a 17 year old girl, named Sasha, who has the ability to see the future. This ability is both a blessing and a curse for her. It is a blessing because it protects her from danger, but it is a curse because she finds out terrible news. Her mother is not very understanding about her ability to see the future. She and Sasha were about to get on a train one day, but Sasha knew an accident was going to occur, so she told her mother she did not want to go on it. The accident ended up happening, but Sasha’s mother said it was just luck. Throughout the book, Sasha realizes that she wants to be a nurse, so she gets a job at the hospital with her dad’s help. As much as she enjoys the job, it makes her ability to see the future grow bigger and bigger. She eventually finds out that her brother, Thomas is going to die and she does everything she can to prevent it. I liked this book a lot because of the suspense, but I did not like how it took a while to really start enjoying it.
September 27, 2021
It was interesting to read about how things were like during the war. I thought that it was cool how Sasha faked her identity as a different nurse so she can go to France and save her brother. The ending was a plot twist because she didn't just save her brother, she did something dangerous that could of killed her brother just to make sure he wouldn't have to go back to fighting in the war.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2015
3.5 stars. I was completely captivated with The Foreshadowing!
There are several unique quirks to this book; my favorite is the fact all of the chapters in the book are tiny – usually only a page or two long, each – and they all counted down in number, beginning with ‘100’ and ending with ‘1’. It was terrifying. The numbers gave an eerie and “doomed” feel to the novel, as if you were running out of time. The tiny chapters which are quick to read through gave the feeling that what limited time you did have was flying by faster and faster, bringing you and the main character, Sasha, closer to the ending.
Another thing I really loved were the dream sequences; they were some of the first I’ve ever read that really struck me as ‘horrifying nightmare’ potential, as opposed to dreams with ugly or violent ends that are written in just to scare and rough the character up a bit. Something about how Sedgwick wrote these dreams, while they weren’t gory or really morbid, paired with the symbolism of the ravens, actually scared me.
One thing I wasn’t as a fan of at first, but later grew to appreciate was the fact that the book left a lot of things up to speculation, and the ending left a few questions unanswered and the future uncertain. It eventually grew on me, because that’s exactly how Sasha had felt at the book’s end; still unsure of why and how, but determined to go on. I liked that.
That being said, while I did like the feel of the ending and the plot twists and everything leading up to it, I was left wanting a little more from the plot. I really enjoyed reading The Foreshadowing, but I didn’t like finishing it. I wanted a little more “wow” from the ending than it actually gave, which is why I bumped the rating down from 4 stars to 3.
So while I really did like this book, I was left underwhelmed by the actual ending, unfortunately. I still adore Marcus Sedgwick’s writing style however, and overall, The Foreshadowing was an enjoyable read.
There are several unique quirks to this book; my favorite is the fact all of the chapters in the book are tiny – usually only a page or two long, each – and they all counted down in number, beginning with ‘100’ and ending with ‘1’. It was terrifying. The numbers gave an eerie and “doomed” feel to the novel, as if you were running out of time. The tiny chapters which are quick to read through gave the feeling that what limited time you did have was flying by faster and faster, bringing you and the main character, Sasha, closer to the ending.
Another thing I really loved were the dream sequences; they were some of the first I’ve ever read that really struck me as ‘horrifying nightmare’ potential, as opposed to dreams with ugly or violent ends that are written in just to scare and rough the character up a bit. Something about how Sedgwick wrote these dreams, while they weren’t gory or really morbid, paired with the symbolism of the ravens, actually scared me.
One thing I wasn’t as a fan of at first, but later grew to appreciate was the fact that the book left a lot of things up to speculation, and the ending left a few questions unanswered and the future uncertain. It eventually grew on me, because that’s exactly how Sasha had felt at the book’s end; still unsure of why and how, but determined to go on. I liked that.
That being said, while I did like the feel of the ending and the plot twists and everything leading up to it, I was left wanting a little more from the plot. I really enjoyed reading The Foreshadowing, but I didn’t like finishing it. I wanted a little more “wow” from the ending than it actually gave, which is why I bumped the rating down from 4 stars to 3.
So while I really did like this book, I was left underwhelmed by the actual ending, unfortunately. I still adore Marcus Sedgwick’s writing style however, and overall, The Foreshadowing was an enjoyable read.
January 19, 2010
M. Sedgwick's setting is war and he was able to steep enough "shadow" into this book that I actually felt a little scared to turn the page. It was a dark book, not in the traditional "evil" since, but in the foreboding that filled every chapter. I did not know that Sasha was going to do what she did - it actually really suprised me - but throughout the entire book I had a dark feeling of hanging on edge, and dread - wongness. It was as if I knew, just as Sasha knew, that something bad was going to happen, but unlike her, I did not know what.
I would probably not recommend this book to my friends of a younger age, just because of sheer "creepiness" factor - and also because of the violence that Sasha sees in the field hospital "pit-stop". I liked Thomas, and I wish that we had gotten to see more of him. I liked Jack, even though at times he was a litte scary. Sasha was an awesome main character, terrified, yet determined. She was not invinsible, nor was she infallably brave - she was a just a young girl, fierce in her desire to save her brother. She dreaded the terrors of war, yet she rose to the occasion and helped. She was horrified of her visions, yet she decided that rather than curl up in a ball on the ground and go crazy from the agony of knowing - she would take fate into her hands and change the course of history.
It was a haunting book, and though I was thinking of giving it three stars I realized that would be unfair. Just because it was ghastly and horrible in it's depiction of war and violence does not mean it was not a good book. . . .it was dread-full, but it was good. . .
I would probably not recommend this book to my friends of a younger age, just because of sheer "creepiness" factor - and also because of the violence that Sasha sees in the field hospital "pit-stop". I liked Thomas, and I wish that we had gotten to see more of him. I liked Jack, even though at times he was a litte scary. Sasha was an awesome main character, terrified, yet determined. She was not invinsible, nor was she infallably brave - she was a just a young girl, fierce in her desire to save her brother. She dreaded the terrors of war, yet she rose to the occasion and helped. She was horrified of her visions, yet she decided that rather than curl up in a ball on the ground and go crazy from the agony of knowing - she would take fate into her hands and change the course of history.
It was a haunting book, and though I was thinking of giving it three stars I realized that would be unfair. Just because it was ghastly and horrible in it's depiction of war and violence does not mean it was not a good book. . . .it was dread-full, but it was good. . .
March 21, 2016
The book The Foreshadowing by Marcus Sedgwick was a very interesting book. I personally like the book very much it was kind of boring somewhat in the beginning but as I got towards the middle of the book it got very interesting and I would definitely recommend this book to others if you like a little bit of mystery. The main setting was in I think it was in Germany around the 1800's but I cannot fully remember. A girl named Alexandra sometimes nicknamed Sasha, was a normally 17 year old girl but recently she had been experiencing visions of peoples deaths and how they would die. She tries to tell her mother but she doesn't believer her pwn daughter and ignores it. As her two older brothers set off to war, Alexandra wants to become a VAD Nurse. Edger (the oldest brother) was in the wear but during Christmas he could come and visit his family, so he sent a post card, some days later Alexandria wanted to look at the post card. As she touches the card she thought she would have a vision of her brothers death or how it would happen. But she didn't and she started reading. towards the end she had a vision that her brother was dead. It took some time to get over the fact that her brother had died. Later when Alexandria had a vision in her sleep that her other older brother (also middle child) was going to be shot by a gun, but not yet, he was not dead yet. As she realizes this she goes on a quest for this not to happen.
December 29, 2016
You know that very first impression you make about a book? Specially bad impressions? Yeah well, this book was unlucky lol. A colleague of mine gave me this book after she found out that I was a reader --like her. Unfortunately, it sat there on my book shelve untouched. Why? Just because I didn't feel like reading paperbacks. I'm so used to E-books now that I get upset when I HAVE TO read paperbacks. Anyways, one day I decided to check this book, to read the first page so I know whether it's a first or third person POV. You know, to get a glimpse of what I was going to read sometime in the far faaaaar future (this is how much I despise paperbacks lol). And boy, what a glimpse it was! It was love at first read, I could not put it down. Screw paperbacks! I'm loving this book.
It took me back to the nineties, even though it was a war zone to which I, sadly, can relate. I felt like I was Sasha with her visions and thinking and the world around her. Even though there were some flaws in the plot itself, I liked it. I loved it actually. I don't think this will be my last read for Marcus; I'm hooked now.
For you readers out there, if you're not sure about this book, whether it's worth the money or not. Well, let me make it easy for you.
It's not.
Kidding, it's worth it. Totally worth it.
It took me back to the nineties, even though it was a war zone to which I, sadly, can relate. I felt like I was Sasha with her visions and thinking and the world around her. Even though there were some flaws in the plot itself, I liked it. I loved it actually. I don't think this will be my last read for Marcus; I'm hooked now.
For you readers out there, if you're not sure about this book, whether it's worth the money or not. Well, let me make it easy for you.
It's not.
Kidding, it's worth it. Totally worth it.
September 6, 2016
This book should have been a hit for me - I love WW1/WW2 fiction, along with plucky female protagonists. Unfortunately, it just felt all too bland for me. I think my biggest issue was suspension of disbelief - a teenage girl lying her way to the front in WW1 just doesn't fly with me, no matter how realistically the author wrangled it. The quiet horrors of war were well depicted though, in the changed personalities of those who returned. I especially respect the sheer fortitude of the nurses, who had to deal with so much death and human destruction and still keep on, day after day, sometimes in horrendous conditions.
February 25, 2009
It was really interesting to learn about the way things were for women back then and how the main character really felt like she need to do something more than just sit around the house all day I also enjoyed the settings and how she went to the war but what really disapointed me was that the main character didn't fall in love with Hodoo Jack who would be a perfect match for her because he would understand her the best of anyone if there was another book they would have deffinatly been together it was just a dissapointment that they didn't get togetherin this book.
September 1, 2007
Sedgwick usually writes books that contain fantasy elements, and this is no exception. It's a historical novel, though, about a girl who has a premonition that her beloved brother is going to be killed in France in World War I. She sets out disguised as a nurse to find him to try to save him. It's a very realistic portrayal of what nurses had to deal with then. The ending had an unexpected twist, which I liked.
September 5, 2010
Wonderfully written, gripping plot, fresh and original... until the end. The end RUINED my opinion of the author and book. The final pages are HORRIFYING and completely out of character for the protagonist.
October 14, 2014
An interesting twist on the mountains of WW1 fiction that are cropping up at the moment and an appropriate level of gory detail for a YA novel. I felt the story dragged a bit in places, but overall the pace is okay and the protagonist's urgency feels real.
April 24, 2020
"You alone saw the horror of war, and wept when we did not believe you."
The Foreshadowing is set during World War One where we follow Alexandra; a young girl training to be a nurse, worrying about her brothers who are fighting in the Great War. Especially since she knows first-hand the horrors of war as she has a gift; a gift for seeing the future - or more specifically if someone is going to die. However, no one will believe her. And when she sees her brother's death, she knows she is the only one who can actually try and change fate.
I loved the writing in this book. It is a very lyrical and flowery writing style, but at the same time very suspenceful. The descriptions were simplistic and yet filled me with untold horror. This is a fictional story, but it was not fictional events being told. Men killed and died. Millions died gruesome deaths. My heart broke, and when I finished this book, I was almost out of breath and sick with heartache. I like history and learning about historical events, but this was everyday life for so many people. They didn't know that the Somme was going to be the worst battle of the war, and millions of soldiers marched to their death. They didn't know that the war was going to continue for years yet.
Alexandra was also such a great character. I especially liked how her life was paralleled with the Seer Casandra from Greek mythology. How they both are gifted with the knowledge of the future, but cursed so no one will believe them. Again, Alexandra was written so very well that I felt all of her emotions: her fears and horrors about the sights of the injured men, her longing for a safe past where everything was well, her desperation to be believed. I just really wanted her to succeed.
I really thought that this was going to be 5 stars, but I really didn't like the ending. It felt very rushed and a bit gimmicky which kind of ruined the vibe of the rest of the book. I don't know how I would have like the book to end as it really was more about the journey than the endpoint, but it felt clumsy. Especially since this is such a short book; it wouldn't have hurt to spend more pages fleshing out a less rushed ending.
But apart from the ending, it was an amazing book, and I am so glad that I read it!
The Foreshadowing is set during World War One where we follow Alexandra; a young girl training to be a nurse, worrying about her brothers who are fighting in the Great War. Especially since she knows first-hand the horrors of war as she has a gift; a gift for seeing the future - or more specifically if someone is going to die. However, no one will believe her. And when she sees her brother's death, she knows she is the only one who can actually try and change fate.
I loved the writing in this book. It is a very lyrical and flowery writing style, but at the same time very suspenceful. The descriptions were simplistic and yet filled me with untold horror. This is a fictional story, but it was not fictional events being told. Men killed and died. Millions died gruesome deaths. My heart broke, and when I finished this book, I was almost out of breath and sick with heartache. I like history and learning about historical events, but this was everyday life for so many people. They didn't know that the Somme was going to be the worst battle of the war, and millions of soldiers marched to their death. They didn't know that the war was going to continue for years yet.
Alexandra was also such a great character. I especially liked how her life was paralleled with the Seer Casandra from Greek mythology. How they both are gifted with the knowledge of the future, but cursed so no one will believe them. Again, Alexandra was written so very well that I felt all of her emotions: her fears and horrors about the sights of the injured men, her longing for a safe past where everything was well, her desperation to be believed. I just really wanted her to succeed.
I really thought that this was going to be 5 stars, but I really didn't like the ending. It felt very rushed and a bit gimmicky which kind of ruined the vibe of the rest of the book. I don't know how I would have like the book to end as it really was more about the journey than the endpoint, but it felt clumsy. Especially since this is such a short book; it wouldn't have hurt to spend more pages fleshing out a less rushed ending.
But apart from the ending, it was an amazing book, and I am so glad that I read it!
December 9, 2020
Sedgwick writes beautifully and hauntingly: I love the way he captures the character of Alexandra who can foresee death through her sense of touch and her dreams. I also appreciate Sedgwick’s stylistics: Eg the blank chapters because it does encapsulate a sense of emptiness in the passing of time through such a formal means.
Yet, all in all, much things in this book are not believable, especially when it seems to aspire towards a sense of realism aside from its premonitory element that is clearly rooted in fantasy. I cannot imagine how Alexandra would be able to lie her way to France and then through a mix of even more unbelievable methods find her brother near the frontline of the war. Given the scale and the chaos of the war, this seems simply too ludicrous. The figure of Jack also seems to be a deus ex machina - an overly convenient and hence an entirely unconvincing one at that. Jack serves the purpose of moving forth the plot, but makes everything feel too good to be true.
Whilst the twist at the end was interesting though not unexpected, it also felt a tad haphazard. I can’t explain it, but the entire plot starting midway start feeling rather contrived.
Overall I still enjoyed reading the book very much because of the way it’s written. Anyway, if I can suspend my disbelief to believe in people seeing deaths in the future etc, then the tenuous plot is, too, acceptable as well. Finally, this book reminds me of The Boy in Striped Pyjamas: not just because of the shared overarching backdrop of war, but also how the father figures always seem to be more preoccupied with the prestige of their positions and their own image than their family. The father in this book is even more suffocating and less likeable than Father in TBISP, and there are moments in the text that makes one loathe him to the very core...
Yet, all in all, much things in this book are not believable, especially when it seems to aspire towards a sense of realism aside from its premonitory element that is clearly rooted in fantasy. I cannot imagine how Alexandra would be able to lie her way to France and then through a mix of even more unbelievable methods find her brother near the frontline of the war. Given the scale and the chaos of the war, this seems simply too ludicrous. The figure of Jack also seems to be a deus ex machina - an overly convenient and hence an entirely unconvincing one at that. Jack serves the purpose of moving forth the plot, but makes everything feel too good to be true.
Whilst the twist at the end was interesting though not unexpected, it also felt a tad haphazard. I can’t explain it, but the entire plot starting midway start feeling rather contrived.
Overall I still enjoyed reading the book very much because of the way it’s written. Anyway, if I can suspend my disbelief to believe in people seeing deaths in the future etc, then the tenuous plot is, too, acceptable as well. Finally, this book reminds me of The Boy in Striped Pyjamas: not just because of the shared overarching backdrop of war, but also how the father figures always seem to be more preoccupied with the prestige of their positions and their own image than their family. The father in this book is even more suffocating and less likeable than Father in TBISP, and there are moments in the text that makes one loathe him to the very core...
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