I am quite proud of myself – not even 10 days into the new year and I have one book review ready (oh well to be truthful I started reading the book over the Christmas/New Year holidays) but I got it done and I hope it is a trend that carries through the year. Surprisingly, many of the lurkers on my blog like my book review feature a lot.

Before I write about the book, I have a question – how do you pick a book to read? What makes you select a book? Reviews, recommendations, the author, the theme or what? I pick up books randomly – like this book was picked up for 2 reasons – it was on Amazon’s kindle bestseller’s list and because of its title.

The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell

I did not start the book with very high hopes – very often my random book picks do not excite me as much as I think it would. But this book proved me wrong. The book was a smooth sailing and it was over before I knew it. Was I sad the book got done? No not really.

The book traces the lives of 2 women – Lexie and Elina who lived 50 years apart. Lexie, a small town English girl dreams of life in London, runs away from home and builds her life. Her rather colorful life starting with being a lift girl in a department store. Her life, her decisions, her actions bring out her as a strong, confident and independent woman who goes behind what she wants. A single mother who has a past and a reminder in the form of priceless art work.

Elina is a mother – a new one. She is an artist and is married to Ted – the film editor. The story is as much about Ted as it about Lexie and Elina. Ted on becoming a father faces visions/dreams/nightmares and it takes a journey to discover the past. The way the past mingles with the present is the crux of the story.

I loved the past – Lexie and her life captivated me. She was so full of life. Surprisingly, it is Lexie not Elina I could relate with in this story. I would have thought as a new mother in today’s world it was Elina whom I would be relate to more and it is disappointing in a strange sort of way. The book starts with Elina and I was kind of hoping the book held more about her. But somewhere in the storytelling, Elina becomes insignificant.

It is amazing what changes a baby brings to a family and life and this book showcases it perfectly. This is my first O’Farrell book and I loved her almost melodious style of writing. I think I will be adding more of her books to my list soon.