Of Things Gone Astray by Janina Matthewson

Paperback: 291 pages
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Publisher: Harper Collins 2014
Source: The author's publicists in return for an unbiased review.
First Sentence:Mrs Featherby had been having pleasant dreams until she woke to discover the front of her house had vanished overnight.
Favourite Quote: “That's a very strongly defined term, dear, 'wrong choices' and i'm not sure it's helpful. There are no wrong or right choices, necessarily, just those you make or don't make and the consequences. And by extension, how you deal with the consequences.”
Review Quote: 'I wanted to read this quickly but it kept making me stop to think. I love this stunning collection of quirky ideas, skillfully told and any one of them could happen to any one of us, at any time.' Cecelia Ahern.
My Opinion: Set in the real world but with ridiculous things happening I struggled to read this. Do not get me wrong this a well written and quirky novel dealing with loss. As I am not generally a fan of fantasy fiction this was no great surprise to me, but I do like to take the opportunity to read things outside my comfort zone. Although it did not work for me it will I think  appeal to 'real' fans of this genre.


Précis Courtesy of Goodreads :

On a seemingly normal morning in London, a group of people all lose something dear to them, something dear but peculiar: the front of their house, their piano keys, their sense of direction, their place of work.

Meanwhile, Jake, a young boy whose father brings him to London following his mother’s sudden death, finds himself strangely attracted to other people’s lost things. But little does he realize that his most valuable possession, his relationship with his father, is slipping away from him.


Of Things Gone Astray is a magical fable about modern life and values and finding the things that really matter


Author Profile:

Janina is a London based writer of novels and plays. She is ill equipped to deal with domestic concerns and almost always kills her plants.
Of Things Gone Astray is now available in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States. Published by The Friday Project at Harper Collins.
Her first novella, The Understanding of Women, was released world wide as an eBook in October 2012 and her play, Human and If, had it's first public reading in July 2012.
She will never get used to Christmas being cold as she was born in New Zealand.

The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing.


Goodreads Author Profile    Amazon Author Page   Janina Matthewson Official Website

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