BlogTour stop for this uplifting and inspiring story full of hope and resilience
"Every cloud has a silver lining... doesn’t it? "
Synopsis
Every cloud has a silver lining... doesn’t it?
Anna is thirteen years old, lives in London with her father, and has Asperger’s syndrome.
When her father dies, she moves to Scotland to live with her estranged, reclusive mother. With little support to help her fit in, she must use every coping strategy her father taught her—especially her ‘Happy Game’—as she tries to connect with her mother, discover her past, and deal with the challenges of being thrown into a brand new life along the way.
My Review
When the chance to review this YA novel came about I jumped at the chance, reading the blurb learning that the main character has Aspergers, it just resinated with me so much as my son does too.
We are constantly learning his normal and I found the opertunity to read a book from the perspective of a person with Aspergers one I could not turn down.
In this read we meet Anna she is 13 years old and as said above she has Asperger's sysndrome.
she lives with her father who has homeschooled her, her whole life she has never known her mother really she remembers 1 visit when she was very young but overall does not think she would even like her mother from the impressions her father has given.
Anna life is closeted she has been almost protected by her father yet in turn he has raised her to be accepting of others and to look at any situation or even and see the postive and best things this is what they call there "Happy Game" looking for the happy bits.
shockingly Anna life is torn apart when her father dies in a fire that nearly kills them both, suddenly Anna finds herself heaing away from London to live in Scotland with her mother, the mother she does not know, the places she cannot really remember everything is diffrent, new and too much.
Anna fids herself forgotten on her arrival and finds her mother withdrawn and anxious herself and quite honesly not very welcoming. but Anna refuses to let her father down, she seeks the haapy things the positives forces herslf above her Aspergers to seek out new friends some who seem terrifling at the start! and to get to the truth of why her mother is how she is.
This was a wonderful read about persiverance, self worth and an uplifting tale of coming of age and acceptance.
I love Anna's charater her resilience of using all the stratagies her father had taught her to over come her worry and anxiety spoke volumes of the resorceful and brave teen she is. This character struggles in more or less every aspect of her daily life, it really opened my eyes to what others with Aspergers are thinking and feeling.
This is read I have past on to my son, he is currently enjoying it but loves the fact that he is finally reading about a character thats get him and the way he thinks which i think is a credit to the author.
I loved seeing Anna build the friendships she makes and the dynamics slowly change in the relationship with her mother. but mostly I loved Anna's attitude in her fathers legacy of the "Happy Game" and using it in her life. Seeing the postives and been kind is such a powereful message in the times we are having now, we can all afford to be a little more like Anna and be a little kinder to each other.
Author Bio
Laura Guthrie grew up in the rural Scottish Highlands (“I come from where the planes don’t fly”).
Her creative influences include Nessie and the elusive ‘Caiplich Beast’, as well as some choice authors and their works.
She has an honours degree in biological sciences from the University of Edinburgh, and a PhD in creative writing from the University of Glasgow.
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Thank you to the Publisher and Author for sending me an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel and for the opportunity to review these works.
All reviews are my own unbiased opinion.