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Book giveaway: The Museum of You by Carys Bray. Post your feedback by 5 August for chance to win £100 Love2Shop Voucher!

85 replies

SorchaMumsnet · 13/06/2016 16:56

Clover is looking for answers. She is searching for them in her mother's belongings, a collection of things that she hopes will tell the full story of her mother, her father, and who she is going to be.

From Carys Bray, the award-winning author of A Song for Issy Bradley, comes a tender yet funny tale of love and loss. The Museum of You will surprise, make you cry but also delight.

We've got 50 copies of The Museum of You to give away to Mumsnetters to read and share their thoughts about it on this discussion thread. This giveaway ends on 20 June so apply now!

You don't have to win a free copy to take part in the discussion. Anyone who has read The Museum of You can post their feedback on this discussion thread. If you miss out on a free one, you can buy a copy. All who post feedback here before 5 August will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Love2shop voucher.

This discussion is sponsored by Penguin Random House

Book giveaway: The Museum of You by Carys Bray. Post your feedback by 5 August for chance to win £100 Love2Shop Voucher!
OP posts:
buckley1983 · 20/07/2016 22:04

Loved this one from the moment I saw the cover :) I'd heard & enjoyed 'A Song for Issy Bradley' on Radio 4, so had a little idea of Carys style of writing & what to expect. I wasn't disappointed.
Clover is an interesting character & I warmed to her from the off. A beautiful story - heartwarming & harrowing in equal measure - made me want to call my Mum, ask her a million questions & tell her how much I love her, just in case she isn't there one day.
Highly recommend this & looking forward to the next offering from Carys Bray.

labradoodlemum · 21/07/2016 10:54

Thank you so much for my copy. I really loved this book. It was so clever and touching - the little snippets of information about characters kept me wanting to know more about them and while there is a satisfactory ending to the book I also felt that i could have read on about them all. So much sadness and crushed opportunities existed in the small group of characters yet also so much happiness in the small things of life. The depiction of the first few weeks with a new baby were horribly realistic. The comic relief of Mrs Mackeral was welcome - although by the end you realised just what a kind and amazing woman she was - a neighbour who helped to bring up someone else's child. I think Carys Bray is an amazing author - I found Issy Bradley similarly unusual, touching and thought provoking. Fantastic

flickas · 21/07/2016 16:10

I've really enjoyed reading this book, I love the way that Carys Bray gives so much detail, it really made me feel like I was part of Clover's family.

Finding out with Clover, what actually happened to her mother and who she really was, before her mum died.

Not a lot really happens but the way the book deals with grief and loss, is beautifully done. I would really recommend.

GrouchingTiggerHiddenSomething · 21/07/2016 18:59

Just finished this book, thank you so much, I really enjoyed it. I found the charaters well drawn and the alternate chapters narrated by Clover and her dad worked well to draw the me in and gradually reveal more of the story. The grief is very well handled (very moving) and I loved Mrs M next door. I will be recommending it to other people and will seek out other books by Carys Bray from the library.

llewejk · 21/07/2016 21:51

What a lovely story and easy to read. A beautifully written story about a 12 year old girl finding out about her Mummy. Kept me wanting to read more, and I read it in three days! Would definitely recommend.

daisyduke66 · 22/07/2016 16:25

Lovely writing style. Emotional and light at the same time. I didn't really engage with the characters but cleverly written all the same.

clemetteattlee · 24/07/2016 19:37

After a slightly slow start (more to do with me being tired than the book I think) I have just spent the afternoon relishing this book. It is warm, compassionate and interesting. Bray writes as both a 12 year old girl and a man in his 30s with equally convincing voices. I enjoyed how the characters were all well-rounded and I particularly enjoyed the upstairs neighbour and her malapropisms.

My only slight criticism is a suspicion that Kelly may not have been so patient in waiting, but, overall, I recommend this highly.
Thanks to mumsnet for the free copy :)

cookie09 · 25/07/2016 11:00

Clover lives with her father and the distant remnants of her mother mainly left in the main bedroom, door closed. After a trip to the Mersey Maritime Museum she decides to curate a museum to her mum. In doing so, alternating between Clover and her father, we discover the story of where she went and what makes a family. A beautiful heartwarming, and breaking, tale.

sweir1 · 26/07/2016 22:12

I have really enjoyed it so far

rhinosuze · 27/07/2016 07:32

Borrowed this from my friend as I wasnt lucky enough to win a copy, nearly at the end. It's not what I'd call a page turner but it's sweet and engaging and an easy read. Good for a holiday I think

windowmouse · 27/07/2016 10:21

Just as good as previous books, really great writing, A fab holiday read that you will fly through.

angiehoggett · 27/07/2016 12:25

good holiday read this one

IreadthereforeIam · 28/07/2016 22:15

This tells the story of Clover, her Dad and Clovers' quest to create a museum of her Mum. Clover has never known her Mum - she died when she was a baby. She knows nothing of the circumstances and her Dad doesn't seem to want to talk about it. He hasn't thrown any of her Mum's belongings away, they're all in the bedroom they used to share. And so Clover begins to construct her museum...
Great, rounded characters throughout. I loved how real everyone seemed to be - perfectly believable people. Even though at least half of the book is from Clovers point of view, a 12 year old girl (I think!), it doesn't read like a child's story at all. Of course there are the more adult themes that run through the book (death, mental health, depression, post natal depression, amongst others), but Clover is definitely the main character. I loved her Dad though. He clearly struggles with his own feelings of loss and guilt. Well worth a read!!

GravityLucy · 28/07/2016 23:10

I would have liked just a tiny bit more from this book. I really enjoyed it and I thought the characters were drawn really well. I just wanted to know a bit more about them then we got. I think it was because the characters were interesting and felt authentic, so I wanted to know more about Dagmar and Colin and especially Jim. It wasn't their story though.

It is a lovely read. Kept me interested and didn't give absolutely everything away. I like the moments of misdirection and misinterpretation where something Clover attaches one meaning too, Darren attaches another.

Also, excellent reference to GBBO Icecream Incident, love it!

GravityLucy · 28/07/2016 23:21

Oops, hit send by accident.

Was going to say. Overall I would recommend this book as an interesting, light and involving read.

stewaris · 29/07/2016 20:38

This was a great read and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. OH was not happy when I suggested pizza for tea as I couldn't get my nose out of this book.

hutchy73 · 30/07/2016 17:56

Sorry but not for me - tried to get into it but gave up . Probably didn't help that I have just read a really good . book so it had a lot to live up to.Thanks for the freebie though - it's good to try different things even if they don't work out !

Crandally · 31/07/2016 01:07

I really enjoyed The Museum of You. Great characters, lovely relationships, and a real sense of summer.

StillNoFuckingEyeDeer · 01/08/2016 14:48

A great book. I really enjoyed reading this. The book revokes around seven main characters who are all very believable and well depicted. Clover is trying to find out more about her mother who died when she was 6 weeks old. Darren, Clover's father rarely speaks about her. A heartwarming book about loss, parenting, friendship and love.

whatwoulddexterdo · 01/08/2016 18:19

Thank you so much for this book. I have really enjoyed reading this and it has made a welcome change from my usual staple of psychological thrillers. There is no massive plot line here, no twists and turns just a beautiful story told in alternating chapters of life , loss , family and mental health.
I found the characters to be wonderfully drawn and believable. There is a lot of descriptive prose and it's very accurate in its depiction of life in the 60s and 70s.
I would recommend this book to friends.
Thanks again

musicalprof · 02/08/2016 11:13

I wasn't too sure at the start, probably because I always read at bedtime & was too tired to focus initially, however I loved how the layers of the story were slowly peeled away & how the relationships between all the characters became fully revealed.

Having celebrated my fiftieth birthday a few months back, I loved all the references to different things from different times & had lots of 'oh I remember that' moments.

Most of all I loved the way the significance of the different objects became revealed. As someone who didn't have many possessions as a child, I find it really hard to get rid of things; this book has given me the push to finally sort through those bags & boxes of 'memories' that really do need a BIG sort out!!

mumpetuk1 · 02/08/2016 15:12

Very good book!

smit23 · 02/08/2016 21:52

The tenderness of this book was really touching, and you felt like you were right there experiencing it all.

I've passed it along to my sister, so hopefully she'll enjoy it as much as me.

SuperMumNot · 03/08/2016 14:32

This story of 12 year old Clover and her single Dad, Darren is told in a charming and enagaging way.

As she approaches puberty, Clover becomes increasingly curious about her mother and sets about recreating her life as a museum exhibit in the room where Darren has boxed up her things.
It's told from the viewpoint of both Darren and Clover, and sensitively deals with the issues of loss and moving on.
I enjoyed it.

Jocelynne123 · 03/08/2016 20:45

This is the perfect holiday read. Very well written and an easy read without being boring. I would recommend