Find out what Mumsnetters thought of Greatest Hits by Laura Barnett

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In need of a cracking new read? Laura Barnett's first novel The Versions of Us was a literary sensation and her latest book Greatest Hits tells the captivating and unique story of a life through songs.

During the last ten years, acclaimed singer-songwriter Cass, whose world was once filled with music, has lived in silence. She has been unable to listen to any of her own recordings or write any new songs. But now she has agreed to do a Greatest Hits compilation.

Each chapter opens with a song and tells the story of Cass’s life when it was written: her parents’ troubled marriage, her discovery of music and her difficult relationships with both the man she loved and her beloved daughter.

Greatest Hits is the story of a woman who, despite an extraordinary life and remarkable gifts, has been unable to protect herself from heartbreak and loss. But can Cass find the path back to happiness?

We ask all winners to share their thoughts about the book on this discussion thread. Everyone who gives detailed feedback on Greatest Hits by Friday 4 August will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Love2shop voucher:

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What an interesting way and subject for a book. Liked the characters, but not Anna. How annoying is she! Hve just listened to all the songs and that has helped me sort it out. Thank you so much for my copy.

I haven't managed to finish it yet (got a new job and flat badly in need of renovation at the same time!) but I am really enjoying it and looking forward to carrying on.

At first I thought it was a bit overly descriptive (can't grass sometimes just be grass?!), but it settled down and it's really well written when it comes to thoughts and conversations.

Love the idea of their being an accompanying playlist, and the music related segments make it clear that the author knows a lot about the industry. I like the fact that you get a clue about the time in question from the year in the lyric/song credits that split up the chapters.

This book was rather different to many I have read before but found it an excellent summer read nevertheless and a new concept regarding the songs

I have finished this book now, and what to say?
Well, I still struggled with the flow of the book, but it was a very pleasant read. I have not listened to the music yet but certainly will.
I have passed this book along to my friend, in the spirit of spreading the love, and hope she enjoys it as much as me 😁

Thank you, Mumsnet, for my free copy. I enjoyed this book and the album. The subject matter resonated very much with me, also being an ex-musician and songwriter, and music lover. My only criticisms are that I got a bit confused with the many characters at times and found the writing a little muddled in places but generally I really enjoyed it. And I thoroughly recommend listening to the accompanying album, as Kathryn Williams is an amazing talent and it's really interesting to hear her interpretation of the songs.

I'm half way through this book and really enjoying it. I love the story of her life. It's an easy read and an enjoyable one. I don't have Spotify to listen to the music which is a bit dissapointing. None the less it's a great read.

Hi agnapoop - I've had a scout around and it looks like you can listen to 30-second previews of the songs (to get a taster at least!) on Kathryn Williams' blog - try this. And there are some other ways to listen listed too. Hope that helps!

Whilst I wasn't expecting to be bowled over my this book which is outside of the usual crime and thriller selection that I read, it won me over completely with its original premise and thoughtful insights. This novel, focusing on the highs and lows in the life of a fictional British singer was like a novel form of Desert Island Discs but with an emotional pull grounding the whole story. I am so surprised at the original premise this whole book took as it's starting point - sometimes the minds of creative writers confounds me. So much imagination and then to follow the concept through and provide a stunning reading experience. My one reservation is that I think the music mentioned might restrict some of the younger readers from throwing themselves into wholeheartedly. Whilst I know and love all of the music mentioned, I was always a bit old for my time and just continued listening to my parents music long into my 30's... many thanks for the chance to read this book which I would not have chosen without a prompt! Cheers Mumsnet

“Silence, or something like it. An arpeggio of birdsong. The low rumble of a car. The distant diminuendo of a plane. Such are the sounds that have, over so many years, formed, for Cass, their own kind of music. The only kind that sounded right inside her head; that didn’t thud and clash there, ugly, discordant, deafening.”

Very enjoyable life story of a pop star listing the events in her life and family problems and various characters she encountered on the way. Certainly takes the glamour off a pop star's true life and the constant exposure to smoking, alcohol and drugs is well described.
The plot for 'Greatest Hits' is beautifully written. I revered getting to know Cass and exploring her life, a rather amazing life but one that is not always full of happiness. This novel definitely kept me hooked throughout and left me wanting more at the end.

I finished the book and really enjoyed it, it's well written and kept my interest. I enjoyed having the lyrics to the song at the start of the chapter and then finding out what had inspired it and thought it stitched the story together well.
I love the concept of having an accompanying album, it's novel and clever. However, I don't have Spotify so a download link within the book would have been really useful. I borrowed my husband's Spotify and listened to some of the songs, they're not what I would normally listen to and gentler than I expected but very good. They're instilled with a lot of meaning having read where they came from. As a book and an album they both stand alone but the collaboration of the two makes the whole thing a really exciting project.

I really enjoyed The Versions of Us, so was looking forward to this while trying not to have too many preconceptions or expectations about the book. I haven't quite finished it and haven't had the chance to listen to the accompanying soundtrack yet, but am thoroughly enjoying it so far.

The book has an interesting format - singer Cass is putting together a greatest hits album and deciding which of her tracks to include. Each chapter starts with the title and lyrics of a particular track and then goes on to explore the events behind these lyrics: the novel is basically a soundtrack to her life. I found Cass a little difficult to relate to at first but came to have more sympathy for her as the book progressed, with each song bringing new memories to the fore - from her difficult childhood and marriage to the highs and lows of the music scene.

I have, like others, found the huge number of supporting characters a little confusing at times. Otherwise, I would highly recommend: well-structured, poignant and evocative, this book really draws you in and compellingly reflects the ups and downs of Cass' life.

What an enjoyable read! I loved it! :) Very well written and definitely a page turner!

Hi all - thanks for your thoughts on Greatest Hits and glad you enjoyed the innovative concept :)

Congratulations to @IreadthereforeIam who wins the £100 voucher! Pop your details over to [email protected] and we'll get that sent out to you.

What an interesting idea. Having the chapters based around songs that could be listened to on Spotify really added to my enjoyment of this book. I really got into this at the beginning though it dwelled too much on the sex and drugs and became an almost stereotypical portrayal of someone in the music industry. However my enjoyment really picked up towards the end and is really quite tragic but laced with humour as well. An ambitious project and definitely worth sticking with.

Thanks to Mumsnet for sending me Greatest Hits, I'm absolutely loving it. The way the story is told with Cass looking back on her life is really interesting and the way the songs are weaved into that is so clever. I didn't realise there was an actual album to accompany the book so will definitely be having a listen to that.

found the book difficult to start but as progress was made, more absorbing the book became. A cracking finish