2 out of 4 stars
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The Three Lives of One is a historical fiction written by Lesley J. Mooney. The book is set in the 1920s through to the 1980s, and follows an island girl who is rescued after a tsunami wrecks her village. However, unfortunate events result in her moving from family to family until she is kidnapped and forced to work in a brothel for a year. When she manages to escape, she finds that her talents lie in nursing, photography and singing. Her journey leads her to briefly join the army until an attack on the camp forces her to escape. Back in America, she discovers her biological father and receives a letter that is the key to all her dreams. Later, when she falls in love with a missionary, will she finally be able to find a true love that will erase her tragic past?
There were a lot of grammatical errors and typos throughout the book. Also, despite all the horrors the protagonist, Patches, had to go through, the book barely touches on the following post-traumatic stress disorder that should have developed as a consequence. Furthermore, all these events should have led to the blossoming of a strong female protagonist, especially as Patches manages to survive and recover from her experiences. However, this doesn’t happen. It felt as if the events were there to serve the plot of the story instead of helping to develop Patches’ character.
Moreover, Patches should have developed an aversion to men after everything that had happened to her. However, she suddenly decides to join the army despite saying that she loathed men. Back then, the army consisted of all men with the exception of a few rare nurses. Not only that, but when she arrived to the camp, she showed no signs of hating men or feeling uneasy around them. In fact, all of her interactions to men after her assault were no different to her interactions with women.
The book also doesn’t delve into the issues surrounding adoption despite Patches being an adopted child herself and her children being adopted.
Overall, I rate the book 2 out of 4 stars. The author tried to fit too many events into the book and ended up with a shallow story. It would have been better if the author had focused on one part of Patches’ life and used it as the main storyline. Despite this, the book did give an interesting peek into Patches’ life and by the time I reached the end of the book, I felt emotionally invested into her well-being. The author had successfully created a character that we cared for and gave the book a perfect ending.
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The Three Lives of One
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