Excellent book. Mental illness. Suicide. Love story going wrong. Down syndrome. A museum. Interested situations and people. ( )

Sadly, just a tad too clever to be a great book. But it's still well worth a read. ( )

I had the good fortune to win this off of Goodreads give away.

Looked forward to reading this book. The cover is what caught my attention to it. I found the author to
be quite good. She brings you into the story and holds your attention. She has way of making you feel you
are there and seeing things up close. She also holds back some secrets, which will surprise you.
We all have some secrets that we keep close to the heart from others.

Cate husband has died and part of her has died with him. She is hurt and can't understand why. She finds herself struggling since he past. She packs up her son and moves to her husband's family home . It turns out to be an Old Victorian home which is also a museum. What happens next will surprise you and you can't wait to see what next happens.

This is a story not only of finding how to face live, but also of love, faith, and taking the leap of faith. Sometimes you don't want to faith the true, but if we are to go forward we have to.

This is worth the read. (less) ( )

It was the cover of The Museum of Forgotten Memories by Anstey Harris that first caught my eye. It was unique and I wondered 'What are all those animals doing around the kitchen table?' Well, the story inside is just as unique - and it's one I absolutely adored.

Cate Harris has lost her husband Richard, her job and her home. With little left in savings, she and her teenage son Leo pack up and move to Richard's family home - a Victorian museum called the Hatters Museum of the Wide Wide World in the small town of Crouch-on-Sea. And inside? Taxidermied exhibits that are quite frankly amazing. It gives them a place to live for the summer while Cate ponders what to do next. Not as thrilled with their arrival is Araminta, the caretaker.

I loved the premise and couldn't wait to discover more about the museum, the residents and what might be in the future for Cate. Cate is the voice of the book and we see and discover everything through her eyes and thoughts. Araminta is flinty with lots of sharp edges, she finds the intrusion into her domain barely tolerable and does not hesitate to let it be known. Leo is wonderful - his view of the world tempers the tension between the other two. There are a number of supporting cast members that are just as well drawn, with each bringing their own story to weave into the plot.

And that plot is fresh, unique and unpredictable. You'll find your loyalties challenged and your preconceptions to be erroneous as the book progresses and more of the past (memories) are brought to light. There's a bit of an underdog feel to the tale - and I am always on the side of the underdogs.

Harris explores love, loss, grief, hope, friendship, duty and abilities in this latest. All of them done well.

I chose to listen to The Museum of Forgotten Memories. The narrator was Tania Rodrigues and her performance was excellent. Her voice is clear and easy to understand. Her tone is rich. The speed of speaking is just right. Harris's dialogue is great and Rodrigues does a fantastic job with bringing it to life. Cate's voice is calm, measured and thoughtful - for the most part. The voice for Leo is perfect for this character. Araminta's is short and clipped and suited the character as well. It was easy to tell who was speaking. Rodriques interprets Harris's book well. The tone of situations and the emotions of the characters is presented very, very well. I've often said it but I'll say it again - I feel more immersed in a book when I listen to it. The characters seem to come alive and the listener is part of things. ( )

The Museum of Forgotten Memories from Anstey Harris is less a quirky novel than it is a surprisingly deep novel taking place at a quirky place. In other words, if you didn't want characters doing soul searching but wanted an offbeat story with less depth, you may be disappointed. If you want a well-written look at grief, family, and starting over that is more than just a surface read, you will like this a lot.

I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, maybe a bit of a quirky novel, but I was happy with a little less quirk in exchange for a lot more thoughtful character development. The two certainly aren't mutually exclusive but I think too much oddity for the sake of oddity would have detracted from the emotional aspect of the journey. That said, there is enough offbeat to keep things fun as well.

Readers can find several ways into the novel. There is a special needs young adult child, a mother forced to start over both emotionally and financially, a unique museum indicative of the old trend to display the rest of the world as if it was all there just for their amusement, a love story, and of course mental health issues and how they affect so many people beyond just the person with the condition (I know this because I also suffer from depression and while not severe most of the time it does affect family and friends).

The writing itself is wonderful. It is perhaps what bumped my rating up just a tad. Some descriptions and thoughts were worth reading twice just to enjoy the flow.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )