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First Love
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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review
Kazzie
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
Pickpick

Ooof. What a story. A woman is the product of her terrible father, and slightly less terrible mother, living with an emotionally abusive husband who accuses her of the behaviour (whining, needy) that he exhibits. Very well written

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andrew61
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Pickpick

This was a short but difficult read, not because of the quality but the subject matter. Its the narration of a woman trapped in a loveless marriage to a self absorbed and controlling man and how this breaks her individuality. This relationship is also described with that with an abusive father, very needy mother, and other men who seem to want more than they give. Troubling but a powerful insight into what these relationships do to an individual

Cathythoughts Great review 👍🏻 3y
batsy Lovely review. Riley is on my list... Heard good things about this one, too 3y
Centique This sounds fascinating! 3y
35 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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GatheringBooks
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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#LovePrevails Day 16: Grateful to have married my #FirstLove. Going on 30 years of being together this year (nearly 23 years of marriage). Yup, I started early. Gifted that way. 🤪😭😂🤣🥰🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻‍♀️

BarbaraBB Happy for you ❤️ 4y
Eggs Congratulations ❤️🥰❤️ 4y
47 likes2 comments
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kezzlou85
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Ooh received my first #LitsyLove post today. Thank you do much @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks . I can't wait to write back.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yay!!!! 💕💕💕💕 6y
kezzlou85 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I was so excited to see it in the post. Will write back this weekend. 6y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Snail mail = Happy mail 💗💗💗 6y
kezzlou85 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks yep always love getting post. 6y
29 likes4 comments
blurb
kaysworld1
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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#currentlyreading #love #poetry #firstlove #loveislove #alllove #samelove #💙💝📚😃💟💞💕💖💗💘💝💓💜💛💚💙❤💔

15 likes1 stack add
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youneverarrived
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Pickpick

Parts of this felt familiar but not in a good way. It had me pausing & re-reading & reflecting. A review says it‘s “a forensic discussion of the ordinariness of life rendered bitter-sweet” and I‘d agree with that. It‘s a pretty bleak read but I‘m all for this kind of book. I really liked it. And the dialogue is on point. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

jhod This has been on my shelf for 6 months or more, its kne of those I am really looking forward to but know it will be a hard emotional read... 7y
BarbaraBB Great review! 7y
youneverarrived @jhod that‘s exactly the type of book it is! It‘s a little book but it took a lot from me emotionally. 7y
See All 6 Comments
batsy Great review. I'm all for these kinds of books too, so I should read it :) 7y
youneverarrived @batsy thanks! Its definitely not for everyone but I think you might like it. 7y
66 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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youneverarrived
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Congrats @Cathythoughts and thank you for the giveaway! 😘

Still figuring out how I feel about this book but one word that definitely describes it is depressing! #onebookoneword

Cathythoughts Very good .... and you are in the 🎩😘 7y
45 likes2 comments
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CaroPi
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Pickpick

I still a good book and a nice story. I liked my first book for this #readathon #24in48 time to make a break for lunch

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CaroPi
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Starting the #readathon #24in48 . I think that to start with a book that has first in the title is very accurate.

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rachelwill
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Mehso-so

Book 26: Having flashbacks to the emotional toil of A Little Life, a book that revels in the hurt and damage of human relationships. Still, at least First Love is only 165pages. 165 pages of our narrator's unrelenting search for love and the useless and abusive men that stand in her way to reach it. More an emotive, inward looking monologue than a novel, but I probably couldn't have handled much more...

review
BarbaraBB
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Pickpick

I feel kind of guilty to give a ‘pick‘ to such a horrible story. Neve has lived her life with an abusing father and an egocentrical mother. She flees into the arms of Edwyn, an older man of whom she can take care. Their marriage is horrible. Their dialogues are so painful, he is constantly emotionally blackmailing her and she keeps up with it. So sad.

Cinfhen 😔 7y
Reggie This post makes me feel guilty for giving Eileen a pan. I was totally repulsed by the character. But being emotionally manipulated means the author did her job, right? Anyways...thanks for the book therapy session, lol, and....Great review!!! 7y
BarbaraBB @Reggie I know what you mean about Eileen. I felt the same. And I also feel guilty for not feeling more sympathy for them but I also realized the author did a great job indeed! 7y
48 likes1 stack add3 comments
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jenniferheidi
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Pickpick

A horribly unsettling book about love at its most complicated and unpleasant. The dialogue is incredible, particularly between the protagonist, Neve, and her mum. So uncomfortably honest.

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tysephine
First Love | Gwendoline Riley

Okay, no. I gave it 12 pages and I'm bored to tears. Switching to something else now. #24in48

tysephine I'm going to try American War by Omar El Akkad instead 7y
5 likes1 comment
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tysephine
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Starting book 2 #24in48

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shawnmooney
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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I know almost half of the people who read this didn't like it very much, if at all. Still, when @ReadingEnvy sampled me a page, I was quite taken. So she's handed it down to me, and I'm so happy about that! Thank you, Jenny!

ReadingEnvy 😇😚 7y
38 likes1 comment
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Lacythebookworm
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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#morningread I've been volunteering at a summer camp after work this week and yesterday was the last day. I enjoy helping out, but I'm glad to get back to my reading schedule 😍

batsy Love the look of that mug and how it matches the book cover :) 7y
Lacythebookworm @batsy A nice coincidence! (It was the last clean mug in my cabinet 😏) 7y
bedandabook I have this out of the library at the moment but haven't started it yet. Hope you're enjoying it. 7y
85 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Brona
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Wow! If this an example of 'modern love' thank god I'm an old fashioned girl married to an old fashioned man!

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Brona
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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9 likes1 stack add
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jhod
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Signed by the author #baileysprize

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BookishTrish
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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I hate that feeling

44 likes1 stack add
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BookishTrish
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Sleep and lazing, with Kit-Kat." I think I'd go with a Bounty instead. You? #chocolatewar

DreesReads What's a Bounty? 7y
DreesReads I do love Mounds, which sounds very similar. My favorite is the plain (not mint!!) U-No Bar, which no one has heard of. 7y
52 likes3 comments
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BookishTrish
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Fuliginous nooks" - I love when I learn a new word while reading

Lcsmcat And what a great word! 7y
47 likes1 comment
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BookishTrish
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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review
ReadingEnvy
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Mehso-so

This was a one-sitting read but the contents do not match the blurb and I found it infinitely disturbing. The husband seems to have mental issues and is abusive and I would not describe that as a couple being "ill-suited." It's more of the story of a woman's relationships - mother father sister friends husband - and is hardly about the marriage. On the shortlist for the Bailey's Prize.

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Anjuk
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Pickpick

It's a brutal story of a disaffected woman called Neve and her husband coping with varied emotions ranging from attractive to appalling. Neve also has to deal with self-absorbed mother and bullying father. Neve's situation compels her to think whether she is living in an illusion of freedom. The bittersweet relationship between them is told pretty straightforward with no embellishments.

50 likes4 stack adds
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chapter_fifty2017
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Pickpick

This is a book about a failing relationship that never ends , you know the type the dialogue, its that good!! , its like overhearing or being present inside someones home and experiencing your toes curling wilst feelings of pathos and
Inevitability wash over you leaving no doubt this will , like in real life keep happening !!!

3 likes1 stack add
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SharonGoforth
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Bailedbailed

I gave it over 50 pages, but could not finish it. How this beat out Margaret Atwood or Sarah Perry for the shortlist is beyond me. On to the next one. #baileyswomensprizeshortlist

Michelle_mck I just got this from the library - interested to see how I go. It's a very slim book 8y
SharonGoforth @Michelle_mck Yes, which is why I kept reading even though I didn't care for it. But it simply didn't work for me. Hopefully you'll have better luck than I did. I have a feeling this is one of those you either love or hate. 8y
Lacythebookworm Yikes! I just got this one in. Hopefully it will work better for me! 8y
SharonGoforth @Lacythebookworm I hope so, too 😊. It just isn't for me, and that's ok. Look forward to your thoughts on it. 8y
54 likes4 comments
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SharonGoforth
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Started this one tonight - it's on the Baileys Women's Prize shortlist. Honestly, it isn't grabbing me at all. It's so short, though, I would hate not to finish it. We'll see. Has anyone else read it? #baileyswomensprizeshortlist

RealLifeReading No but I've been thinking about it because of the Baileys prize too 8y
54 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BookishClaire
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Biscuiteers of London made these biscuits to celebrate the #BaileysPrize, how cool are they?!

BooksForEmpathy Love these!! 8y
BookishTrish This makes my whole day 8y
41 likes2 comments
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Vikz
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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My first #baileysprize read. I really love the cover #amreading

6 likes1 stack add
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SavidgeReads
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Pickpick

Now I'm really torn on this because it could a four star and indeed was earlier but I keep changing my mind. Neve is in an unhappy marriage with an older man, she is estranged from her family, how did she get here, through other actions or her own? That's what this book is really about. And it's quirky and clever, yet sometimes vague and that's where it excels but also falls apart a bit. See. Undecided. Definitely worth a read though.

35 likes7 stack adds
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BookishTrish
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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Looking for these #Baileysprize longlisters on a teeny budget. If you see them for sale or as ARCs online, please tag me.

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BookishClaire
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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It's an International Women's Day themed Brit Lit news today, with the Baileys Prize longlist announced, an excerpt from a new book on women's equality, and the announcement of a new women in translation prize. #iwd https://britlitblog.com/2017/03/08/today-in-brit-lit-news-8th-march-2017/

30 likes1 stack add
review
BookishClaire
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
Pickpick

I can't remember the last time I read a whole book in a day. I feel like a book nerd superstar or something, like a lesser version of @Liberty To be fair, it's a very short book, but also it had to have been good to hold my attention for almost five hours of a sunny Saturday. This one is definitely not for everyone, but I loved it -- the writing is gorgeous (I learned some beautiful new words!) and that's really all that matters to me.

ReadingEnvy I had to look up a few words too! 8y
16 likes1 comment
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BookishClaire
First Love | Gwendoline Riley
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A book-inspired ice cream recipe in today's Brit Lit blog. Plus, can you guess which four authors sold more than a million copies of a book in the U.K. last year? https://britlitblog.com/2017/01/26/today-in-brit-lit-news-25th-jan-2017-2/

CrowCAH Yummmm 🍦🍦🍦 8y
23 likes1 comment