Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
A Terrible Kindness
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
17 posts | 13 read | 20 to read
When we go through something impossible, someone, or something, will help us, if we let them . . . 'I LOVE IT! Utterly and completely brilliant.' JOANNA CANNON It is October 1966 and William Lavery is having the night of his life at his first black-tie do. But, as the evening unfolds, news hits of a landslide at a coal mine. It has buried a school: Aberfan. William decides he must act, so he stands and volunteers to attend. It will be his first job as an embalmer, and it will be one he never forgets. His work that night will force him to think about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to forget. But compassion can have surprising consequences, because - as William discovers - giving so much to others can sometimes help us heal ourselves. 'It's a long time since I've read a debut novel that moved me so much.' RACHEL JOYCE 'Extraordinary.' SOPHIE HANNAH 'A brave and tender novel.' JOANNA GLEN What readers are saying: 'One stunning read to remember.' 'Beautifully written . . . I would recommend this book to all.' 'Utterly heartbreaking and uplifting . . . I loved it.' 'Tremendous.'
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
blurb
Blueroseis
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image

Remembering

Balibee146 Remembering also 💔 3w
12 likes1 comment
review
Katie2104
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image
Pickpick

The story starts with the Aberfan disaster and the first chapter of two are quite hard to read but the disaster doesn‘t dominate the book, which I think is a good thing. It is a coming of age story, a lovely exploration of friendship and an example of living trauma and how it can overshadow our whole lives. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A very well crafted story and one I certainly recommend!

1 like1 stack add
blurb
Onioons
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image

This probably isn"t the book I expected but I'm enjoying it all the same. Flaws of the protagonist unravel slowly and humanely. Will be interesting to see how the last chapters round out this story...

review
Bookbuyingaddict
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
Panpan

The blurb of this book as others has stated makes you believe it is about aberfan the stories of the people and their life‘s the first chapter is excellent very hard toread and should come with a warning of the content. It v well written , after that it‘s all down hill I‘m Afraid and turns into a bewildering Tom browns school days not sure why aberfan or the embalming needed to even be part of it, sadly it wasn‘t one thing or another.a miss for me

blurb
Bookbuyingaddict
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image

If you know nothing of the Aberfan disaster then watch the crown on Netflix season 2 episode 3 it is harrowing and yet again warnings were ignored by an arrogant coal board it is the worse most horrific disaster in wales 116 children were killed a whole community devastated & the Queen didn‘t visit immediately something it‘s stated that she lived to regret, Charles for all his faults still visits the community regularly. This book is a hard read

blurb
Bookbuyingaddict
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image

Accidental colour coordinated afternoon cuppa with an autumnal read 😌 it‘s a hard one to read but beautifully humane & very well written.

32 likes1 stack add
blurb
Bookbuyingaddict
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image

Spreyed edge edition for next October read
#bookspinbingo #octobertbr #doublespin synopsis says a heart breaking tale of the worst disaster to ever happen in our life time in beautiful wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 “beautiful prose holds us we might bear witness to that which would otherwise crush the human spirit

julesG Beautiful edition 13mo
28 likes1 comment
review
JillR
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image
Pickpick

Oh, my. I was bought this and went in thinking it might be a bit twee. Maybe it was the cover? What I got was the most lovely, tender, heartbreaking coming of age story. I loved the portrayal of male friendship. There were tears, (always falll for a book that makes me cry); there were also tears on the train, which I now seem unable to control! This put me in mind of some of Patrick Gale‘s writing, which I love.

TrishB Definitely stacked. Love a good book cry and Gale! 2y
squirrelbrain Great review! I got this as an ARC, just never got round to reading it. 2y
JillR @trishb me too, and it really took me by surprise how much I enjoyed it. Currently reading Young Mungo, back to the 😭 2y
See All 7 Comments
JillR @squirrelbrain I recommend it if you do get around to it! 2y
squirrelbrain Oof, Young Mungo is 😭😭😭. There‘s one bit that I had to put it down and walk away for a while. 2y
JillR @squirrelbrain I *think* I may know the bit you‘re talking about! 2y
46 likes6 stack adds7 comments
review
ashw21
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image
Pickpick

This book opens up with the Aberfan disaster and decribes the kindness a group of embalmers show as they work to present the bodies of the victims in their best forms to their heartbroken families... but this book is really a coming-of-age story of a young boy with a troubled childhood , his complex relationships, his time as a chorister and how he returns to music for healing after the trauma he has faced. A beautiful book! #2023reading

11 likes1 stack add
review
emmaturi
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image
Pickpick

This was one of my favourite books in January, it's based on a true event the Aberfan coal mine disaster. It's moving, sad, emotional, uplifting.

32 likes2 stack adds
blurb
andrew61
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image

#12booksofchristmas @Andrew65 October
The opening chapters of the book about the Aberfan disaster and how it impacts on the life of young embalmer are heart wrenching. One of my books of 2023.

Andrew65 Looks excellent, stacked. 2y
35 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
VRM1975
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
Pickpick

.

review
TheEllieMo
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image
Mehso-so

I felt cheated when I was reading this book. It starts so strongly, with a newly qualified embalmer volunteering to help deal with the victims of the Aberfan disaster. The opening chapters are stark, harrowing, moving.
But then it moves back in time and morphs into a run-of-the-mill family drama, and the Aberfan connection loses its grip. Ultimately, the book wasn‘t what I expected and I came away disappointed.

rockpools Oh what a shame! It sounded so promising! 2y
38 likes1 comment
review
andrew61
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image
Pickpick

The opening of this bk show the horror of the 1966 Aberfan tragedy through the eyes of young embalmer William. The story tells his life managing both his untold trauma, as well as a troubled childhood, his angelic voice as a chorister, the power of love +friendship. An incredibly moving story, sensitively told which left me bereft at the end. Such a sad piece of history.
#newin2022 #booked2022 @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

TrishB That sounds 💔 2y
andrew61 @TrishB yes and I was just finishing it as they went to Aberfan on the news tonight about the impact on the Queen. Luckily I still have a glass left in my bottle to gather myself. Something lighter next I think. 2y
TrishB A much needed glass I bet! 2y
36 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
Bookbuyingaddict
A Terrible Kindness | Jo Browning Wroe
post image

Look 👀 at these spredges /stencilled edges worth buying just for those but all on my TBR this is bad for a book 📚 buying addiction #Tsundoku (Japanese: 積ん読) 😂 isn‘t fabulous the Japanese have an actual word for this personality trait / disorder - love it 😍