The Other Half of Augusta Hope: The best-selling, heart-warming debut novel shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award

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Two very different backgrounds but from the start the author leads the reader on a journey that makes you hope Augusta’s and Parfait’s worlds will one day collide.

Parfait lives in Burundi and is desperate to leave his war-torn country and make a life for himself in Spain. I felt emotionally connected to all the characters involved who were depicted with empathy and warmth.

I found the writing to be very lyrical as though the author is an artist just like Parfait and some sections really stand out for the exceptional quality of prose regarding Augusta and julia’s relationship.

All of the characters were carefully created and completely believable - I felt like that I knew them well and I was just not ready to lose them when the story ended. It touches upon so many interesting themes - grief, belonging, friendship, migration - that once I finished reading, I longed to discuss it with someone. The way that she thinks is seen as odd by everyone around her, her mother seems not to know what to do with her and her father is embarrassed by her. His horrific life experiences are so different from that of the girls in their secure family home in suburban England. From here it is fairly inevitable that Augusta and Parfait will meet but how they get there is very interesting.At the ripe old age of 8, she picks her favourite country - Burundi - based solely on the sound of its name, well. They are very different people, Julia beautiful and ready to please, Augusta different, quirky, a little offbeat. Beautifully written, emotional book- not one I would describe as an easy read but definitely a must read! Of course, not everyone has the luxury of effectively designing their own career, but for those who find the possibility of moving fluidly between roles and companies either overwhelming or exciting, Tupper and Ellis are invaluable guides. My only criticism is that there were patches were I became a little bogged down and the narrative seemed to drag.

There are some very big issues and more than a little serious trauma but there's also lots of love, laughter and sunshine. A woman walks a dog on the bank of the Bitterroot river, Missoula, Montana, the setting for Rye Curtis’s debut novel Kingdomtide. But there’s enough here, particularly in the vivid nature writing, to allow Kingdomtide to pull through.This beautiful novel is told alternately by Augusta Hope, living in England, and Parfait from Burundi. This novel deserves the five star rating without a doubt so thank you to Netgalley and the Borough Press for allowing me to read this ahead of publication. Joanna Glen read Spanish at the University of London, with a stint at the Faculty of Arts at Córdoba University in the south of Spain.