She and Julia are very close; their different natures bring out the best in each of them. Life changes and their relationship changes after a two week holiday in Spain. As the story develops there are some definite surprises along the way. Julia’s story is very poignant and moving and had me in tears. As their family starts to unravel, I was caught up in the rollercoaster of emotions they experienced.

She's determined to find where she belongs – but what if her true home, and heart, are half a world away? The Other Half of Augusta Hope is the story of two people: Augusta Hope growing up in Britain, and Parfait growing up in Burundi. When she is seven, she discovers the country Burundi on a globe and sets about finding out everything she can about the country. This fascination will play a critical part in her later life. Buy this book from hive.co.uk to support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no additional cost to you.Her fascination with words and her obsession with Burundi make it a rather unusual novel. I loved the parts set in Spain, the description of flamenco, local fiestas. I experienced many emotions in this story. Family and the ties that bind can be powerful but destructive also. Home can mean something very different to individual members of the same family. I was swept along, becoming part of both these characters lives. I loved this book. A wonderful debut from Joanna Glen. There are really two stories here, one told by Augusta and the other by Parfait. There is another point of view within this story, that of Parfait, who lives in Burundi, Augusta’s favourite country. Parfait and Augusta don’t know each other until almost at the end of the story, but we follow Parfait’s life alongside Augusta’s. Parfait’s story is punctuated with tragedy though, whereas Augusta’s culminates in it, yet as the two of them get older, there almost seems to be some cosmic connection between them. When they do finally meet, their friendship seems pre-ordained; it was an interesting exploration on coincidence and destiny.

The novel is literary and filled with poetry and quotations for Lorca. You will discover the joys of etymology and flamenco, sometimes at the same time. Their stories are told separately and as their stories unfold you see some parallels in their very different histories and also huge differences. Two stories, different continents. Will their stories connect somehow? This is a very readable, if somewhat predictable, book and there was a lot to like about it. Is it contrived? Yes of course it is, but I’m not sure that detracts from the book in any way. Both the main characters are struggling to find their place in the world and the author develops their personalities and their life stories well. In particular I felt that Parfait’s story was sensitively told and depicted the trials, tribulations and horrors of life from the point of view of a refugee. The situations in which the characters find themselves are, at times, heartbreaking and harrowing, but there is also light relief in the form of humour.She’s determined to find where she belongs – but what if her true home, and heart, are half a world away? Meanwhile in war-torn Burundi orphaned Parfait is struggling to keep his family together.. When tragedy strikes he too is determined to leave for a better life and embarks on the long, long journey. to try to reach Europe. 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. Augusta Hope is a second born twin who doesn't seem to quite fit in with her family. There is something very unique about her. Augusta is the clever and quite intense sister. Her twin Julia is the pretty and popular sister.

Part of The Other Half of Augusta Hope is set in Burundi, a small country in Africa that Augusta decides is to be her favourite country in the world and so she devours facts and learns everything that she can about the country. The story is eventually woven to its conclusions and the revelations are painful but ultimately beautiful. At first I didn’t feel much of a connection to her, the same as most people around her, but she grew on me and in the end I found it very hard to put this book down. Absolutely brilliant - quirky, original, funny, moving and wonderfully written. Basically, it's everything I love in a novel; Gavin Extence, author of The Universe Versus Alex WoodsWhen her life changes forever she escapes to a new life in Spain which feels more like home. Her mother and father follow her to deliver her a present even though they are out of their comfort zone. Some of this book is set in a small town in England, some are set in Burundi and the rest in Tarifa in Spain. I loved the parts in Spain, Augusta loves it there and that really shows in the story, I’ve never been there but I could see it all so perfectly in my mind. By the time the book finished, I was totally in love with the story and the characters and I did not want it to end. It is very rare that a book makes me cry, but The Other Half of Augusta Hope came very close. It was beautifully written and it all felt so real. This book, for me, was all kind of wonderful. Through Augusta I learned a bunch of new facts, some of which I have already used myself! I kinda see a bit of me in her and that's always a good start when you get to know a new character. Throughout the book Glen skilfully brings these lives together and although the ending is perhaps predictable and a little sentimental, I really enjoyed it and at times found Glen's story quite emotional. I could identify with the feelings she expressed throughout this book and I am thankful to Durham Book Swap for the loan of a copy of it.

That’s when I saw it. She’d unwittingly got wrapped up in my story. This tragedy wasn’t only mine.” In this beautifully written book I found unexpected similarities between my child self and Augusta: a twin happy to be alone sometimes, a misfit in her family, and a budding etymologist who devours dictionaries and books because words are her soul sustenance and lifeblood. These familiar characteristics helped endear me to her plight. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Was thrown at first, wondering why these two people, obviously continents apart, were telling their stories in parallel. As the story went on I became more intrigued. A set of twins are born minutes apart which gives them different birthdays. This difference defines them forever. One dark and one fair. One studious and one not so interested. One serious and the other flighty and in the moment. Augusta is precocious and interested in the world and words. As a young child she spins the globe and puts her finger on the spot that will be her favorite--Burundi.

Featured Reviews

A lovely, lovely read. The characters of Augusta and Parfait are so well drawn (Augusta in particular, Parfait is slightly less 3 dimensional, though still a real person) and the way Joanna has drawn the threads of their very different lives together, weaving coincidence into a believable whole is beautifully done. The tragedy of her blinkered parents is sadly true to life as well, and I felt disgust and pity in equal measure for them. on the other side of the world is a young boy growing up in a world of fear and death. In the political turmoil of Africa his parents and brother are slaughtered and he becomes the leader and protector of his remaining family. His decision is to go to Spain and be an artist to support them. She is quirky, she lives in a small town in England, she feels she doesn’t fit in, she has a twin called Julia, she is oppositional, she loves facts, she is obsessed with words - she is Augusta Hope. And I loved her!!! Augusta is extraordinary, clever, eager to learn and outspoken. She can be like this because she has a home - her twin sister.