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Series: The Walsh Sisters
Book Order: Watermelon (1), Rachel's Holiday (2), Angels* (3), Anybody Out There?* (4)
* indicates a book I have read
Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes begins with an amnesia plot in which Anna Walsh - one of the Walsh sisters whose adventures are chronicled in other books by Keyes - awakens in her family's home in Ireland with scattered pieces of her life in place. Rather than a cliche novel focused on Anna regaining her memory, a sentimental story unfolds as Anna must move back to New York and put her life back together piece by piece.
This is the third book I've read by Keyes and so far it is my favorite. The writing was emotional without being overly sappy and the secondary characters peppered the plot with humor and kept a lighthearted tone to a serious story. Technically, this is the fourth entry in Keyes's series about the Walsh sisters, but it is also an excellent stand-alone novel.
I like that this series is not exactly a series. Each book tells its own story but all of them are connected by the relationship of the Walsh sisters, with every book focusing primarily on just one sister. While most of the characters appear in multiple books, there's no real need to read all the books to understand or appreciate the others, and there's also no need to read them all in order. Do you read a series starting with book one or do you occasionally skip around?
September 4, 2010 at 8:58 PM
I think most of the book series I read require that i read them in order. Plus, I totally have OCD so I have to read them in order! Lol =) I may have possibly reread certain books in certain series so that I had read them all the same number of times...but that's normal, right? Lol.
September 5, 2010 at 11:36 AM
I've gone into a couple series starting in the middle and so far it hasn't been detrimental. I love series like the one you just mentioned where you don't have to have read the others to enjoy the book. However, I received a book for review (which I didn't request) that is the second to a series. Had to read the first one before I can proceed.
September 12, 2010 at 6:35 PM
I've read Watermelon and I have Rachel's Holiday. I only recently discovered they were part of a series! Usually I have to read a series in order, so luckily I started with the right one accidentally. Sometimes if a sequel comes too late then I reread the first one so the story is fresh in my mind, but I won't with this series.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the latest one!