Name: mariola's review of Expectation by Anna Hope
Item: Expectation
Rating: 5
Author: mariola

Anna Hope

A Skimm Reads Pick Also available in a library hardcover edition "The female friendships here are ones we'll all recognize, and in seeing myself in each of these women - their good moments and their bad - I felt implicated in their stories, and in this book. It's an outstanding novel."-- Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes In this sharply observed novel set in and around London, three college friends, now in their thirties, must come to terms with the gap between the lives they imagined for themselves and reality in the face of marriage, fertility struggles, and loss. In her first year of motherhood after an unplanned pregnancy, Cate is constantly exhausted, spiraling into self-doubt and postpartum anxiety. Her husband Sam seems oblivious, but maybe she'd prefer he remain in the dark. How can she admit the unthinkable--that she misses her freedom? In contrast, Hannah continues to endure round after round of unsuccessful IVF treatments. The process is taking its toll on her physically and emotionally--and, she worries, creating distance between her and her husband Nathan. She is godmother to Cate's son, but every time they get together, it's a trigger. Beautiful and unattached, Lissa is re-evaluating what it means to be an actress in her thirties. While she fiercely resists convention, she's also lonely. A chance encounter in the British Library with Nathan has her wondering if she missed her best chance at love when she introduced him to Hannah. As each woman longs for what the others seemingly possess, will their bonds of friendship sustain them in this liminal phase of their lives--or will their envy and desire tear them apart?

A Novel

Expectation

'Profoundly intelligent and humane. Deserves to feature on many a prize shortlist' GUARDIAN 'A brilliant exploration of friendship, feminism and thwarted ambition' PANDORA SYKES 'If you wished Normal People had tackled female friendship, try Expectation' GRAZIA _______________________ What happened to the women we were supposed to become? Hannah, Cate and Lissa are young, vibrant and inseparable. Living on the edge of a common in East London, their shared world is ablaze with art and activism, romance and revelry - and the promise of everything to come. They are electric. They are the best of friends. Ten years on, they are not where they hoped to be. Amidst flailing careers and faltering marriages, each hungers for what the others have. And each wrestles with the same question: what does it take to lead a meaningful life? The most razor-sharp and heartbreaking novel of the year, EXPECTATION is a novel about finding your way: as a mother, a daughter, a wife, a rebel. FOR FANS OF SALLY ROONEY, DOLLY ALDERTON, ELIZABETH DAY AND PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE'S FLEABAG ___________________ 'Thoughtful, beautifully written, honest. A sensual book. I URGE YOU TO READ IT' MARIAN KEYES 'Will resonate with approximately 99% of women' RED MAGAZINE summer pick 'One of the most intensely readable novels this year' METRO 'One of our most gifted contemporary writers' WATERSTONES 'Beautiful, sharp, moving. I urge you to read it' ELIZABETH DAY 'I couldn't stop reading the fab Expectation. Such brilliant points on the feminist legacy' PROF KATE WILLIAMS 'The story of 3 college friends, if you're a fan of Sally Rooney, you'll love EXPECTATION' IRISH EXAMINER 'A must-read' FABULOUS MAGAZINE 'Exceptional.. I highly recommend it' STACEY HALLS 'A generation-defining book on motherhood, ambition and sex. Like Normal People with female friendship under the microscope.' ERIN KELLY 'Jaw-droppingly good' SARRA MANNING 'SO GOOD. A 'What they did next' story of characters from a Sally Rooney novel' SARAH FRANKLIN 'Few novels leave me so genuinely breathless with their brilliance' HANNAH BECKERMAN 'The perfect summer reading' STYLIST 'Sublime' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'Dark, relatable, elegant' LIZA KLAUSSMANN 'Intimate and touching' NINA POTTELL 'A marvellously tangy London novel' DAILY MAIL 'A grown-up, honest take on female camaraderie. Packed with talking points' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Hugely absorbing, massively enjoyable' LISSA EVANS 'An observant look at the complexities of modern female friendships' I-NEWSPAPER 'Perceptive, intelligent, bittersweet, and beautifully written' BOOKBRUNCH 'Brings to vivid life that tension one feels just before middle age, when it begins to become clear life won't end up looking exactly how we thought it would. The female friendships here are ones we'll all recognize. Outstanding' MARY BETH KEANE A HighLow, Good Housekeeping, Red, Prima and Irish Independent Best Read of 2019

sina (she/her) 

The baby is lovely. The house is lovely. Jim and Hayley are lovely. It is exhausting, how lovely they all are.

“Well, first of all, let me say that I think the pressure for women to have a perfect home is one of the greatest heists of capitalism.”

"You must keep hold of your friendships, Lissa. The women. They're the only thing that will save you in the end."

They still have time to become who they are going to be.

They buy two bottles of wine for later. (Rioja. Always Rioja. They know nothing about wine but they know they like Rioja.) 

mariola

Caroline

I wanted this to move me and for the first half it did. The second half felt somewhat pat and made me feel sad about growing older rather than joyous.

'Anna Hope has a way of getting inside difficult and painful moments, turning them inside out. I felt I knew these women as my own friends. Taut, electric, complex, funny' RACHEL JOYCE, author of The Unexpected Pilgrimage of Harold Fry 'Few novels leave me genuinely breathless with their brilliance. EXPECTATION is one of them' HANNAH BECKERMAN ********** Hannah, Cate and Lissa are young, vibrant and inseparable. Living on the edge of a common in East London, their shared world is ablaze with art and activism, romance and revelry - and the promise of everything to come. They are electric. They are the best of friends. Ten years on, they are not where they hoped to be. Amidst flailing careers and faltering marriages, each hungers for what the others have. And each wrestles with the same question- what does it take to lead a meaningful life? EXPECTATION is a novel of the highs and lows of friendship - how it can dip, dive and rise again. It is also about finding your way- as a mother, a daughter, a wife, a rebel. Most of all, it explores that liminal space between expectation and reality, the place - full of dreams, desires and pain - in which we all live our lives. 'SO GOOD. A 'What they did next' story of characters from a Sally Rooney novel' SARAH FRANKLIN 'An intimate and touching portrayal of female friendship that shows it's okay to just be' NINA POTTELL 'I tore through EXPECTATION at the weekend. Exceptional, gorgeously written, and reads like a love letter to London. I highly recommend it' STACEY HALLS, bestselling author of The Familiars 'Jaw-droppingly good' SARRA MANNING 'Like Normal People but about female friendship rather than a romantic relationship. It is AWESOME' ERIN KELLY

Emma

A beautiful story of the power and pressure that can arise from female friendships. Ultimately, it serves as a reminder to remain vulnerable and kind ♡

'the Most Buzzed-About Addictive Read' STYLIST

Gem Koeman

** spoiler alert **
           This was such an enjoyable slice of life book which I totally connected with.

"For Lissa, the quietness of her flat in the morning, when she rises early, and feels the warmth of the day to come in the air, and sits in the cool dawn and writes and feels sufficient unto herself."

I don't even know what it is about this book - it is not just a story about female friendships and how challenging they are to navigate as we all develop differently, have different expectations of our lives, of ourselves. It also covers many more things that are, for me, triggering and actually challenging to deal with - which weirdly makes it comforting, just seeing it written out and imagining that if an author manages to write this down, how many more women might actually feel that way. 

(just one more thing to add: the story is written by a white woman about white women, which makes sense in a way and does not make it a bad book or a bad author (ofc not), but just wanted to raise awareness that the experiences of women of colour, queer women, disabled women, and women of other marginalized communities are not fully reflected in this story) 

I don't even know what it is about this book - it is not just a story about female friendships and how challenging they are to navigate as we all develop differently, have different expectations of our lives, of ourselves. It also covers many more things that are, for me, triggering and actually challenging to deal with - which weirdly makes it comforting, just seeing it written out and imagining that if an author manages to write this down, how many more women might actually feel that way. 

(just one more thing to add: the story is written by a white woman about white women, which makes sense in a way and does not make it a bad book or a bad author (ofc not), but just wanted to raise awareness that the experiences of women of colour, queer women, disabled women, and women of other marginalized communities are not fully reflected in this story) 

I found this to be a beautifully written, comment on what it’s like to be in female friendships, navigating through life. The author writes in a way that seems to be setting the scene for the entire novel. That’s perfect because life is just a series of events that set the scene, the story only comes after it’s all complete.

Kelsie Baird

Zoe Waggitt

This was such a comforting book, and the cyclical structure meant it began with a happiness, and ended with such a feeling of contentment that left me so warm. Very Sally Rooney-esque, the storyline was one that I - and most people, probably - can relate to: growing up, growing apart from and closer to people in life. A really lovely little read

Lynn

This was almost a four star book, because i liked it and the stories were well woven in with one another yet separate enough to stand on their own. But I was missing something - and then i hit the last 50 pages and found myself so engaged with these women and high in my own emotions. This book is all-encompassing and a beautiful tribute to true female friendship, autonomy, purpose, love and the small things in life.

Gloria

Lisa Sai

Laura Kurth

céline

Mariana Afonso

Zsofia Müller 

Courtney O’Riordan

Yasmin

Valeria M

'If you wished Normal People had tackled female friendship, try Expectation' GRAZIA 'Profoundly intelligent and humane. Deserves to feature on many a prize shortlist' GUARDIAN 'A brilliant exploration of friendship, feminism and thwarted ambition' PANDORA SYKES ______________________ What happened to the women we were supposed to become? Hannah, Cate and Lissa are young, vibrant and inseparable. Living on the edge of a common in East London, their shared world is ablaze with art and activism, romance and revelry – and the promise of everything to come. They are electric. They are the best of friends. Ten years on, they are not where they hoped to be. Amidst flailing careers and faltering marriages, each hungers for what the others have. And each wrestles with the same question: what does it take to lead a meaningful life? The most razor-sharp and heartbreaking novel of the year, EXPECTATION is a novel about finding your way: as a mother, a daughter, a wife, a rebel. FOR FANS OF SALLY ROONEY, My Sister the Serial Killer, DOLLY ALDERTON, ELIZABETH DAY AND FLEABAG ___________________ 'Thoughtful, beautifully written, honest. A sensual book. I URGE YOU TO READ IT' MARIAN KEYES 'Beautiful, sharp, moving. I urge you to read it'' ELIZABETH DAY 'A brilliant exploration of friendship, feminism and thwarted ambition' PANDORA SYKES 'I loved it ... 10 out of 10' BRYONY GORDON 'Will resonate with approximately 99% of women' RED MAGAZINE summer pick 'One of the most intensely readable novels this year' METRO 'One of our most gifted contemporary writers' WATERSTONES 'SO GOOD. A 'What they did next' story of characters from a Sally Rooney novel' SARAH FRANKLIN 'The story of 3 college friends, if you're a fan of Sally Rooney, you'll love EXPECTATION' IRISH EXAMINER 'A must-read' FABULOUS MAGAZINE 'A generation-defining book on motherhood, ambition and sex. Like NORMAL PEOPLE with female friendship under the microscope.’ ERIN KELLY 'Few novels leave me so genuinely breathless with their brilliance' HANNAH BECKERMAN 'Sublime' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, Book of the Year 'A marvellously tangy London novel' DAILY MAIL 'A grown-up, honest take on female camaraderie. Packed with talking points' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Hugely absorbing, massively enjoyable' LISSA EVANS 'Totally unputdownable, immersive, sharp, FAB' HARRIET EVANS

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Expectation by Anna Hope

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Expectation by Anna Hope