Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Extra Virgin begins as a story of someone's planned escape and the resulting novel is the story of her daring, exciting and often taboo adventures on the other side of the world. Tara has a reason for running and this is quickly outlined though with the many distractions a new city affords her, Tara's quest is often cast aside. But all is revealed, as you'd expect, though only after the reader has been firmly entrenched in the rollercoaster ride which is Tara's life.
The title is a reflection of Tara's inexperience in the world but she soon loses this badge as she careers through many life-altering experiences.
Despite Tara engaging in some less than favourable behaviour she is a charismatic protagonist who charms the reader from the outset. I was immediately drawn into her whirlwind life and had empathy for her situation despite the fact that she had created a lot of her own misfortune. This only goes to showcase the author's abilities with character development and relationship building. With everything that Tara went through I was there behind her, supporting her and hoping for the best. Supporting characters are equally as likeable and convincing.
The writing style is smooth and flowing and full of relevant detail. It is very readable. Yet it chopped and changed as the tempo of the plot did
Extra Virgin is full of twists and surprising events that kept me enthralled. Yet at no time did it seem confusing or hurried. The clever intertwining plot lines are mimicked by the many layers of metaphorical depth. I'm sure there is much more depth than is immediately obvious, providing a strong base for the construction of the novel. Due to high energy of the book and the many twists and turns, I imagine it would appeal to a wide auidence, though - word of warning - with Tara's experimentational attitude the storyline does get a bit racy!
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Life is a journey. But as 23-year-old New Zealander Tara Forbes discovers, the route we each must take isn't always the one of our choosing. After a shock departure from her home town, Tara undertakes a quest for the answers to a family secret, which propels her into a surprising adventure on the other side of the world. There, she finds much more than she'd expected - love, friendship, fame and all-night parties but, even more so, anonymity and the chance to reinvent herself. Yet experimentation and excesses come at a price, and sometimes we pay dearly for our mistakes. As she struggles to honor a promise to her cherished grandmother, Tara's journey of self-discovery brings her to a place she could never have imagined, and she learns that life, with all its joys and tragedies, shapes us into what we are truly destined to be.Rachel Knowles writes a refreshing and innovative novel that subtly intertwines the philosophy of human nature with scintillating fiction. The result is a thought-provoking and immensely entertaining read.Rachel Knowles has worked as a news reporter and magazine editor. She is currently writing her second novel and lives with her husband and two children in Nelson, New Zealand.Publisher's website:www.eloquentbooks.com/ExtraVirgin.html
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