Official Review: The Future Memoir of Ann Jones

[Rebecca_Rivera]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Future Memoir of Ann Jones" by Alex Bailey.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Future Memoir of Ann Jones by Alex Bailey is a humorous tale about a woman, Ann Jones, who has a vision that her husband dies unexpectedly and Ann moves to the East Coast and sets up a new life. She joins a mysterious knitting club filled with women who never knit and falls madly in love with a man she can never marry due to the mysterious rules of the knitting club. Ann tells her best friend Alex about the vision, and Alex writes the entire scenario in a letter to her sister Bea, leaving her with the question, What should I do about Ann?

Although I have just described the beginning very clearly, I had a bit of a time decoding it for myself. The opening begins with the aforementioned letter, therefore focusing on the letter writer, Alex, and her sister Bea. However, the main character of the book is Ann. I kept getting confused as to which one was the one who had had the vision. However, as the book jumped into Ann’s story, I was able to straighten out my confusion about the characters.

The story starts off at a bouncy clip, whisking vision-seer Ann off to Burrburgh where she found a beautiful Victorian-style home to live in with her dog Honey. The writing style made me feel like someone was verbally telling me this story. At first that may sound unpleasant, but Ann was so interesting that her most menial actions were entertaining. Events are told in a play by play fashion. I’ve read books like that and been bored to tears, waiting to get to some action worth reading, but The Future Memoir of Ann Jones was not like that at all. So many quirks and nuances of Ann’s character are revealed in this play by play style. I absolutely loved it and was fascinated into reading without being able to stop.

My favorite thing about the book is Ann’s character and the bubbly, story-like style of the writing. It is a perfect balance for some of the darker tones of the story, such as when Ann finds out that every woman in the knitting club is a widow whose husband had met a tragic end. My second favorite thing was the beautiful setting of the small eastern town and its various quirky inhabitants. Each character is distinct but lightheartedly defined in order to match the light tone of the novel.

The biggest thing I didn’t like about this book was the ending. I’m usually a sucker for an ending in which you have to use your imagination to figure out the conclusion, but in this case I wanted more. I wanted to follow Ann and her friend Alex a little further. The book was just released this year so there may be a sequel coming (fingers crossed). As of now there is none mentioned. However, I would definitely read more by this author when it is available.

I want to be clear that there is a type of ending to this book. In other words, there is no information withheld or a huge cliffhanger to leave you hanging (pun intended!). There was just a slight dissatisfaction for me. It’s probably because I came to love Ann so much that I needed a rock solid conclusion or an obvious continuation for this beloved character.

If I could give this book a 3.5 rating, I would. The writing style is perfect for this story, and the main character is so entertaining. If you’re looking for a light read with a bit of mystery and a cozy love story in a beautiful setting, this book is for you. I did find a few errors such as semicolons where commas should be and a few typos and missing words. However, there were not many, certainly not enough to distract from the reading or make it difficult in any way. I would say this book has been professionally edited in spite of the few minor mistakes. My final rating is 3 out of 4 stars. I couldn’t give it a perfect score because of the punctuation errors and typos and because of the confusing opening. However, it also seems wrong to give it a three when this book has such a fabulous story, characters and writing style. However, a three was what I had to settle at.

Those who like cozy mysteries would probably enjoy this book. Those who are more into serious crime fiction would probably find this book too light and humorous for their tastes. As for me, it had the perfect tone, and I highly enjoyed it and recommend it.

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The Future Memoir of Ann Jones
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Like ReadingRebecca's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kandscreeley]

An ending like that can really ruin a book for you when you're expecting more. Ann sounds quite interesting, and I can see how the beginning would be a bit hard to decipher. I think I'm going to pass on this one for now, but I'll keep it in my mind for later. It does sound intriguing. Thanks!

[Samantha Simoneau]

If you’re looking for a light read with a bit of mystery and a cozy love story in a beautiful setting, this book is for you ... Those who like cozy mysteries would probably enjoy this book.

Sold! I'll be reading this one. Your warning about the beginning will help me avoid confusion. Thanks for the great review!

[gen_g]

Thank you for the detailed review! It's a pity about the errors, but the premise seems interesting, so I'll be putting this on my to-read list!

[strawberrysab]

I have to say, I was already sold only by looking at the cover, which I adore. Your perfect review further convinced me to give it a go. Thanks!

[Rebecca_Rivera]

Thank you all for your comments. Those of you choosing to read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[pinchess07]

This looks very interesting! I would read this just for the mysterious knitting club, to be honest. A light and fun writing style is right up my alley.

[Cecilia_L]

I loved your review of this book and based on the plot you described, I was ready to add it to my bookshelves. However, I must confess that I find that kind of ending really frustrating! Thanks for the warning. I may still read it when I'm in the right frame of mind.

[Rebecca_Rivera]

I agree, pinchess, the knitting club was a big pull for me too. Lol

Thank you, Cecelia. I must say I enjoyed the book in spite of the ending. Thankfully for me, it didn't ruin the book in its entirety.

Thank you, Ana.

[daniya__shah3]

This sounds intriguing and hilarious. I liked how you have captured the essence of the book with your review.

[Rebecca_Rivera]

Thank you, daniya! It was a fun read.

[bclayton13]

What a quirky story! The whole concept sounds fascinating. Dissapointing about the ending but I’ll try it anyway.

[Marissa Michael]

The mystery knitting club is what piqued my interest. I will have to put this book into consideration. Thank you for your review.

[Ana-Maria-Diana]

Dreams can become real and unexpected things can happen. I liked how the author portrayed Ann.

[kmkline120]

This sounds like a book I would love! I have been on a kick of reading female narrated fictional stories, memoirs, and thrillers and this seems like it is a few of those rolled into one. I like that it is quirky and light. Seems like a good vacation read