For fans of Josie Silver’s One Day in December, The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae is a wholly original, charismatic, and uplifting novel that no reader will soon forget. Ailsa Rae is learning how to live. She’s only a few months past the heart transplant that–just in time–saved her life. Now, finally, she can be a normal twenty-eight-year-old. She can climb a mountain. Dance. Wait in line all day … climb a mountain. Dance. Wait in line all day for tickets to Wimbledon.
But first, she has to put one foot in front of the other. So far, things are as bloody complicated as ever. Her relationship with her mother is at a breaking point and she wants to find her father. Then there’s Lennox, whom Ailsa loved and lost. Will she ever find love again?
Her new heart is a bold heart. She just needs to learn to listen to it. From the hospital to her childhood home, on social media and IRL, Ailsa will embark on a journey about what it means to be, and feel, alive. How do we learn to be brave, to accept defeat, to dare to dream?
From Stephanie Butland, author of The Lost for Words Bookshop, The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae will warm you from the inside out.
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I have to say that I struggled with reading the first half/third of this book. I think it was written with an much younger audience in mind, than me, of my 60 years. That part of the book is written in the form of emails between people or showing the posts of a blog Ailse of the main character writes. I did not like this format and it was very difficult for me to get into the plot of the book or care about the characters.
Ailsa was born with a serious heart condition and has never been able to live her life fully. She lives for the moment, since having a future was never an option. Her biological father left the scene when she was born. Her mother stood by her and did almost everything in her power to protect Ailsa. (I say almost, since there is an obvious habit the mother has that she should have quit, but did not.) The book revolves around Ailsa’s heart condition and her need for a heart transplant, and then her life after receiving a heart.
Much of the book seemed to me to be a public service announcement about organ transplants. That is not a bad thing, I just would have liked to have known that prior to reading the book.
So that being said, the second part of the book, which was more face to face interaction and dialogue, I enjoyed very much. Once Ailsa took control of her life, made decisions on her own and tried to make a future for herself, the story was easy for me to read.
I am giving the book 4 stars due to my overall feelings of the book. I think the author did an amazing job to tell the story, just not in my taste for part of the book. I hope the dialog of organ donation is discussed more openly as a result of this book.
An interesting journey of a young woman who receives a new heart. She now must learn how to “live” after being able to only “survive” since she was an infant.
This book helps to understand the desperate need of organ donation and the importance of this selfless act.
Ailsa who was able to obtain her needed organ, but also has survivors guilt when her friend does not get the liver he needs to live.
A quick book that definitely has humor mixed in with sadness.
Really enjoyed this one. At times a bit too much of the past, when I just wanted to get on with the story. But I loved all the characters, especially the relationship between Ailsa and her mum, and of course Seb! Sigh. My only complaint might be that I spent the entire story wondering if I was saying ‘Ailsa’ the right way in my head, and I still have no idea! 🙂