I’m more interested in this book now I’ve read your review – it definitely sounds darker than I had expected but I quite like the idea and apart from the slight unbalance a 4* review is very encouraging. And now that she’s an adult, Augusta has no interest in the goings-on of the small town where she lives with her parents and her beloved twin sister, Julia. I enjoyed the book. The lead character-Augusta-was convincing and engaging and I found I was drawn into her story and that of Parfait. The 'other half' of Augusta Pope's childhood is her twin, Julia. The two girls are as different as twins could be. Julia is exactly the child her parents wanted: blonde, biddable, pretty and home-loving. Augusta isn't. Her parents can't understand this clever, feisty daughter whose favourite book is the dictionary, wants to right every wrong and befriends their neighbour's disabled son, whom other people shun. Augusta longs to escape the constraints of her conventional family. Studying an atlas, she sees the name Burundi, wonders what it would be like to live there and decides to find out about the country, its history and the people who live there. Thank you to Borough Press, and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Joanna Glen read Spanish at the University of London, with a stint at the Faculty of Arts at Cordoba University in the south of Spain. She went on to teach Spanish and English to all ages, and, latterly, was a School Principal in London. She has edited a variety of non-fiction books, is a visiting lecturer, a communications coach and an adviser and trainer for schools. Joanna’s short fiction has appeared in the Bath Flash Fiction Anthology. She lives with her husband and children on the River Thames in Battersea, returning to Andalusia whenever it gets too grey.This is a powerful book with memorable characters. For a debut, it’s impressive. However, the book’s blurb and critics’ praise didn’t prepare me for how grim the content was going to be. I loved this book. Augusta is such a quirky character, an unusual child who grows into an unusual woman. You will wonder how two such uptight parents could have such a daughter. The Other Half of Augusta Hope: Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2019. Augusta Hope has never felt like she fits in. And now that she's an adult, Augusta has no interest in the goings-on of the small town where she lives with her parents and her beloved twin sister, Julia. When her life changes forever she escapes to a new life in Spain which feels more like home. Her mother and father follow her to deliver her a present even though they are out of their comfort zone.

Her fascination with words and her obsession with Burundi make it a rather unusual novel. I loved the parts set in Spain, the description of flamenco, local fiestas.When an unspeakable tragedy upends everything in Augusta's life, she's propelled headfirst into the unknown. She's determined to find where she belongs - but what if her true home, and heart, are half a world away? The novel is literary and filled with poetry and quotations for Lorca. You will discover the joys of etymology and flamenco, sometimes at the same time. The story is eventually woven to its conclusions and the revelations are painful but ultimately beautiful. A set of twins are born minutes apart which gives them different birthdays. This difference defines them forever. One dark and one fair. One studious and one not so interested. One serious and the other flighty and in the moment. Augusta is precocious and interested in the world and words. As a young child she spins the globe and puts her finger on the spot that will be her favorite--Burundi. The Other Half of Augusta Hopeis the stunning debut novel from Joanna Glen. Julia and Augusta Hope are twins; Julia born in the final hours of 31 July and Augusta in the early hours of August 1st. Their different birthdays are just the beginning of their differences, Julia is blonde, Augusta is dark, Julia is the perfect daughter who does as she is told, Augusta questions everything in life, Julia is a homebird and happy to stay in her home town, Augusta wants to move away, discover the world, as home doesn’t feel like home for her, and she feels second best. After a tragedy, Augusta finally flees her parents home and goes looking for another home, a place where she can be herself.

The cover and blurb are maybe a bit deceptive in that sense because it certainly went to places I never initially anticipated. When she is seven, she discovers the country Burundi on a globe and sets about finding out everything she can about the country. This fascination will play a critical part in her later life.A strangely compelling debut novel, Kingdomtide begins when the elderly – but never frail – Cloris survives a plane crash in the Bitterroot mountains in Montana. The scene is set for a Touching the Void-style survival epic, but then the action switches to a Fargo-like town where forest ranger Debra seems less determined to find Cloris than her next bottle of Merlot. The two stories don’t entirely cohere – although an entire novel devoted to the prim Cloris would also have been too much. But there’s enough here, particularly in the vivid nature writing, to allow Kingdomtide to pull through. The Other Half of Augusta Hope This is a beautifully written book. I felt emotionally connected to all the characters involved who were depicted with empathy and warmth. Augusta Hope's connection with her twin is profound and yet she feels she does not fit in in her home town with her parents and sister. She is a little odd in the way Eleanor Elephant is.