[.ca] Eva Moves the Furniture: A Novel (ISBN 0312421036)

lovely bones without the horror:
What a lovely, hopeful, beautiful book. It is about life after death (as with Lovely Bones) but also about life *around* death, life despite death; life even, perhaps, enhanced by death and the companions who have come back from the other side. The scenes of Scotland, her childhood, her nursing training, the war wounded, and her courtships painted a wonderful picture of a period we can never know. The arcs of the relationships (her aunt, her husband, her dad, her daughter, and most of all her companions) were wonderful to watch -- and the ending..oh, my. It is ironic to me that one of the "categories" that this book falls into is "maternal deprivation." It seemed to me throughout the book that it was in fact about maternal fullfillment, maternal enhancement. It's really a great book, highly recommended, easy and quick to read and sticks to your ribs.

Slow, But a Wonderful Ending:
I thought the book was somewhat slow. I also thought there were several loose ends that were never cleared up and that was disappointing. However, you are kept guessing throughout the story as to what the "companions" motives really are and that is why I continued reading it. I'm happy I did because the ending was fabulous. In short, the ending made the book.

Eva Moves the Furniture:
It has been many years and books since I have wept as I did over this story. The story moves easily and the reader is caught up in the main character, Eva. A good book to spend an afternoon with.

A fast read, a good day for a weep:
I read this book on a rainy, lazy Saturday. I wouldn't call it brilliant for a novel; in fact it had a short story feel. The novel itself up until the ending was a breezy read, easy on the brain. The last few pages were what is worth the purchase of this book. I just remember feeling this immense sadness at the end, so I re-read the ending again. It made me weep, a great-sobbing weeping that was ultimately very satisfying. I think the sadness comes from being a mother; however,I won't give away the ending.

A beautiful and skillfully crafted work of fiction:
I found this book on a remainder table and purchased it on a whim simply because I liked the cover; imagine my surprise, then, when I began reading and found an expertly crafted novel that told a beautiful story. Livesy combines the best elements of fiction: line by line, the prose carries you along smoothly and pleasurably through well-paced chapters which are organized according to a well-developed plot; the characters are vivid and unusual; but more importantly, they are endearing. So much contemporary fiction is ironic to the point of heartlessness, featuring distant characters who are no more than symbols for the author's intentions; but in "Eva...", Livesy returns to the tradition of writing characters whom the reader feels they know and care about. Without being sacharine, sentimental, or cliche, Livesy skillfully renders tenderness, and devotion. The text is brave in its emotional vulnerability, and the risk pays off by involving the reader in the world Livesy creates. As I read the final pages, I was moved to tears.