Review: The Book of Tomorrow

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis: Tamara Goodwin has always got everything she's ever wanted. Born into a family of wealth, she grew up in a mansion with its own private beach, a wardrobe full of designer clothes and all that a girl could ever wish for. She's always lived in the here and now, never giving a second thought to tomorrow. But then suddenly her dad is gone and life for Tamara and her mother changes forever. Left with a mountain of debt, they have no choice but to sell everything they own and move to the country. Nestled next to Kilsaney Castle, their gatehouse is a world away from Tamara's childhood. With her mother shut away with grief, and her aunt busy tending to her, Tamara is lonely and bored and longs to return to Dublin. When a travelling library passes through Kilsaney Demesne, Tamara is intrigued. Her eyes rest on a mysterious large leather bound tome locked with a gold clasp and padlock. What she discovers within the pages takes her breath away and shakes her world to its' core.



I really enjoyed reading this book, the setting in rural Ireland with the old ruined castle near by and the leather book which gave Tamara a view of what could be gave it a magical touch. The book is heavy with tortured family themes, which made it more realistic and I liked that. After reading a lot of paranormal romance books and kind of burning myself out on them this was slightly refreshing in that sense.


Tamara is a messed up teenager trying to process the suicide death of her father; along with losing the mansion house she grew up in due to the debt he left them with and having to move far away from her friends and school and everything that was familiar to her. She also has to deal with the strange way her mother reacts to her father’s death, and the absence of a protective figure she feels from it. She is alone in a sense; in place she has only visited a few times, with no one to comfort her.


We learn though out the book that growing up Tamara was not a very nice daughter to her parents. She grew up in a world were she could have almost anything she wanted. Her parents were wealthy but they didn’t really give her the loving attention that children need. So she grew up without a healthy respect for them, but after being put in the situation she was, she learned that the way she had acted was wrong. The book that she finds manages to help her to understand what is right and what is wrong. And she makes some new friends along the way; ones that are not shallow like the old friends she left back in Dublin.


Cecelia develops a rich character for Tamara; she’s not exactly likeable, but that is what I liked about her. She wasn’t your usual protagonist character. But by the end of the story you can she that she has grown up a lot and that she will never be the same bitchy person she used to be. The diary helps her to change into this better person by giving her the option to do things differently and create a better outcome. Cecelia also does a great job with the other characters of the book; my favourite would have to be old Sister Ignatius, who is funny, witty and creative beyond how a nun should be. She is the most amazing character, who helps Tamara discover who she really is.


The cover of the book is just beautiful; this is what made me pick it up in the first place. It truly has everything this book, secrets, mystery, magic, romance, grief, comedy and lessons to be learnt.





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