The Heart of Henry Quantum
2.8
4
5
1
Hardcover
USD
22.5
$22.50
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781501126802 |
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| Publisher: | Gallery Books |
| Publication date: | 10/04/2016 |
| Pages: | 288 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
The Heart of Henry Quantum
2.8 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
4 reviews.
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3.5 stars
The Heart of Henry Quantum is the first book by an American author who writes under the pseudonym, Pepper Harding. Four years ago, Henry Quantum’s brief but intense extra-marital affair with (wife and mother of two) Daisy Hillman, ended. Now, two days before Christmas, Henry sets out to buy a Christmas gift for Margaret, his wife of almost fourteen years, something that has become imperative as the proximity of the holiday dawns on him.
As Henry walks down San Francisco’s city streets in the direction of Macy’s with plans to purchase a bottle of Chanel No 5, he is regularly distracted. Then he runs into Daisy. It’s a meeting that turns his day upside down, especially when she reveals what has happened since they last met. Meanwhile, Margaret has set off to meet her lover out at Marin….
This novel is beautifully written and should have been a delightful read. Unfortunately, rather than being instantly endearing, Henry comes across as flakey and rather frustrating. It soon becomes apparent how and why his marriage with Margaret has stalled and staled. There is plenty of philosophising from Henry, to be expected given his philosophy/creative writing double major in college, as well as a good deal of rationalisation from Margaret.
The travelogue of San Francisco, the mention of streets and landmarks, which will certainly appeal to readers familiar with the city, is likely to fall flat with readers who have never been there. That, and the sweet ending fail to redeem what could have been a great novel.
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I really wanted to like this book a lot. I loved Ove a lot (which is what this book was compared to). But this book was a real downer for me. Henry was the best he could be and I felt so sorry for him. I think he was a nice guy, but listening to his inner thoughts just didn't cut it for me. His wife, so boring, I've already forgot her name, she hates Henry and is having an affair. Then there is Daisy, the girl that Henry let go and the love of his life.It's just agonizing and just down right dull.
I think the writing of this book is good, I just think the topic and story is really, really boring. These characters have nothing to thrill any reader and nothing worth reading. I'm terribly sorry to say that to that to the author. I know how hard you worked. But when I read a book, I want to be entertained. I don't want to hear about other people's problems and that was pretty much what this book was about. It should have been named "Oh Woe is Me".
Thanks Gallery Books and Net Gallery for providing me a free gallery in exchange for a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
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The Heart of Henry Quantum by Pepper Harding is a so-so tale of a love quadrilateral.
It is December 23 and Henry Quantum, aka Bones, needs to find a Christmas gift for Margaret, his wife of 15 years. His plan is to purchase a bottle of Chanel No. 5. Henry is very easily distracted by everything and his inner monologue often sends him off in different directions or has him missing his goal. When he leaves the office after a meeting in search of the perfume, he runs into an old flame, Daisy, who he had an affair with years earlier. Daisy is now divorced and misses Bones. In the meantime Margaret has taken the day off to spend it with her lover, Peter.
The book is set during one day, December 23, and told from the points of view of Henry, Margaret, and Daisy. While there are parts, bits and pieces, of this novel that are charming, and the setting is realistic and brilliantly described, mostly I found The Heart of Henry Quantum annoying and tedious. I began to dislike Henry only after a few pages. Sometimes following the stream-of-consciousness-inner-dialogue of a character can work, but, alas, not in this case. even if some of his inner thoughts were amusing, I ended up thinking that Henry needed some therapy to learn some good focusing skills in order to get from point A to B in one smooth line. Recording all his internal musing over a wide variety of things went too far.
When the focus switched to Margaret's point of view, I found her an even a more irritating character. Her lover, Peter, is even worse, but his appearance is brief. I had to agree with Margaret, however, that the ever-on-going wandering of Henry's thoughts was aggravating. Then we get to Daisy, the only even remotely likeable character in this whole mess. But, as all these people are/were married and having affairs, they sort of set themselves up for me to lose a vast amount of respect for them right at the start. I might have been able to roll with it if I liked Henry and wished him well.
So, in the end the writing is good, if you can stomach all the stream-of consciousness from Henry. The plot is simple, a day in the life of these people. The characters, well, they are not very appealing. The only thing that pulled the rating up a bit for me was the ending, which I thought was a nice touch.
Disclosure: My advanced reading copy was courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.
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I am not sure what to say about this book. The other reviewers and ratings are all over the place and I understand why. This book takes place over one day, however a lot of the story is made up of remembrances so it seems like there was a lot of time and a lot more happening than there really was. The story is told by three narrators, Henry Quantum, his wife Margaret and his ex-lover Daisy. It is about relationships, life in general and making decisions. It was not very exciting and there were a few times I almost put it down. I enjoyed parts of the story, especially Daisy. She was really the only character I liked. I found Margaret selfish and self-centered and Henry was way too much of a pushover who got into the position he was in because he was afraid to let anyone down and make the decisions necessary. It was an okay read and the ending did bring everything together in a satisfactory way, which is the only reason I rated it 3 stars. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.
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