In "The Fragments" by Toni Jordan, I was hoping for a captivating literary mystery, but unfortunately, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. While the premise seemed promising, the execution left me feeling a bit disappointed. Jordan's narrative felt a bit disjointed, and I struggled to fully connect with the characters and the storyline. Although there were moments of intrigue, they were few and far between. However, I can appreciate the effort, and I'm sure others might find more enjoyment in it than I did. It just didn't quite live up to my expectations, but hey, we all have different tastes!

In this quiet and fascinating story Caddie is working in a Brisbane bookshop after abandoning a career in academe. She goes to an exhibition - Fragments - showcasing remnants of the life of much-loved prize winning author Inga Karlson who died in a New York warehouse fire in 1939. The warehouse was full of brand new copies of Inga’s keenly awaited second novel. At the exhibition Caddie meets an elderly woman who quotes a sentence from the second novel somewhat differently from the extant scrap. Her name is Rachel Lehrer. Caddie (Cadence) was named for the lead character of the first, famous novel.

Alternating chapters chart Caddie’s increasing interest in the Karlson story in 1986 and Rachel’s story in pre-WWII US. We learn that Rachel knew Inga well. Very well. Two other people join Caddie in her interest: Jamie, who runs an antiquarian bookshop and Philip, a charming, egocentric and ruthless academic who was once Caddie’s lover. Jamie was also once Philip’s student. Philip appropriated Jamie’s work on Karlson as his own. Just as sparks between Caddie and Jamie are starting to fly, Caddie visits Philip for the first time in years and asks if the typesetter for Inga’s second book could have been female, thinking that this may account for Rachel’s knowledge of the second book. This is enough for Philip to start chasing dreams of academic glory and money and citing a family emergency, he flies to the US to see what he can find out. In the end, Caddie agrees to work on the arson angle, which involves an American Nazi, leaving Rachel and everything else to Philip. It’s beyond embarrassing for Caddie when Jamie discovers that she’s working with Philip. She also has severe doubts about forcing Rachel (when they find her) to become involved in what will be a blast of publicity worldwide.

We begin to guess the truth of what happened (which is a very nice twist) and Caddie pulls off a seriously good stunt to save Rachel from Philip and the limelight. Well written and intriguing. Gives a terrific sense of Brisbane too.

I really enjoyed this book. I love a story told in dual timelines and from different POVs, so this one was right up my street. I love the concept - about a famous book that was never published - and how it ignites a quest for truth. I loved the characters and the writing, and am so glad I finally got to experience it. Funny, moving and compelling - a really nice read.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me which absolutely kills me as a reader. I felt the plot just completely dragged and was not engaged at all.

A enjoyable book, The Fragments is about a manuscript that gets destroyed by fire in 1930's New York, only a few fragments of the book remain. It's revered author famously perished with it. Fast track to 1980's Brisbane where bookseller Caddie goes to an exhibition featuring the fragments of the book, where she meets mysterious stranger Rachel, who seems to know more lines in the book than the fragments reveal. This seems impossible however, as the only people who had ever read the book perished in the fire.

This sends Caddie off on a quest to discover the truth about the book, it's author, and the elusive Rachel. What was the truth behind the fire? Did anyone else really read the book? And is Rachel legit or an imposter, making the words up on a whim?

While I did enjoy this book, I much preferred the timeline set in Brisbane, probably because I live there and am aware of the locations mentioned in the book. On the other hand I found the New York timeline quite tedious and was bored on those alternate chapters. And as for the twist at the end, I could see it coming a mile off. I am happy that I've read this book, but I don't think it's particularly memorable.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

Thank you Netgalley, Text Publishing Company and Toni Jordan for free e-ARC of The Fragments in return of my honest review.

The story is told by two characters- Rachel in late 30s from New York and Caddie in mid-80s from Brisbane, Australia. One where the mystery is happening, the other is trying to find the truth and unravel what actually had happened. Both love Inga Karlson, an acclaimed author, lost in a warehouse fire with all the copies of her second book. Both feel a connection to the author- one had real, the other narrator though books and her research. With some mystery, a bit of love stories from both timelines and some historical reflections The Fragments should be a win-win.

I found it ok, just fine. I enjoyed Rachel’s chapters from 1930s more than Caddie’s. Rachel as a character was fully developed and came into life while Caddie seemed always quite shallow and one-dimensional. At times, I couldn’t get the links of the narrative in Caddie’s chapters- like author was jumping from one theme to another without connecting them.

In terms of plot-line - The Fragments has a little bit of everything for everyone- same gender love, mystery, historical fiction. I feel like it was wrapped up quite neatly too. The twist from the last chapter was expected and not shocking, though interesting approach to final.

I think everyone can find something to enjoy in The Fragments.

This was a wonderful read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book was set over a number of time periods and dealt with the information which remained from the fragments of a writer's manuscript that still existed after a fire which saw the author lose her life. The writer's first novel was a phenomenal hit so the fragments of this novel are highly revered. These characters were so interesting, as were the different settings in which events took place. The first happened in 1930's New York but 50 years later in Australia bookseller Caddie Walker encounters a woman who seems to know more about the novel than actually exists in the fragments as she queues to view the fragments in an exhibition. Such knowledge and information sets a search in motion what Caddie will not stop until she knows it all. I really enjoyed this read and would highly recommend it.

The task of repopulating the senior library has been an exciting and daunting task aS in a boarding school our aim is to encourage all members of the community to read. Because of this, I have been searching down a wide and diverse range of books to read that will entice a wide cross-section of the school to come in, browse and find books that they love.
Books like this will ensure that the senior students in the school see the library as a diverse, modern and exciting place with books that speak to them and they want to recommend to their friends, classmates, teachers and tutors.
It is an engrossing and exciting read with fully-formed characters and a plot that ensures that it's hard to look away. It is as far from formulaic as it is possible to be and kept me up far too late in order to finish it. I immediately wanted to read all of this writer's other books as I loved their voice and found that it really drew me into the story and made me think about it even when I'd stepped away from this tale.
This is a thought-provoking read which I'm sure will be a popular and well-read addition to our new library; I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to read it and I know that the students are going to absolutely love it too!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was completely unexpected - not a book I'd normally read but I'm so glad I did. I was intrigued by the mystery woman, really enjoyed the trips into the past and where those took us, and didn't expect a lot of the twists in this story. An intriguing read that I'd recommend to others!

Unfortunately, I was not able to finish "The Fragments" by Toni Jordan due to time constraints, although I hope to come back to it someday.

I'm so in love with this cover!

To be honest, I'm not 100% sure on where my rating lies with this one. While the story was a little underwhelming, I can't deny that the writing itself was stellar and kept the pace moving nicely. I enjoyed the different timelines and found this to be an easy weekend read. 3.5 stars.

I came across this synopsis and was hopeful that it would give pause to my thoughts. And by golly did it! I absolutely loved the characters and their interactions.

The circumstances within this storyline was fantastic and made the story come alive like I was seeing this as a movie as I read it. I love nothing more than reading a book and having that happen.

It really puts everything into perspective and you are able to be up close and personal with each character as they wind their way through their individual journey

Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the gifted review copy. All opinions are my own.

The Fragments is about a manuscript that was burned in a fire in New York in the 1930's. Nearly 50 years later Caddie Walker is waiting to see these manuscript fragments when she meets an older woman who quotes a phrase from the Inga Karlsons fragments that Caddie knows doesnt exist. It feels genuine to Caddie who knows Inga Karlsons work like the back of her hand. She immediately begins to investigate and looks into the clues that will unlock the greatest literary mystery of the 20th century.

This book was a joy to read and I hope you love diving into the mystery it as much as I did.

A nice blend of mystery and history with a well-paced story that balanced its telling from 2 different points of view.

Loved it! From start to finish!!! I could not put it down. I found myself reading after hours. I stopped doing many chores to just see what would happen next!

I do enjoy suspense and thriller novels so The Fragments by Toni Jordan was a nice read and I enjoyed the overall themes, storylines and characters. Would read more from Toni Jordan in the future.

I honestly could not have cared less for this book, when I originally requested to read this book I really wanted to be interested and I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and spread my wings. But in the end I couldn’t pick up this book and I doubt I will ever.

Caddie loves books, always has—she even works at a bookstore. So when she takes a day to go to the museum to see an exhibition including “the fragments” of a book that was never published, a book by her favorite author who only wrote one other book (the book Caddie was actually named after), she’s definitely in her happy place. Of course she mourns for the author who died in the fire where the fragments came from. She mourns the loss of a book that’s never been read by anyone, so much so that she’s even memorized a few of the lines that were spared in the fragments. And when an older lady she speaks with at the exhibition quotes from the book, adding an additional sentence to it before departing in a taxi, Caddie’s mind is all awhirl. How did the older woman know this, and how can Caddie learn more? I wasn’t sure about this book, but the more I read it, the more I enjoyed it. Caddie’s experience trying to uncover the mystery woman, as well as the backstory on the author, her second book, and the reason for the fire, all built up to a satisfying culmination of events. This book is smart, well-written, and even though it’s not fast-paced, I actually enjoyed taking my time in reading it. For the lovers of books, this may be one you want to read.

Special note of thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.