Having read and loved Expectation by this author, I was really looking forward to this book. Sadly, it was not for me.

I found it very difficult to get into and there are four stories within this book, only one of them held my interest and I had to wade through the others. It just didn't work for me.. There is some beautiful writing within but its almost lost. I think I didn't connect with any of the characters so didn't really care for what happened to them. An interesting idea and novel structure but not for me.

Even if it's well written and the 4 stories are well plotted I'm not sure I understand what was the goal and the message.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I got The White Rock by Anna Hope from NetGalley for a fair and honest Review.

The White Rock is 4 stories set around this place in Mexico where the locals believe the world started from.

The 4 stories are set over different time periods and examine how this sacred place affects them.


The White Rock is a novel that I thought had so much promise after reading the synopsis however on reading the collection of 4 stories I felt let down.

The reason for this is the way the book was laid out, with the four different narratives in the book which are set over different time periods, where all really interesting.

This was particularly true of the narrative about the two girls who are part of a cleanup operation to move the local native population, so Mexico can start to modernise.

With its interesting story line and engaging characters, Anna Hope’s writing style made me empathise and believe in the individuals of this story as well as the other three.

Even the main story about the writer in 2020 on, what seemed to me to be a sort of new age spiritual middle class way, had me drawn to the feelings of the time,

Having said that to me while the stories were linked by the rock, which always seemed to be in the background of each story,

However for me with the story told in such a way that it jumped from one story to the next, it felt disjointed especially as there was never any point where the stories linked together.

In fact when the story ended my feelings were not positive or negative it was just, “is, that it.”

To me The White Rock by Anna Hope, was an interesting idea that felt poorly laid out which affected my enjoyment of the book.

The White Rock stands, ancient and sacred, off the Pacific coast of Mexico. Four people, across four centuries, each with problems in their own worlds, are irresistibly drawn to it.

The writing is well done and very descriptive but I just didn't get what the story was trying to achieve. I couldn't connect with the characters at all. I like the story idea but, for me, it just didn't deliver. It's very slow in places and it was hard for me to keep going. It became quite confusing as it switched between what was happening in the moment and what had happened previously. Sadly, it left me totally disconnected from the point of it. I also found that in places the story went for upwards of thirty pages with no break in the text. I found myself having to re-read parts when I picked it up again just to find my place.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinUK for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have a feeling this, The White Rock by Anna Hope, is a very important book with a very important message. Unfortunately, apart from concern about the climatic and environmental abyss, which we're all well aware of, I didn't get the message.

There are four stories here set in different times: 2020, 1969, 1907 and 1775. Occasionally, very gripping but, sadly, on the whole rather dull. I found myself skimming much of it, which is not a good sign!

I don't understand why the author chose not to name her leading characters. Our names are part of our identity, naturally, but for some reason the author refers to them only by their occupation (the writer, the singer and the lieutenant) or gender (the girl). So, this immediately distances us. At no point did I ever feel truly in the character's shoes. Therefore, my empathy was lacking, even with the horrendous tale set in 1907. The writer's tale (2020) was particularly dull, and the singer (1969) was an irritating character (and it doesn't take long to work out that this is based on a real person).

Somehow, I sense an opportunity missed here. Comparisons to David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas will be inevitable, the difference being that Cloud Atlas is a work of genius. Sadly, The White Rock isn't.

I was drawn to this book because of the setting, Mexico, and the historical / folkloric links. I spent four years living in Mexico and I’m still captivated by its charm, history and legend.
This book tells four different stories of four individuals from different points in time: a young woman in the present day; a troubled rock star in the 60s; a young girl at the start of the twentieth century; and a young Spanish lieutenant in 1775 charting new territories. Although none of their stories are linked in anyway, they are all drawn to the White Rock and its mystical pull. Even the rock is given a chapter and a voice. The stories are told like concentric circles, first going back in time to the rock and the beginning, then returning through time to the present day. And whilst there is no real ending to any of their individual stories, it is more the comfort and strength they each find in the rock that is important. The writing is beautiful and lyrical and I was totally absorbed by it. It’s well worth reading the author’s notes at the end too.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a review.

The White Rock is four separate but compelling stories spanning three hundred years, split and reflected around a mysterious island off the coast of Mexico.

I enjoyed all four stories but was particularly moved by the story of the two girls in 1907, which really highlighted the poor treatment of indigenous Americans by colonisers. I tended to think that this sort of thing happened in distant history but this twentieth century story seemed really recent and stark.

A recommended read for lovers of historical fiction.

Expectation by Anna Hope is one of my favourite books ever so I was really excited for her new book, however it’s a completely different style and genre and nothing like her previous work whatsoever.

It follows 4 different timelines and people as they are drawn to ‘the white rock’. My favourite story was the singer as I found it the most interesting, and I liked the backstory and connections to Jim Morrison.

I wanted to love this so much but there are some books that I think are just too *clever* for me, it was very well written and researched and i’m sure a lot of people will enjoy it but it just wasn’t for me, I didn’t get it at all and I found myself skimming through the chapters as I just wasn’t interested - although i’m sure that’s more a reflection of me rather than the book.

The White Rock is a complete departure from my normal reading. Four individuals from different times feature in this story which leads all of them to the sacred White Rock in San Blas, Mexico. The rock holds a legend in indigenous Wixarika culture, that this is a place where the gods were born. Where all of life began, making It special and sacred.
The book goes back and forth in time, beginning with someone referred to as ‘The Writer’ who is making a pilgrimage with a minibus load of others to the rock to give thanks for the birth of her child. From present day, it then moves to the sixties, the beginning of the twentieth century and finally the sixteenth century. The narrative is absorbing as I followed the stories of the writer, a rock star, a native Yoeme girl and a Spanish naval lieutenant. With all four, we get a window into their world as they come into contact with the rock in some way. The timeline moves back and forth, moving the reader easily between the characters. There is no final ending to any of the stories, just a window into the characters’ lives in that moment that brings them into contact with the rock. I would loved to have read more about the Yoeme girl, I think hers was the most sad story, her people being rounded up and sold into slavery. The rock star too, burnt out, questioning everything about his life and convinced the White Rock might have the answers.
An interesting concept, beautifully written and totally absorbing.
My thanks to NetGalley, Penguin UK and Anna Hope for an ARC of The White Rock in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed expectation, so went into this book with quite high hopes. Although beautifully written, it just wasn’t for me at all. I didn’t get it in the slightest, the stories were disjointed with very little plot or purpose and no connection between them other than some loose reference to the white rock. This would have been a one star for me but the one story about the Yoeme girl and her sister pulled it up as that was the only bit of the book that I was even vaguely interested in. Those two chapters were actually very good. But I have to say I’ve skim read the last 40% just to finally get to the end.

Not one for me I’m afraid. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This falls into the category of literary fiction which is why there's a thread of story and plot but nothing it quite finished. This novel tells several stories, all begun by a writer on a trip to Mexico to give thanks for the gift of a child. She's English, and she is struggling on the long, hot, uncomfortable journey with a faithless husband and a fractious child. Along the way, she and her fellow travellers learn about the pandemic that is sweeping Europe and begin to worry about getting back, distracting them from their purpose - a pilgrimage to an island near a white rock off the coast. She's researched the history of the place and informs her fellows of what they are going to see.

That takes us neatly onto the stories of those people she mentions - a singer who committed suicide shortly after returning from the white rock, the naval officer who was tried there and the natives who were thrown from their land and forced to work in mines far from their ancestral lands. The naval officer and the singer's stories are fairly complete in themselves, though the ending of the naval officer is only really gleaned from the author's note, and the native girl just sort of fizzles out. We know the ending from what the writer tells us, but we don't get to see everything.

None of the main characters are given names, just 'the writer' and 'the singer' so I suppose, not knowing much about music in 1969, I had no chance to guess the identity of 'the singer', though I am not going to have a read up on him (it's a him).

Short and interesting, enjoying the Spanish language used as part of it, it was a good, quick read that certainly will stay with you for a while.

Beautiful writing and really interesting structure & concept but unfortunately it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Using the White Rock as a touchstone the story of four different people is told. The stories span the centuries and the characters are only connected by their desire to see the White Rock.

Each character gets a chapter starting in 2022 and working back to 1775 before their story is continued working from 1775 to the twentieth century.

In the middle is a chapter on the rock itself.

I felt myself just getting into each individual's story (some more than others) then the chapter would end. By the time we came back to the second part of each character's story I had to work to remember what had been happening and work to pull myself back into it.

As with her previous novels which I have enjoyed immensely, the writing is elegant and the observations sharp and insightful. I just felt the structure, while interesting, interrupted the flow of the characters narratives.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the chance to read an early copy

The White Rock is a real place, a rock formation that juts out of the sea by San Blas, a small fishing town in Mexico. According to the indigenous Wixárika people, it was the first solid object on earth and to this day there are annual pilgrimages to worship it. Over the years, San Blas has witnessed some unusual events which Anna Hope has woven into four stories: set in 1775, 1907, 1969 and 2020.

Each story centres on an unnamed person, referred to only by their occupation (perhaps as an inanimate rock might observe them). There is the Lieutenant, the Girl, the Singer and the Writer.

The first three are about real events. In 1775 a squadron of Spanish ships left from here to explore the north coast of California and Hope has based her Lieutenant’s story on an unusual incident that occurred.

The Girl’s story is about how Mexican forces took indigenous Yoeme people from Arizona, shipped them to San Blas and sold them into slavery. They were treated horrifically and two thirds of arrivals died within a year.

The Singer storyline is woven around a vacation that Jim Morrison took in San Blas in 1969 while The Writer imagines a group of pilgrims to the Rock in 2020 who are caught up in the start of the Covid outbreak.

It’s a disjointed novel. I enjoyed the Lieutenant and Girl stories but the other two didn’t work for me. Each of them ends in a slightly ambiguous way and the connections between them are vague. I liked the idea behind this book but it didn’t quite work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an advanced reader copy.

Four stories of different people over time that all connect to the White Rock.
May rating is a tad harsh, if I could have given 3.5, I would have.
I found it more difficult to connect with the people as they were ‘the Writer’, ‘the Singer’, ‘the Lieutenant’ and ‘the Girl’. I enjoyed the Lieutenant’s and girl’s stories the most but missed the more concluding endings for each, I felt dangling in the air wanting to know what happened to them. However, it was an interesting snapshot into 4 totally different people’s lives.
It was very well written and the story flowed nicely.

This is an interesting premise for a book. Whilst some parts/ stories were enjoyable, others did not keep my interest. I skimmed through some of the stories, to be honest. Well written, with some excellent descriptions, I am sure it will be enjoyed by other readers.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

I’m disappointed with this read. I loved Expectation and went into this book blind.
It is about different people all having a connection to a mountain in Mexico, through various eras. I was only really able to understand the current day story and the one with the singer in the 70s.
The writing is pretty good, so it is sad that story is a bit complex and doesn’t hang together between stories.
Publishing date 25th Aug. I read an ARC via @netgally @PenguinUKBooks and @VikingBooksUK

I'm giving this title 3.5 stars - mainly because of Anna Hope's writing which is always an effortless joy to read. But I'm afraid I was disappointed by this book. It is a novel only in that the stories are linked by a geographic location - and perhaps a theme of feeling trapped by time and place. But The White Rock lacks the powerful interlinking of characters' lives that other similarly structured narratives achieve (e.g. Transatlantic by Colum McCann and the curiously similar The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld.) I was hoping that by blending contemporary and historical stories Anna would recapture the pulsating vividness of Expectation with the tragic authenticity of Wake. But sadly, two of the stories in The White Rock (the singer and the Yoeme sisters) just didn't draw me in. I wish Anna had concentrated on the other two and perhaps woven them together with more intricately with (whisper it!) a plot. There is so much to applaud in Anna Hope's work that I will gladly read anything she writes. I'm crossing fingers for her next book!

This is a strikingly ambitious novel - four stories stretch across time and space, each linked by an irresistible calling towards the titular white rock, lying off the coast of Mexico. The four timelines are all set in the past - in 2020, a writer grapples with motherhood and COVID-19. In 1969, a musician seeks self-destruction. In 1907, a young Youme girl tries to survive, and in 1775, a ship's lieutenant is faced with a terrible choice. Nothing links the stories except for the rock, and the setting, which leaves the plot of the novel frustratingly slippery and opaque.

What I liked:
Hope's historical research for this novel is meticulous, and the author's note at the end shows the effort put in to ensure that cultural appropriation or harm did not occur within the novel's pages. Setting the novel over four time periods was seriously ambitious, but it's mostly pulled off thanks to an attention to detail and, judging from the bibliography at the back of the book, a serious amount of research.

The writing is absolutely stunning, and I have marked plenty of beautiful passages in this one.that transport the reader to Mexico - "the thick smell of the ocean in the cicada-filled dark" is one such delicious line. I've read another Anna Hope novel and she really is a beautiful writer.

The representation of the Yoeme people was compelling and important - I will admit I know little about Indigenous cultures, but this book opened a window I would have otherwise never seen into.

What I didn't like:

For all the beautiful passages in The White Rock, some are terminally overwritten, too, particularly in the writer's section - easily my least favourite. It interrupted the flow of the book for me at times when I landed on a sentence or phrase that made my skin crawl.

Novels exist to make readers feel - and this one failed to draw any meaningful emotion from me. I was mostly just bored, with flashes of interest in the 1907/1969 sections. Furthermore, I didn't find much to connect with in any of the characters, in fact, which to me is the novel's biggest flaw. I need to connect to characters when reading - more so than plot - but it was difficult with this one.

It's only 2022, I don't need to read anything about COVID yet, sorry. I couldn't help thinking of a similar novel, David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, and it's futuristic sections - a story set far in the future would have served this novel much better than a white woman's navel-gazing in the early, scary days of the pandemic.

Overall, The White Rock let me down - as I have said, I failed to connect to the characters, and felt that Hope's literary aspirations weighed down what could otherwise have been a fascinating novel. Perhaps it would have worked better as a series of shorter stories, as as a novel I just couldn't get on board with it.

As always, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a different book from what I expected. I loved the setting, and the connection to the sacred sites in Mexico. I usually love the connections between the time, but the concept of a matryoshka dolls within the story was a little tryng at times. The individual strands of the stories were very compelling, and the way they touched upon the common themes of sacrifice, redemption, uncertainty, but they didn't get brought together into a larger picture in the end. It was very elegantly written (like other Anna Hope's titles) but I felt somewhat underwhelming after finishing the book. Overall a very nice read but it felt like there is a missing piece of the puzzle!

A really interesting way of writing going from the extremely contemporary to the very historical, each narrative linked by the White Rock. I admired the writing and really enjoyed parts of this but somehow it didn’t click with me overall. Just not my thing.