Augusta's love of words and her delving into their origins, plus her ability with languages, might have irritated her family, but they are distinct advantages in helping to bridge the gap between her and Parfait. My criticism would be that some of the "minor" characters felt stereotyped (and, given that this was a contemporary novel, Augusta's father had been "beamed in" from a previous decade/Century! A thread of personal struggle, tragedy, loss and unresolved grief weaves throughout their lives and connects them when they eventually meet one another. The Augusta chapters were longer than the Parfait ones, which was a pity as I found his story more compelling.

As a young child she spins the globe and puts her finger on the spot that will be her favorite--Burundi. She has edited a variety of non-fiction books, is a visiting lecturer, a communications coach and an adviser and trainer for schools. When they do finally meet, their friendship seems pre-ordained; it was an interesting exploration on coincidence and destiny.The blurb gives the impression that this might be one of those stories where the character is sailing along, trying hard to discover who they really are, tragedy strikes its savage blow, levels them, and then before you can blink, they have emerged stronger and surer, knowing exactly who they are in this new and altered universe. Some of this book is set in a small town in England, some are set in Burundi and the rest in Tarifa in Spain. Joanna studied Spanish at the University of London (and taught Spanish and English to all ages before becoming a school headteacher). When tragedy strikes he too is determined to leave for a better life and embarks on the long, long journey.

There’s a comforting predictability about novels such as this debut by a jolly, middle-aged mummy from Battersea in southwest London. Part of The Other Half of Augusta Hope is set in Burundi, a small country in Africa that Augusta decides is to be her favourite country in the world and so she devours facts and learns everything that she can about the country. This isn’t the only difference, Julia was born to please and is happy to live up to their parents limited expectations, marrying the boy next door and staying close to home even though his family are Spanish.

This book by Joanne Glen tells story of twin girls, Julia and Augusta, born minutes apart but in separate months. Once we reach the tragedy, the novel certainly picks up, but it also speeds up, so there could have been a bit more balance applied to the narrative. If this suggests that the book is hard work, it isn't- it's an easy and very pleasurable read which has lots of fun with language but is never heavy-going.

I learned so much reading this and am starting to learn Spanish online because I was so consumed by the notion of 'duende' in the book.Parfait and all the descriptions of war-torn Burundi, made me weep for all the lost souls killed in these senseless power struggles that seem to consume Africa. It's beautifully written, the prose often laugh out loud which I did, simply because the family dynamic described often resembled my own, and although I didn't laugh at the time felt I could when reading about it. Beautifully written, emotional book- not one I would describe as an easy read but definitely a must read! The story of immigration tragedies resonated deeply with me; the lives lost in the Mediterranean, perusing the dream of a better life, indeed, of any form of life, are heartbreaking.

When she is seven, she discovers the country Burundi on a globe and sets about finding out everything she can about the country. This was, for the most part, entertaining, but I won’t lie, it did begin to slump about halfway, giving me pause to wonder where it was all headed. Parfait and Augusta don’t know each other until almost at the end of the story, but we follow Parfait’s life alongside Augusta’s. Augusta grows up with her twin sister Julia, but in between the chapters on their lives the novel also follows Parfait who lives in another part of the world and seems unconnected to the two sisters at first.Her mother and father follow her to deliver her a present even though they are out of their comfort zone. One of Augusta’s favourite words is “Burundi”, for the sound of it, but she also learns all she can about the distant African state. This is a really interesting book with references to real life events so that you can get a feel for the time it is set.