Bookworm: The Colour of Milk, by Nell Leyshon

What a sad sad book.

I first saw this book recommended in Stylist magazine.

The style reminded me of Room (if you've not read it check it out).

The Colour of Milk tells the tale of Mary, one of four daughters in a family in the 1800s living and working - very hard - on a farm.

She's always been different with her crippled leg and her hair (the colour of milk) and also because how strong a character she is, she more than speaks her mind.

This book is written by Mary and tells in a short story her life and how she moves from one hard lifestyle to another.

The style makes this book extremely easy and quick to read and Leyshon keeps you hooked, wanting to know what's going to happen next.

At first I found Mary an odd and rude character, but it didn't take long for me to warm to her and soon pity her.

Although Mary can't read or write (I'm not saying much more for fear of spoiling the story) you can vividly picture characters and scenery.

I finished the story and overall felt so sad, but still that I was a fan of the book for the emotions it provokes.

Good points
Very different, offers something new
Strong characters
Easy read
Keeps you hooked

Not so great
Would have liked a longer book, I hadn't realised it was a short story when downloading it to Kindle
Sometimes unpleasant subject matter to read

I'd recommend this read to people, simply for the fact it is just so different. Granted it won't be for all, but you can't help but feel gripped by the story regardless of why whether overall you like it or not.