Customer Reviews
A not so brief encounter - By: J. Brand, 23 Oct 2008 
Inside the whale reminded me of brief encounter. Ok maybe it's not Celia Johnson & Trevor Howard tearing themselves apart over unrequited love but it still has that feeling of looking into a sepia toned memory watching two people trying to do what they think is, or was, best for themselves & according to society. The difference here is that Stephanie & Michael don't quite live up to the standards society asks of them & then they look back on that from the distant perspective of their twilight years.
This might be Jennie Rooney's first novel but she's certainly off to a cracking start. Perhaps not the longest or deepest novel I've read for a long while but as easy reads go one of the best & as debuts go definitely the best I've read this year.
i loved this - By: J. Dales, 06 Oct 2008 
I loved this book more than 'behind the scenes at the museum' by Kate Atkinson,and that's saying something.Made me laugh & cry equallly (one part reallly made me cry!)I'd encourage anyone who's led an ordinary life to read this,it's unbeleiveable how it makes you realise how a 'normal' life always includes extraordinary happenings.
Well crafted - By: Mrs. PJ Taylor, 12 Aug 2008 
This a very well put together first novel & an ideal holiday read. The plot line is unpredictable, which I liked, & ranged across countries, continents & characters. It is ultimately a rather sad story though and, being a sucker for happy endings, I would have liked it to resolve differently. Well worth reading & look forward to her next.
What whale? - By: John Williams, 29 Jul 2008 This is as story of lost, or perhaps misplaced, love. It is told in alternate chapters by Stevie & Michael, who were treated cruelly by fate & by WWII. The chapters are short, making this an easy read once you've got over the initial confusion. Towards the end there is some suspense; you know more or less how it will end, but still want to know the details. I read this book on holiday, which was OK; it's that kind of light reading. But it certainly does not rank as a great book, or make me want to read more by Jennie Rooney. And oh yes, what whale? Jonah gets a passing mention in this book, but neither Stevie nor Michael seem to have anything in common with him. Just a clever title, I suppose.
Moving and thoughtful - By: Michele Fry, 29 Jul 2008 Inside the Whale
This book is a thoughtful look at the way the Second World War affected two people: Michael, who accidentallly killed a fellow soldier while trying to save his friend's life, & Stevie, the girl whom he loved & who had his daughter. Michael feels so bad about what he did that he feels he has no right to be with Stevie, & when he's demobbed from the Army, he stays in Africa for several years. His daughter & granddaughter don't find out about him until after he dies because Stevie had made a good life for herself with her husband Jonathan, who loved her & her daughter.
This is exactly the kind of personal history of the War that I reallly enjoy reading & I strongly recommend it.
