![The Marble Collector](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440749220m/25394438.jpg)
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. The only other Cecelia Ahern book I've read ('One Hundred Names') I really loved. I think the first person, present tense, put me off a bit - it's my least favourite point of view. It took me a while to warm to the characters too.
However, it did grow on me, and I wanted to find out what happened next, so I guess it did its job!
The story alternates between Fergus Boggs and his daughter, Sabrina. Fergus is the titular marble collector. His obsession begins during a difficult period in his childhood and grows from there. He and his brother, Hamish, make money from Fergus's marble playing skills, and Fergus later becomes a world champion marble player.
However Sabrina knows nothing about this major part of her father's life until boxes of marbles, carefully listed and sorted, are delivered to the home where her father is staying. She finds that some of the most valuable marbles are missing and sets off on a quest to find out what happened. What was this secret life her father had? And did she really know him at all?
Over the course of 24 hours, Sabrina discovers a great deal about her father, and about herself. And through Fergus's eyes, we begin to understand why he felt he couldn't share his passion with those closest to him.
There were plenty of interesting twists as more of Fergus's past was revealed, and ultimately the story was quite uplifting and positive. And even though I didn't love this particular Cecelia Ahern, I still look forward to reading her other novels.
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