The Sea of Forgotten Memories: A Maltese Thriller Paperback – August 18, 2012

Set on Gozo, a tiny island in the middle of the Mediterranean, this book is a murder mystery inside a murder mystery driven by secrets that have spanned decades and generations. It may seem like everybody knows everything about one another in the devout, close-knit and sometimes stifling community where gossip abounds, but things are frequently not what they seem.I have spent a great deal of time on Gozo, and I must say that Federico Chini captures beautiful detail about the island and her inhabitants. This is a complex mystery with twists and turns that will leave you thinking, and populated with vibrant characters who will stay with you for a very long time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and couldn't put my Kindle down. The structure is great, making the carefully-woven story flow smoothly, and the writing style evocative but economical, I'm sure that even for those who, unlike me, aren't already Gozo-lovers, this book will give a real taste of the island, and a beautiful story to enjoy.

Very slow read, just did not want to not finish it. The end I just didn't get maybe I missed something

**I received this complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my review** I enjoy reading new books by unknown (at least to me) authors - it's like an adventure to discover new characters and settings, to experience how another writer crafts their characters and the journey they are taken on. Well, I was taken on a journey - a journey to the Maltese Islands . . . a Southern European country in the middle of the Mediterranean . . . and along this journey I met a varied cast of characters who call Malta home. Among them include two brothers in love with the same woman, a woman whose passion and intellect far exceed what the island can provide her and a young man struggling with the truth of who he is and the family he thought he knew. Before venturing into what I liked or did not like about this book, I want to sat that one of its high points were the four amazing, thought provoking, memorable quotes that I came across that cause me to stop a moment and reflect. I will share two of them here . . . "But once words have been said there is no way to un-say them." So simply and yet so profoundly true. The power of words and the impact that have are so potent that even when said in a moment of anger or without thought, cannot be taken back no matter how much you regret saying them. "Writing is like sculpturing words out of a block of imagination. Sentences chisel the story, then characters make it their own." Wow. This one really made me stop. As a writer myself, I know exactly what is being said here. My belief is that it's not the writer who is telling the story, but the characters and if you let them loose, it's amazing where they can take you. The main thing that I liked about this book - beyond the quotes above and two others I had come across - was the imagery the words evoked. Right from the beginning, never even having heard of the Maltese Islands (you can see how well versed I am in geography) through the words the author chose I got a sense that I knew these islands and the waters surrounding them. The descriptions of the storms at sea, of being thrown into the waters, being conscious of almost drowning . . . Federico Chini made me feel like I was there . . . feeling those very things in that moment. But even with this amazing use of sensory imagery, the one thing that bothered me throughout the entire book was that there were too many characters, too many stories, to much going back and forth in the time line between past and present, that I didn't have a chance to connect fully with any of the characters. Once I thought I had a feel for one of them and could feel myself getting into their story, there would be a shift and I'd be in another part of the story, a different time, with a different characters. If the story had stuck to telling about Gorg, Karmenu, Dwardu and Ana Marija, it would have been a wonderful story and I would have been able to tell where the murder mystery was and tried to figure out who did it and delight in being right or surprised in being wrong. But I couldn't do that. Instead, I was tossed all over the place - like one of the luzzu boats in the middle of a storm at sea. More than once I lost sense of the story and the fact that there was a murder mystery. Federico Chini has amazing potential. As long as he retains his use of sensory imagery through his word choice and focuses the story on one plot and not a large stable of characters, he will be an amazing author with amazing stories to tell.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my review"The Sea of Forgotten Memories takes place on an island named Gozo. The story is about the death of a fisherman, a who done it story where you actually know who did it and are wondering why did it happen. The story was intriguing from the start. A storm, a small town, many characters and a mystery to be solved. This was an interesting read and at times I could not put the book down. I enjoyed many of the characters and really wanted the author to continue to build some of them a bit more. Ana Marija was one of my favorite characters and I enjoyed the way that the author went back into time to explain her story. I almost wish that he could have continued with her story and clarified a few more things that actually took place. The story jumped from present to past and there were many characters to try to keep track of, so many that eventually I became confused as to who was speaking and what was taking place. I felt as though overall it was a good story, but did need some additional character development or less characters. I was very disappointed in the ending of the story. I was confused and was not sure exactly who the people were and what actually happened. I am happy that I was able to read something from this author. I would consider again reading another story with the hope that he focuses on a few characters and a clearer ending.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my review*Set in a part of the world few outsiders visit, The Sea of Forgotten Memories is a murder mystery without much mystery: there is little doubt as to who killed whom. The "why" is what matters more, and that is the question with an unsatisfactory answer.The book is deeply atmospheric, steeped in the culture of Malta and the surrounding islands, and that made it very interesting to read from a sociological perspective. However, the plot has a lot of loose ends, and what could have been satisfying reveals of secrets are actually just confusing. (I read a ton and have no trouble following twisty plots, and there were parts of this I went and read twice to be sure I hadn't missed anything....I didn't. )I think there were one too many plot points or one too many character threads or both, here, but it is a quick read and worth it for the cultural description, perhaps. I won't seek out anything else by this author, but am not sorry I ran across the book.

I enjoyed this book until the end which made no sense whatsoever to me. I felt the ending really disappointing. It wasnt a cliffhanger or a ' leave it to your imagination' type. It was abrupt and confusing. Did I miss something? Great shame as until then it was good story. Like other reviews I enjoyed the Gozo setting.

I read this book over two sunny days in the UK during COVID-19 lock-down. Descriptions of the Gozitan people and locations combined with good weather had me back on Gozo. I would love to see more Gozo based books from this author and can't wait to get back to Gozo - will have to read 'Man on Fire' and this book on rotation until that day!

A thoroughly good read, I really enjoyed this book, especially living here on Gozo I felt part of it knowing the places mentioned, once I started I didn't want to put the book down, really really good.

The book wasn’t in as good condition as I was expecting.

Not the most riveting storyline but captures the Gozitan characters very well. I quite enjoyed it and I'm sure others will.