It took me a while to find my pace while reading this one. The premise definitely intrigued me, but the characters fell a little flat in the contemporary timeline. The historical timeline was slightly more engaging, but I felt like there could have been a bit more depth and detail. Around 60% I was caught by surprise with some of the storyline = "Ooooh.... Now I get it!". The conclusion was underwhelming. Unfortunately, I feel like this one had a ton of potential, but didn't hit it out of the park for me.

My thanks to the publisher and/or author for providing a complimentary copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

“The Fragments are here, locked behind steel and glass inside the new State Gallery. The fragments. Irreplaceable, priceless. Here, in Brisbane.”


The Fragments by Toni Jordan is about relationships, passion, and humanity.

Caddie Walker had a laid-back quiet life in Brisbane. She spent her days amidst books. This kept her love for Inga Karlson alive.

Inga Karlson was the best-selling author of late 1930s. Her first book was an “All Has an End” was a massive hit in 1935. However, before the release of her second book she died mysteriously in a fire which destroyed the book. “The Days, the Minutes” didn’t see the light of day. What remained of it were fragments.

Caddie was in a queue to see Karlson exhibition showcasing these fragments. That’s when she met this enchanting friendly old woman, Rachael, talking about the Karlson. But just before she left, she quoted an altered version of Caddie’s favourite lines from the 2ndbook. Caddie was astounded to hear those lines. She knew they were different. Her instincts said those lines sounded true.

“And in the end, all we have are the hours and the days, the minutes and the way we bear them.”

“And in the end, all we have are the hours and the days, the minutes and the way we bear them, the second spent on this earth and the number of them that truly mattered.”

Those cryptic lines encouraged Caddie to dig deeper into Inga’s mystery. While solving the mystery, she somewhere uncovered herself.

I took many days to write this review. I just couldn’t find the right words to describe the beauty of the book.

The book spans over 50 years. The chapters keep shuttling between the 1930s and 1986 (Caddie’s time). While reading I forgot the concept time and space. It carried me to a different dimension.

The book doesn’t have a lot of characters but a couple of major characters and the remaining are equally pivotal characters.
The 1930s talk about Rachael. The book presents a sharp picture of the society of the 1930s. The people, their problems, the surroundings, general issues of the society. The clarity was more in this time than the 1980s.

That brings me to the pace of the book. The reader will glide through the book. It’s not just easy writing but each of the chapters points the reader towards a certain direction and the reader just flows with it.

The author did a brilliant job of highlighting the contrasts as with the era so with the characters.

Rachael’s father was abusive, whereas Caddie had a loving father.
Rachael’s life was of material hardships, Caddie had a decent life.

The three characters are intertwined through their feelings, their passions. The author used a subtle underlying technique to point out the flaws and the fine points of relationships, society and human tendencies. These concepts are and touch you deep down. The beauty of a relationship is just not the golden days but also the days overcast with doubts, you are angry and you move away only to rush back to your love. The ending twist was surprising and I like how the storyline merges seamlessly.

The Fragments is about women decades apart, yet connected through their passion, their will to stand against the wrong. The book provokes your emotions and asks us to look deeper.


Wow! What a wonderful read.

Thank You NetGalley and Text publishing for giving this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely fantastic read. I couldn’t put it down, from the moment I started. Not quite a mystery, not quite a love story, but so much of both. The characters were incredibly well developed.

What a wonderful book. The Fragments by Toni Jordan is a literary mystery set in bookish surroundings. Who could ask for more?

Caddie is obsessed by a writer, Inga Karlson, whose first book captured the hearts of millions in the 1930s. Her second book The Hours, The Minutes was never published and only fragments remain. No copies of the book, the manuscript or the printing plates exist. Inga, herself, perished, along with her publisher, Charles Cleborn, the only other person to have read the manuscript, in the warehouse fire that destroyed all copies. What - or who - caused the fire has never been established.

In the 1980s Cadd1e goes to an exhibition of the fragments in Brisbane. On the way out she encounters an older woman who tells her the last line of the book - something no one is supposed to know. Intrigued, Caddie sets about investigating the mystery. Who is the woman who claims to know the last line and is she telling the truth?

Meanwhile, another story runs alongside: that of a young girl in 1930s America. We begin to suspect that this girl is the woman Caddie spoke to.

With the help of the sweet, shy Jamie and the handsome but cynical Paul, her former lover, Caddy slowly unearths the truth of the warehouse fire, the death of Inga Karlson, and the identity of the woman at the exhibition.

I was kept hooked right through this book and though I kept making guesses at the answers to the various mysteries, those guesses were not resolved until the very end. Excellent.

The Fragments is a lovely story about a story that was tragically never finished. There are two points of view telling the story of how this manuscript was destroyed in a fire, and the writer died. It's a beautiful mystery for book lovers. If you believe books change lives, you'll enjoy this one. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for The Fragments by Toni Jordan. Publication Date: 9/20/19. Archive Date: 4/1/19.
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Thank you Text Publishing and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
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“Everywhere is temporary-who knows where we’ll end up?”
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It’s 1986 in Brisbane. Caddie is at an exhibit that contains things about her favorite author, Inga Karlson. Amongst the things in the exhibit are fragments of Inga’s last book. It was never published because every copy went up in flames in the fire that killed Inga.
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At the exhibit, Caddie meets an elderly woman named Rachel. They chat briefly but something Rachel says nags at Caddie. Now Caddie is on a mission.
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When I requested this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My God, it was beautiful. It switches between Caddie in 1986 and Rachel in 1938/1939.
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Honestly, I’m at a loss for words. It was this grand story about a beloved dead author and how she ended up dead. It was a story about hardship, abuse, and beautiful love.

A fantastic mystery split between two time periods, working towards the same goal - completing the fragments of Inga Karlson's lost manuscript. There is the unsolved mystery of the fire which destroyed Inga and her long awaited second novel, the dual viewpoints from 1930s Rachel and Cadence in 1986, and an unseen twist to keep the reader guessing. Atmospheric and powerful, without being too intense. A gem of a book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Two different stories are being told here. One is of Rachel, growing up on a farm until the family loses the farm and has to move to the town. Working in a mill where her abusive father works is almost as bad as living in the house where he and the rest of the family live. Rachel leaves and makes a new life for herself.

One is the story of Caddie, of her love for books and her passion for the works of Inga Karlson, famous author, tragically killed in a fire along with all the newly printed copies of her newest book. Caddie visits a display of the salvaged fragments of the book where she speaks with a woman about their favorite lines. The woman knows more words to the destroyed book than are public knowledge. Caddie is bent on finding this woman and asking about the mysterious words.

The Fragments is the story of these lives and these words and how a book can change our lives if we let it. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion and for the enjoyment of reading this book.

The Fragments is a historical mystery between two time periods and two different countries. Good story with strong characters.

The Fragments is slightly slow in pace, at times I struggled to keep my attention to it. For a mystery genre, it is lacking in that department. It might be a good piece of literary writing, and I can say that it is quite elegant in terms of style, but I cannot say that it is that exciting or engaging that I will reread it again and again.

I absolutely loved this book! It's my first experience with the author, but I am grateful to NetGalley for giving me the privilege to read this one - the premise of this literary mystery - a storyline split between 1930s America and 1986 Brisbane, Australia - gripped me from the very first. It opens with Caddie, named for the main character of a famous 1935 book by an author who tragically died - along with all copies of her second novel. All that remains are the titular fragments - where the book begins with Caddie at their exhibition and a chance encounter that sets the plot in motion.

This is a book lover's book! Caddie is a reader and a book seller - and in the historical chapters a love of books remains a constant thread. The characters here vibrate off the page - and I will admit at times, I wanted to shake them free of their bad choices! They are so lifelike! The descriptions of the landscape, the Depression and the push and pull of relationships both good and bad ring true. The plot is exciting, and though the ultimate twist is something that I did see coming, I still felt quite satisfied! Lovely writing, lifelike characters and some great quotes about books all add up to a genuine winner of a book! I can't wait to check out more from this author! I completely loved this!

The Fragments by Toni Jordan

Publisher: Text Publishing
Pub date: September 20,2019
Genre: fiction, women’s fiction
Rating: 4/5

I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review from NetGalley and publisher.

Caddie Walker, a Brisbane bookseller, is one of many standing in line to see the exhibit on display showcasing the life and work of author Inga Karlson. It has been 50 years since her tragic untimely death in a 1930‘s New York fire. There was a lot of mystery and controversy regarding the fire and the destruction of her long waited second novel. They were only able to save burned “fragments” of her novel which have been included in the display. While at the exhibit, Caddie has a few chance interactions with other visitors with whom she crosses path with later.

The circumstances regarding the warehouse fire which was deemed an act of arson still remained an unsolved mystery. There are several characters who are invested in uncovering the truth each their own motive. The story is told through alternating chapters from the present and the past. It tells the story of Inga Karlson and her journey to fame.

There are many stories being told which both create mystery and then eventually reveal the truths of the past. It’s a story of survival and redemption of the human soul. The struggle between wanting to achieve our greatest goals yet fearing the changes that ultimate success might bring.

"And in the end, all we have are the hours and the days, the minutes and the way we bear them.
And in the end, all we have are the hours and the days, the minutes and the way we bear them, the seconds spent on this earth and the number of them that truly mattered."

And so begins the mystery of The Fragments, when two women exchange pleasantries outside an exhibition, sharing a quote from one of the fragments left over from a long ago burnt manuscript they have both just seen, yet one woman expands on the quote, completing it, before disappearing into a taxi. How is that possible? Who is she? And why do the words she spoke seem genuine?

"The sentence in the glass case reads: And in the end, all we have are the hours and the days, the minutes and the way we bear them
There is nothing else. Nowhere can she read the seconds spent on this earth and the number of them that truly mattered. There is only the black rimmed space burnt by the fire that killed Inga Karlson and destroyed every copy of The Days, The Minutes, her long-awaited second novel, almost fifty years ago."

I adored this novel, a literary mystery, with it’s understated elegance and carefully rendered atmosphere. Told as a dual narrative through the eyes of two women: Cadence in Brisbane, 1986; Rachel, first in Pennsylvania and then later, in 1930s New York; both young and on the cusp of so much. This story appears on the surface to gently unfold, but it’s truly gripping, right from the first page through to the last. The mystery is meticulously planned, I really didn’t see the twist until the moment it occurred. The writing is just sublime, so much is conveyed through gesture and connection, the author not relying on dialogue alone to drive the narrative forward. This is a novel to savour, for much is inferred rather than explained. It’s such a delight to read. Brisbane is whimsically depicted as it was in the mid-1980s, still a big country town, with it’s cloying heat, rotting mangoes, hovering fruit flies, and blooming jacarandas. The atmosphere of this novel was truly transporting.

I loved both of the main characters, Cadence and Rachel, as well as Jamie and Inga. Buried in the mystery of the fragments is a hidden love story, one so achingly beautiful, that it wasn’t until after I finished the last page that I fully appreciated all the author had inferred in those final passages. For Cadence, unravelling the mystery of the fragments provides the impetuous for her to shrug off her past and forge a new path; her ending is coloured with hope and I was left feeling joyous at what awaited her. There is much explored within the pages of this novel, both social and political, and with deep meaning. The Fragments is a little gem, one of those rare novels you want to start all over again the minute you’ve finished. A book about a book – it doesn’t get any more perfect than that! Highly recommended to lovers of literature and those who appreciate historical fiction with ambience.

"In the years to come, even after everything she’ll achieve and everything she’ll attain, she’ll remember tonight with a knot of anguish. Looking up and wondering if there is any sight so beautiful and brutal as the night sky of your hometown."


Thanks is extended to Text Publishing via NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Fragments for review.

It has been some time since I read an actual page turner - the type of book that leaves you wondering about the characters even after the last page. I read the entire book in two days, engrossed in the lives and mystery of a myriad of characters and settings. I will be waiting anxiously for September to buy my own copy!

The writing is excellent but I had a hard time getting into the story. I probably should have been more patient and gave it some more time. I think it's an excellent book, but it's not my type of a story. I will absolutely check out more books by this author though.

I don’t feel that this book was for me. I had a difficult time getting into it and felt it was so slow.

I received a free copy of this book on NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I love books about literary mysteries, like AS Byatt's Possession and Carlos Ruiz Zafón's The Shadow of the Wind, and Toni Jordan's The Fragments is a worthy addition to the canon.

Switching between 1980s Brisbane and 1930s New York, the book explores two women - Caddie and Rachel who struggle to live their own lives, whether due to poverty and a violent father for Rachel, or grief and a narcissistic ex for Caddie.

Both are bewitched by the novelist Inga Karlsen, whose missing second novel provides the fragments and the mystery for the plot to develop around.

The prose is delicious, the mystery unfolds elegantly and the twist is unforgettable.

I became quite consumed in this story set around a bestselling author's death in a mysterious fire around 50 years earlier. The main character in 80s Australia is a failed doctoral student who comes accidentally upon a clue to the mystery that leads her on an intriguing investigation. There is a rich tradition of the literary mystery and while this is perhaps not in the highest canon of these, it is still a very enjoyable read if this is a genre that appeals. What worked best for me was the Australian setting and the evocation of the academic life and petty jealousies of academia - always a rich field for intrigue and petty backstabbing. What worked less well was the character of the novelist and her lover and the motive for the murder worked much less well. Overall it started well but then failed to deliver in the second half. This is a 3.5 stars.

After that emotional ending, I needed to let this one sit for a couple days before I could pen a review. Now that I’ve given it some thought I have a lot of questions, the main one being “Why isn’t EVERYONE talking about this book?!” It was a beautiful, unique literary mystery that reeled me in from the first page. It was absolutely astounding and I don’t really understand why this isn’t a massive hit across all the best-seller lists or being optioned for a movie/series.

Our shy bookseller, Cadence, visits a travelling exhibition in her hometown of Brisbane about the tragic ending of her favourite author, Inga Karlson. Inga, a one book wonder who died in a fire in 1930’s NYC that also consumed the only copies of her much anticipated second novel, is an enigmatic legend shrouded in mystery. After a chance encounter at the exhibition, Caddie suddenly finds herself close to solving this dark mystery that has plagued academics and fans for decades.

Even though I more or less realised where this was going about halfway through, it didn’t make the big reveal any less intense. I became so invested in Inga and Rachel’s backstory that I couldn’t tear myself away from the book. Caddie was a little wishy washy and went off on really odd trains of thought, but the flashbacks to the absolutely wonderful relationship between Rachel and Inga more than made up for this. It didn’t take long to realise why the world was so enamoured with the eccentric author- I was enamoured too.

I only wish that the ending hadn’t been so abrupt. Everything came to a pretty sharp conclusion, but I feel like after all the reader had invested by that point we really deserved a little more. Yes, it’s easy enough to piece together after that short final chapter, but I would have liked a few glaring questions answered. Like, who sent the letter to Charles? Does Caddie learn the entire truth? What is Philip’s reaction when he realises that Caddie is massively eclipsing his horrible self? I really wanted to see his reaction to getting it stuck to him like that because he was an egotistical nightmare.

Despite all that though, this book utterly moved me and I’m so glad I was given a chance to read this in exchange for a review. What a shame that Inga’s books aren’t real! They were described so powerfully that I’m desperate for them to be real publications.

“..and in the end, all we have are the hours and the days, the minutes and the way we bear them.”

Caddie Walker is a twenty-something woman living in Brisbane, Australia in 1986; she currently works at a local bookstore, lives with her best friends and has always had an affinity for the late Inga Karlson. Karlson is a renowned author who left behind a legacy following a deadly fire in the 1930s that claimed her life, her publisher’s life, and her soon-to-be-published second book, The Days, the Minutes.

What remains of Inga Karlson’s book become known as ‘the Fragments’. Just burned pieces of a story that no one read except for Inga and her publisher. The exhibit showcasing ‘the Fragments’ has finally come to Brisbane and Caddie can’t wait to see the pieces for herself. What transpires after Caddie meets an elderly woman named Rachel will send Caddie on an adventure that is sure to change her life.

When I first picked up Toni Jordan’s newest novel, The Fragments, and began reading, I was immediately sucked in and felt that I was diving head first down the rabbit hole that is the mystery of Inga Karlson. I couldn’t put this book down. I loved how the author switched back and forth between the 1930s and 1986, allowing me to follow along as Caddie discovered more about the enigmatic life of a woman from so long ago.

I love a book where slowly the pieces begin to come together; a name is mentioned here and is matched with a face chapters later; a cryptic note is found and you find out just how it ended up in the location all those years ago. The author dropped tiny hints throughout the story that all made sense in the end. Toni Jordan knows how to tell a story that keeps your attention.

Finally, it doesn’t get any better than when you have such a beautifully written book about a book. There was a myriad of quotes about the magic that books and libraries hold, all so eloquently said that made me pause to consider just how perfect they were.

“These are the kinds of books she likes the most – the struggle and the victory, or even honorable defeat. The tense wondering about what will happen next.”

The sincerest of thanks to Toni Jordan, Text Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel. I hope others can enjoy this story as much as I did.