My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Whilst her husband is fighting in the horrors of WW1,Lady Helen Barstairs begins an illicit affair with a dashing young Canadian captain, when she becomes pregnant, Helen's parents hide her away so that she will not be the subject of local gossip and condemnation. At birth the baby is forcibly removed from Helen's care and given to an illegal adoption agency who place the child far away from Helen's grasp.
The novel then moves forward to the 1940's and with WW2 having a devastating effect on everyone's lives, Helen Drummond is preparing for her wedding to Bob Rawton, with little knowledge of how her future is about to be altered.
This is a beautifully written family saga which expertly captures the feelings and fear of living through the war years, when to be young and in love came at a price, and which proves that the consequences of our actions can have far reaching repercussions.
I enjoyed it.
The novel then moves forward to the 1940's and with WW2 having a devastating effect on everyone's lives, Helen Drummond is preparing for her wedding to Bob Rawton, with little knowledge of how her future is about to be altered.
This is a beautifully written family saga which expertly captures the feelings and fear of living through the war years, when to be young and in love came at a price, and which proves that the consequences of our actions can have far reaching repercussions.
I enjoyed it.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Vulnerable Fen comes with the burden of carried secrets, and yet is a wonderfully supportive mother to her damaged child. When an equally damaged Sean enters her life , Fen is overcome with desire for him but allows him the time and space to find her in his own way. This beautifully written story of love, loss and the power of redemption captures the intricacies of relationships with extraordinary perception.
I loved reading this book, and from the opening page I was drawn quickly into the story - I thought that Louise Douglas's debut book The Love of My Life was pretty special - take my word for it - this one is too.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a super series of intertwining short stories which highlight a community of Beach Hut dwellers over the course of a summer. All the characters come to life, and when some stories overlap it all adds to the overall effect of a light and easy summer read.
This is one of those books that you could easily read in one perfect summer afternoon.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
jaffa's rating 4paws
When 12 year old Jodie Foot goes missing from a sleepy English village the whole community is shocked and saddened, the knock -on consequences will have a far reaching effect on everyone.I really enjoyed the whole village atmosphere and there's some lovely characterisation, with sensitive and thoughtful insights into what makes people act the way they do.
This is a quietly reflective book, rather typical of Sarah Challis's light and easy style of writing. As always she expertly captures the nuances of behaviour in a rural setting.
WOW was that all in a week? The Summer House sounds pretty good, in fact they all do. Good choices J&J :P xx
ReplyDeleteI've done little else but read this week - and all the books were light, easy reads - and I don't watch much TV !!!
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