Delighted to share my book review on the penultimate day of this blog tour
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| One More Chapter 3 September 2021 My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book and to Random Things Tours for the invitation to the blog tour |
An English woman searching for a different future
A man desperate to escape his war-ravaged past
Can these two find what they are looking for on the beautiful Croatian island of Korčula?
Antonia Butler is on the brink of a life-changing decision and a job advert looking for a multilingual housekeeper at a beautifully renovated Croatian farmhouse, Vila Maslina, is one she can’t ignore.
Arriving on the tiny picturesque island of Korčula, Antonia feels a spark of hope for the first time in a long time. This is a chance to leave the past behind.
But this island, and its inhabitants, have secrets of their own and a not-too-distant past steeped in tragedy and war. None more so than Vila Maslina’s enigmatic owner Damir Maric. A young man with nothing to lose but everything to gain...
📖 My Thoughts..
Antonia Butler realises that her life in England is going nowhere so when an opportunity arises to work as a housekeeper at Villa Maslina on the beautiful Croatian island of Korčula, Antonia takes a chance, not just on relocating, but also in getting to know the young owner of the villa. Damir Maric, is a troubled man whose enthusiasm, and joie de vivre, is hampered by the secrets and tragedy of his past, a past which has so many troubling memories that Damir prefers to keep them well hidden. Antonia and Damir get to know, and like each other, and the business at Villa Maslina starts to thrive, and succeed, but Damir's troubling memories seem to be hampering his ability to move on with his life.
The Olive Grove brings to vibrant life the warmth and sunshine of a Croatian summer whilst at the same time alludes to the troubled past of the former Yugoslavia during the momentous years of the Croat-Bosniak War. In keeping the narrative light, but compassionate, the impact of the troubles is in no way diminished but is rather made all the more poignant by being so much part of the story.
I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters, Antonia in particular has her own problems to sort out but her warm nature and sheer common sense help to move this really lovely story along in a sensitive and compassionate way. There is a sense of putting right the sins of the past and the author does this really well whilst at the same time brings the beautiful island of Korčula to life with descriptions of its sunny climate, cosy bars and restaurants, and of course, the eponymous olive grove, which is such an integral part of the story.
From its beautiful cover, to its emotional and heartwarming content, The Olive Grove is every bit as captivating as I knew it would be from this talented storyteller.
Eva Glyn writes emotional women’s fiction inspired by beautiful places and the stories they hide. She loves to travel, but finds inspiration can strike just as well at home or abroad.
She cut her teeth on just about every kind of writing (radio journalism, advertising copy, PR, and even freelance cricket reporting) before finally completing a full length novel in her forties. Four lengthy and completely unpublishable tomes later she found herself sitting on an enormous polystyrene book under the TV lights of the Alan Titchmarsh Show as a finalist in the People’s Novelist competition sponsored by Harper Collins. Although losing out to a far better writer, the positive feedback from the judges gave her the confidence to pursue her dreams.
Eva lives in Cornwall, although she considers herself Welsh, and has been lucky enough to have been married to the love of her life for twenty-five years. She also writes as Jane Cable.
Twitter @JaneCable #TheOliveGrove
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Thanks for the blog tour support x
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure to be involved x
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