Review ~ The Quiet Earth by Elizabeth Harris

Endeavour

I lost touch with this author when this excellent set of historical fiction went out of print. So, I was delighted to find that her books have been reissued in digital form and are accessible once more. Revisiting The Quiet Earth was a real treat, as not only did I devour it the first time around in the 1990s, but also I reread it just as avidly this time around.

Set in the Wye Valley in 1994, Nina is an ecologist working with archaeologists on a site which is about eight centuries old but Nina has some hidden secrets and when her life becomes intertwined with that of Roese and Mark in the thirteenth century you quickly realise that the past is about to encroach on the future.

I loved this story, it's atmospheric and edgy with a delicious creepiness which infuses the page with a real sense of history. The modern day elements, and yes, I realise that 1994 is no longer classed as modern, sits comfortably alongside the historical. For all that it was written twenty two years ago, it does feel, in places, remarkably contemporary, and could still have been written today.

Elizabeth Harris writes dual time narratives very competently and can blend past and present like no other author I know, so that reading her books is like stepping into a superior time travelling machine. Such is the power of her storytelling that you have to occasionally look up from reading to make sure that you are still in the here and now.

I am really thrilled to find that most of Elizabeth  Harris's back catalogue is being converted to digital by Endeavour Press, I can't wait to catch up with some old friends.

About the author

Elizabeth Harris was born in Cambridge and brought up in Kent, where she now lives. After graduation she hid a variety of jobs including driving a van, being a lifeguard and working in the Civil Service. She has travelled extensively in Europe and America, and lived for some years in the Far East. Elizabeth Harris was one of the finalists of the 1989 Ian St James Awards. She is an acclaimed writer with many novels to her name. In The Quiet Earth , she deftly weaves the challenges and questions of modern life into those of the distant past, to deliver a story brimming with intrigue, history and romance. 

**Elizabeth Harris also writes historical crime fiction as Alys Clare**

My thanks to Endeavour Press and NetGalley for my review copy of this book.

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Review ~ The Angel Tree by Lucinda Riley

Pan
2015

This is an interesting book to review because some readers may have already read this when it was first published in 1995 under the authors' previous pen name of Lucinda Edmonds. Since it would appear that the time is right for a reissue, the story has been redone, keeping some elements of the original but with some sections reworked, thus breathing new life into a story which is as fresh and characterful now, as it was in its original format.

The story begins as Greta returns to Marchmont Hall, in Monmouthshire, Wales after an absence of thirty years. Greta's memory of her life at Marchmont was irretrievably damaged when she was involved in a dreadful accident which altered her memory thus making her recollection of her previous life hazy and filled with shadows.Much has happened to Greta during this time, her life and that of her family has been very eventful, not without tragedy, and always with an element of misfortune. 

What then follows is a cleverly and intricately constructed family saga which spans several years and which flips forwards and backwards in time, mainly following the fortunes of Greta and her daughter Cheska. The peripheral characters who flit into and out of the story are strong and meaningful and add a real sense of continuity. The story is long, coming it at over 600 pages but as always the story draws you in from the beginning. The characters become as familiar as friends, some you learn to like whilst others become deeply unlikable but as always the strength of the story lies with the telling. The fine attention to detail, the authenticity of the setting, and the gloriously good story telling all combine to make this into another commendable novel from this talented author.

I hadn't read the book when it was first published, so was I was perfectly happy to read The Angel Tree with no preconceptions of what had gone before. I'm sure, however, that those readers who  read the novel when it was entitled 'Not Quite An Angel' will find much to enjoy in this reissued version.

Best read with a cinnamon latte and an enticing selection of Dunkin Donuts....

About the Author

Follow Lucinda Riley on Twitter @lucindariley

Find her on Facebook

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Review ~ Lily's Daughter by Diana Raymond

Corazon Books

Published 24 January 2014

A poignant coming of age story set in 1930s England, told with warmth and wit

Seventeen year old Jessica Mayne suddenly finds herself alone and unable to pay her rent, when a chance discovery leads to help from unexpected quarters.

A new life beckons, while Jessica learns about past family secrets, and falls in love for the first time, all under the shadow of the advancing war in Europe.

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In Lily's Daughter, Diana Raymond sensitively explores the hidden secrets of the Mayne family, a family to whom seventeen year old Jessica Mayne has only just been introduced. Jessica’s arrival at Huntersmeade, the home of her estranged aunt Imogen, opens up a wealth of new possibilities. However, it also introduces Jessica to her charming cousin, Guy, to Deirdre a wealthy heiress and also to Aaron, a Polish Jew, who has his own problems. Jessica's vulnerability clearly shows in the way she allows herself to become entangled in web of hidden family secrets, which very soon threaten to engulf her. 

What then follows is a perfectly produced coming of age story, which thoughtfully steers Jessica through a uniquely troubled time and which also, demonstrates Jessica’s overwhelming need to be loved and cherished. Throughout the story, Jessica has much to learn, not just about her new family, but also about life in general as the implicit trust which she places in people is about to be tested to the absolute limit.

Lily's Daughter, although originally written in the late 1980s, is beautifully reminiscent of a bygone era and captures perfectly the essence of 1930s England, and a time when when Europe was on the cusp of war. As conflict looms, long buried secrets and forgotten memories are poised to threaten the peace and harmony of the Mayne family forever.

Throughout the story the writing is impeccable; there is no doubt that the author has a natural writing skill. The story is warm and witty with an underlying poignancy which is quite endearing. The characters are believable and finely portrayed and very quickly start to forge their individual personalities on the story.  There are some lovely details and a poignant lyricism which makes the story a real pleasure to read and enjoy. It is also lovely to revisit a book which has been long forgotten, written by an author who conjures the spirit of a lost age so skilfully.

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Diana Raymond

1916-2009

Diana Raymond was the author of 24 novels, theatre criticism and poems and a play about John Keats.

Her most popular novel Lily’s Daughter is now reprinted in an ebook edition by arrangement with her family.

PUBLISHED 24th January 2014
Corazon Books

Ebook £1.99

ISBN: 978-1-909752-09-2