It has been quite some time since I've read a novel with a medical setting. Strange, because I enjoy medical dramas on television. This one was a stelIt has been quite some time since I've read a novel with a medical setting. Strange, because I enjoy medical dramas on television. This one was a stellar medical drama AND a psychological study into the impact of secrecy and moral dilemmas on three intelligent women.
"Everyone in this world does bad things or stupid things that sometimes have catastrophic consequences. These are the human factors. We are only human."
Three women protagonists who meet while in medical school form a strong bond and are still best friends twenty-five years later. We hear from all three back in 1999 and also in the present day.
In 1999, while at a university party, there was an overdose death. The circumstances around this death are murky - even to those directly involved - for they were stoned or drunk themselves. This event has long-lasting repercussions to the three med students.
2024 and now the women are parents themselves. When a traumatic event occurs at a party where two of their children are present, it would seem like history is repeating itself...
Olivia is a cardiothoracic surgeon, one of the best. She works long hours in a South London hospital. She is happily married and the mother of two teenage children.
Laura is an emergency physician who works as an air ambulance doctor. She is probably the smartest of the three women and works harder in a profession that she lives for. She is a single mother to a teenage son, a caretaker for her mother who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and she has an unhealthy habit of seeking sex with strangers as a coping mechanism.
Anjali is a GP working in a clinic. She sees all sorts in her work and she is good at it, though one feels her heart is not really in it. She lives with a woman named Donna who works as a nurse on the cancer wards. Anjali and Donna are seeking to adopt a child.
"Sometimes, she thought, the truth was unhelpful. Every now and then, the most ethical thing to do was to lie."
Written by a medical professional, the plot reeks of authenticity, as do the characters.
Secrets and lies. Secrets that fester. Guilt that ravages the soul. Betrayal that devastates lives. Ethical dilemmas - medical ones and moral ones. All these factors come into play in this intense and compelling novel.
Another enjoyable and compelling read from Laura Pearson!
Shelley Woodhouse is a memorable character. Though we first meet her when she awakens in inteAnother enjoyable and compelling read from Laura Pearson!
Shelley Woodhouse is a memorable character. Though we first meet her when she awakens in intensive care, we learn of her childhood and adolescence via her gradually recurring memories. She is strong, a fighter, and the reader champions her recovery, both physically and emotionally.
We empathize with her. Alone, with few memories, in hospital, Shelley just has two visitors. Her friend Dee (who looks somehow different) and a hospital volunteer named Matt. Dee smells the same, so Shelly is comforted by her presence. Matt brings tea, soup, Kit-Kats, and a listening ear.
This was a novel about a victim of domestic abuse. A victim who turned her life around, so it is a hopeful, yet at times poignant, read. The writing and characters ensured I was glued to the pages. The story is told via a dual timeline. NOW while Shelley is in hospital, and THEN relating her previous life.
The only wee quibbles I had with the story was something near the end (which I can't tell you about, so as not to spoil the story for you.) This 'something' seemed highly unlikely to have been missed by the hospital staff, and I found that it made the ending of the book hard to believe. Though, I did try my hardest to suspend belief on that score and rejoice with Shelley's recovery and future life.
I really enjoyed Shelley's heartwarming story which spoke to the cyclic nature of abuse. I have no qualms about recommending it to my fellow readers. Women's fiction and 'UpLit', with a love story thrown in for good measure....more
"Florrie learned, long ago, that society forgets an old person was ever young."
Florrie was a remarkable old lady. She has seen much in her eighty-seve"Florrie learned, long ago, that society forgets an old person was ever young."
Florrie was a remarkable old lady. She has seen much in her eighty-seven years. She has loved many, travelled afar, and experienced many losses. Also... Florrie holds a secret which she has kept from everyone for over seven decades.
Now, after a tragic accident, she has lost her left leg and is confined to a wheelchair. She leaves her beloved home and moves to Babbington Hall, a care home and assisted living facility in the Oxfordshire countryside. She takes everything life doles out to her with equanimity and positivity.
Renata Green, the manager of Babbington Hall, has expressed a wish to confide in Florrie which gives added optimism to the old lady. Finally, a friend who 'sees' her as a viable and able person. The following day, when they were meant to meet up, Renata falls from her third storey window.... Florrie witnessed the fall from her unit in the old apple store. The police deem the fall a suicide attempt. Florrie, after the brief talk she had with Renata, disagrees.
Distraught about Renata, Florrie seeks solace in the garden - where she encounters Stanhope Jones, a fellow resident. Stanhope hasn't lived at Babbington Hall for very long, but he proves to be an intelligent, kindly, like-minded, man. He too thinks that there is more to Renata's fall than they are led to believe...
The two elderly amateur sleuths put their considerable brains together to solve the mystery.
"We don't leave the children we were. We simply grow around them like a tree will, in the end, grow around a bicycle that's been left against them..."
Yes, this is indeed a mystery novel - but it is also a poignant and empathetic portrayal of aging - as we examine Florrie's life via her reminiscences. It is these very reflections on her own life that aids Florrie in solving the mystery surrounding Renata's fall. Her life was richly portrayed and had many highs and lows - as life always does.
The story shows how many people are patronizing of the elderly - deeming them 'lesser than'. It speaks to love and friendship in all their myriad permutations. How one love does not diminish another. How secrets can wound. Sometimes they wound the secret holder most of all.
A mystery story that is more 'Uplit' than mysterious, it nevertheless kept me engrossed. I admired Florrie and Stanhope and immensely enjoyed my time spent in their company....more
Carrying on with the delightful Malvern Farm mystery series, this third installment was as enjoyable as the first two!
Our protagonist, Jude Gray, is aCarrying on with the delightful Malvern Farm mystery series, this third installment was as enjoyable as the first two!
Our protagonist, Jude Gray, is a young, childless widow who now runs her large sheep farm with the help of Noah, her shepherd, and her loyal dog, Pip – with memories of her late husband never far from her mind. When she met her husband Adam, he introduced her to his life-long friends and they accepted her into their warm fold. Now, it has been four years since Adam’s death and she shares her home with her half-sister Lucy, and Lucy’s four year old son, Sebbie.
Jude cares for hundreds of sheep, her Bantam hens, her pet lamb ‘Pancake’, and Gertie, a golden Cheviot goat. In the last book two puppies were added to the menagerie, much to Sebbie’s delight. Now Jude is is the process of training the puppy Alfie to become a good sheepdog.
This time around Jude’s menagerie of animals is again expanded with more sheep and nine Indian Runner ducks. Jude is a loyal, empathetic and caring protagonist, whose personal motto is ‘be kind’. She has a strong work ethic and loves her farm, and the animals that inhabit it. She has a deep connection to the Malvern Hills area and walks the hills as a way to unwind and decompress.
Like most farms, Jude’s sheep farm is struggling financially. In the last book she created a glamping site and now, in this book, she is finally taking in paying guests. The women who rent out the site are having a ‘hen’ weekend and comprises a bridal party. Many tensions are evident and things don’t run as smoothly as Jude would like. When one of the women goes missing, Jude, with her good friend Binnie, try their level best to find her. But that is not the only disruption to Jude’s routine.
Jude’s neighbour, Mike Trout, is trying his hardest to dissuade the guests from staying. He attempts some nefarious tactics in his aim to thwart Jude’s glamping enterprise.
Jude’s livelihood is disrupted and threatened by the events surrounding the ‘hens’ drama. Nasty people, keeping nasty secrets, doing nasty deeds… even murder.
West Mercia policewoman Binita Khatri (Binnie), makes another appearance in this, the third novel. She has become a personal friend of Jude, and keeps her apprised of the police investigations. She has recently been promoted to Detective Inspector.
This novel portrayed a working sheep farm, in all its messy, arduous glory. Jude was a strong and admirable character that I am eager to follow in subsequent novels.
The writing was compelling and made for an easy, enjoyable reading experience. The plot this time was a tangled web of manipulation, coercion, avarice, and misplaced loyalties. The denouement was very satisfactory. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this engaging mystery series. A series which has become a personal favourite after only three books....more
"The Five Year Lie" puts a modern twist on the 'lost letter' trope. A message that comes too late, a message that could have changed the course of som"The Five Year Lie" puts a modern twist on the 'lost letter' trope. A message that comes too late, a message that could have changed the course of someone's life...
I've never read this author before, probably because she writes mostly romance fiction, which is not my genre of choice. This time however, she has strayed from her usual pattern and written what I would term a cross between a domestic thriller and a techno thriller. And it was excellent!
Ariel Cafferty was born into a wealthy family from Portland, Maine. Her father and her uncle run a tech company who build doorbell cameras and other surveillance equipment. Her father has always viewed Ariel as a disappointment because he wants her to be more interested in his company, but she is an artisan who is passionate about her work. She is a glassblower.
When she meets Drew, a co-worker at her father's firm, she falls in love - hard. Then, mere months later he disappears and she then discovers she is pregnant. After much heartbreak, she then learns he has died.... Now, five years later, she receives a text from him to meet her at one of their favourite spots in the park. Unnerved, Ariel goes there even though she knows it is impossible for him to be alive. Heartbroken all over again, she learns that thousands of people got text messages that were somehow trapped on a server. They were all sent five years previously on the same day.
Now knowing that the love of her live and the father of her beloved son tried to contact her before he disappeared, she once again tries to discover what exactly happened to him... This time, she is aided by Zain, one of the nerdy IT specialists at her father's firm.
The police and other people in power are using technology to infringe upon the rites of privacy of the individual. Of course, given that this is all too possible/probable today, it made the novel all the more authentic and believable. Big Brother is always watching...
Technology is wonderful, but when in unscrupulous hands, it can prove terrifying.
With themes of police corruption, cyberstalking, cybercrime, and murder, this thriller will appeal to many readers - especially as it has a love story at its core. Highly recommended!...more
This charming novel was set in a rural village in West Cork, on the Mizen Peninsula, in southern Ireland.
Grace has run away from her handsome, wealthyThis charming novel was set in a rural village in West Cork, on the Mizen Peninsula, in southern Ireland.
Grace has run away from her handsome, wealthy, controlling, and manipulative husband. She fled with her seven year old daughter upon learning that her husband enrolled Olivia in a boarding school. Years earlier, her grandmother seemed to intuit that Grace's marriage wouldn't last and she gave her a big old iron key with a blue ribbon tied around it. Now, Grace takes the key and returns to her family's homeland in Ireland.
She arrives to find that her grandmother's cottage is nothing but a ruin. Disheartened, she meets some friendly locals who give her a place to stay while the cottage is being made habitable once again. Meanwhile, she gains employment with a rich local man transcribing his memoirs. The elderly man becomes a real friend to Grace when she most needs one.
Through the recollections of her elderly employer, we learn about the past of the area through his eyes. The struggle, the hardships, and the strong spirit of the people.
Grace comes to have feelings for the builder who is renovating her cottage. Her little daughter is thriving in her new environment. Things seem to be going well... until her past catches up with her.
The setting added greatly to my reading enjoyment. As with most romance fiction, the plot was fairly predictable, but I thoroughly enjoyed the read nonetheless.
This is a novel about family, both found and biological. It is about belonging, acceptance, starting over, living with your choices, and the kindness of strangers....more
In a word....FABULOUS! This novel will definitely appear on my best of 2024 list!
How can a novel that begins with the protagonist in such a depressed In a word....FABULOUS! This novel will definitely appear on my best of 2024 list!
How can a novel that begins with the protagonist in such a depressed state that she intends to commit suicide - turn out to be.... uplifting? Well I don't know how the author managed it, but she did.
This novel walks a fine line between literary fiction, women's fiction, and love story. The plot was riddled with wise insights about life, about relationships, about change, and about being true to yourself.
The Rhode Island setting, in an elegant hotel which is situated so that it has ocean views, marked a stark contrast to the bleakness, and despondency of the main character, Phoebe. A university literature professor from Missouri, she is very intelligent and knowledgeable, especially about all things from the 19th century. However, she has lost her passion for teaching and her personal life has hit an all time low. Her loneliness is palpable. Her husband left her for her best friend, she is childless even after myriad rounds of IVF, and, the straw that broke the camel's back... her cat Harry has just died. She goes to the hotel for one last decadent night before killing herself.
Then... she meets the bride. Lila is somewhat of a 'bride-zilla'. She has spent a million dollars on this week-long wedding at this posh hotel. She wants everything to go just as she has planned. However, she didn't plan on Phoebe.
In a roundabout way, her decision to end her life causes Phoebe to come to the realization that she is free. Free to say what she thinks, do what she wants, when she wants to do it. This freedom is intoxicating and begins, slowly, to heal her depression. Her burgeoning friendship with the dreadful Lila also makes her see life through a different lens. Phoebe realizes that to be truly brave, you have to break free from the habits, the 'ruts', that you let rule your existence.
"Phoebe is starting to understand that on some nights, Lila is probably the loneliest girl in the world, just like Phoebe. And maybe they're all lonely. Maybe this is just what it means to be a person."
Written with skill, great insight into human nature, and also some moments of quiet hilarity, this novel is a 'must read'.
Folks want to think it's strangers you gotta watch out for, but a place like this, we eat our own."
Set in a rather bleak, poor, Missouri factory town, Folks want to think it's strangers you gotta watch out for, but a place like this, we eat our own."
Set in a rather bleak, poor, Missouri factory town, this novel could be considered Midwestern noir. Expertly written, it evokes feelings of claustrophobia and despondence, while at the same time you are desperately rooting for the protagonists.
Amelia and her sister Kylee are underprivileged teens, the neglected daughters of a single mother who works as a stripper in the local seedy strip joint. Their elder cousin Grace watched out for them as children. Grace was the one determined to get out of this insular, dead-end town, and she had the smarts to do it! However, it was while she was babysitting the two girls when she disappeared from their home leaving only a bloody handprint in the kitchen...
"We haunted ourselves with her memory, and there was no easy cure for such things."
Now, Grace's mother holds a vigil each year praying for Grace to return. Meanwhile, Amelia and Kylee are determined to find out what happened to their beloved cousin.
Amelia has graduated from high school and is working as a waitress in a Waffle restaurant off the interstate highway, where she has to fend off her 'handsy' boss. Kylee, who is besotted with horses, is in her last year of high school, and is threatening to leave school behind...
In a previous timeline, the reader also hears the narrative of Grace, before she disappeared.
Written with insight and empathy, this novel has some scenes that might prove distressing to some readers. The subject matter is quite dark, so be warned.
The ending was not what I expected, but it was apt and disturbing. This was an emotional story exploring whether a person's background can seal their fate.
Having read Laura McHugh's debut novel back in 2014 and loving it, I'm ashamed to say that I've not read anything of hers until this book. The good news is that I have three of her backlist novels now residing on my TBR list.
Beth's marriage has just dissolved and she's forced into starting over. She feels betrayed and is bitter about her situation. Her cheating husband seeBeth's marriage has just dissolved and she's forced into starting over. She feels betrayed and is bitter about her situation. Her cheating husband seems to have fared much better from their divorce. He lives with his girlfriend in Beth's old house... Now, for financial reasons, Beth has purchased a fixer-upper in a village a half hour's drive away. Her two children, Jacob and Olivia are confused and unhappy that they now have to share a bedroom and travel between the two homes.
Beth is attempting to renovate her little house to make it more comfortable for her and her children. While doing so, she discovers a cache of old 'agony aunt' letters addressed to "Dear Evelyn". After reading some of them, she decides she will carry on the 'Dear Evelyn' letters, only online, and with a modern slant. She hopes this activity will help her curb her loneliness and fill the long evenings alone.
Her decision brings about new friendships, a new pet, and sees her finding her own way to happiness.
This novel is a delightful combination of women's fiction and Uplit. With themes of parenting, step-families, sexuality and fresh starts, it should appeal to many who like 'starting over' novels that have happy endings.
3.5 stars rounded up for Amazon and NetGalley ; rounded down for Goodreads where the stars have different values...more
Stella Hudson is a 'special interest' attorney. It is her job to represent the best interests of the child or teenager in court cases. Though she usuaStella Hudson is a 'special interest' attorney. It is her job to represent the best interests of the child or teenager in court cases. Though she usually favours teenage clients, this time she has made an exception because of the request of her friend and mentor, a judge named Charles. Having experienced a traumatic event in her own young life, this new case closely parallels Stella's own personal experiences. She deeply empathizes with Rose's vulnerability. It is up to Stella to recommend custody arrangements that will best serve Rose's needs and wishes.
On a personal note, Stella is 38 years old and recently separated from her lawyer husband, Marco. She remains close to him and his warm Italian family. They parted ways because he wanted children and Stella couldn't provide them, nor did she wish to... She has few people in her life other than Charles, a retired judge, and Lucille, an elderly neighbour.
Rose Barclay is only nine years old. She witnessed the tragic fall and subsequent death of her nanny, Tina. Now she is suffering from traumatic mutism. Rose's parents are in the midst of divorce proceedings, so soon she will be moving away from the opulent home she shares with them and her paternal grandmother. She is a unique child who dresses quite formally and has the demeanour of an adult. She is an 'old soul'.
Rose's mother has a severe phobia about glass since the incident where the nanny fell to her death out of a third floor window. Now, she has replaced all the glass in their home with either plexiglass or plastic. Meanwhile, the extremely intelligent, musical prodigy, Rose doesn't talk, but she does collect sharp objects - which she secrets away in her room.
When events in Stella's life begin to mirror those of the nanny Tina's before her death, the line between paranoia and threat blurs, and Stella faces imminent danger.
At about the one quarter mark I believed I had everything figured out. However... the author cleverly made me then question my ideas. None of the Barclays seemed trustworthy. The mother, the father, the grandmother... not even Rose herself.
"I believe evil is a natural force, like a hungry virus, perpetually swirling through the air and seeking places to infiltrate. Most of us bar the door against it. Others welcome it in."
Set in an opulent Washington, D.C. suburb, this novel was vividly described. The characters leapt from the page and the tension escalated toward the denouement. Essentially a murder mystery (who killed nanny Tina), it could also be described as a slow-paced psychological thriller. Recommended!
Written partly as an homage to detective fiction, this second installment in the Jake Jackson series has cemented my vow to pursue this series avidly.Written partly as an homage to detective fiction, this second installment in the Jake Jackson series has cemented my vow to pursue this series avidly.
Former London police detective Jake Jackson is now firmly ensconced in his new rural home - he is a changed man. He is very fit and self-sufficient. Having no television, internet, or even phone service gives Jake the solitude and isolation he craves. He is one with nature. He swims in his own lake, runs on his own acreage, and reads from his new and extensive library of crime fiction that his uncle bequeathed to him.
Jake's relationship with the lovely Livia, the local vet, has gained some permanence since the previous book. She regularly shares is bed. She and her eight year old daughter Diana have become precious members of Jake's family.
Through his local policeman friend Watson (whom we met in the previous book) he is made aware of 'No Taboo'. This seems to be a service for the ultra wealthy, ultra immoral, conscienceless elite few who desire to experience things that are illegal and depraved. Like feeling how it would be to murder someone, how it feels to have sex with a snatched child, etc. Despicable stuff. Jake suspects that some of his old cold cases from when he was working could be linked to this 'No Taboo'. Now, he knows that if he pursues the investigation he will maybe jeopardize his relationship with Livia... Jake is torn...
This crime novel will be especially attractive to bibliophiles, as there are myriad references to classic detective fiction scattered throughout the novel. It did stray into territory that might make the reader uncomfortable AND there were parts of the book that felt almost like an action-thriller movie. Not what I was expecting from Jake's idyllic country life.
Despite this, the stellar writing and excellent characterization kept me riveted throughout. I didn't love it as much as I loved "Death Under A Little Sky", but still I can confidently recommend it. A series to keep on your radar....more
Carrying on with the delightful Malvern Farm mystery series, this second installment was just as good as the first!
Our protagonist, Jude Gray, is a yoCarrying on with the delightful Malvern Farm mystery series, this second installment was just as good as the first!
Our protagonist, Jude Gray, is a young, childless widow who now runs her large sheep farm with the help of Noah, her shepherd, and her loyal dog, Pip - with memories of her late husband never far from her mind. When she met her husband Adam, he introduced her to his life-long friends and they accepted her into their warm fold. Now, it has been three years since Adam's death and she shares her home with her half-sister Lucy, and Lucy's three year old son, Sebbie.
Jude cares for hundreds of sheep, her Bantam hens, her pet lamb 'Pancake', and Gertie, a golden Cheviot goat. In this book two puppies are added to the menagerie, much to Sebbie's delight.
Jude is a loyal, empathetic and caring protagonist, whose personal motto is 'be kind'. She has a strong work ethic and loves her farm, and the animals that inhabit it. She has a deep connection to the Malvern Hills area and walks the hills as a way to unwind and decompress.
Like most farms, Jude's sheep farm is struggling financially. She decides to diversify to earn some much needed income. She purchases two old wooden shepherd's huts which she plans to 'do up' and rent out to 'glampers'. Not long after they are delivered an artist turns up who wants to help renovate the huts in return for a roof over his head. His name is Marco and he is the first man who has captured Jude's attention since Adam died...
Meanwhile, Loretta is a new neighbour who has made herself invaluable to the village. Loretta's husband Des, however, is an obnoxious and odious man who is rude and swindles others out of their hard earned savings. When Des is murdered, Jude discovers his body and, once again, finds herself mired in a murder investigation. Then, another murder on Jude's farm prompts her to question.... Could the murderer be someone she knows? Emotions are running high at Malvern Farm.
West Mercia policewoman DS Binita Khatri (Binnie), makes another appearance in this, the second novel. She has become a personal friend of Jude, and keeps her apprised of the police investigations.
This novel portrayed a working sheep farm, in all its messy, arduous glory. Jude was a strong and admirable character that I am eager to follow in subsequent novels.
The writing was compelling and made for an easy, enjoyable reading experience. There was a plot twist that I didn't see coming, as well as one I did anticipate. The denouement was very satisfactory. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in this engaging mystery series. A series which has become a personal favourite after only two books....more
Frankie Elkin is unique, damaged, and so very memorable. I loved her and was sad when I turned the last page on her story when I read "Before She DisaFrankie Elkin is unique, damaged, and so very memorable. I loved her and was sad when I turned the last page on her story when I read "Before She Disappeared". I felt the same way after "One Step Too Far". Frankie is so endearing in her own stubborn, slightly reserved way. She is fast becoming my all-time favourite fictional character.
As with the previous book in this series "One Step Too Far", Frankie is out of her usual urban element and it tests her in ways both physical and emotional. This time she is approached by a female serial killer and death-row prisoner to find the woman's sister. This request sees Frankie travel to the remote Hawaiian island of Pomaikai, which is owned by the billionaire with whom the teenaged sister lives. Frankie will be undercover at a base camp of people who are readying the island for development. I have arachnophobia, and to be honest, when I learned that the setting for the story was near the equator and that Frankie would have to share her spartan accommodation with a wolf spider, I almost didn't read any further. Driven by a desire to rescue the young woman from the man's clutches, she risks life and limb in her efforts.
I adored the writing in this book. The dreadful and disturbing circumstances which were lightened with levity and sarcasm. Many themes run through this page-turning narrative, the most predominant ones being treacherous duplicity, suspicion, sabotage, endurance, and off grid survival.
This is a character-driven thriller and an epic adventure of survival wrapped up into one. Frankie becomes enamoured of the work camp life and thinks this might be an answer for her personally. Also, she becomes attracted to the camp's leader, Vaughn.
"If I wasn't from nowhere, I'd be tempted to be from somewhere like here."
Gosh... do I have to wait until next year to read more Frankie Elkin? Write faster Lisa Gardner!
Always one to love discovering a debut novel, this one certainly delivered!
"Where They Lie" tells the story of Dublin journalist Nicoletta Sarto. In 1Always one to love discovering a debut novel, this one certainly delivered!
"Where They Lie" tells the story of Dublin journalist Nicoletta Sarto. In 1968 she is working for the Irish Sentinel. She is ambitious and tenacious in equal measure, and she longs to be the paper's women's editor.
The narrative takes place during the last two weeks of December. On Christmas Eve a skeleton is discovered in a Dublin back garden and Nicoletta has her first ever lead story. The bones are thought to be those of a young actress, Julia Bridges, who vanished in 1943. It was believed that she was murdered by Gloria Fitzpatrick, a notorious midwife who was the first woman in the history of the state to get the death penalty. This was later commuted to life in prison on the grounds of insanity.
Flashbacks to 1943 and the last days of Julia's life along with some insight into the life of Gloria Fitzpatrick gradually answer the questions that explain how Julia's skeleton came to be in the back garden of one of the city's wealthy jewellers.
Nicoletta comes to realize that she is much closer to this story than she could ever have imagined...
The title "Where They Lie" was perfectly chosen. The word 'lie' having two meanings, it could apply either way here.
The writing was impressive. "Nicoletta looks at her mother as though for the first time. Disappointment has eaten into her youth and discolored her like a jaundice."
With themes of unwed pregnancy, corruption, class inequality, and illegal adoptions, this novel is sure to be enjoyed by many. I would definitely read another book by this talented author....more
The Hembrys are a bi-racial family who live in an old English farmhouse on the Somerset Levels. Damp and mould perThis is a beautifully written debut.
The Hembrys are a bi-racial family who live in an old English farmhouse on the Somerset Levels. Damp and mould permeate every crevice of the home. The father of the family has roots in the area that go back several generations and he loves the place. The mother, on the other hand, is a city girl, brought up in London, and of Jamaican descent. They have ten year old twins, two boys, Max, white like his father, and Sonny, black like his mother.
Tensions are running high in the home. Tess, the mother, despises life in the country. She is resentful of how she stands out as being different. Used to more acceptance in multi-cultural London, she also hates how her boys are treated due to their differences. Richard, the father, grows vegetables which he sells to surrounding stores and local people. He works every hour he can to make ends meet. Tess, too, works very hard, yet they seem to resent each other... the boys pick up on the tension in the home. It seems as though their family is now as broken as the bricks that make up their house. Max is having night terrors.
At around the forty percent mark in the novel, the author throws her readers a curve ball which turns everything on its head. This answers some questions, yet serves to create many, many more...
The pace is unhurried, the atmosphere bleak, yet the writing keeps you reading on. Will this broken, dysfunctional family survive?
Told via the perspectives of all four members of the family, the reader is made privy to the thoughts, hopes, worries, and emotions of each. Nature permeates the narrative, with the changing seasons and the repercussions of each.
A poignant story that deals with love, loss, heartbreak, and being different. A remarkable literary debut that I can easily recommend....more
Annie Brown died of a brain aneurysm while fixing supper. Just like that she was gone... She left a grieving husband, four young children, and a bereAnnie Brown died of a brain aneurysm while fixing supper. Just like that she was gone... She left a grieving husband, four young children, and a bereft best friend. She was only thirty-seven.
"They were all floating in some in-between where nothing seemed real and nothing seemed right."
Annie was a joyful woman. Though not rich, she thought her life was exactly what she wanted. She was content. She loved her family and she enjoyed her work as a nursing aide at a nursing home. As a result everyone who knew her loved her right back... with the possible exception of her mother-in-law, who didn't know how to love.
Bill, her husband worked as a plumber. As he was handsome and not yet forty, the women of the town were eager to garner his attention. As for Bill, he kept Annie's phone plugged in and listened to her answering recording.
"The foreverness of it shocked him every single day."
Ali, the eldest of the children was only fourteen when her Mum died. With three younger brothers, she finds herself with way too much responsibility, and too much sorrow.
Ant, the eldest boy, is suddenly struggling at school. He is angry and inconsolable.
Annemarie, Annie's best friend, is totally bereft. Formerly addicted to prescription medications, she finds herself rudderless without Annie's unwavering support. With all this grief, bereavement, loss, heartbreak, and sorrow, one would guess this novel was morose, but somehow it was not. The characters were so realistic, their plight so understandable, that you find yourself just following them along in their search for a way to cope with life 'After Annie'.
The narrative takes place in the year following Annie's death. As the seasons change in Pennsylvania, we follow the Brown family through their struggles and coping mechanisms. This novel makes you pause and take the time to appreciate your own life and the people in it.
If you love moving, realistic fiction peopled with characters you can really care about, look no further. To say this is 'moving' is somewhat of an understatement though. This one made my 'ugly cry' with a resultant headache. Highly recommended!...more
I wasn't sure what to expect with this novel as I hadn't read anything by this author. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that, despite some minorI wasn't sure what to expect with this novel as I hadn't read anything by this author. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that, despite some minor misgivings in the first chapter, I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Netherleigh.
With a neurodivergent protagonist, a very atmospheric setting, and some peculiar occurrences, there is a lot here to hold a reader's interest. Jo Jones, the protagonist was an American who recently lost her mother - her last remaining family member. Now alone, she travels to England, to the family ancestral 'pile' to claim her inheritance. What she expected, and what she finds couldn't be more different. The manor is a virtual ruin as it had been abandoned for almost a century. Nature has encroached on the house via a gaping hole in the roof. The once stunning gardens were frightfully overgrown and had been left to unruly abandon. The contents of the house reeked of damp and mildew and to top all that off, there were thousands of pounds in back taxes owing... Jo with nowhere else to go, attempts to take possession of the accompanying cottage, only to find a dead body in her front room.
Enter the policeman, divorced, forty-five year old DCI MacAdams. I really took to his character and enjoyed the evolving mystery surrounding the murder case and the theft of a painting from the big house. The visiting policeman from York, DCI Fleet, was a stiff, formal fellow, that acted as foil to MacAdams' less stringent methods of policing.
The author's love of words and classic literature is evident throughout the novel. She pays homage to many classical novelists as well as mystery writers Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle.
Despite some serious themes like corruption, extortion, and the like, there was a lot of subtle humour which I really enjoyed. "MacAdams had finally turned his eye on Green. He could tell by the pursed line of her mouth that the contents were under pressure."
In addition to the present day murder and theft, a cold case enters the mix with one of Jo Jones' relatives having gone missing a century before.
It is my belief that this novel will be enjoyed by many mystery lovers for various different reasons. I know I'll be eager to read another novel in this series, and I look forward to my next visit to Netherleigh....more
"No matter how much you wish it, time marches on, minute by minute, day by day, leaving you stumbling on with it, along with every regret and mistake "No matter how much you wish it, time marches on, minute by minute, day by day, leaving you stumbling on with it, along with every regret and mistake you've ever made."
Although this author has written six novels, this is the first time I've read her work. Now her backlist is going on my TBR!
The setting was bucolic, and the characters fully fleshed out. With themes of loss, guilt, regret, justice, and learning what is important in life, this was didactic without being preachy.
The loss of an eight year old child in a tragic swimming pool accident spurs the Egide family to move away from the Connecticut home where the tragedy occurred. They go to New Hampshire, to Marie Egide's family home where she spent her summers as a child. The aim is to get the house ready to sell, so that they can relocate to another, more upscale address. The remaining children all take the move in different ways. Teenage Hannah copes well, mostly because of a local teenager to whom she is attracted. Adolescent Brendon hates the place. No internet, no friends, he cannot imagine any place worse. Eight year old Penelope misses her twin dreadfully, but is enamoured of this new life in the country.
"It's a huge thing to be understood."
Shortly after they move in they discover that a woman named Davinia is living in an A-frame cottage on the property near the river. She was a trauma nurse in the army, and now is retired due to a devastating event that left her permanently disfigured.
Marie and Davina lock heads. Davina has lived in her cabin for over two decades and loves it there. Marie wants her out so that she can sell the property. Their situation escalates when the local people side with Davina... Things spiral and people are outraged.
"In the end, we are the sum of our deeds".
"Where Butterflies Wander" was everything a novel should be in that it made you feel every emotion, while telling a story that made you think. What is really important in life? What does it take to be truly happy?
The prose was almost lyrical. The topics were profound and thought-provoking. The story was poignant and moving. I loved it!...more
As readers of Sally Hepworth know, she is a master of the plot twist. There were several in "Darling Girls", so in that respect she doesn't disappointAs readers of Sally Hepworth know, she is a master of the plot twist. There were several in "Darling Girls", so in that respect she doesn't disappoint in the slightest.
Within these pages we learned the stories of four women.
Jessica - went to live at Wild Meadows when she was just four years old. She bonded with Miss Fairchild but was bitterly disappointed in her when she changed with the advent of new children being added to her foster 'family' when she was thirteen. Jessica was desperate to please her foster mother, always seeking approval and hoping for love. When more girls came to live at Wild Meadows, Jessica soon saw another side of Miss Fairchild. Now an adult and married, Jessica continues to utilize her OCD tendencies within her home organization business - despite her growing reliance on antidepressants.
Norah - began living at Wild Meadows when she was eleven years old after several other unsuccessful and sometimes abusive foster placements. She has violent tendencies and is very bright and very beautiful. Norah is the girl of the three who was more likely to incur Miss Fairchild's wrath due to her confrontational attitude. Now an adult, Norah continues to struggle with her violent bent and has had trouble with the law. She is single, adores dogs, and owns three of the large breed variety.
Alicia - went to live at Wild Meadows on a temporary basis at first when the grandmother who raised her had to be hospitalized. Sadly, her Grammy died in hospital and twelve year old Alicia was left with Miss Fairchild. Alicia was accustomed to a loving and generous caretaker in her grandmother so Miss Fairchild's meanness and strict rules are something she finds difficult to accept. She is hungry all the time. Now an adult, Alicia works as a social worker helping other children find foster families.
As children, the three girls faced a fearful adversary in Miss Fairchild. Their common nemesis caused them to become even more bonded than real biological sisters. Love and security are the most basic of children's rights - yet these three girls were bereft of both. They turned to each other.
Miss Fairchild - a deeply damaged woman who owns the Wild Meadows farmhouse where she herself grew up. We come to know her via her visits to a psychotherapist. She is a fastidious housekeeper who demands cleanliness at all times. She sees herself as a generous woman who takes in foster children and would never raise a hand to them. She calls them her 'darling girls', yet she is militant in her demanding that the girls do all the chores around the house. Her moods are mercurial and she emotionally abuses the children in myriad ways. She demands loyalty and unprotesting acquiescence from the girls in her care. Rebellion of any sort is not tolerated and she brooks no argument. She plays upon their deepest fears and her own behaviour is highly unpredictable. She is an intensely bitter and disturbed woman.
"When it came vengeance, Miss Fairchild preferred to play the long game."
Wild Meadows is a large farmhouse a few hours drive away from Melbourne. Now, twenty-five years later, the house is being torn down. However, human bones were found on the land and now the police want to interview all those who once resided there. So they all travel back to their old hometown...
Told via alternate timelines, twenty-five years apart, this story was a compelling read. We come to know the girls as children and meet them again as deeply damaged and traumatized adults.
The novel poses the question 'Is abusive behavior always cyclic, OR are some people just born evil?'
Sally Hepworth is an auto-read author for me, and this was a solid thriller that kept me riveted throughout. Highly recommended!...more
Besides being a historical mystery "Murder by Degrees" was also a treatise on the history of social reform, women's rights, and the history of medicaBesides being a historical mystery "Murder by Degrees" was also a treatise on the history of social reform, women's rights, and the history of medical education. Set in 1875 Philadelphia, it acknowledged that city's manufacturing and industrial foundations, its multicultural heritage, and its pioneering in the field of medical study.
The protagonist, Dr. Lydia Weston, was a hard working and diligent physician during a time when female doctors were viewed with skepticism by the general public, and often misogyny and derision by male members of the medical profession. In addition, she taught prospective physicians at the Woman's Medical College. Lydia had very a very modest background herself, so was able to empathize with her working-class patients and students. When one of her patients, a chambermaid for a wealthy family, comes to her, they form a friendship when she realizes the girl's intelligence and thirst for knowledge. No wonder then, that Lydia is distraught when the girl's body is found in the Schuylkill River... The police request Lydia aid them in their investigation because of her relationship with the victim. Lydia herself performs the autopsy.
I did find that the medical procedures sometimes detracted from the pace of the mystery's narrative, yet it was interesting in and of itself.
The story was very atmospheric, set as it was in a time when streets were lit with gaslight and operations and autopsies were sometimes lit with oil lanterns.
The book encompassed themes of social injustice, the exploitation of vulnerable people, infidelity, and gender bias.
Part police procedural, part literary mystery, this book made a real impression upon me. The author herself is a physician, so it is written with expert medical knowledge.
In summation, this novel was an enjoyable foray into Philadelphia's rich history as well as a riveting mystery with an intriguing plot. This is a debut novel, and I look forward to reading more in what might become a series. Recommended!...more
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