Review ~ The Lavender House by Hilary Boyd ..for the Quercus Summer Reading Group

Quercus

August 2016

A bit of blurb..

Nancy de Freitas is the glue that holds her family together. Caught between her ageing, ailing mother Frances, and her struggling daughter Louise, frequent user of Nancy's babysitting services, it seems Nancy's fate is to quietly go on shouldering the burden of responsibility for all four generations. Her divorce four years ago put paid to any thoughts of a partner to share her later years with. Now it looks like her family is all she has.

Then she meets Jim. Smoker, drinker, unsuccessful country singer and wearer of cowboy boots, he should be completely unsuited to the very together Nancy. And yet, there is a real spark. 

But Nancy's family don't trust Jim one bit. They're convinced he'll break her heart, maybe run off with her money - he certainly distracts her from her family responsibilities.

Can she be brave enough to follow her heart? Or will she remain glued to her family's side and walk away from one last chance for love?

My thoughts about the book..

The Lavender House opens with its protagonist enjoying an episode of the Archers on BBC Radio 4. Nancy de Freitas is preparing supper when her husband, Christopher tells her quite calmly that he is leaving her for his lover Tatjana, a singer in a madrigal group. This could only be middle England and Nancy so typical of a woman in her sixties, now finds that her new husbandless state is defined by her role as daughter, mother and grandmother but no longer as a lover. Holding her family together is what keeps Nancy ticking over, that is, until she decides to take back control of her life and take a chance on living again.

What I loved about The Lavender House was the openness of its characters, who all add such depth to the story that after a while it seems like you are spending time with friends and enjoying the minutiae of their live. Within the story there is sharp observation about the vagaries of human nature, I enjoyed recognising those wonderful quirky traits which can be found in most families.

The author writes well and, with warmth and wit, gives us a beautifully observed story about a love affair in later life which is fraught with complications but which, with perseverance and determination, shows that love really can conquer all.

Best Read with … A Large glass of Pinot Grigio and a dish of salted almonds.

About the author

Hilary Boyd trained as a nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital, then as a marriage guidance counselor. After a degree in English Literature at London University in her thirties, she moved into health journalism, writing a Mind, Body, Spirit column for the Daily Express. She published six non-fiction books on health-related subjects before turning to fiction and writing a string of bestsellers, starting with Thursdays in the Park. Hilary is married to film director/producer Don Boyd.

Twitter @HilaryBoyd

My thanks to the team at Quercus for the invitation to be part of their summer reading group

#QuercusSummer

  

My review of Last Dance in Havana click here

My review of Florence Grace click here

~***~

Review ~ Florence Grace by Tracy Rees for the Quercus Summer Reading Group.

Jaffareadstoo is thrilled to be part of the Quercus Summer Reading Group and here's the second book in the Summer Read choices.

#QuercusSummer

Quercus
June 2016

A bit of blurb..

Florrie Buckley is an orphan, living on the wind-blasted moors of Cornwall. It's a hard existence but Florrie is content; she runs wild in the mysterious landscape. She thinks her destiny is set in stone.

But when Florrie is fourteen, she inherits a never-imagined secret. She is related to a wealthy and notorious London family, the Graces. Overnight, Florrie's life changes and she moves from country to city, from poverty to wealth.

Cut off from everyone she has ever known, Florrie struggles to learn the rules of this strange new world. And then she must try to fathom her destructive pull towards the enigmatic and troubled Turlington Grace, a man with many dark secrets of his own.

My thoughts about the book..

When the story opens, Florrie Buckley is a feisty thirteen year old living with her beloved Nan in a small village community in a remote Cornish valley. Like the rest of the folks who live there, they eke out a meagre living as best they can, but times are hard, so when Florrie is given the opportunity to earn an extra sixpence helping out at a function at a grand house in Truro, she feels that, regardless of her Nan's disapproval, it would be foolish to pass up the opportunity. Watching the glittering people dance and twirl, Florrie experiences a glimpse of a life she has never known, but then an unexpected meeting with Sanderson and Turlington Grace, two aristocratic young men, will change Florrie's life forever.

Flitting between the rugged Cornish landscape and the grand salons of Victorian London, Florrie embarks on an adventure, the like of which she could never have imagined but which will test her mettle to the limit.

What I love about good historical fiction, and believe me, this is good historical fiction, is that it has the power to take you completely out of the world you know and transports you instantly to another time and place. Such is the appeal of this story that, very quickly, you become as one with Florrie and as her circumstances change beyond all recognition, you start to experience the vagaries of Victorian society life through her eyes.

I loved the easy style of writing and the way that the author gives us such a feisty heroine who is brave and bold and full of such sparkling wit and good humour. The other characters are equally fascinating, particularly the Grace family, who are so much a product of their time, that it becomes a real delight to watch as all their faults and foibles are laid bare.

The idiosyncrasies of Victorian society are uncovered in this story of hidden family secrets which grips from the beginning and doesn't let up until Florence Grace's story is told.

It's a hefty read, coming in at 550 pages but as I became immersed in the story I found that the narrative never dragged along, I was never bored or disillusioned, I was just enchanted by a really good story, well told.

A perfect summer read, either curled up in your favourite garden chair or lounging by a swimming pool, preferably somewhere hot and sunny...

Best Read With ...Creamy porridge and the sharp clear taste of blackberry tea, purple as twilight..

About the Author

Tracy Rees was born in South Wales. A Cambridge graduate, she had a successful eight-year career in nonfiction publishing and a second career practising and teaching humanistic counselling. She was the winner of the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller Competition and the 2015 Love Stories 'Best Historical Read' award.

Twitter @AuthorTracyRees

Amazon UK

My thanks to Quercus for the invitation to be part of this Summer Reading Group

Here's my photograph of Florence Grace flourishing in my summer garden

#QuercusSummer

Mt thanks to the team at Quercus Books for inviting Jaffareadstoo to be part of their summer reading
group

Review ~ Last Dance in Havana by Rosanna Ley for the Quercus Summer Reading Group...

Jaffareadstoo is thrilled to be part of the Quercus Summer Reading Group and to start off - here's the first book in the chosen selection of great summer reads.

#Quercus Summer

Quercus
May 201
#QuercusSummer

A bit of blurb...


Cuba, 1958. Elisa is only sixteen years old when she meets Duardo and she knows he's the love of her life from the moment they first dance the rumba together in downtown Havana. But Duardo is a rebel, determined to fight in Castro's army, and Elisa is forced to leave behind her homeland and rebuild her life in distant England. But how can she stop longing for the warmth of Havana, when the music of the rumba still calls to her?

England, 2012. Grace has a troubled relationship with her father, whom she blames for her beloved mother's untimely death. And this year more than ever she could do with a shoulderto cry on - Grace's career is in flux, she isn't sure she wants the baby her husband is so desperate to have and, worst of all, she's begun to develop feelings for their best friend Theo. Theo is a Cuban born magician but even he can't make Grace's problems disappear. Is the passion Grace feels for Theo enough to risk her family's happiness?

From bestselling author Rosanna Ley comes an exotic tale of love, family and friendship set between England and Cuba.

My thoughts...

First off, I love this cover and want to be in that square in Havana and be the girl in the red dress, and such is the emotional pull of the story that even before the book is opened you are taken into another world.

The story opens in Havana, 1957 and the lure of dancing the rumba entices fifteen year old Elisa to dance in the back street nightclub at La Cueva with the charismatic and enticing Duardo, who holds her in a close embrace as they dance to the passionate resonance of the rumba beat.

Moving forwards and backwards in time and swaying with  its own particular rumba beat, we journey beyond the troubled arena of 1950s Havana and move to Bristol in 2012, where we pick up the story of Elisa and of her connection to Grace, a troubled young woman who has more than her share of heartbreak.

I loved the whole premise of the story, the way it moved effortlessly between time frames and of the thread of passion which runs throughout the novel, drawing you into the dual story of Elisa and Duardo and of the love triangle between Grace, Robbie and Theo.

It's the sign of a good story, I suppose when you don't want it to end, and Last Dance in Havana is one of those books which, once started, is difficult to put down.  I found that I wanted to get back to the story at every opportunity, and when the story had ended, I was sad because I knew that I was having to say goodbye to characters who, over the space of a few hours, I had come to regard as friends.

I really hope that Last Dance in Havana is going to be one of those splendid summer novels which is lovingly packed away in hand luggage and is then taken on holiday.  It would be especially lovely if someone would take a copy back to Havana and maybe, sip a cocktail or two, and watch a couple like Elisa and Duardo dance their own very special rumba.

Best Read with....A dish of chicken with black beans and a delicious concoction of cold milk with chocolate and honey...

About the Author


Rosanna Ley has written numerous articles and stories for magazines. A long-time creative writing tutor, she now runs writing holidays and retreats in stunning locations in the UK and abroad. When she is not travelling, she lives in west Dorset by the sea.





Visit the author's website

Find on Facebook

Follow on Twitter @RosannaLey

Amazon UK

My thanks to Quercus for the opportunity to be part of this Summer Reading Group

Here's my photo of Last Dance in Havana whilst reading on a summery day in my garden

#QuercusSummer

Happy Summer Reading !

~***~