Monthly Archives: May 2011

Love and Freedom by Sue Moorcroft

Synopsis from Choc Lit:
A tale of intrigue and secrets between families. 

New start, new love. 

That’s what Honor Sontag needs after her life falls apart, leaving her reputation in tatters and her head all over the place. So she flees her native America and heads for Brighton, England.

Honor’s hoping for a much-deserved break and the chance to find the mother who abandoned her as a baby. What she gets is an entanglement with a mysterious male  whose family seems to have a finger in every pot in town.
Martyn Mayfair has sworn off women with strings attached, but is irresistibly drawn to Honor, the American who keeps popping up in his life. All he wants is an uncomplicated relationship built on honesty, but Honor’s past threatens to undermine everything.  Then secrets about her mother start to spill out …
 Honor has to make an agonising choice. Will she live up to her dutiful name and please others? Or will she choose freedom?
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Honor’s story in England starts with being rescued by her knight in shining armour  – which I absolutely loved!  It was so unusual that it hooked me in.  Honor is suffering from jet lag and falls asleep in the sun – so although Martyn rescues her, it’s all seen from a dream-like perspective. 
The bungalow Honor is renting is owned by Martyn’s ‘sister’, Clarissa.  Through Clarissa and Martyn’s interaction we get the picture that Martyn is not doing much with his life.
From the beginning we see the spark between Honor and Martyn sizzle.  They are getting to know each other, sharing backgrounds and experiences but before things can get too hot, Martyn finds out that Honor is married.  Having been recently tangled up in a love triangle, Martyn backs off and refuses to take notice of his desires (well, he takes note of them but doesn’t act on them!). 
On their first run together we meet Robina from a distance.  Robina owns the local teashop and is infatuated with Martyn to the point where she is stalking him.  Things get complicated when Honor gets a job working for her.  Honor takes Robina’s son Rufus under her wing, interceding when the local bully is making Rufus’ life hard.
Honor comes across as quite a strong character from the beginning – although we may get a different perspective from her relationship with her American husband Stef, I felt she was the strong one who gave stability and responsibility to that relationship.  In England, she doesn’t get pulled in by a local when she’s looking for work, stands up for Rufus and deals with Martyn’s drunk agent with strength and dignity. Honor is a very generous and thoughtful character but I did think that sometimes she put everyone’s needs before her own.  Honour does grow with the things she comes to realise.  I enjoy seeing lead female characters grow into their own skin.
Martyn is ……………….hot …………….. ! not only he is very male but he’s also in touch with his feminine side (he thinks about things, takes note of body language and uses his intuition!)  What a very attractive combination ………………….  He shows his weakness at times and we get the full force of his anger.
I enjoyed the build-up of their relationship including their thoughts as well as their actions.  They seem to fit very well together as a couple – Martyn virile and protective while Honor is independent but melting. A blending of yin and yang.
Stef (Honor’s husband) intrigued me from the beginning, I wanted to find out from the hints what had actually happened and what type of a person he was.  I must admit that when we do get to meet him I didn’t like him at all and it was easy to see how Honor could really come into her own while she was in England.
I enjoyed all the feelings we get to experience and loved the humour too.  There were times when I couldn’t help a chuckle from escaping.
When it was time for the big reveal – I was so stunned (probably more than Martyn!) – I had to read it again, although it made absolute sense I hadn’t seen it coming.   I loved that about this story.
Sue Moorcraft has crafted a tale that will hold your interest through the strength of her characters and how they interact.  The sub-plots and plot will keep you intrigued and wanting to read on to find out more.
Love & Freedom is published by Choc Lit on 1 June 2011 (although I’ve just heard from Sue Moorcroft on Twitter that Amazon have released it early).
You can read the first two chapters and listen to a prequel on Choc Lit’s website.
Sue Moorcroft has her own website where you can read more about her and her writing career – and also links for following her on Twitter and Facebook.
I would like to thank Choc Lit for sending me a copy of Love & Freedom to review.
   

Hurry up and Wait by Isabel Ashdown

Synopsis from Amazon:
In her eagerly anticipated second novel, Mail on Sunday Novel Competition winner Isabel Ashdown explores the treacherous territory of adolescent friendships and traces the repercussions of a dangerous relationship across the decades. It’s been more than 20 years since Sarah Ribbons last set foot inside her old high school, a crumbling, Victorian-built comprehensive on the south coast of England. Now, as she prepares for her school reunion, 39-year-old Sarah has to face up to the truth of what really happened back in the summer of 1986…
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Having enjoyed Isabel Ashdown’s first book ‘Glasshopper’, I was excited to have been chosen by Isabel to win a copy of this novel based on my review for her first book.
I couldn’t put it down ……………..  having started reading on Monday evening, it was the first thing I did on waking Tuesday.  Throughout the day I picked it up and had finished by that evening.  It enthralled me.
Even though Hurry up and Wait is set in the 1980’s, you don’t have to remember that time period to enjoy it.  Everyone will identify with the friendships of Sarah, Kate and Tina in their fifth year at secondary school.  Everyone will have had similar experiences in school as well – and the fascination with the opposite sex (unavoidable really with all those rampaging hormones!).  The majority of us have also had part-time jobs while still at school and will understand from a distance how other people’s jealousies play out.
The story starts in 2010 when Sarah and John are travelling to and waiting to go to their school reunion.  We know from Sarah’s outward physical signs that this is something she is not looking forward to and has a great deal of discomfort attached to.  We leave them in the car while we journey back in time to the summer holidays of 1985 and through to the end of the fifth year.
What follows is a story that builds in intensity, leading us along a path of friendships, betrayal and finally exposes the vulnerability and naivety of teenage girls.  Eventually, 24 years later,  we are back at the school reunion with flashbacks to the last day of school.
All the characters in the story are so true to life.  We’ve all met girls (and those girls who are exactly the same in adulthood) like Kate.  Kate who is charismatic and pulls you in despite her unpredictability; Tina who is the eternal side-kick and Sarah who is sometimes a part of the twosome and sometimes banished.  The characters on the periphery of the story are just as fully-rounded and identifiable.
There are sub-plots running alongside the main one – I can guarantee you won’t be bored!  I love the fact that nothing is explained to us in black and white – it is all by inference (not that you have to be good at reading between the lines to enjoy the story!).  Despite guessing where the unfolding story was taking me, because Isabel Ashdown’s writing flows and you find yourself carried along on her words with vivid pictures in your mind …………….. and feeling the emotions on a deep level – it made no difference to my enjoyment of the story. 
There is so much I could say here (I keep writing about the story but then deleting) but I can’t say one thing without giving away a part of the story!  So if you’re interested you’ll have to wait until you read the book yourself.
This has to be my favourite read this year and I know the story will keep coming back into my thoughts.  I haven’t been disappointed and I don’t think you will be either.
Hurry up and Wait is published by Myriad Editions on 16 June 2011.

Isabel Ashdown has her own web page and is on Twitter.

Read my review on Glasshopper.
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13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn’t know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel.
Synopsis from Amazon:
Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it’s all because of 13 little blue envelopes! Ginny, aged 17, is left 13 little blue envelopes by her free-spirited young Aunt Peg. Little does she know just how much they will change her life! / Inside envelope No 1 is money and instructions to buy a plane ticket. / Inside envelope No 2 are directions to a specific London flat / Inside envelope No 3 a note to Ginny says: Find a starving artist. / And because of envelope No 4 Ginny and a man called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous — though utterly romantic — results.
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I found this story easy to read and finished it in a day.
Ginny receives the 13 letters from her aunt after the aunt has died.  The family hadn’t seen the ‘Runaway Aunt’ for two years before her death.  Each letter has a task that Ginny must complete before she opens the next one.  The destinations that Ginny must reach and the people she must contact, follow in her aunt’s footsteps.  Her aunt was the sort of person who, when life was beginning to feel settled and comfortable, uprooted herself.
The writing flows and each mini adventure is timed beautifully.  The different environments and characters Ginny meets really made this story a hit for me.  Although I enjoyed the story for these reasons, I really didn’t feel that the adventure changed Ginny very much.  I didn’t feel her grow enough as a character – at the end there are tentative steps to her growing into the possibility of the teen she could be.  Even bearing in mind Ginny is only 17, from the synopsis I expected (and wanted!) her to find her own inner strength (and not think it came from her aunt) and self-belief.
I think the relationship between Ginny and Keith was exactly right for their age.  It was a bit bizarre how some things tied in but I do believe in ‘co-incidence’ so it wasn’t too far to stretch my imagination to accommodate how they dipped in and out of each other’s lives.
I didn’t figure out the job that Richard had at Harrods but am assuming it was quite high up in the hierarchy because of the things he was able to do.  I loved it that Ginny re-visited him – it made the story come full circle for me.  I loved the sense of stability Richard gave to the story and thought it was a nice touch that Ginny was able to assuage his grief with the information her aunt had written in one of the later letters.
I was really upset at what happened to letter #13 and at that point the time was getting quite late – I just had to keep reading to the end – subsequently had quite a late night!
The aunt’s art depicting a journey through her illness was very poignant.  I could empathise with how Ginny and Richard were feeling.  It was great that Maureen Johnston had them sharing this together and Ginny’s human touch to show she understood.
Characters make a story come alive make it a book to remember.  In this instance, it’s not the lead character but the supporting cast that have made it memorable.  I would recommend 13 Little Blue Envelopes to anyone who loves pure escapism.

I read this book on my Kindle after Amanda (reviewer One More Page) tweeted a deal that has expired.  I purchased it from Amazon.

13 Little Blue Envelopes was published by HarperCollins e-books (6 Oct 2009).

http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=jersjam-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=B003GUBIE8&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr





The High Heeled Guide to Spiritual Living by Alice Grist

The High Heeled Guide to Spiritual Living is a fiery account of one woman’s mission to bring the deeply soulful into mundane everyday life. Having experienced all kinds of eventful living in her spiritual skin Alice Grist presents her empowering secrets of daily spiritual living for the modern woman (and man). Through the brutally honest lens of her own, often humorous, experience, Alice guides the reader through many aspects of spirituality. Her written style is like having coffee with your long lost best friend. The High Heeled Guide to Spiritual Living demonstrates how in a world overrun by rampant egos, consumerism and celebrity you can revamp your life your soul with feisty feminine panache. If the High Heeled Guide to Enlightenment showed you your spiritual options then her big sister The High Heeled Guide to Spiritual Living intimately reveals how to manifest these mysteries into your reality. The High Heeled Guide to Spiritual Living is the definitive guide for anyone who desires a truly spiritual life.
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Having enjoyed Alice Grist’s first book I was excited to read her second to see what journey she would take her readers on this time.
The synopsis is exactly what I found on the pages of this second book.
If you’re looking for light and fluffy you certainly won’t find it here.  Alice Grist is not afraid to slate those things not conducive to spiritual development, which are part of our culture – for example media and advertising – consumerism.  She has no qualms in telling us how spoilt and ignorant our culture actually is.  There is also a section on death, something we all shy away from.
I totally agree that we use drugs and alcohol as a crutch but would also add that as we grow and change through our life adventures, certain things become less important.  We go through milestones and cycles so that looking back through time you will see that what held you in thrall say in your 20’s will seem ridiculous from a distance.  I will also say that I think we need to go through certain ‘age’ related things as we find our way along.  The experiences that you have will lead you into whom you become.
The exercises and tasks she sets the reader are brilliant – and in all honesty they do work.  I can say that having tried all of them at some point on my spiritual journey (and continue to use them 30 years later).
Alice Grist has a holistic view of life – yes, we have to live in this world as a spiritual being – and she gives the reader tools to achieve balance and reach out towards spirituality.  There are some very valuable nuggets here for your spiritual development.
Two things I really love in this book:
  • Alice’s emphasis that life is a spiritual ADVENTURE (which doesn’t mean that you have to take everything lightly but to accept mistakes and learn from them and enjoy it!)
  • The way Alice makes sure her readers know the responsibility is always theirs.
I enjoyed Alice’s writing style and therefore found it very easy to read.  It is worth stopping at relevant points to give yourself chance to absorb what is being said and I would definitely advise you to do the exercises.
If you enjoyed Alice Grist’ first book you will definitely identify with this one.  You don’t have to have read it though to be able to take the information from this one and implement into your life.  You have absolutely nothing to lose!  A brilliant spiritual development book I would highly recommend.
The High Heeled Guide to Spiritual Living is published by Soul Rocks on 29 July 2011.  You can pre-order with O Books, Amazon and Waterstones.
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The Beach House by Jane Green

One summer a group of strangers – each with their own reason for wanting to step out of their busy life – meet at rented beachouse in sunny Nantucket. There’s Daniel, who’s causing heartbreak for his wife Bee; recently divorced Daff, who feels she’s lost touch with her daughter Jess; and Michael – son of the house’s mischievous , free-spirited owner Nan – who is having an ill-advised fling with his boss.
With so many lost souls gathered under one roof, very soon there are tears and laughter, friendship and – for some – even love. Each one of them is hoping for a new beginning. But will any of them find it?

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This month is ‘International Chick Lit Month’ and it’s also Chick Lit Central’s one year blogoversary.  In honour of that, they have been blogging a ‘Book a Day’ and The Beach House was one that caught my eye straight away. Instead of adding it to my wishlist I purchased it.
The Beach House was published by Penguin on 11 June 2009 and I purchased my copy from Amazon.
I thoroughly enjoyed Jane Green’s novel.  It was easy to read and pure escapism.  Something I needed to take my mind of my recent op.
We get to meet Nan right at the beginning of the story and we are introduced to what may be seen as her eccentricity.  From this first chapter I loved Nan, the way she is comfortable with herself and how laid back she is.  We also get a brief introduction to her son Michael and see how much he cares for her.
Next the character strands are woven in and first up, we meet Bee and Daniel.  Following them is Daff and Richard with their daughter Jess.  Then we get to know a bit more about Michael.  Throughout the first part of the book, we weave in and out with their stories building up to when they get to meet at the beach house in Nantucket. I felt that everything was timed so well with these separate strands but I was really eager to see how it all played out when they came together so admit to rushing through! 
All the characters are well-defined and believable.  I don’t actually have any favourites with this story – not one stands out for any reason above the other – they all carried me along with their journey.
From the first appearance of Daniel at the beach house to the final night, Windermere (the beach house) showered the characters with its magic.  It was so easy to get lost in the words and actually become a part of the story – feeling their emotions and cheering them on. 
There are twists and turns and a few crises – one in particular surprised me, I definitely didn’t see that coming!  
This is a story to hold your interest and make you want to keep reading.  I am thankful it was blogged as I doubt whether I would have seen it otherwise.  Definitely one to read on a summer holiday for some light escapism!

http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=jersjam-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0141022035&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

The Unreliable Life of Harry the Valet by Duncan Hamilton





In October 1898, on route to Paris’ Gare du Nord station, the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland’s jewels were stolen from her train carriage. More than 40 pieces, worth nearly £2m today, disappeared that night and the perpetrator along with them.
It would become one of the most widely reported heists of the late Victorian era, but what no one knew was that the man who committed this most daring and well planned theft had already committed nine almost identical crimes.
A man who wore bespoke suits and handmade shoes; who used a dozen pseudonyms to dust over his tracks; who belonged to three smart London clubs and lived in the luxury of West End hotels; whose staple diet was champagne and whisky; who was pursued by London’s top detectives for five and a half years and – by their own admission – ‘proved smarter’ than them; and who fell so much in love with a women who he would steal for and lie for but who would eventually betray him.
The true story of the most notorious Victorian Jewel thief, The Unreliable Life of Harry the Valet has all the hallmarks of the finest detective fiction, but has romance at its heart and a love story which endured on Harry’s part for the rest of his life, despite ultimately destroying him.

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This true story takes us back to a snapshot of Harry’s childhood, the importance of which sets him off on his amazing criminal career.  His father instils in him the need to ‘better’ himself and introduces him into the homes of the rich via his job of providing a picture framing service. After his death, one petty incident of stealing, the resultant fear of waiting to be found out and then the immense relief of it going un-noticed is the trigger to this lifestyle not the norm in society.  You can’t help wondering if his father hadn’t died, how different Harry’s life may have been!
Although this is factual, there is no ‘dryness’ and the writing flows leading you on from one criminal act to another.  Alongside the crimes you will read about life in Victorian times in London, Brighton, Scotland (for the grouse season) and Monte Carlo. 
There are some fascinating facts running alongside Harry’s jewellery thefts.  If you are a family history researcher and your ancestors were in the police force, there is interesting information detailing what the force was like in the beginning and about forensics.  There is also quite a lot of information about the ‘Gaiety Girls’.  I have Irish ancestors that lived and baptised children at St Luke’s (Harry’s childhood area).  It was great to read about the reality of how it would have been for them!
From the obsessive way that Harry researched his ‘targets’ it wasn’t hard to see how that could be transferred into the way he fell in love.  The only difference being the clear and precise thinking (objectivity) as opposed to love blanketing those skills and being subjective.
It was interesting to read how newspapers played the same part in society as they do today – the rich and famous using them to promote themselves and outdo each other (and thereby giving Harry the information he needed).  Selling your story appears no different today as it did then!
Although the ending is quite sad, it’s not that different to thousands who lived during the Victorian era. 
As someone with an interest in family history I understand how difficult it must have been for Duncan Hamilton to put Harry’s identity together – with all the pseudonyms it would have been tremendously difficult to trace Harry on census etc.  I tried to find information on Harry on the Old Bailey Online but had no success.  Duncan Hamilton must have had some very frustrating moments researching Harry not only in locating the information (very time consuming) but in using the equipment (microfiches etc) and piecing it all together.
I would recommend this as a read to anyone interested in the Victorian era as well as anyone who has an interest in criminals of the past. 
With Duncan Hamilton’s book, Harry and those who touched his life have not been forgotten, laying in unmarked graves – which can only be a positive thing!

I would like to thank Natalie Higgins (Century and Arrow Publicity Director) from Random House for sending me a copy to review


RSVP by Helen Warner


Four women, one wedding and a day to remember – or rather forget …Anna’s world is rocked when she receives an invitation to her ex Toby’s nuptials – Toby was The One, The Love of Her Life, The One That Got Away. Will attending his Big Day finally give her the sense of closure she so desperately craves? Or will it only re-open old wounds? Clare is Anna’s best friend, the person who was there for her when she and Toby split all those years ago. But little does Clare know that Toby’s wedding day will also change her own life for ever. Ella is a classic femme fatale. She loves men and leaves them without a backward glance. But the one person who’s never fallen for her charms is Toby. As he prepares to get hitched, is it too late for a last-ditch attempt to win his heart? Finally, Rachel is the blushing bride-to-be. This should be the happiest day of her life. So how come she feels nothing but a terrible sense of foreboding?
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There are no chapters in this story as the whole is made up of each female character’s separate story.  It is cleverly crafted in how at first we read about the present interspersed with the past – we are finding out where they are today and what has happened in the past to lead them there.  Then the stories eventually come together in the present time and lead on where the other character finishes.  I loved this as it kept me interested and wanting to read on. 
I empathised with Anna and Toby – with how they felt and their conflicting emotions – but felt I never actually got to know them and their characters were a bit wishy-washy.  For me, Rachel, Clare and Ella were much stronger characters and their stories carried the suspense that led me through to the end.
Ella’s story at first feels like a stand-alone read (although she has a very significant part to play in the past) until she becomes a part of Clare’s story.   Ella definitely adds an extra dimension to their lives and is the conflict and negative influence all good stories need!  She is also the one who grows the most on an inner level and starts to find a resolution through crises. I think the ‘poetic license’ used that changes Ella inheritance from that which in ‘real life’ and therefore is lawful, fits in really well with where Ella’s story is heading at that time. 
I loved the way RSVP was also written in to Clare and James’ relationship so it is not only relevant to the wedding – a very clever idea to include it on the note Clare receives from James! 
The one thing I did find annoying was a couple of repetitions where we were told something later on in the book that had already been presented to us earlier on.  For example Anna’s parents separation and her brother living in Australia.  Perhaps it was thought the reader might have forgotten and might be useful for some readers but it wasn’t for me.
I found RSVP easy to read and enjoyed the way the stories intertwined with each other.  Despite my predictions being correct I still found the story exciting not only because of the way the separate stories are told but also the way Helen Walker shows us again and again that the outside veneer, the way we present ourselves to the world, is often very different from how we are feeling inside.

RSVP is published by Simon & Schuster UK.  You can find them on Twitter and Facebook.  You can visit Helen Warner’s author page to find out more.

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You Can Get It If You Really Want by Levi Roots

You Can Get It If You Really Want, by Levi Roots, the man behind the Reggae Reggae Sauce empire and hero of BBC’s ‘Dragons’ Den’, is a business book brimming with positivity. 

In this inspirational and upbeat book, Levi provides essential tips and advice for successful business start-ups whatever your idea and wherever your starting point might be. This book includes informative and practical advice as well as Levi’s personal anecdotes of his success and the lessons he learned from his mistakes. Levi’s experience and passion for his message shines through every chapter. Additionally, the book includes personal insights from Peter Jones (Levi’s own Dragon) and many other entrepreneurs and captains of industry. 

You Can Get It If You Really Want also includes Levi’s Top 10 Rules for the Roots of Business Success – together with an array of business tools to slay the dragons waiting in the world of start-ups. 



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I found this book really easy to read.  Even though I am not looking to start up a business, some of the wisdom shared can be applied to any area of life – for anything you have a goal for or are working towards.  For example, one of the quotations at the start of the book ‘Self-belief has power, and it will influence the choices you make  – each and every day.’  is true for all decisions you make. 
There is a lot of information you could take and apply ………… and honesty that it will not be easy and you will make mistakes.  Levi Roots shares his experience from the beginning and offers advice on what worked for him and what didn’t.  There are pointers to guide you in the right direction for different aspects, for example, Levi shares his business plan and advises on what you will need to have in your own and how important a mentor is.  There is everything you need to know to help you get started and to follow through.
One thing I really liked about the layout was the ending of sentences at the end of a page.  It gave you a chance to stop and think about what you had just read.  One thing I didn’t like is the large quotations interspersed with the text.  I understand that they are there for emphasis, for you to take notice of, but it did distract from the flow of reading.
At the end of the book there is a section for further reading, further resources, useful sources, where to find an accountant etc and an index so you are able to locate information easily. 
In my opinion, if you’re thinking about starting up a business or already have, this is definitely a book you should be reading.  The synopsis of the book is exactly what you find between the covers.

Thank you to Octopus Books for choosing me to win this copy on Twitter.

http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=jersjam-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=184533597X&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr



The Water Children by Anne Berry

Four lives. Four defining moments which will bring them together. Owen Abingdon is haunted by nightmares of the Merfolk. He believes they have stolen his little sister who vanished while he was meant to be minding her on the beach, but he was only a child himself. Is it fair for his mother to blame him? Catherine Hoyle’s perfect Christmas with her cousin from America was blighted when they went skating on thin ice and Rosalyn nearly died. Somehow, instead of being praised for raising the alarm, Catherine gets blamed. Sean Madigan grew up on a farm in Ireland. Learning to swim in the Shannon was his way of escaping the bitter poverty of his childhood, but it also incurred his father’s wrath. He flees to England, but his heart belongs to the Shannon and her pulling power is ever near! Unlike the other three, Naomi Seddon didn’t fear the sea. She’d been orphaned and placed in a children’s home in Sheffield and cruelly abused. The sea offered her a way out and she revelled in its cruel power. The “water children” meet in London in the searing hot summer of 1976 and Naomi uses her siren’s charm to lure Owen, Catherine and Sean into her tangled web of sexual charm and dangerous passion. A holiday in the Tuscan mountains with a flooded reservoir and its legend of the beautiful Teodora who drowned there brings this emotional drama to a powerful climax. Will the power of family, love and redemption finally help the water children conquer their fears and triumph over their childhood traumas?
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When I first started reading the Water Children I found the writing hard to adjust to as to me it felt as if I was reading a report, merely an observation.  I didn’t think my emotions would be engaged but having said that, I admit to becoming very involved and sobbing my heart out in places!
This traumatic and psychological tale starts with an introduction to the childhood of Owen and then Catherine and is the foundation that then leads us on to the summer of 1976.
I thought Anne Berry captured a child’s perspective really well and the fear that can carry over to adulthood.  The trauma that affects the family involved in Owen’s life and changes everything is very well written and felt very real.
As a child myself in 1976 my memories are of beaches, swimming pools and fun.  I don’t remember the discomfort of the heat at all.  As an adult of course, I could quite well identify with how the ‘adult’ world coped and this setting in London for the main body of the story at this time added heaviness and torpor that wouldn’t have worked quite so well somewhere else. 
In no way is this slow to start and the momentum is kept going throughout.  From the very beginning we know from the synopsis that something irreparable is going to happen that will leave weeping wounds.  The ‘darkness’ kept me enthralled and although I wasn’t comfortable reading some parts of the story, I had to keep reading to find out more, to find out if there was a healing, a coming full circle to wholeness.  I loved delving into the ‘shadow’ through this story.  I enjoyed being taken out of my comfort zone.
The symmetry of the story as a whole from beginning to end is a very clever concept and ties everything up beautifully.  Despite the poignancy, the ending enchanted me and left me feeling satisfied that everything was as it should be.  A good feeling to finish a story on!

I would like to thank Waterstones for sending me an uncorrected proof copy for review.  

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