Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Jan22

The Missing Piece

 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman is a beautiful, powerful and incredibly heart breaking contemporary novel. My emotions were shot to pieces.

The reader will mourn a lost childhood and the events that produced a hurting adult. Loneliness hovers like a cloud over the novel. It is a loneliness that comes from feeling unworthy to be liked or associated with.

Words spoken over us remain for good or bad. If we continually hear negative words, we will believe what they say. We will look in a mirror and see ourselves as ugly because that is what we are conditioned to believe. Beauty is not as simple as inner or outer beauty. Beauty is also a state of mind.

The hand of friendship is extended. It is cautiously received and beautiful to watch the unfolding. Kindness goes hand in hand with friendship. It is a kindness that needs no words but says ‘I see you and you matter.’

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The Windmill Cafe: Christmas Trees by Poppy Blake

Jan21

Another Willerby Whodunnit

The Windmill Café: Christmas Trees by Poppy Blake is another delightful escape to Willerby as we join the residents battling to solve a crime before a Christmas wedding.

This is my third trip to the small Norfolk village and once again, I was both enchanted and perplexed by village life.

The crime busting duo once more, put on their amateur sleuthing hats to solve the mystery. Willerby seems to have as many perpetrators of crimes visiting as sleepy Midsomer on ITV!

I was entertained trying to guess whodunit. A warm welcome awaits the reader from the locals as they prepare for both a wedding and a Christmas tree competition.

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The Windmill Cafe: Autumn Leaves by Poppy Blake

Jan21

A Whirlwind Of Chaos

The Windmill Café: Autumn Leaves by Poppy Blake is a delightful contemporary mystery that will entertain whilst having the reader glued and guessing.

For anyone who knows the BBC series Death In Paradise, Autumn Leaves has a similar format and atmosphere. It is very much a light-hearted read whilst characters bond around cake.

Village life is uncomplicated – or is it? A community atmosphere where everyone pulls together could not possibly hide a potential murderer – or could it?

Autumn Leaves shows amateur super sleuthing at its best. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, the reader follows two would be crime busters as bit by bit they try to piece together the action.

Everyone has a motive but only one committed the crime. Can you guess who before the big reveal?

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Mending Fences by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Jan20

Limitless Love

Mending Fences by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a delightful contemporary Amish novel about healing and new beginnings. It is the first book in a new series, The Deacon’s Family and I cannot wait for the subsequent books.

Broken people are at the heart of the story. Some are broken due to poor choices, others have been broken and shaped by childhood. “God does His best work with messes.” Events have coloured our view of ourselves. We need others to point out our true worth. “You’re not just a girl on the streets. You’re a child of God… a pearl of great price.” We need to turn to God and believe what He tells us. God loves us and His love “wasn’t finite… It was limitless.”

There are some huge hearts for people in the novel that believe that we all deserve second chances. She saw “troubled people… as if she could see the diamond inside.” Kindness, patience and even tough love can all help to transform the troubled soul. Once transformed, hearts want to pay it forward and help others in need.

The novel shows the destructive power of addiction. We need help to overcome and there needs to be a desire for change.

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