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The Life She Could Have Lived by Laura Pearson

Sep12

A Sliding Doors Moment

The Life She Could Have Lived by Laura Pearson is a most delightful offering. It is set over a number of years as we follow the life of lead character Anna.

This is a sliding doors novel as we alternate chapters between ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to the question of having a baby. We see the difference that one decision can have to the rest of a life.

Along both paths, there are similarities and differences as Anna meets the same characters but at different points in her life. Different choices produce different outcomes.

In ‘yes,’ was see Anna balancing motherhood and her job. In ‘no’ we see her job taking her further afield before returning home. Which lifestyle do you think is most suited to Anna? You must read the book and decide.

We see the value of a good friendship. It is a friendship that supports through thick and thin, in good times and bad.

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Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks

Sep4

Slaying Dragons

Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks is a marvellous contemporary suspense that gripped me from the start.

The novel opens with the ending before going backwards eleven days, and then working forwards. The reader knows what is coming and wonders what led up to that point, and how it is all going to end?

I thought the actual ending was superb – it came out of the blue and was serenely beautiful as the love radiated from the pages.

All the characters were well drawn and believable. We see the action through several alternating points of view enabling the reader to get to know the characters intimately.

This is a book about family. Family can be messy and complicated – but family is ultimately about love.

Life is tiring when children are small – but so much harder as they grow. Parents have to give their children wings to fly. “It was up to them to fall and flounder or fly and flourish. She was powerless… all they [parents] could do was stand back and trust that they’d given their kids enough guidance, resilience and basic common sense to get through.” We see that however old our children are, a mother will fiercely protect her offspring. “Her focus was on protecting Fran.”

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The Secret Orphanage by Barbara Josselsohn

Aug16

Extraordinary Acts Of Bravery

The Secret Orphanage by Barbara Josselsohn is a powerful dual timeline novel that consumed me from the start.

The story is set in 1943 in occupied France and in 2018 in America. The storylines are linked by a granddaughter in present day, wanting to find out about her grandfather’s war. And also, about the author of a children’s novel that her grandfather read every night to her as a child.

We see that all is not as she first imagines as her beloved grandfather seems to be hiding a wartime secret. However, even an old photograph is not portraying the truth too. As her grandfather suffers from dementia, will the truth ever be known? Or will it be buried with him?

During the occupation, we witness the bravery of siblings who run a secret Jewish orphanage, right under the noses of the Nazis.

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My Great Aunt’s Diary by Laura Sweeney

Aug8

Choose Love

My Great Aunt’s Diary by Laura Sweeney is a marvellous dual timeline novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is the second book in the Dovecote Cottages series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is set in 1943 and 2016. We ‘hear’ about the action in real time and also via an old diary. The diary is about forbidden love. It ends abruptly, causing the Great Aunt’s niece to search for the end of the story. The search takes her across the sea to Ireland and then back again to Dovecote.

The novel opens in Brighton in 1943 and London in 2016. Both time periods see the characters ending up in Dovecote, unexpectedly. 1943 sees a family bombed out of their Brighton house. In 2016 a cottage is left to a character in a will.

There is loss within the novel. “Grief never really leaves you; you just get better at living with it.” The journey of grief is not linear. There are both good and bad days, one just has to cope the best one can.

In 1943 we see characters having to hide their true selves as social norms of the day mean that certain relationships cannot come to light. “I wanted her [Mum] not to pity me or see me as something broken, or deviant. But I didn’t know how she’d react if I told her.” It is heartbreaking to read, especially as the reader learns, along with the character, that her Mum loves her unconditionally.

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