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Looking Out For Love by Sophia Money-Coutts

Feb4

Love In Action

Looking Out For Love by Sophia Money-Coutts is a wonderfully warm contemporary novel about love.

Love comes in many forms. We all need love. Love is what makes the world go round.

In the novel we witness the love between two best friends since childhood. Their friendship is rocked by a cancer diagnosis. Fear of the thought of anything other than a good outcome. They realise what they have and cannot contemplate life without the other. We see the love and care as they both look after each other’s different needs – from emotional to practical.

We meet Harold who lost his wife of many years and who pours his love into his Alsatian called Basil. Harold has a new lease of life after befriending the girls upstairs. He has a huge capacity for love as he volunteers in the hospital where his wife was cared for. He even tries internet dating!

A former police officer, Marjorie, investigates cheating partners. She believes in love not lies. She is a lively character with a big personality.

And finally, we meet Dr Sam who works in paediatrics and has a big heart and a compassionate nature. He always tries to do good wherever he goes.

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All My Love by Miranda Dickinson

Feb2

Always & Forever

All My Love by Miranda Dickinson is the most charming contemporary novel that I never wanted to end.

The tone is wonderfully light-hearted and fun, with much amusing banter.

The book celebrates life and love and friendship. We all need those people around us who believe in us. Too often the world knocks us down and our voices shrink and dry up – but with love and encouragement from others, our voices will turn the volume up once more. Voices are heard again because “They believed in me.” We all need people who believe in us.

Within the story there are those who tear down and belittle others. And there are those who know the value of people. A character has been broken in the past and believes she has no self-worth but “you are important… Don’t ever think you aren’t.” We all need people who will build us up.

Job satisfaction will never be found in bank notes. Our value is not in the amount of money we earn. Some of the happiest people work hard, doing their dream jobs behind the scenes. Often the most important people doing the most important jobs are actually grafting away behind the scenes, invisible to the world – but if they didn’t do their jobs, we would soon notice.

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The Paris Sister by Adrienne Chinn

Jan26

The Roaring Twenties

The Paris Sister by Adrienne Chinn is a marvelous historical novel following the lives of three sisters through the roaring twenties.

The world is in a time of immense change after World War I. The role of women is a complex one. World War I gave women many freedoms but as the men returned home, the lives of women were expected to go back in the box.

The women in the story are all strong characters, knowing their own minds. They believe in equality with men and set out to achieve this in their various ways. The women are forced to be strong due to their personal circumstances as some are coping without their husbands and one is married to a weak man.

This is a cosmopolitan novel as we travel from England to Canada, Paris, Italy and Egypt, following the various characters. Paris after the War is full of gaiety and life. Italy is beautiful with sun, sea and sand. Egypt is wild, dusty and full of adventure as the tomb of Tutankhamun is about to be opened up in 1922. Canada has a wilderness waiting to be tamed.

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