Tag Archive | One More Chapter

The Orphan’s Last Goodbye by Glynis Peters

Dec4

A New Cub In Canada

The Orphan’s Last Goodbye by Glynis Peters is a powerful historical novel that I loved. It is the fourth book in the Red Cross Orphans series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The year is 1947 and the war has been over for a couple of years but its’ effects are still being felt in lives. Nightmares of things that they cannot change, remain.

We witness that relationships formed in war cannot always stand the test of peace time. In contrast, other relationships strengthen due to shared experiences.

There are hearts of gold. “You always invested your heart into each child who stepped over the threshold.” Orphans of war were guaranteed a loving home in a big family house in the North East. These huge hearts continue as nothing is too much trouble despite personal hardship. In contrast, a heart is selfish, seeking out personal gain and not thinking of others.

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The Ghost House by Andie Newton

Oct30

Protecting The Innocent

The Ghost House by Andie Newton is a powerful historical supernatural suspense that has its’ roots in facts, interwoven with fiction.

The book is set in occupied France in 1944. Much of the action surrounds the forbidden forest that has grown up around the site of the Battle of Verdun in 1916. There is a mythical feel to it as the stories abound to do with bodies buried, live mines and cannisters of poison gas. What everyone can agree on is, it is not safe.

The Nazis were pre-occupied with the occult. Within the tale, sinister forces are used in order to try to break the innocent.

The atmosphere is dark and foreboding, mirroring the action which has sinister twists and turns.

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This Wasn’t Meant To Happen by Ali Harris

Sep11

Deep Pain, Deep Love, Deep Beauty

This Wasn’t Meant To Happen by Ali Harris is the most beautiful book about deep love and raw grief. Where these two meet, there is a pain that never leaves and there is a great love that never diminishes. It is a beautiful book that is grounded in fact as the author had a stillborn baby.

Dealing with this subject matter, one might be forgiven for thinking that this is a depressing read – but far from it. This is a work of great beauty and of great love.

The novel is written in the first person from the point of view of Sofie, and as such, we ‘feel’ her pain and her love. After giving birth to her stillborn son, we read “as I gaze at him, I feel a flood of love far greater, lighter and deeper than the abyss I’m in.” Sofie experiences the deep love that any new mum feels for their new baby.

The reader really invests emotionally in this book. As Sofie leaves hospital, a simple phrase expresses her love and loss. “Having him, holding him, loving him and then leaving him.”

We witness the couple trying to navigate their grief. It is a lonely journey as each travels their unique road alone. There is no getting over death, merely navigating through it.

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The Garden Of Memories by Amanda James

May21

Stepping Out Of Your Box

The Garden Of Memories by Amanda James is the most beautiful contemporary novel that I adored and never wanted to end.

The novel is about life and how to bloom just where you are planted. You are never too old to have a fresh beginning as you are transplanted from one stage of life to another.

As the title suggests, taking centre stage is the garden of memories. It starts as an ordinary garden but soon becomes the lifeline for so many in the village.

The smell of certain flowers and plants evokes special memories – memories that will not pass this way again but can be forever preserved in the garden of memories and enjoyed again and again.

We see that for some, the look and smell of flowers really is a lifeline, opening the door to the past. This is true of a grandmother, Lily, who has dementia. The smell of the flowers, and sweetpeas in particular, unlocks her mind, enabling her family to get a glimpse of the woman they all knew.

All the characters are well drawn and believable. They are an eclectic mix, many seeking their own identity.

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