Tag Archive | One More Chapter

Old Enough To Know Better by Jane Wenham-Jones

Aug30

The Importance Of Communication

Old Enough To Know Better by Jane Wenham-Jones is a contemporary novel about life and love, families and friendships.

The reader meets several families and couples who interact with each other. We see new loves and also older, more established relationships. We learn the importance of talking through things and putting an effort in, in order to make relationships work. We need to keep the channels of communication open.

Each day brings fresh challenges. We need to face them, deal with them wisely and responsibly. We see temptations placed along the way. If we are being tempted, we need to remove ourselves from the source. We also witness a deep love that lasts.

Continue reading →

The Dog Sitter by Zara Stoneley

May2

Highly Amusing

The Dog Sitter by Zara Stoneley is a wonderful contemporary novel set in the heart of the Lake District.

The area comes alive under the author’s descriptive pen. The reader ‘experiences’ the richness of the open countryside. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty but with elements of danger as the weather can turn in an instant.

At the heart of the novel is Bella, a black cockerpoo who stole my heart. Zara Stoneley has brought her to life as she captures the essence of the bouncy, lovable. Loyal dog.

There is the theme of finding one’s true self. London and an old flame have squashed the life out of a character. Another character lost himself several years earlier during a traumatic tour of duty. The open air of the countryside, the love of Bella and the opportunity to relax means personalities can heal and become who they were created to be.

Continue reading →

The Night Train To Berlin by Melanie Hudson

Apr30

And All Shall Be Well

The Night Train To Berlin by Melanie Hudson is a beautiful dual time-line love story that will lodge deep in your heart.

The stories are set in 1944 and present day. There were parallels in the two time periods between the two couples who meet on a night train to Cornwall. The two females are linked by a friendship thread from 1944. The chapters alternate the action as present day is aiming to recreate the war period. It is romanticized. The reader hears about the true horrors of war as we follow a war artist from Britain to mainland Europe.

Continue reading →

The Forgotten Orphan by Glynis Peters

Feb11

Courage And Tenacity

The Forgotten Orphan by Glynis Peters is a heart wrenching historical tale that consumed me from the start. It is set during World War II in an orphanage near Southampton. It is a tale of remarkable courage and strength.

The novel follows Maisie, a young girl who has been at the orphanage since she was four years old. We witness her tenacity to endure all things with a smile and a gentle heart. She is a delightful and realistic main character.

The reader sees the cruelty and damage that words spoken over us do to our spirit. We believe what others tell us. “Maisie was a waste of precious funds… had resigned herself to the ranks of the unwanted.” It is heart breaking to see a broken spirit.

World War II was a dreadful time. The bombs rained down on Southampton. As a sea port it received the maimed and the dying. As buildings are repurposed, Maisie finds her raison d’etre. “I want to help the poor broken men who have been brought to us to learn to live again.”

Continue reading →