Escapism and readable but did not leave a great impression on me. The heroine of this love story with the touch of a thriller has way too many complications in her life for it to be totally realistic, which is exactly why I label it escapism. So much happens to Alice in a relatively short time that when the end arrived it was actually a relief and I have to say in the end, no real surprise. For me slightly fewer coincidences would have made it more enjoyable.
Alice is at a turning point in her life when after three years as a young widow she finds her safe routine world turned upside down by a sudden influx of unexpected occurrences. Unlikely lovers declaring themselves and a mysterious woman make her busy life as a journalist all the more confusing. That is without coping with the expectations of a daughter who assumes that Alice’s life revolves around her grandchild and a somewhat difficult elderly father.
I have read other novels by this author but the last one was over ten years ago and I thought she was an author I enjoyed, which was the reason I obtained this copy. Either my tastes have changed or this is not up to her usual standard. One of my favourites was ‘A Womans Age which was a bestseller twenty years ago.
If you enjoy this genre give her novels a try, but do not be put off by this one as I do not think it is the best example of her work.
I visited Rachel Billingtons website and was very surprised in what she had to say herself about this novel being a comedy, which I have reproduced below.http://www.rachelbillington.com/
Too many of my friends have become widows. Their sadness is mitigated by an intense urge to carry on with a full life. I admire their courage enormously. In The Space Between Alice Lightfoot is widowed very young – in her early forties, although she’s already been made a grandmother by her rebellious teenage daughter. I wanted to write a book about a woman starting again, looking for a new life and a new love. It turned out to be more of a comedy than I expected as lovers presented themselves in perhaps slightly unlikely numbers.