The Unknown Bridesmaid by Margaret Forster

Paperback: 234 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Chatto and Windus 2013
Source: Tywyn Public Library
First Sentences: Julia gave the child the doll and waited. There was a toy cradle in the room and a toy pram, the old fashioned sort, not a buggy.
Review Quote: "Margaret Forster is a brilliant and prolific writer... her latest novel is one of her best. It's a gripping read" (Observer)
My Opinion:   Immensely readable.


Margaret Forster has a wonderful gift for storytelling and I have been enjoying her writing since the late nineteen-sixties. The Unknown Bridesmaid was no exception a beautifully crafted tale of family relationships, that I found immensely readable. 
Featuring Julia a successful child psychologist that spends her working life counselling young girls with supposed behavioural problems. The story is written from Julia's perspective both in the present day, where her work in the present seems to trigger memories from her own troubled childhood. The flashbacks start from when she was invited to be a bridesmaid for a cousin. The narrative moves smoothly from present to past with no confusion as Julia's childhood unfolds as her childhood demons catch up with her and she faces up to the fact that she needs to know the truth. It may not be as destructive as she fears but to find out you will have to read for yourself.

Recommended to all readers that want a novel that is both thought provoking and realistically portrays family relationships.


Author Profile

                     Image courtesy of Eamonn McCabe

Margaret Forster was born in Carlisle, England on May 25th 1938, where she grew up and lived until going to Somerville College, Oxford to read modern history. Since graduating in 1961, after a brief period as a teacher she has gone on to work as  a novelist, biographer and freelance literary critic, contributing regularly to book programmes on television, radio and various newspapers and magazines. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1975.
She has been married to to the writer, journalist and broadcaster Hunter Davies since the day after she finished her final exams in 1961, having met and fallen in love when she was just seventeen. They have three children, Caitlin, Jake and Flora. She divides her time, living six months in London and the same in the Lake District.  Since 1963 Margaret Forster has worked as a novelist, biographer and freelance literary critic, contributing regularly to book programmes on television, to Radio 4 and various newspapers and magazines.

The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing.

Margaret Forster - Wikipedia       British Council - Literature   Goodreads - Author Profile
Gwen John - Wikipedia    Wikimedia Commons

Linking up today with Literary Friday

Lost and Found My Story by Lynda Bellingham

Hardback: 358 pages
Genre: Autobiography
Publisher:  Random House Group 2010
Source:  Tywyn Library, Wales.
First Sentences: It was a crisp, clear October morning in Montreal, Canada. The sun glinted on church spires. 
Favourite Quote:  It has taken sixty years to discover who I really am.
Review Quote: "Courageous ... searingly honest" (Mail on Sunday)
My Opinion: Interesting and raw account.

An actress whose work I have followed with interest over the years so although I do not normally read many autobiographies when this was recommended by a friend I decided to give it a go. This autobiography is an interesting and sometimes raw account of Lynda Bellingham's life. Where with brutal honesty she shares her life experiences, adoption, sexual appetite and the mental abuse she suffered till she found herself and happiness at the age of sixty. Her warm personality and much needed sense of humour show through in her writing.

At times this book is a little harrowing with some strong language, at least she has not written about a sugar coated dream life but a horribly realistic one.  Lynda Bellingham is a very strong woman who has written about surviving the tough times she has already faced and sadly is now currently facing another major obstacle in her life in the form of cancer. Wishing her all the best in this latest battle which she is struggling to overcome. 

I would recommend Lost and Found My Story to fans of this actress if you can face the home truths she writes about.



                                     Lynda Bellingham talking about 'Lost and Found My Story'

Author Profile

Born: May 31, 1948 in Montreal, Canada

I have chosen to use this Biography in her own words from her Official Website

I was born in Montréal, Canada. My dad was a pilot for BOAC so we moved around a fair bit when I was young. When he retired to buy a farm we spent the next forty odd years in a village called Aston Abbotts near Aylesbury. I went to Aylesbury High school for girls. I appeared in several school plays and performed at the Pendley Shakespeare festival as Puck in ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ Arrived in London at the Central school in 1966 and never looked back. I had a ball!
Over the last forty years I have managed to make a living from the industry and even make a name for myself. I played Helen Herriott in All Creatures Great and Small for three series. I starred with James Bolam in ‘Second Thoughts’ and then as Faith in ‘Faith in the Future’ with the lovely Julia Sawalha playing my daughter. In 1998 we won a best comedy award. I did a stint on The Bill as the evil Irene Radford and played in At Home with the Braithwaites and Bonkers.
In the theatre I have starred with David Jason in ‘Look No Hands’ at the Strand Theatre with Janet Suzman and Maureen Lipman in ‘The sisters Rosensweig’ at the Old Vic. More recently I did ‘Losing Louis’ with Alison Steadman and ‘Sugar Mummies’ at the Royal Court. I also starred in a two hander called ‘Vincent River’ with Mark Field at the Trafalgar Theatre. Perhaps my biggest triumph is starring in Calendar Girls on the national tour and in the West End.
My film career stretches from Confessions of a Window Cleaner to Alexandra the wife of Czar Nicholas in a twelve million dollar Russian epic filmed entirely in Russia called the Romanovs, a love story. Other credits include ‘Don't go breaking my heart’ and ‘The Scarlet Tunic’.
I did various commercials and finally found myself at the centre of the Oxo campaign. I spent the next sixteen years as the Nation's treasure making gravy. It won every award there was to win. Speaking of awards I am proud to say I am now part of the NTA award winning show Loose Women on ITV. I have a wonderful time once or twice a week chewing the fat with the other girls.
I once said I would never marry again but never say never. In 2008 on my sixtieth birthday I got married for the third and last time to Michael Pattemore. My sons Michael and Robbie are doing well and my career goes from strength to strength. I have my autobiography out and I am working on the next book. I know I have a good deal to learn as a writer but I love it and practice makes perfect.

I am in a wonderful place and very grateful for all the good things that have happened to me.

Since writing the personal biography I have quoted above Lynda Bellingham has sadly been diagnosed with cancer which she has been fighting since the diagnosis in the summer of 2013. She recently gave an interview to the Daily Mail about its impact on her life.

The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her life. 


Lynda Bellingham - Wikipedia   Facebook Profile - Lynda Bellingham    Twitter Profile

Daily Mail Interview   YouTube Video  Amazon Author Page

And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Hardback:  416 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher:  Bloomsbury Publishing 2013
Source:  Tywyn Public Library, Wales.
First Sentences: So, then. You want a story and I will tell you one. But just the one, Don't either of you ask me for more.
Favourite Quote: “They say, Find a purpose in your life and live it. But, sometimes, it is only after you have lived that you recognize your life had a purpose, and likely one you never had in mind.” 
Review Quote: A story of love, separation, friendship, compassion, exile, memory and the troubled history of Afghanistan, spanning three continents and 60 years... Hosseini is a master storyteller and his characters brim with life... This novel will not disappoint his many admirers (Paul Dunn The Times)
My Opinion: An outstanding storyteller he has written another very moving and emotional tale.


It has been a long six year wait for a third novel from Khaled Hosseini  best selling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. As a great fan of his first two novels I have been looking forward to his next novel for a long time, I can honestly say that And The Mountains Echoed was well worth the wait. An outstanding storyteller he has written another very moving and emotional tale, this time about how the choices we make in life can reverberate through time shaping our futures in surprising ways. The story does not just cross generations but also continents Kabul, Paris, San Franciso and a Greek Island.

Spanning sixty years with a vast cast of characters, the story hinges entirely on Abdullah and his sister Pari and how a heart breaking event in their childhood, will stay with them and mould their lives for years to come. The scenarios and characters are very realistic as the novel transports us from rural Afghanistan to its busy cities and beyond to the wider world as it slips backward and forward in time.  Always linking in subtle ways to the story that a loving father was relating to his children at the opening of the novel. 

A story and characters that will stay with you long after you finish the last page, a must read for all fans. If you are not yet one, it is time you read a novel from an author that really understands about life in Afghanistan. Highly recommended.

Author Khaled Hosseini talks about 'And The Mountains Echoed'




The Kite Runner - My Bookcrossing Review  If you visit the link scroll down the page for my review.

A Thousand Splendid Suns - My Bookcrossing Review


Author Profile

Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 4th 1965. In 1970 Hosseini and his family moved to Iran where his father worked for the Embassy of Afghanistan in Tehran. In 1973 the family returned to Kabul, 
In 1976, when Hosseini was 11 years old, the family moved for his father's work again to Paris.  They were unable to return to Afghanistan because of the Saur Revolution in which the PDPA communist party seized power through a bloody coup in April 1978. Instead, a year after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in 1980 they sought political asylum in the United States and made their residence in San Jose, California.
Hosseini graduated from Independence High School in San Jose in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, where he earned his M.D. in 1993. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in 1996. He practised medicine for over ten years, until a year and a half after the release of The Kite Runner. He now lives in Northern California, USA with his wife, Roya and children Harris and Farah.

Khaled Hosseini is now one of the most widely read and beloved novelists in the world, with over thirty eight million copies of his books sold in more than seventy countries. The Kite Runner was a major film and was a Book of the Decade, chosen by The Times, Daily Telegraph and Guardian. A Thousand Splendid Suns was the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year in 2008. Hosseini is also a Goodwill Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Refugee Agency and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and his writing. 

Goodreads Author Profile  Amazon Author Profile  Khaled Hosseini - Facebook Page 

Official Author Website  Khaled Hosseini - Wikipedia  YouTube

Linking up today with Literary Friday

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Hardback: 446 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher:  Hodder and Stoughton 2013
Source:  Tywyn Library, Wales.
First Sentences: My father trusted me with the details of his death. 'Ania,' he would say, no whiskey at my funeral. I want the finest blackberry wine. No weeping, mind you. Just dancing.
Favourite Quote:  “I don't know what it is about death that makes it so hard. I suppose it's the one-sided communication; the fact that we never get to ask our loved one if she suffered, if she is happy wherever she is now...if she is somewhere. It's the question mark that comes with death that we can't face, not the period.” 
Review Quote: If you think you know Jodi Picoult, her latest novel will make you think again . . . a powerful and unexpected climax (Good Housekeeping 2013-03-19)
My Opinion:  It is not an easy read but if you can stomach the horror tales of the Holcaust it is well worth doing so.


I have not read a Jodi Picoult for a couple of years as I had previously felt they were becoming rather formulaic. 'The Storyteller' proves me to be wrong as this is very different, a harrowing story that will stay with you a long time after you turn the last page.   It is disturbing to say the least to read the first person descriptions of horrific happenings in the Nazi concentration camps of the Second World War.  This novel has definitely put Jodi Picoult back on my list of authors to read as she manages to combine the realism of the war, betrayal and horrendous murders with love, mercy and forgiveness. It is not an easy read but if you can stomach the horror tales of the Holcaust it is well worth doing so.

The female protagonist Sage Singer is a reclusive young woman with a past that has driven her to retreat into sleeping by day and working by night. Sage attends a therapy group and it is here that she befriends Josef Weber a retired teacher and much respected member of the local community. One day he shocks her by asking her for help as he wants to die! It does not end with her refusal but gets very complicated when he reveals to her the terrible secret that he has lived with for sixty years . Has his past evil behaviour been atoned or should he still be brought to justice. The story tells of Sage's dilemma should she be offering forgiveness or not, her feelings are complicated by the fact that these abominable acts may well have involved a family member. With all her illusions shattered about this man she thought was her friend, Sage looks into her family history to try and answer her questions about the situation she has found herself in. The horrors of war, that she learns about haunt her as she tries to decide just what she should do.

In conclusion I feel this novel gives readers a fresh insight into a much written about topic although it is of course very harrowing and upsetting at times it is written in a sensitive way.


BBC Interview with Jodi Picoult about 'The Storyteller' which is very interesting and added to my enjoyment of the novel.

Author Profile

Jodi Lynn Picoult was born on May 16th 1966 and grew up in Nesconset, Long Island, New York, USA and she now lives in Hanover, New Hampshire with her husband Tim Van Leer and their three children Sammy, Kyle and Jake. She grew up with a love of writing and her first story, at age 5 was "The Lobster Which Misunderstood." She studied writing at Princeton University, graduating in 1987, and had two short stories published by Seventeen magazine while still studying. After graduation a series of miscellaneous jobs followed from editing textbooks at a publishing company to teaching English classes. She later attended Harvard University to earn her master's degree in education.
Her long list of published novels are all strongly connected to human emotional issues and complex relationships. In 2003 she was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction and currently there are over fourteen million of her books in print worldwide.

The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing. 

Goodreads - Author Profile  Jodi Picoult - Official Website  BBC Interview - Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult - Facebook     Bibliography of Books - Wikipedia

Linking up today with Literary Friday

Call Nurse Millie by Jean Fullerton

Paperback:  558 pages
Genre: Romantic Historical Fiction
Publisher:  Orion Publishing Group 2013
Source: From the Author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
First Paragraph: Millie Sullivan pushed an escaped curl of auburn hair from her eyes with the back of her hand. She wished she'd put on her cotton petticoat under her navy blue uniform instead of the rayon one. Although the milk float was only just rolling along the street, it was already sweltering hot.
Review Quote: ...the characters are well rounded, the period and political details evoke nostalgia, and the patient's stories are convincingly and vividly told... The writing shines off the page and begs for a sequel (Historical Novel Society)
My Opinion: Vivid description of life in the East End of London, during a time of great strife. 

The author very kindly gave me the opportunity to read a pre-publication copy of this entertaining account of a Nurse's life in London immediately after the end of World War II.  I hope the author will forgive me for having taken so long to read and review her novel but unfortunately life rather got in the way and I was unable to read it as soon as I had hoped. The follow up All Change for Nurse Millie is due for publication next February and I plan to read it as soon as it is released if I can. It is worth mentioning that the author of this book has a great deal of experience in healthcare, as well as being passionate about her native city both of which I believe shows in the attention to detail found in the novel. Being so well researched Call Nurse Millie is a vivid description of life in the East End of London, during a time of great strife. 

Millie is the feisty protagonist of the story, it is through her eyes and the way she deals with everything life throws at her that you will learn more of the community spirit that existed during that period. Health Care was only available to those that paid for it, rationing was an every day occurrence. Life was harsh yet there was still time for happiness and romance. The characters and storylines develop well throughout the novel, by the end I really cared about them and wanted to know more about their lives. This is why it is good news that the sequel as mentioned above is coming soon. In conclusion I found this read like a true story it certainly feels authentic enough to be one.

I would not normally compare a novel to a television programme but this one reminded me of one I have enjoyed recently, the series from a true story, was 'Call The Midwife'.  Fans of this series will definitely enjoy this novel as will those that are interested in the immediate post war social history of the UK.

I have also read and reviewed one of Jean Fullerton's previous novels on this blog.
Perhaps Tomorrow

Author Profile

Jean Fullerton  was born into a large, East End family early one August she grew up in the overcrowded streets clustered around the Tower of London. She still lives in East London, just five miles from where she was born. After working for the London Metropolitan Police, she retrained as a nurse and worked as a district nurse in the East End for sixteen years. She now teaches healthcare and nursing. Jean  feels that it is her background that gives her stories their distinctive authenticity. Passionate about historical accuracy, she enjoys researching the details almost as much as writing the novels.

The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing. 

Jean Fullerton - Books   Official Author Website  Facebook - Jean Fullerton Author  Goodreads Author Profile

The Woman Who Went To Bed For A Year by Sue Townsend

Hardback: 437 pages
Genre: Humorous fiction
Publisher: Michael Joseph 2012
Source: Tywyn Public Library
Extract from first pages: She picked up the saucepan, walked from the kitchen into the sitting room and threw the soup all over the precious chair. She then went upstairs, into her bedroom and without removing her clothes or her shoes, got into bed and stayed there for a year.
Favourite Quote: “To unlock the heavy outer door and to walk into the hushed interior, with the morning light spilling from the high windows on to the waiting books, gave her such pleasure that she would have worked for nothing.” 
Review Quote:  'Laugh-out-loud . . . a teeming world of characters whose foibles and misunderstandings provide glorious amusement. Something deeper and darker than comedy' Sunday Times
My Opinion: Satirical read

 Sue Townsend's name  will always be synonymous with the Adrian Mole stories, they are what have most helped make her Britain's favourite comic author today.  Her other books I have enjoyed but there has never been another character as memorable as Adrian Mole.

There is no doubt that The Woman Who Went To Bed For A Year is very well written, a satirical read,  funny and sad there is something terribly dark about this latest novel from Sue Townsend. When I first picked it up and read the blurb I thought it had possibilities for a very amusing, entertaining read. At first it was as the protagonist Eva Beaver, a librarian, (yes I know!)decides that she just cannot tolerate her life any more. Before long though I was beginning to find that that this woman and her selfish attitudes just grated on my nerves, spoiling the humour for me. Maybe this is what the author intended but one cannot be sure, certainly the picture she paints of the rest of the family makes you sympathetic of Eva's feelings. Just do not think she did herself any favours in the way she responded to her annoying family, surely languishing in bed was just not the answer.

As you can probably tell there was nothing compelling for me about this novel, but I plodded through and if you are a fan of Sue Townsend's writing then you should definitely add this to your reading list. However if you have never read any of her novels I personally do not think this is a good one to start with.


Author Profile

Susan Lillian Townsend was born April 2nd 1946 in Leicester, where she spent her childhood free time playing in local fields and woods. She only learned to read at the age of eight when, off school with mumps, she was given by her mother a pile of Just William books and taught to read in just three weeks. From that moment she became obsessed with reading. Later, she started to write for the school magazine.

Sue left school at fifteen with no qualifications and found employment in a string of unfulfilling jobs, from petrol-pump attendant to shop assistant. She kept writing, but did so in secret. At eighteen she married and a year later her first child was born. With two more children in her family and a subsequent divorce, she at last found a job she enjoyed – at the youth club on the estate she lives in.

In 1978 Sue met Colin Broadway and after she admitted to him that she had been writing secretly for years he encouraged her to join a writer’s group at Leicester’s Phoenix Arts Centre. After the third meeting, where Sue had shown nothing nor said anything, she was told to share some work with the group next week. Two weeks later she presented Womberang , a play set in a gynaecological waiting room. The play was put on and in 1979 won a Thames Television Playwright Award, including a bursary as Writer in Residence.

Having, almost by accident, embarked on a professional writing career, Sue went on to write numerous successful plays, including Bazaar and Rummage (1982) and The Great Celestial Cow (1984), both of which were performed at London’s Royal Court Theatre.

But it was the Adrian Mole diaries, which Sue had started in 1975, writing the first two and a half months in one sitting, that brought her lasting fame. These first appeared as a half-hour piece on Radio Four in 1982 as The Diary of Nigel Mole. Later that year, the publishers Methuen brought out The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 ¾ (1982) and later its sequel, The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole(1984). Together these books made Sue the best selling author of the 1980's. There have been six further books in the Adrian Mole series , which have sold over eight million copies and have been adapted for radio, television and theatre.

In 1991 she was awarded an Honorary MA by the University of Leicester and subsequently has placed her papers in their Special Collections archives. Sue has continued to write other books, many of which have also gone on to be best sellers, including The Queen and I (1992) and Number 10 (2002). Her latest novel is The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year, published in 2012 by Michael Joseph.

She has suffered from diabetes for many years, as a result of which she was registered blind in 2001, and has woven this theme into her work.

The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing.

  
Amazon Author Page - Sue Townsend    Goodreads Author Profile   Authors Official Website

Linking up today with Literary Friday

Midnight Sky by Jan Ruth

Kindle Edition: 485 KB Paperback has 261  pages.
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction
Publisher:  ebook published December 20th 2012 by Celtic Connections.
Source: The author in return for an unbiased and honest review. 
First Paragraph: 'Her biological clock started it. Before it sounded its alarm, Laura had been perfectly content. Maybe she should have taken the battery out sooner, but then it was more likely it ran on hormones and they could be tricky.
Review Quote: ROMANCE REVIEWS MAGAZINE AWARD. 'A unanimous vote for romantic content and well-paced authentic plot. The characters were so believable they drew us utterly and completely into their world.'
My Opinion: Delightful read


My memories of how I first came across the author Jan Ruth are I am sorry to say confused in my mind, the year I have had I think I can be forgiven. It was I know early in the year when I discovered that she is based in Wales and that Midnight Sky is actually set in Snowdonia National Park, which I am now living right on the edge of. Well I just had to read it as the locations of a novel are always of great interest to me. It was very evident from her writing that the author has a strong connection with the Welsh landscape. I will definitely be reading the rest of her novels.

Midnight Sky is a sensitive romantic novel with characters that are so realistic, you feel immediately drawn into their lives. When you have loved and lost it is often very hard to let go and move on with your life and is just such situations that our protagonists are facing. Laura Brown born a country girl but now living the lifestyle of a successful designer finds herself pregnant with some very difficult decisions to make. She turns to her sister Maggie whose own lifestyle she envies, however her on the surface idyllic lifestyle is not all it seems either. Add to this the male protagonist James Morgan-Jones a  handsome widower trainer to Midnight Sky the damaged horse of the title and you have the basis for this delightful read. Regular readers of my reviews know I do not like spoilers so if you want to discover what the future holds as they face their demons you will have to read it for yourself.

Recommended to all fans of Contemporary Romantic Fiction, if you also enjoy country life, Wales and horses you really must read this one. 

Author Profile

Jan Ruth was born in Bowden, Cheshire, England on November 23rd the year has not been revealed. She has felt a strong connection to Wales for many years and in 1998 she moved there to live.  Her novels feature the rugged Welsh landscape and more often than not, her love of dogs and horses. Although she writes serious love stories with strong characterisation, she also captures the humour of modern everyday life and the endless complications of relationships.

She has been writing for more than 30 years and despite various dalliances with the more traditional publishing routes, she is now pleased to be an independent author.   She now writes contemporary women's fiction. Love stories with strong, identifiable characters, about family life and relationships

The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing. 

Goodreads - Author Profile   Jan Ruth - Official Author Website    Excerpt from Midnight Sky  

 Jan Ruth - Facebook Profile   Jan Ruth - Twitter

The Cornish House by Liz Fenwick

Paperback: 341 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction
Publisher:  Orion May 2012
Source: The author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
First Sentence: It was nearly eleven and Maddie had been behind the wheel of the car for over eight hours.
Review Quote:  A heart tugging story of loss and recovery. (Fanny Blake WOMAN & HOME 2012-06-01)
My Opinion: An escapist and emotional read.

What a lovely escapist and emotional read this début from Liz Fenwick is, I will definitely be reading her novels again.  Her second novel A Cornish Affair was published in May of this year and she is already writing a third. Personally I find her writing reminiscent of that of  Rosamunde Pilcher a novelist I was a great fan of until her retirement from writing in 2000.

The novel centres around 'Trevenen' the house of the title, as the novel starts the protagonist Maddie a recently widowed artist, arrives to make a home there with her step daughter. Having inherited the property Maddie is hoping that she and Hannah will be able to make a fresh start here. Neglected and rambling the house very soon gets under her skin and she becomes more and more interested in the past generations that have lived there. Her dream of a new life though is fraught with problems, the costs of repairing the house, her lack of inspiration for her art on which she depends for an income and last but not least her relationship with Hannah, which is far from easy. As Maddie and Hannah unravel the secrets of the house and start to settle it also becomes painfully obvious that they may not be able to afford to make it their home after all and may have to sell up.

Consider when you pick this up to read, which if you are a fan of this genre I can recommend, that this is a début novel, from an author that will continue to entertain us as her confidence grows and she becomes bolder in her writing. This is what I am hoping anyway.

I have included links to two interesting videos, neither of which will spoil the novel for you.

The Cornish House - Book Trailer

Liz Fenwick at London Launch of The Cornish House


Author Profile

Liz Fenwick was born in Massachusetts  Growing up in Boston, she discovered early on that her best friends could be books. While waiting on a place for Harvard, she moved to London to see if life looked different from the other side of the Atlantic. It did and she soon fell in love with an Englishman. After nine international moves she now lives in Dubai with her husband and two mad cats. She made her first trip to Cornwall in 1989, and seven years later purchased property there as although she lives in Dubai, her heart is forever in Cornwall, creating new stories.


The biographical information and photo used in this post are with thanks to the following websites, where you can also find more information about the author and her writing. 

Goodreads Author Profile   Twitter - Liz Fenwick   Facebook - Liz Fenwick Author    YouTube - Book Launch

Liz Fenwick Books - Lovereading   Amazon Author Profile  The Cornish House - Book Trailer

Official Author Website - Liz Fenwick


Linking up today with Literary Friday