Hardback: 340 pages
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: July 2025 HQ
Source: Tywyn Public Library
First Sentence: The music pulsed out of the darkness, a siren call pulling her to Walnut Tree Island.
Review Quote: 'Full of rich characters and an enchanting setting, this is a gorgeous read' Fabulous
My Opinion:
Georgina Moore's second novel 'River of Stars' published last year is inspired by her life living on a houseboat moored on an island in the River Thames near London.
A family saga that feels realistic as the reader is introduced to a group of residents that are part of a small island community. The main characters are members of the Star family, Mary an older lady now the matriarch, her daughter Ruby and granddaughter Jo. Their family history is interweaved with the Greenwood family owners of the island. When the grandson returns after many years away, to consider selling the island after his father's recent death, emotions run high. Everything about island life becomes complicated as the past tangles with the present.
A character driven atmospheric read that brings alive the bohemian life style of the island residents. The wonderful descriptions of the nature on the island also adds to the pleasurable reading experience.
Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:
A stunning new novel exploring the lives and secrets of a group of residents of an island in the Thames
Walnut Tree Island is home to artists, dreamers, lovers and heartbreakers. Life is different slow, languorous and always communal, with every evening offering a new opportunity to gather at a neighbour's houseboat over a glass of wine.
But when a former resident reappears after nearly two decades away, the islanders are thrown into a frenzy as they wonder what plans their new landlord has in store for them.
And for Jo, an artist who long ago lost her muse, his return reopens the wounds of a love she thought was gone forever…
Previous Review: The Garnett Girls
Author Profile
Courtesy of Goodreads
Georgina Moore grew up in London and lives on a houseboat on the River Thames with her partner, two children and Bomber, the Border Terrier. The Garnett Girls was her first novel and is set on the Isle of Wight, where Georgina and her family have a holiday houseboat called Sturdy. Georgina's second novel River of Stars published in 2025 is inspired by her life on the river but also by the musical heritage and artistic community of an island upstream from her called Eel Pie Island.
Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites: