Archive | July 2016

Change Of Heart by Rachel J Good

Jul19

A Clear Conscience

ChangeChange Of Heart by Rachel J Good is a contemporary Amish romance and the first in the Sisters And Friends series. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for the subsequent books.

Rachel Good explores what happens when the Amish and Englisch worlds collide. The reader finds it easy to empathise with both sides of the same coin from the Amish viewpoint.

The life of the Amish is laid out in the novel and there is much to recommend it. God is very much at the heart. Lydia has to decide whether to put God first in her life. To put Him above her family, friends and her own desires. “Sometimes the pull of the world is strong. But the pull of God is stronger.” Continue reading →

Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Jul17

Regrets

Truly Madly GuiltyTruly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty is a contemporary novel set in Australia. I found it took me a while to get into the story but once in, I became immersed.

The novel is a study in suburban life for three very different families. Their lives all pivot on an event and nothing is quite the same again. Liane Moriarty has the reader guessing what happened as the action moves backwards and forwards between present day and a BBQ weeks earlier. I kept trying to guess the main event but failed miserably.

Liane Moriarty shows how different people react differently to the same event. They all witness it in a unique way. They are all united by the fact that they all have guilt and regrets from the youngest to the oldest. The novel explores how they all deal with this.

Continue reading →

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Jul16

Coming Home

lisaI Found You by Lisa Jewell is a contemporary novel and I really enjoyed it.

The storyline is intricate as the action moves backwards and forwards between 1993 and present day. The story is told in the third person from various viewpoints but it is not confusing.

I Found You is a compulsive read. It is a sad read but it is also a hopeful read. We cannot change the past but we can always enter the future with hope.

The novel really sank deep into my soul. It’s main theme was searching. Searching for a lost memory. Searching for a family. Searching for the truth. The reader really gets caught up in the search. The main character is lost and likeable. The reader really wants a good outcome. I found myself trying to guess the ending but failed! It was a very clever storyline.

Continue reading →

The Secret Life Of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain

Jul13

A Legacy Of Love

CeeCeeThe Secret Life Of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain is a contemporary novel which I thoroughly enjoyed. I had heard nothing but good reports about Diane Chamberlain’s novels and this was my first delve into her writings – and wow what a story it was! I shall certainly be reading more by her.

There are many themes within the novel and a major one is regret. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. None of us can change the past but we can learn from it. “You can use your past to fuel your future.”

Linked to regret is the theme of forgiveness. If someone has hurt us, we may have the desire to ‘make them pay.’ Forgiving is not easy but living with hurt and bitterness that eats you up is worse.

Continue reading →