Archive | July 2019

The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay

Jul28

Sharing Stories, Sharing Lives

The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay is the most delightful contemporary novel about love and friendship and life. It is an exploration of what it means to be a woman as described in Proverbs 31.

Once in a while there comes along a life that touches everyone and leaves them smiling. “Maddie left her mark on the heart of everyone.” The reader never meets Maddie but we feel that we know her because we see her through the eyes of others.

The novel is about good hearts. Some good hearts are present at the start. Others are revealed layer by layer.

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Cross My Heart by Robin Lee Hatcher

Jul28

Hope Lives Here

Cross My Heart by Robin Lee Hatcher is a most delightful dual timeline Christian novel about love and the heart of God. It is the second book in the Legacy Of Faith series but can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed catching up with familiar faces.

The story spans present day and the World War II years. In both the characters trust God to see them through all the stages of life.

Prayer is important. “Our prayers never go unanswered, even when things don’t turn out the way we expected.” God answers our prayers in His way and in His timing. Prayers are our lifeline. Lives are altered through prayer.

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Her Last Promise by Kathryn Hughes

Jul27

The Greatest Gift Of All

Her Last Promise by Kathryn Hughes – wow, there are some books that you never want to end, and this is one such book. Her Last Promise is a contemporary novel that also travels back to 1978. It is a book about a search – a search for a love that never died and never gave up hope.

The characters created by Kathryn Hughes were a marvellous mix. For me, I ‘lived’ through the novel as the character of Tara – I ‘loved’ where she loved, I ‘lost’ where she lost and I ‘searched’ with her. The character of Tara lodged in my heart and soul. I really connected with her. Now the novel is ended I feel like a part of me dwells forever in the book.

Kathryn Hughes truly is a masterful storyteller. She has woven a tale from several points of view into one wonderful whole. She both entertained me and toyed with my emotions. I really feel like I have been through the wringer.

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Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie

Jul27

Survivors

Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie is a powerful novel about community and tragedy. It is set in London in 1996 but has its roots in Bijlmer, Amsterdam 1992 and the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Nightingale Point is a high rise block of flats. It is a cosmopolitan place where people from many varied backgrounds live. Their lives intersect on a daily basis.

There is a defining day – a day when everything changes. There will forever be a ‘before’ and ‘after’ in the lives of the residents. Those who witnessed this day will never be the same again. Memories and nightmares will haunt them as they relive what cannot be changed.

For some there are near misses. For others there are deep tragedies. For all there are lives changed forever one fatal day in 1996.

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