Archive | November 2022

Whispers Through Time by Joni Scott

Nov16

A Brave New World

Whispers Through Time by Joni Scott is a fascinating dual timeline novel that grabs the reader’s attention from the start.

The novel is a fictional tale woven around the author’s grandmother’s early life. It began as research with Ancestry, just names and dates. The author wanted to fill in the bare bones of a life.

All the action is set between 1905-1912 and 2014-2016. The two time periods alternate as we see the research in relatively present day, and the story of a life in the past.

Britain in 1905 was teetering on the edge of a brave new world. The old Queen was dead and new inventions would soon catapult all into the modern world. Unfortunately, the world would soon tip into the war to end all wars (but didn’t).

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Finding Friends On Beamer Street by Sheila Riley

Nov16

With Love And Laughter

Finding Friends On Beamer Street by Sheila Riley is a wonderful historical novel set in Liverpool in 1921.

The leading lady is admirable and likable. Fresh off the boat from Ireland, she possesses a strength of character and has a will to succeed. She will stand her ground against anyone.

Dreams are important. We all need something to strive for. The reader admires the lead character who does not let set backs hold her back. She uses them as stepping stones towards her goals.

A character is drowning in guilt. An event in the past has a stranglehold as a character continues to punish themselves by denying themselves anything but the basics.

Only a few years after the first world war has ended means life is tough for those who lost husbands and fathers. They could let grief pull them down but instead they live and love and laugh. The wonderful feeling of love and care radiates from the pages.

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Christmas In Bellbird Bay by Maggie Christensen

Nov14

Second Chances

Christmas In Bellbird Bay by Maggie Christensen is a beautiful contemporary heartwarming novel that will make you smile. It is the fourth book in the Bellbird Bay series but can be read as a stand-alone.

All the characters were well drawn, lovable and realistic. I loved the inclusion of a dog who definitely turns a house into a home. There was a beautiful bond between a grandmother and her granddaughter whose youthful enthusiasm was infectious.

I loved the fact that the lead characters were in their fifties. As they entered the latter years of their lives, their outlook was still young as they grabbed life with both hands.

Life is for living. Both lead characters had suffered loss. Grief is not something you ‘get over’ but something you have to adapt to and live with.

We see a marriage on the rocks and also hear of an abusive marriage in the past. There are second chances to be seized, bitterness cast aside and life to be lived again.

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The Widow by Valerie Keogh

Nov13

Totally Gripping

The Widow by Valerie Keogh is a totally gripping contemporary psychological thriller that I could not put down.

As the novel opens we ‘hear’ the perpetrator but do not know who it is. Throughout the novel this voice is interspersed with the narrative. We learn of the motivation for past actions as we cling on to the roller coaster ride into the future.

We witness the damage and devastation that ambition can do. It is a terrible master. When pound signs dangle in front of eyes, actions will never be good.

There is the motif of prisons. Many characters, though physically free, have been imprisoned mentally for years. They walled themselves up brick by brick.

On the opposite side of the coin, there is love. The book is ultimately a search to be loved and to belong. Isolation may protect but love is far better.

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