Tag Archive | Aria Fiction

The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner

Feb11

Across The Years

The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner is a fabulous dual timeline novel that I really enjoyed.

The action is set in Paris during World War II and in New York City in 2012. We hear the war years through the voice of a young girl and in the first person. In 2012 the action is seen through a great niece clearing out her great aunt’s apartment. It is in the third person. The chapters alternate. We hear the great aunt’s experiences through a notebook.

The novel is about loss. “The grief… feels as if it could drown her.” With loss comes guilt. Both lead characters are consumed. They need to learn to forgive themselves. “What if I don’t deserve to be forgiven?” Everyone deserves forgiveness. “We’re always toughest on ourselves… It’s easier to be nice to other people.” We need to extend grace to ourselves as well as others.

Some friendships bring out the best in each other. “My friendship… made me believe anything was possible.” Some people just spread joy wherever they go. “If you want to change the world… just make it a little more beautiful.”

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Christmas At The Board Game Cafe by Jennifer Page

Nov5

Imperfectly Perfect

Christmas At The Board Game Café by Jennifer Page is a most delightful Christmas contemporary novel that will warm your heart and leave you smiling. It is the fourth book in The Board Game Café series but can be read as a stand-alone.

This is the perfect book to read in the lead up to Christmas. It will get you in the mood for the festive season. This really is Christmas in a book.

Two Yorkshire villages are the delightful setting. As summer has given way to autumn, the tourists have dropped off. Something needs to be done to attract the visitors back again – enter the Advent Calendar Trail. What is it? Read the book and immerse yourself in the action. It educates, it stirs memories and it is downright hilarious. The scene with the baubles makes me snigger even now!

All the characters were well drawn, likable and believable. They offer a warm welcome to all, including the reader.

We see how the loneliest place can be amongst friends who are all couples, when you are single. It feels like being on the outside looking in. Christmas is a time that some people dread.

A character has struggled with loneliness for years. “Staying busy… keeping the loneliness at bay.” Sooner or later the busyness has to stop or we risk burn-out. Being single has been a way of protecting a heart from hurt but it is a heart that isn’t cherished due to the walls that have been erected around it.

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Second Chances At The Board Game Cafe by Jennifer Page

Jun13

The Spirit Of Generosity

Second Chances At The Board Game Café by Jennifer Page is the most charming, contemporary read that warmed my heart.

Just once in a while, a book comes along that as soon as you start it, you just know that it is going to wrap around you like a warm blanket, leaving you feeling loved – Second Chances At The Board Game Café is one such book.

Everything between the pages delighted me. I chose to read the book because it is set in Yorkshire – my favourite place in the whole world. I thought that it could not get any better – but it did! Not only set in Yorkshire but the 1970 film The Railway Children, one of my favourite films, was continually referenced. And then to top it all off, Haworth, my favourite place to visit, was mentioned. This book was just made for me!

Second Chances At The Board Game Café is a book to savor, to keep, and to prompt you to buy the other two books in the series! I just cannot get enough of this book! I certainly hope there will be many more in the series.

All the characters were delightfully drawn and easy to empathise with. Max, who was in year four, brought out my mothering instincts. He has autism. Jennifer Page has perfectly captured Max with his mannerisms, fears and dislike of change. Likewise, leading character Harry also has autistic traits. Despite their age difference, Max and Harry understand and support each other as they navigate life.

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The Women Who Wouldn’t Leave by Victoria Scott

Aug3

Delightful

The Women Who Wouldn’t Leave by Victoria Scott is a delightful contemporary novel that made me smile.

It is a novel about friendship, love and community as a group of neighbours come together to fight the authorities for what is theirs. The community pull together.

Over the years the neighbours exchanged polite greetings but as needs are identified, friendships begin and isolated lives begin to open up.

You never know what private battles people are fighting. Some residents have hidden secrets for years. They feel safer hiding from the world. If they do not let others in, they cannot be hurt – but we all need friends.

Animals and being in nature promote healing. The animals offer pure love, expecting nothing in return.

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