I've just finished this book and it made me cry (in a good way!). I read a LOT of novels, but this one has to be in the top 10% for me, and that's saying something since it's not even from one of my favourite genres.
One of the book's reviewers, Sid Evens, says "Valerie Luesse has a profound gift for storytelling" and he is spot on. This book is an absolute gem. In just one volume are the stories of three couples: Jessie and Anna, Reed and Daisy, and Si and Dolly. The first four all arrive at Si and Dolly's family home with various troubles on each of their shoulders. Si and Dolly have lived in their family home for years, and have opened it as a boarding house in order to try to make ends meet.
Jessie and Anna arrive barely speaking, their marriage strained and their future uncertain. Daisy is a young widow, and Reed an injured veteran returning from the war with severe injuries and PTSD. And underneath all of the stories runs the question of what happened to a bride who is rumoured to have disappeared immediately after her wedding a century before.
The stories are told absolutely beautifully. Jessie and Anna's story is told first, with that of Reed and Daisy following. Their emotions, hurts, and struggles are so well described and totally believable, but for me Reed and Daisy's story was the more powerfully impactful on me as a reader. Their individual struggles are so well told and Reed's PTSD is graphically portrayed, The scene in the church during the funeral is cleverly and sensitively described, and is a neat and very believable twist on things. Their romance is beautifully developed, and the end of chapter 40 is PERFECT! The friendships between everyone, and especially that of Anna and Daisy, are lovely to read.
Throughout, the story of Catherine, the bride for 100 years prior, is interwoven in a wonderful way. The pauses in her story work very well indeed.
This book is one I was really, REALLY sorry to finish, because it was an absolutely wonderful read. I miss the characters in it as though they were my friends, and I'd love to hear more about them if Valerie should ever write a sequel.
A full on five star read!
Publication Date (UK) April 2019. 9780800729639, paperback, £8.99
One of the book's reviewers, Sid Evens, says "Valerie Luesse has a profound gift for storytelling" and he is spot on. This book is an absolute gem. In just one volume are the stories of three couples: Jessie and Anna, Reed and Daisy, and Si and Dolly. The first four all arrive at Si and Dolly's family home with various troubles on each of their shoulders. Si and Dolly have lived in their family home for years, and have opened it as a boarding house in order to try to make ends meet.
Jessie and Anna arrive barely speaking, their marriage strained and their future uncertain. Daisy is a young widow, and Reed an injured veteran returning from the war with severe injuries and PTSD. And underneath all of the stories runs the question of what happened to a bride who is rumoured to have disappeared immediately after her wedding a century before.
The stories are told absolutely beautifully. Jessie and Anna's story is told first, with that of Reed and Daisy following. Their emotions, hurts, and struggles are so well described and totally believable, but for me Reed and Daisy's story was the more powerfully impactful on me as a reader. Their individual struggles are so well told and Reed's PTSD is graphically portrayed, The scene in the church during the funeral is cleverly and sensitively described, and is a neat and very believable twist on things. Their romance is beautifully developed, and the end of chapter 40 is PERFECT! The friendships between everyone, and especially that of Anna and Daisy, are lovely to read.
Throughout, the story of Catherine, the bride for 100 years prior, is interwoven in a wonderful way. The pauses in her story work very well indeed.
This book is one I was really, REALLY sorry to finish, because it was an absolutely wonderful read. I miss the characters in it as though they were my friends, and I'd love to hear more about them if Valerie should ever write a sequel.
A full on five star read!
Publication Date (UK) April 2019. 9780800729639, paperback, £8.99
