In mid-winter, especially this year(!), we could all do with a bit of light relief and this is a perfect book for escaping the winter and the pandemic... In Springtime at Hope Hall, the latest of Pam Rhodes’ novels, her ability to capture people and their quirks is perfectly demonstrated. We meet Ray and his terminally ill wife Sara, the irrepressible Shirley, the ladies from the Grown-up’s lunch club who include the formidable and cantankerous Ida and the members of the Can’t Sing Singers, a group thrown out of St Mark’s choir by the new musical director as not being good enough! We learn about Kath, the manager of Hope Hall and Maggie, the catering manager whose soon to be ex-husband is the villain of the story.
Throughout, the characterisation is brilliant. I think any reader would recognise some of the folk portrayed in this enchanting novel. There were a number of moments where I laughed out loud, and some which made me angry! Then there was the tension of what would happen with Claire and Gary.
An easy and highly enjoyable read which nonetheless has depth and meaning. I’m already looking forward to the next book about Hope Hall.
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