BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: What Fools We Have Been - Hank Williams

Morecambe Bay, Lancashire: After his father’s death, a son clears out his parents’ house. When he finds a series of haunting photographs of Morecambe Bay, taken by his father towards the end of his life, it sparks a journey through the scattered memories and broken connections of five generations of family history.

Flowing from the vibrant post-war Jewish community of London's east end, to the quiet suburban streets of Stanmore, and back to the Lancashire coast, the story cascades down through each generation’s shifting perspective. A wife appeases her charismatic yet destructive husband; a son reimagines the jigsaw of his mother’s life; a granddaughter tries to heal the traumas of the past.

What Fools We Have Been is an exploration of memory, identity, and the trail of damage left in the wake of wartime trauma. It asks: What is it that makes us who we are? Is it possible to repair the wreckage of the past?

 

What did I think?

What Fools We Have Been is a lovely change of pace from my usual type of book but it is just as compelling.  I loved reading this interesting story from the various points of view with a dual timeline.  It's quite short at 139 pages so it's a quick read, not just because of the page length but also because it is incredibly captivating.

I felt quite nosey looking back over the family history in the book with all of the skeletons bursting out of the closet.  It is so sad when disagreements fracture families and it's really difficult for those caught in the middle of it.  People can be so stubborn and unfortunately, it does need effort from both sides to repair the damage.

I have to share a quote from the book as Hank Williams has perhaps written my favourite phrase ever regarding memories.  When one of the characters is eating something that reminds him of a different time, he says that it tastes good to him because it is "seasoned with memories."  That is such a beautiful phrase and one I will never forget as it is so true.

Beautifully written, nostalgic and enthralling, What Fools We Have Been is a gentle, easy read and a very thought-provoking one.  

I received a gifted hardback for the Love Books Tours bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Hank Williams was born in 1955 in London to Jewish parents. After university, he moved to the north west of England. For most of his career, he has worked as a management development consultant and has published three books on the subject. Since 2002, he has lived on the edge of Morecambe Bay.

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BLOG TOUR: Never Tear Us Apart - Rowan Coleman

A spellbinding tale of love, strength and sacrifice from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Based on the gorgeous island of Malta in WWII, this is a story about the power of fate, and how sometimes, in order to find yourself - and to find love - you must first lose everything else. . .

Fate has brought them together. Will time tear them apart?

2025

Named after a star, war correspondent Maia knows how to find the brightest stories - the tales of survival and strength - hidden amongst the dark realities of combat.

Now, travelling to Malta to visit her estranged father, with one more chance to build a relationship with her last remaining relative, she's here to find her own story: never having found somewhere - or someone - she can call home, she's desperate for answers that might show her where she truly belongs.

But when she arrives on the beautiful mediterranean island, she realises her long-lost family is full of more secrets than she could possibly have imagined. . .

1942

Maia wakes up to find herself on an island under siege, a city in ruins - and knows she must have been sent here for a reason.

Who has she been sent to save? Or is it Maia herself that needs saving? And just when she's finally found what she's been seeking . . . will time separate them forever?

Perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Santa Montefiore and Dinah Jefferies.

 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, Rowan Coleman!  Never Tear Us Apart is an absolutely stunning novel that made my heart ache with love for the characters.  This is a dual timeline like no other and I adored it.

It's so beautifully written with the island of Malta being brought to life both in the present day and in the midst of World War II.  Maia has a foot in both timelines after she has a car accident in 2025 and wakes up in 1942.  It's historical fiction with a hint of fantasy seamlessly woven into the prose so any realists shouldn't be put off by the time travel storyline.

I'm not going to go into the plot for fear of inadvertently giving away any spoilers but it is extremely good.  I tried not to ask myself too many questions whilst I was reading so I could just sit back and enjoy the amazing literary ride.   I'm going to give Rowan Coleman a virtual chef's kiss for this exquisite book. 

Imaginative, emotional and breathtaking, Never Tear Us Apart is an unforgettable and highly original novel that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.  This is one of those books where five stars just doesn't seem enough.  I wanted to read it again the moment I finished it.  Don't miss it!  

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Battle of the Bookshops - Poppy Alexander

A charming literary-themed novel about a young woman determined to save her great-aunt’s beloved bookshop from extinction by the shiny new competition—which also happens to be run by the handsome son of her family’s rivals.

The cute, seaside town of Portneath has been the home of Capelthorne’s Books for nearly a hundred years…

The shop, in the heart of a high street that stretches crookedly down the hill from the castle to the sea, may be a tad run-down these days, but to Jules Capelthorne, the wonky, dusty world of literary treasures is full of precious childhood memories. When her great-aunt Florence gets too frail to run it alone, Jules ditches her junior publishing job in London and comes home to make the bookshop’s hundredth birthday a celebration to remember.

Jules quickly discovers things are worse than she ever imagined: The bookshop is close to bankruptcy, unlikely to make it to its own centenary celebration, and the lease on the building is up for renewal. With a six-figure sum needed, the future looks bleak.

To make matters worse, the owner of the property is the insufferable Roman Montbeau, from the posh, local family who owns half of Portneath. The Montbeaus and Capelthornes have feuded for years, and Roman has clearly not improved since he tormented Jules as a child. Fresh from a high-flying career in New York, he is on a mission to shake things up, and—unforgivably—proves his point about Capelthorne’s being a relic of the past by opening a new bookshop directly opposite—a shiny, plate-glass-windowed emporium of books.

Jules may not be able to splash the cash on promotions and marketing like the Montbeaus, but she’s got some ideas of her own, plus she has a tenacity that may just win the hardest of hearts and the most hopeless of conflicts.

Let the battle of the bookshops commence…

 

What did I think?

Poppy Alexander is back with another fabulous book for book lovers everywhere!  I loved reading The Littlest Library so I was delighted to be back in Middlemass village for more bookish escapades.

It's a fresh and charming take on Romeo and Juliet with a long-standing feud between the Montbeaus and the Capelthornes.  Roman Montbeau and Jules Capelthorne are the latest generation to continue the family feud which is complicated by the fact that they really fancy each other.  Of course they can't admit their feelings as their families are at war!

When Jules' Great Aunt Flo has a fall, Jules returns home from London to help her run the only bookshop in the picturesque town of Portneath.  Roman returns home from New York at the same time but his reason is kept under wraps for a while.  As the pair frequently bump into each other, Jules start to warm to Roman but then he goes and opens a rival bookshop.  Roman's shiny new bookshop is sure to put Capelthorne Books out of business but Jules isn't going to go down without a fight.

Oh this story is simply adorable!  A book about books is always going to appeal to me and The Battle of the Bookshops is outstanding.  I loved the Shakespeare references that are hidden like Easter eggs throughout the book and it's not just Romeo and Juliet ones.  I'm not that familiar with Shakespeare but I noticed quite a few and I loved finding them.

Incredibly romantic and completely charming, The Battle of the Bookshops is an unmissable and unforgettable book.  I will definitely be reading it again as I adored it.  Very highly recommended.  An easy five stars.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Poppy Alexander is the author of The Littlest Library, Storybook Ending, and 25 Days 'til Christmas. She wrote her first book when she was five. There was a long gap in her writing career while she was at school, and after studying classical music at university, she decided the world of music was better off without her and took up public relations, campaigning, political lobbying, and a bit of journalism instead. She takes an anthropological interest in family, friends, and life in her West Sussex village (think The Archers crossed with Twin Peaks), where she lives with her husband, children, and various other pets.

Links:

Website: https://poppy-alexander.com/

Instagram: @poppyalexanderbooks

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When the World Tips Over - Jandy Nelson

Welcome to Paradise Springs, Northern California – a hot, dusty, half-magical, wine-country town where there are so many grapes fermenting at one time, you get drunk from breathing the air; where devil winds blow so hard they whip your sense away. A town where every fairy tale you've ever read could be set...and "home" to the family Falls.

When a strange, enigmatic, rainbow-haired girl shows up in their fantastical hometown, it sends the lives of Fall brothers Wynton and Miles and their sister Dizzy into tumult. With road trips, rivalries, family curses, love stories within love stories within love stories, and sorrows and joys passed from generation to generation, this is the intricate, luminous tale of a family’s complicated past and present. And only in telling their stories can they hope to rewrite their futures.

 

What did I think?

This is my first Jandy Nelson novel but it won't be my last as I absolutely loved it.  I feel like my heart had been put through the wringer as I was constantly expecting the worst but when the world tipped over, there was only joy left in my heart.

This is the story of the Fall family and it is told from various narrators and in such a way that it feels like a fairy tale.  As with all fairy tales there are both good and bad characters and challenges to overcome.  With the various narrators, there are different styles of writing but I loved the different voices that shone through Jandy Nelson's writing.

As with most books like this, each reader will have a favourite strand of the story and, whilst you might wonder why we are exploring the other strands, it all comes together beautifully at the end.  I think this is a book I will read again, now that I know the conclusion, to really appreciate the cleverness of the prose.

Mesmerising, heartwarming and always having the possibility of something magical happening, When the World Tips Over is a highly unusual and completely unique book that has the feel of an instant classic about it.  I can see this being a book that is studied in schools in the future and it deserves every single one of the five stars I have awarded it.

I received a gifted paperback for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Nineteen Steps - Millie Bobby Brown

The debut novel from global star Millie Bobby Brown

Love blooms in the darkest days…

London, 1942.

Despite the raging war, spirited 18-year-old Nellie Morris lives a quiet life in the tight-knit East End community of Bethnal Green. Her family and friends all tease that she will marry air raid warden Billy, the boy next door who’s always been sweet on her.

The arrival of Ray, a handsome American airman stationed nearby, causes Nellie to question everything she thought she knew about her future.

Nellie’s newfound happiness is short-lived when a tragic accident occurs during an air raid. Even the closest family can’t escape the devastation of war, and as the secrets and truth about that fateful night become clear, they threaten to tear Nellie – and those dearest to her – apart.

Inspired by the true events of her family history, Millie Bobby Brown’s dazzling debut novel is a moving tale of longing, loss and secrets, and the lengths that we will go to fight for love.

 

What did I think?

Millie Bobby Brown's debut novel has been written with Kathleen McGurl and it's based around an absolutely tragic event that I had never even heard of, although similar horrific events have happened over the years.  

When I first started reading, I thought it would be a traditional wartime love story with boy meets girl and boy goes to war but Nineteen Steps is so much more than that.  It absolutely devastated me and as hard as it was to read about the horrific tragedy, it's a story that really needed to be told.  I'm not going to reveal what the tragedy was as it would spoil it for other readers but I applaud Millie Bobby Brown for bringing it to light, especially when it is very personal to her.

I absolutely loved Nellie and her whole family.  I feel very fortunate to have never experienced a war on home soil as it must have been so frightening.  Parents, often women on their own as their husband was fighting in the war, had such difficult decisions to make to protect their family, not least whether they should evacuate their children.  

Everyone thinks Nellie will end up marrying Billy the boy next door but fate has other plans for her and American airman Ray is thrust into her life.  It wasn't exactly love at first sight but I loved how their relationship grew, almost cruelly right in front of Billy's eyes.

Haunting, devastating and poignant, Nineteen Steps is a heartachingly beautiful story that will stay with me long after turning the final page.  I was close to tears on several occasions and I had a lump in my throat at the end.  It's well-written, very easy to read and should come with a warning that it may cause tears.  A solid 4.5 stars from me.

I received an ARC for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Wedding Dress Repair Shop - Trisha Ashley

Can her heart be mended too?

Garland Fairford has her dream job as a historical Costumier in London and is engaged to a handsome and successful playwright, Marco.

Whilst working on an exhibition of dresses owned by a Victorian actress, Garland meets a long-lost relative - Honey Fairford. Having no family, Garland is delighted, and intrigued to discover Honey is planning to open a wedding dress museum in Lancashire.

When Garland loses her fiancée and her job in the same week, she is excited to accept Honey's offer to work at the museum. Escaping London, and her old life, Garland is then shocked to be confronted with a ghost from her past - Thom.

As Garland starts to repair the beautiful vintage wedding dresses for the museum, as well as her relationship with Thom, could this finally be the chance for her own happy-ever-after?

 

What did I think?

I am absolutely astonished that The Wedding Dress Repair Shop appears to be the first Trisha Ashley book I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It's incredibly heartwarming and very intriguing with a family mystery to uncover as well as the story of each wedding dress that has been donated to the museum.

Everything is going right for Garland Fairford and she must feel very lucky to have both a job and a fiancé that she loves, but it quickly becomes clear that not everything in Garland's garden is rosy.  Garland's fiancé Marco is a self-centred swearword of a man and I absolutely detested him and his treatment of Garland.  

Luckily for Garland, a distant relative (Honey Fairford) provides her with the perfect escape when her life in London goes pear-shaped.  You might expect from the book title that Garland opens a wedding dress repair shop but she doesn't, she ends up repairing wedding dresses for Honey's new museum.   Garland doesn't have a shop open to the general public so I have to say that I was a little perplexed about the choice of book title, however, it is a wonderful story and the Wedding Dress museum sounds amazing.

I loved the excerpts from Honey and Garland's ancestor's journal that are sprinkled throughout the book.  Rosa-May's story is set in 1815 as her new husband prepares to fight in the Battle of Waterloo and it ties in nicely with the wedding dress museum storyline.  The stories about each wedding dress are so poignant and one particular wedding dress story brought a tear to my eye, I feel emotional now just thinking about it.

Beautifully written and a joy to read, The Wedding Dress Repair Shop is a heartwarming and alluring novel that delighted me from start to finish (even the bits with nasty Marco in).  It may be my first Trisha Ashley book, but it certainly won't be my last - I loved it.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Trisha Ashley's Sunday Times bestselling novels have sold over one million copies in the UK and have twice been shortlisted for the Melissa Nathan award for Romantic Comedy. Every Woman for Herself was nominated by magazine readers as one of the top three romantic novels in the last fifty years.

Trisha lives in North Wales. For more information about her please visit www.Facebook.com/TrishaAshleyBooks or follow her on Twitter @trishaashley.

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Homecoming - Kate Morton

 

Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959. At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek in the grounds of a grand and mysterious mansion, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia.

Sixty years later, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for almost twenty years, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and been raced to the hospital.

At a loose end in Nora's house, Jess does some digging into her past. In Nora's bedroom, she discovers a true crime book, chronicling the police investigation into a long-buried tragedy: the Turner Family Tragedy of Christmas Eve, 1959. It is only when Jess skims through the book that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this once-infamous crime – a crime that has never been truly solved. And for a journalist without a story, a cold case might be the best distraction she can find . . .

An epic novel that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love, and how we protect the lies we tell. It explores the power of motherhood, the corrosive effects of tightly held secrets, and the healing nature of truth.

What did I think?

At 628 pages long, you can see why Homecoming is described as an epic novel and although it might be weighty to hold, it is easy to read.  With a dual timeline set in 1959 and 2018, this is the story of the Turner family and the devastating event in their family history that Nora Turner-Bridges has done her utmost to protect her granddaughter Jess from.

In 1959, the residents of the small town of Tambilla in Australia are preparing for Christmas but this is a Christmas Eve that they will never forget.  Nobody knows what happened to the Turner family that day and it is a mystery that gripped the nation.  Fast forward to 2018 and Jess had no idea that this happened to her ancestors until she found a book about the tragedy.   Through reading excerpts from the book, we, along with Jess, relive that fateful Christmas Eve in 1959.

This really is an epic novel and I think it's absolute genius to have a book within a book to relive the timeline in the past.  I love family secrets so I very quickly found myself immersed in the story and the only reason I had to put the book down was from my arms aching.  I loved the theme of 'home' running throughout the novel, it really made me think about what 'home' means to me.

Beautifully written with a very intriguing mystery at its heart, Homecoming is a compelling novel that swept me away to Australia and I thoroughly enjoyed my virtual visit.  I thought I had it all worked out but this is a multi-faceted mystery with so much to be uncovered.  

I received a beautiful hardback copy for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Leftovers - Cassandra Parkin

 

The Leftovers is a story about sexual power and consent, the myth of the perfect victim, and a dark exploration of the things we do for – and to – the ones we love.

Callie’s life is spent caring for others – for Frey, her client, and for Noah, her brother. When a tragic car accident shatters her family, she’s left alone with her mother Vanessa. Vanessa's favourite child was Noah; Callie's favourite parent was her dad. Now they're stuck with each other - the leftovers of their family - and they'll have to confront the ways they've been hurt, and the ways they've passed that hurt on to others.

What did I think?

I absolutely adore Cassandra Parkin's books so I didn't hesitate in picking up a copy of her new novel, The Leftovers.  The writing is just stunning as the reader is taken on a journey from Callie's grief to her family's past as their relationships are put under the microscope.

Callie is living two lives: caring for her client Frey and caring for her brother Noah.  Frey does not communicate but spends his time doing jigsaws and it was heartbreaking to see him trapped inside his body, unable to say when he was scared or unhappy.  Noah's issues are more volatile as he is unable to distinguish between reality and imagination so he needs constant care, which Callie shares with her dad.  Callie's mother left many years ago and it's been no loss to Callie as she has always known that her mother doesn't love her.

The relationship between Callie and her mother Vanessa is incredibly intriguing as we read flashbacks of the past.  You just know that there's something not right there as Vanessa showers all her love on Noah whilst Callie is treated with cool indifference.  Families are complicated and it all becomes clear as layer upon layer of the past is revealed.

The storyline is breathtaking and I have to say that I was almost screaming out loud 'no, no, no' at more than one point.  I was completely addicted to the book though, so as much as I wanted to look away I was completely powerless to resist.  Part of the novel is set during the Covid-19 pandemic and I could barely stop myself from crying when Frey and his sister finally saw each other again.  Lockdown must have been so confusing for people in care and it breaks my heart just thinking about it again now.  It's such wonderful writing from Cassandra Parkin to get this point across sensitively yet strongly.

Dark, disturbing and haunting, The Leftovers is so beautifully written that it will stay with me for a very long time.  A stunning read and highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Mirrorland - Carole Johnstone

I read Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone in 2020 but I am delighted to repost my review today as part of The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour.  

Twelve years ago my life began again.

But it was a lie.

With the startling twists of Gone Girl and the haunting emotional power of Room, Mirrorland is the story of twin sisters, the man they both love, and the dark childhood they can’t leave behind.

Cat lives in Los Angeles, about as far away as she can get from her estranged twin sister El and No. 36 Westeryk Road, the imposing gothic house in Edinburgh where they grew up. As girls, they invented Mirrorland, a dark, imaginary place under the pantry stairs full of pirates, witches, and clowns. These days Cat rarely thinks about their childhood home, or the fact that El now lives there with her husband Ross.

But when El mysteriously disappears after going out on her sailboat, Cat is forced to return to the grand old house, which has scarcely changed in twenty years. No. 36 Westeryk Road is still full of shadowy, hidden corners, and at every turn Cat finds herself stumbling on long-held secrets and terrifying ghosts from the past. Because someone—El?—has left Cat clues all over the house: a treasure hunt that leads right back to Mirrorland, where she knows the truth lies crouched and waiting…

A sharply crafted mystery about love and betrayal, redemption and revenge, Mirrorland is a propulsive, page-turning debut about the power of imagination and the price of freedom. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Ruth Ware, and Daphne du Maurier.

What did I think?

I was so very intrigued by the synopsis of Mirrorland that I just had to read it.  What wonderful ingredients Carole Johnstone has chosen: twin girls, a creepy house in Edinburgh, a fantasy land hidden under the house and now a missing twin.  Buckle yourself in for the rollercoaster ride that is Mirrorland.  

It's impossible to work out what is real and what is fantasy in Mirrorland, so you just have to go with the flow.  El and Cat are rare mirror twins who live with their mother and grandfather in a grand old house in Edinburgh.  Almost like going through the wardrobe to Narnia, they have a fantasy world beneath their house where they can sail the high seas or spend time in the wild west.  It sounds like great fun but El and Cat are so firmly ensconced in Mirrorland that even many years later, they no longer know what or who is real.

Cat and El have been estranged for many years (and the story behind this is brilliant) but Cat returns to the creepy old house when El disappears.  The police and El's husband are convinced that she is dead but Cat firmly believes that El is alive and sending her messages.  Messages that force Cat to confront the dark and dirty truth about Mirrorland and the secrets that have been buried deep inside her.

Mirrorland is a highly imaginative, twisty debut from Carole Johnstone.  It takes so many unexpected twists and turns that you really don't know what direction it is heading in.  Even if you work some of it out, there is so much going on that it's impossible to guess every single little thing.  It's a lot darker than I imagined it would be but it's a very compelling read so once it draws you in, it's impossible to put down.  

Creepy, dark and disturbing; Mirrorland is a most unusual and highly inventive debut.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Carole Johnstone is an award-winning writer from Scotland, whose short stories have been published all over the world. Mirrorland, a psychological suspense with a gothic twist, is her debut novel.

Having grown up in Lanarkshire, she now lives in the beautiful Argyll & Bute, and is currently working on her second novel: a very unusual murder-mystery, set in the equally beautiful Outer Hebrides.

Twitter: @C_L_Johnstone

Instagram: @carole_l_johnstone 

Facebook: @CaroleJohnstoneWriter

Great Circle - Maggie Shipstead

 

I WAS BORN TO BE A WANDERER

From the night she is rescued as a baby out of the flames of a sinking ship; to the day she joins a pair of daredevil pilots looping and diving over the rugged forests of her childhood, to the thrill of flying Spitfires during the war, the life of Marian Graves has always been marked by a lust for freedom and danger.

In 1950, she embarks on the great circle flight, circumnavigating the globe. It is Marian's life dream and her final journey, before she disappears without a trace.

Half a century later, Hadley Baxter, a brilliant, troubled Hollywood starlet is irresistibly drawn to play Marian Graves, a role that will lead her to probe the deepest mysteries of the vanished pilot's life.

An enthralling journey over oceans and continents and a drama of exhilarating power, GREAT CIRCLE is perfect for book clubs and fans of William Boyd and Donna Tartt.

What did I think?

I had to stop and gather my thoughts before writing my review of Great Circle as it's quite a chunky book with a lot to take in.  It's quite dry in places, as historical fiction often is, but I think it is well worth persevering with if you find you're struggling.  With a wonderful map in the opening pages, this is the story of female pilot Marian Graves and her mysterious disappearance which later becomes the subject of a Hollywood movie.

Although it did manage to hold my interest throughout, the book has its peaks and troughs.  The beginning is breathtaking as we are introduced to Marian and her twin brother Jamie in incredibly difficult circumstances which sees them cruelly separated from their parents.  I enjoyed watching the twins growing up, or dragging themselves up as their uncle doesn't put himself out for them.  Marian and Jamie are perfect opposites: Marian is an adventurer and risk taker whilst Jamie is artistic and compassionate.

Hadley is the actress who has landed the role of Marian in a film and to be honest I found Hadley to be selfish and shallow, however, I think these characteristics could apply to many in the film industry as it's such a cutthroat business.  I never really warmed to Hadley despite seeing the seedier side of movie making and what she is forced to do to get a starring role.  It all felt rather flat and I didn't look forward to Hadley's chapters at all.  Talking of Hadley's chapters, hers are numbered whereas Marian's are not and I found that having several chapters between numbered chapters really interrupted my reading rhythm.  I am very particular about numbers so this was probably only annoying to me.

Marian's compulsion to fly is beautifully portrayed.  Needing to fly higher, faster and farther is a complete addiction for her; like an alcoholic needing just one more drink, Marian will never be able to slake her thirst for flying.  I don't think she was looking for fame, she really was born to be a wanderer.  Jamie's story is beautifully written too; he is definitely my favourite character and I experienced a wealth of emotions as his story played out.

Whilst Hadley brings authenticity to Marian's story, Marian is a fictional character but there are some real life heroines mentioned in the book.  I didn't realise that there were so many women pilots during WW2 as I raced off to google Jackie Cochran.  I love books that lead me to discover fascinating facts and I can't believe that I hadn't heard of Jacqueline Cochran before.

I could write so much more about the book as there is a lot covered but it's well worth discovering these elements for yourself.  Filled with adventure, Great Circle is an epic historical fiction novel spanning both decades and the globe.  I'm really glad that I read it.  

I received a gifted copy as part of a Tandem Collective Readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Ash Museum - Rebecca Smith

 

1944. The Battle of Kohima. James Ash dies leaving behind two families: his ‘wife’ Josmi and two children, Jay and Molly, and his parents and sister in England who know nothing about his Indian family.

2012. Emmie is raising her own daughter, Jasmine, in a world she wants to be very different from the racist England of her childhood. Her father, Jay, doesn’t even have a photograph of the mother he lost and still refuses to discuss his life in India. Emmie finds comfort in the local museum – a treasure trove of another family’s stories and artefacts.

Little does Emmie know that with each generation, her own story holds secrets and fascinations that she could only dream of.

Through ten decades and across three continents, The Ash Museum is an intergenerational story of loss, migration and the search for somewhere to feel at home.

What did I think?

This beautiful book is so unusual; I absolutely love the format of each chapter revealing a story behind an exhibit in the museum.  With images of buttons you could press to see and hear additional things if you were physically there, it really does feel as if you're browsing treasured items behind a glass case but it's the stories behind them that hold the magic.

I thought it would annoy me that the story isn't told chronologically but I barely noticed it jumping from 1970s to 1910s, then 1980s to 1930s and so forth as I was too busy gobbling up every piece of this wonderful story.  It's actually quite shocking to see racism being so prevalent in each particular decade; without a thought for the person they were hurting, it was quite acceptable to highlight people's differences.  Of course, prejudice isn't just about the colour of your skin as those who are fat, short-sighted, ginger or in any way different don't escape the poisonous venom of cruel kids at school and I can't imagine that has changed much over the years.

This is the story of the Ash family, from James Ash who managed a tea plantation in India in the 1940s to Jassie Ash his great-granddaughter in England in the new millennium.  It is James' son Jay and Jay's daughter Emmie who stole my heart though.  Jay was so cruelly taken away from his mother, along with his sister Molly who didn't really count as she's a girl (shocking), and I think that's why he's such a good father to Emmie.  Jay showers Emmie with all of the love and support he missed out on and she becomes a strong, independent woman who I considered a friend as the novel progressed.

I really can't begin to tell you how amazing this book is; it's written so beautifully and filled with so much nostalgia that it had me casting my mind over my own life.  I remembered things I had forgotten, such as my Dad singing 'Your Tiny Hand is Frozen' when I was a child and the cute little denim jeans purses that were the must have accessory of the 1980s - I had a matching bag too!

Nostalgic, thought-provoking and incredibly touching, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to The Ash Museum and I'm sure the gift shop will be well stocked with packets of tissues as I certainly needed a few while I was reading.  It's such a beautiful, unusual book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I received an ARC from the publisher to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Rebecca Smith was born in London and grew up in rural Surrey. From 2009 – 2010 she was the writer in residence at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire. The Ash Museum was inspired by her time there and by being left hundreds of old family photographs and letters.

Twitter: @RMSmithAuthor

IG: rebeccamarysmith7

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