Many years ago someone gave me a copy of this author’s novel, The Men and the Girls. I truly enjoyed it. From that beginning I have gone on to read many of Ms. Trollope’s books.
In this novel, the titular parents, Monica and Gus, left their family in England to move to Spain many years ago. They established a winery and a life there. Gus was the dominant partner but Monica also loved things about Spain, especially watching the day begin while she sipped her tea. This couple’s life changes dramatically when Gus has a stroke.
Gus and Monica have three adult children, Sebastian, Katie and Jake. Each has their own partner, children and issues. As though the lives of the three were not already complex, now they have to figure out how their love and sense of responsibility for their parents will change their lives. There are many choices to be made as the characters evolve.
I enjoyed this book and became absorbed in the lives of the characters. Although not a main character, one of Katie’s children self harms. There is some helpful information about this condition in the novel. Marta and other characters reflect the reality that life is generally filled with some better and some more challenging times.
For readers who are fans of high quality women’s fiction, this title is highly recommended. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
This book will be welcomed by those who are interested in deepening their spiritual life. It is clearly a Christian title. For each day, there is a biblical passage, a short personal reflection and several prompts with space to fill in one’s thoughts. Those who regularly read publications from Our Daily Bread should enjoy this title and find it to be helpful.
I really liked Anne Lamott’s book. There are some other good choices here as well. Enjoy.
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Looking at the photos in this baking book makes me hungry! Following a section on tools and ingredients there are special sections on things like how to work with dough, how to pipe and more. The recipes are seasonally organized with an additional section on special occasion recipes. The end of the book includes measurement conversions and resources. In terms of the recipes, how about chocolate hazelnut bread pudding or pink lemonade bars or pumpkin swirl brownies or hot cocoa cupcakes? The special section includes a recipe for an Italian cream wedding cake and peanut butter chocolate graduation caps, among others. My only complaint…I wish that there had been even more illustrations.
This is such a beautiful book with its quite appealing and colorful illustrations. There is so much that can be learned about birds in this short title. There is everything from details about the appearance of birds in terms of their features, to their homes, to making a bird feeder. There are also chapters on birds in the different seasons. Credit is given for the hard work that birds do including eating insects and pollinating flowers. There are also tips for bird watching. This book would make a welcome gift to a young nature lover in your life.
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 