The Heart of Winter – Emma Hannigan

Contemporary Fiction
3*’s

Having enjoyed Emma Hannigan’s previous book The Summer Guest I was delighted to be offered a copy of The Heart of Winter. Only on finishing the book did I realise that the Craig family previously appeared in Driving Home for Christmas which was published last year. Although this is a perfectly good read as a stand-alone book I think the early chapters would have read a little smoother if the author hadn’t had to try so hard to cement the characters personalities to allow for those of us who hadn’t already met them.

The Craig family are in the final stages of turning the family country house, Huntersbrook, into a party venue, the whole family has pulled together to keep the house in the family, well nearly the whole family as Pippa the youngest daughter of Holly and Paddy focus is on partying her way through life and leaving others to do the hard work.

Lainey the eldest daughter lives close to her parents with her husband Matt and father-in-law Jacob but it’s clear that she feels that she was hard-done because Holly had suffered from post-natal depression after she was born and she was cared for by her Grandmother Maggie while she recovered. Following Maggie’s death Lainey has thrown herself into the family project as well as looking after her young son Ely.

Joey is the only son and very ambitious, he and his girlfriend Skye are also working hard to get the house ready for its first guests but when Joey gets a promotion he seems to think Skye should change to reflect his new role. He didn’t really impress me very much!

The plot is fairly predictable, with many family dramas including those of the old family retainer Sadie, who at eighty years old is still running after the younger members of the family, whipping up food at the drop of a hat or babysitting little Ely, a real marvel! This is a book about family relationships so there are moments of tension that are eased by a few well-chosen words which put the world to rights. The story is told in alternate chapters by Lainey, Joey and Pippa which is easy to follow as each chapter is headed by the character involved and has the added bonus of giving glimpses of their lives away from Huntersbrook.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as The Summer Guest mainly because many of the characters appeared a little flat, possibly because there were so many of them. Of the three children, the only one with any spark was Pippa, and as a consequence her story was by far the most interesting of the three. Lainey was just a bit too whiney in her constant harping back to her childhood while Joey came across as a bit of a jerk who did little except think a lot of himself. As family dramas go this is a heart-warming read which serves to underline the importance of family especially during the bittersweet ending.

I’d like to thank the publishers, Headline, who gave me a copy of this book through Bookbridgr in return for this honest review.

WWW Wednesday (November 5)

Hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

I am currently reading The Heart of Winter by Emma Hannigan chosen because I enjoyed her previous book The Summer Guest

Blurb

Holly Craig’s family have lived happily in Huntersbrook for generations but when times grow hard, even she must admit defeat and sell off their once-successful stables.
The three Craig children, Lainey, Joey and Pippa find themselves locked in a fight to keep their beloved Huntersbrook; dare they transform it into one of Ireland’s most sought after countryside venues?
Renovation work is well underway when life rears its ugly head and everything stops in its tracks. The Craig family is forced to reassess what matters and although they no longer live at Huntersbrook, can the house work its magic even so … and lead them into the light once more? Bookbridgr

I have just finished Hello From The Gillespies by Monica McInerney the tale of Angela Gillespie who after sending thirty-three years worth of cheery Christmas missive is feeling downcast and writes an honest letter detailing all that is wrong with her life. When husband Nick sends it to the 100 recipients the fall-out is massive…

Click on the book cover to read my review

Next I am going to read Interlude by Rupert Smith

Blurb

A compelling examination of how secrets can tear one family apart and reverberate down the generations. Helen has always known her grandfather was a famous author, but her parents had severed connections with him whilst she was still young. After embarking on a whirlwind affair she decides to visit her reclusive grandfather and sets in motion a change that will have devastating consequences and reveal long hidden mysteries. A look at not just the treachery of family secrets but of how truth can be buried within a text and how society imposes limits on love. Amazon

What are you reading this week?

Friday Finds (October 17)

Hosted by Should be Reading

FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

So, come on — share with us your FRIDAY FINDS

This week I have two novella’s by Lisa Unger, first up is The Whispers

Blurb

It’s a day like any other for Eloise Montgomery—until tragedy strikes. While she is recovering from a horrible accident that takes the lives of her husband and oldest daughter, and as she works to help her younger daughter move forward, Eloise experiences her first psychic vision. Though she struggles to understand her newfound gifts, Eloise finds a way use them to save lost women and girls—for whom her help may be the only way out…NetGalley

and the second being The Burning Girl

Blurb

Ten years after Eloise Montgomery discovers her psychic abilities, she is a full-fledged working psychic, with a partner and a business. Now, in The Burning Girl, she’s discovering some disturbing things: secrets about her genealogy that are, perhaps, best left in the past; that her granddaughter Finley has powers of her own; and that not all of Eloise’s visitors actually want to be helped. Some of them are just looking for trouble… NetGalley

I also have a copy of The Soul of Discretion by Susan Hill which is the eighth in the Simon Serrailler series, I think I read one and two some years ago! I know I swore I wouldn’t join series part-way in but I weakened…

I’ve also got a copy of The Heart of Winter by Emma Hannigan after enjoying the author’s previous book The Summer Guest which I read earlier this year.

 

Blurb

Holly Craig’s family have lived happily in Huntersbrook for generations but when times grow hard, even she must admit defeat and sell off their once-successful stables.
The three Craig children, Lainey, Joey and Pippa find themselves locked in a fight to keep their beloved Huntersbrook; dare they transform it into one of Ireland’s most sought after countryside venues?
Renovation work is well underway when life rears its ugly head and everything stops in its tracks. The Craig family is forced to reassess what matters and although they no longer live at Huntersbrook, can the house work its magic even so … and lead them into the light once more? Goodreads

and lastly I have a copy of Interlude by Rupert Smith

Blurb

A compelling examination of how secrets can tear one family apart; the tale moves from the repressed society of 1930s England where the consequences of two men s actions still reverberate through their families in the present day. Bored housewife and mother Helen has always known her grandfather Edward was a famous author, but her parents had severed connection with him whilst she was still young, refusing to discuss the matter. After embarking on a whirlwind affair with her writing tutor, Helen decides to visit her reclusive grandfather and discover more about the identity of the mysterious Rose in his most famous novel, Interlude, who has baffled critics for years. Their brief meeting reveals little but when her grandfather dies and makes Helen his executor, she discovers a stash of his diaries and an unpublished manuscript. They reveal a long hidden secret and a forbidden love affair with devastating consequences for her whole family. Helen s journey is interspersed with Edward’s works which slowly reveal the ambiguity of truth and the depth of deception that permeates the family.
A stirring look at not just the treachery of family secrets but of how truth can be buried within a text and how society imposes limits on love. Amazon

What have you found to read this week?

WWW Wednesday (June 18)

Hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

I am currently reading The Murder Bag by Tony Parsons, the first in a new crime series featuring Detective Max Wolfe. This book has started with a shocking event, with the first death following shortly afterwards. I’m expecting the overall body count to be quite high.

Blurb

Twenty years ago seven rich, privileged students became friends at their exclusive private school, Potter’s Field. Now they have started dying in the most violent way imaginable.
Detective Max Wolfe has recently arrived in the Homicide division of London’s West End Central, 27 Savile Row.
Soon he is following the bloody trail from the backstreets and bright lights of the city, to the darkest corners of the internet and all the way to the corridors of power.
As the bodies pile up, Max finds the killer’s reach getting closer to everything – and everyone – he loves.
Soon he is fighting not only for justice, but for his own life …Amazon

I have just finished reading The Summer Guest by Emma Hannigan, a book billed for fans of Maeve Binchy.

Click on the book cover to see if I agree

My next read is going to be The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell, an author I love, and having seen the first review of this book today, I know I’m in for a treat!

Blurb

In the early hours of an April morning, Maya stumbles into the path of an oncoming bus.
A tragic accident? Or suicide?
Her grief-stricken husband, Adrian, is determined to find out.
Maya had a job she enjoyed; she had friends. They’d been in love.
She even got on with his two previous wives and their children. In fact, they’d all been one big happy family.
But before long Adrian starts to identify the dark cracks in his perfect life.
Because everyone has secrets.
And secrets have consequences.
Some of which can be devastating. Amazon

What are you reading this week?

The Summer Guest – Emma Hannigan

Contemporary Fiction
4*’s

Readers of my blog may be surprised by this choice of book, no murder and no mayhem just some truly likeable characters dealing with everyday stuff. The book is billed for fans of Maeve Binchy. I vividly remember the first Christmas after I left home. I was just 17, had to work on Christmas day and I was feeling a little dejected. I’d been given a book (surprise), a copy of Maeve Binchy’s Light A Penny Candle and so I did what I always do and forgot about my problems and immersed myself in someone else’s life. That book made that Christmas bearable and the author retained a special place in my heart.

So onto A Perfect Guest. I defy anyone who reads this book not to warm to the characters within the pages, this is a book to read for the pure pleasure of meeting some lovely people, to worry with them as they try to sort out everyday problems a book where even when things are difficult there is hope that on the next page that all will be resolved.

The characters include Kathleen Williams who is returning to Ireland for a three month stay. Her first visit since she left as an eight year old girl. Instantly she meets the friendly people and sets about tracking down the house she lived in as a child. Number 3, Cashel Square is owned by Lexie and her husband Sam who welcome their guest with open arms. During her stay she gets to know the couple’s family and friends including Lexie’s niece Am̗élie who is supposed to be studying but is keener on her boyfriend. The chapters are interspersed with excerpts from Am̗élie’s diary including some interesting vocabulary, making this a truly multi-generational novel.

So is this worthy of its billing? Well it’s set in Ireland, populated by ‘characters’ has an over-riding feeling of warmth radiating it but it isn’t all lightness and fluff; there are some serious issues explored. So on balance I don’t think anyone can claim Maeve’s crown but this doesn’t miss the mark by too much.

I’d recommend this as a perfect summer read for a time when you simple want to meet some really nice people before returning to the real world and if you are lucky the feeling of hope will last a while after you close the last page.

I received my copy from the Lovereading Book Review Team in return for my honest opinion.

Friday Finds (June 6)

Hosted by Should be Reading

FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

So, come on — share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

After the intervention I was going to use this weeks Friday Finds to talk about books I have and plan to read on my holiday but… well the best laid plans and all of that. I have two new finds from NetGalley. First up is The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell, a writer I love so I am exceptionally pleased that Random House have given me a copy of this book which is due to be published 3 July 2014.

Blurb

In the early hours of an April morning, Maya stumbles into the path of an oncoming bus.
A tragic accident? Or suicide?
Her grief-stricken husband, Adrian, is determined to find out.
Maya had a job she enjoyed; she had friends. They’d been in love.
She even got on with his two previous wives and their children. In fact, they’d all been one big happy family.
But before long Adrian starts to identify the dark cracks in his perfect life.
Because everyone has secrets.
And secrets have consequences.
Some of which can be devastating… NetGalley

I also have a copy of Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, the author of The Husband’s Secret. This book is being published by Penguin UK on 31 July 2014.

Blurb

She could hear men and women shouting. Angry hollers crashed through the soft humid salty summer night. It was somehow hurtful for Mrs Ponder to hear, as if all that rage was directed at her . . . then she heard the wail of a siren in the distance, at the same time as a woman still inside the building began to scream and scream . . .
When a harmless quiz night ends with an act of shocking violence, the parents of Pirriwee Public School can’t seem to stop their secrets from finally spilling out. Rumours ripple through the small town, as truth and lies blur to muddy the story of what really happened on that fateful night . . . NetGalley

I also have a preview copy from a fellow blogger. I read excerpts from Ignoring Gravity on Sandra Danby’s blog and she has kindly given me a copy for review purposes.

Blurb

Rose Haldane is confident about her identity. She pulls the same face as her grandfather when she has to do something she doesn’t want to, she knows her DNA is the same as his. Except it isn’t: because Rose is adopted and doesn’t know it. Ignoring Gravity connects two pairs of sisters separated by a generation of secrets. Finding her mother’s lost diaries, Rose begins to understand why she has always seemed the outsider in her family, why she feels so different from her sister Lily. Then just when she thinks there can’t be any more secrets…

Ignoring Gravity is due to be published in September by the new publishing imprint which is a hybrid of Indie/traditional publishing BNBS (Britains Next Best Seller) you can pre-order a copy using their link here

I was also given a copy of The Summer Guest by Emma Hannigan to review for Lovereading.

Blurb

Lexi and her husband Sam have put their heart and soul into renovating No. 3 Cashel Square. Lexi’s mother thinks it’s high time they had a baby, but Lexi’s thriving art gallery keeps her more than busy. Plus her headstrong niece Amelie seems to have practically moved in. And then, just as summer arrives, a mysterious stranger knocks on the door. Kathleen Williams has come from America, longing to see the house in Cashel Square where she was born, over sixty years ago. Kathleen’s visit is tinged with sadness but she finds comfort and laughter with Lexie and Amelie. Soon the three women are sharing their hearts, tears and secrets, little knowing their unexpected friendship will touch them all in more ways than they can imagine…

This is a physical book so is counting against the five books a month total although I did argue that the counter should start at the beginning of the month so it has been reset!

Now as that is far too many pretty covers with not a hint of murder and mayhem I also decided that my life wouldn’t be complete without a copy of OxCrimes introduced by Ian Rankin this is a selection of stories from a wide array of crime writers and as such it is a must-have addition to my bookshelf.

Blurb

OxCrimes is introduced by Ian Rankin and has been curated by Peter Florence, director of Hay Festival, where it will be launched in May. The stellar cast of contributors will include Mark Billingham, Alexander McCall Smith, Anthony Horowitz, Val McDermid, Peter James, Adrian McKinty, Denise Mina, Louise Welsh and a host of other compelling suspects. Goodreads

My favourite reviewer,,  FictionFan has reviewed a copy of this book.  To get more of a flavour of what treasures this has in store, pop over and read her review at FictionFan’s Book Reviews

What have you found to read this week?