The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Remains of the Day is a story about a seemingly cold unfeeling butler named Stevens and his reminiscing of days past.  It's more than that as you'll realize his memories are not so much flawed but, for him, a realization of what he missed out in his life. 

I know there is a movie based on this book but I have not seen it.  That said, knowing Anthony Hopkins stars as our main character Stevens, I heard his voice and accent throughout the book.

In 1956 Stevens' current employer, Mr. Farraday, insists he take a holiday, giving persmission to use his car while he is on  a trip to the U.S.  While Stevens drives through the English countryside he thinks back to war time when he was employed by Lord Darlington. The language is very formal and you get a clear image of the character displaying the utmost self control, even as he reminisces.  I enjoyed reading about his working relationship with head housekeeper Miss Kenton as he travels toward her home in south England. It's been decades since he'd worked with her but he has fond memories. He is about to be enlightened by what "could have been" when he finally arrives in her village.

If a person is shaped by their upbringing then Stevens is the ultimate example of controlling his emotions and showing zero empathy. Loyalty to the man he served is of the utmost importance, something he learned from his father who was considered one of the best butlers of his day.  Sadly, this transfers to personal relationships as well.  

When his father's health takes a turn for the worse you won't find any warmth between father and son.  I could feel the cold exchange between Stevens and his elderly father regarding the change of duties and thought it very sad. It’s hard enough to let a parent know their health or memory is failing but I’ve had warmer conversations with strangers.  

Dignity is clearly one of the cornerstones of Stevens' profession and his explanation of what distinguishes a butler from a manservant was interesting. 

"It is sometimes said that butlers only truly exist in England.  Other countries, whatever title is actually used, have only manservants.  I tend to believe this is true. Continentals are unable to be butlers because they are a breed incapable of the emotional restraint which only the English race are capable of."

Regret comes with reflection and sadly for Stevens, he makes this realization so very late in life.

"Looking back so much...I should adopt a more postive outlook and try and make the best of what remains of my day. After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as might have wished?"

This is not a fast paced book but one which captures the memories and considerations of an aged man who gave his life entirely to serving his employer. 

 This is the third book I have read by Ishiguro and my first for the Classics Club.

Sharing Joy's Book Blog for Britsh Isles Friday.

Working on Trust and Sipsworth from my reading list{and preparing for hurricane Helene}

Earlier this month we had my husband's birthday and some surprisingly nice weather.  He has been able to get out with his solar telescope in the daytime and a few evening sessions with his other scope.  Perfect.  

Now we are prepping for Hurricane Helene.  Getting the Kindle, phones, etc all charged for the loss of electricty. 

My week has been a dermatologist appointment, biopsy, bread making and a slow cooker recipe my son sent. The excitement never ends :-)

While looking at a news story on my phone I saw there was an Instagram post embedded and I couldn't access it.  So I dusted off my old Instagram account to have a look.  Then I tried to follow a few book blogs and authors.  Apparently you have to get permission now even if the accounts are public. 

Currently reading Trust and while very well written it's more narrative than dialogue. Thus I took a short break to read Sipsworth.  I finished this in a day and it's a sweet story.  Helen Cartwright is in her eighties and returned to England to live out her last years quietly and alone.

She had a full life in Australia with her husband and son but they are gone now.  She isn't ill but she knows at her age the end is coming.  Without friends or family she decides to settle in the English neighborhood where she grew up over 60 years ago.  Helen finds that life still has a few surprises for her.

Simon Van Booy is an author new to me. He grew up in rural Wales and currently lives in New York, writing and volunteering as an E.M.T.  I will seek out more of his work.

Once I finish Trust I am starting Long Island by Colm Tóibín.

All three of these books are on my fall reading list.  Has anyone else read books by Simon Van Booy and if so, recommendations?  I hope you have nice weather and good reading.

 Sharing with:

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday. and Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

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The Night of the Flood by Zoë Somerville

This book is set in 1952 on a farm near the coast in Norfolk England. Verity Frost and her brother Peter live on the farm with their widowed father.  We start off with Verity meeting her friend Arthur on the anniversary of her mother's death.

 It is revealed Arthur was a child evacuee during the war, Verity's mother bringing him home to live with their family.  He grew up with them for several years but as an adult, he is no longer part of the family.  He is clearly in love with Verity but there are obstacles about religion and Verity's own hopes for her future.

She would like to attend Oxford and make a career and new life for herself.  Her father would like her to marry a local farmer and save their farm. Her brother Peter, expelled from a school for reasons of an improper relationship, wants to make something of the farm by modernizing the equipment and methods but the father won't hear of it.

The mother is rumored to have drowned by suicide and not accident so that comes up now and then.  And then there is the American pilot named Jack who befriends Peter.  Arthur suspects him of being a spy.  Those are the main characters and while the writing is at times stilted, you get a good picture of what is happening in Norfolk between these characters.

This is based on a true event about the flood that devasted Norfolk in 1953 with great license on the characters interactions.  This would appeal to someone who likes historical fiction but it isn't a fast read, slow going at times. 3 stars

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

June books and flowers

 Reading and plants

The caladiums were a surprise in two ways.  Last year they were stunning but died off when we had temps below 40 F/3C.  Honestly, I thought they were gone and Doug was going to plant bushes when they were - suddenly they emerged. Also did not know they blossomed with pods.  There other photo is a Strawberry Candy Day Lily. That one was expected.

June reading was quite varied in location and genres. This month I did not have a single DNF and completed five books.  Yea!

Here's Loki, my reading buddy 🐕

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Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor 

Forgotten on Sunday by Valerie Perrin

The Road from Belhaven by Margot Livesey 👇

I enjoyed The Flight of Gemma Hardy much more than this one by Livesey

June book travel took me to New Jersey, Manhattan, England, Wales, Scotland and France.

 That's it for the June round up.   Looking forward to more good reading in July. I'd love to know what books you favored this month.  Hope life is good for you all :-)

Sharing with:

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday. and Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

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Dear Edward and Major Pettigrew

What's new here is...not much.  Our quest to find a good pizza to bring home for takeaway night is proving fruitless. There is one more place to try and then...guess I will make it here at home. My 68th birthday was good and uneventful - as I like it. The pizza wasn't great but the movie Chef was fabulous.  Great foodie movie.

North Florida heat has me settled in most afternoons so I am getting reading done.   I have read two of the books on my summer reading list.  Off to a good start :-)

I loved Napolitano's book Hello Beautiful and she does not disappoint with this novel. Wonderful writing. It was hard for me to put this down and I liked how she let us get into Edward's thought process while he responded to people about how he was doing.

How does one express their feelings and thoughts to someone who has zero point of reference? While everyone wanted to help Edward there are some things in life that you just can't "fix".

This book was inspired and loosely based on a Afriqiyah Airlines flight which crashed and had one survivor -a nine year old boy. I wonder what that boy is doing now? The fictional boy Edward was the only survivor of a crash taking the lives of 191 people. This is a study of how he tries to handle grief, survivor's guilt and a completely upturned life.

I know it sounds like it would be depressing but it's not. You get some back story on other passengers and crew interspersed in this book. It was interesting.

What a delightful book. Reading this I found Major Pettigrew to be one of my all time favorite characters and I would love to be his friend.  The setting is a small English village where widower Ernest Pettigrew develops a charming friendship with Mrs. Ali, owner of the Pakistani run grocery store.

Prejudices and gossip run deep with some of the characters ( I didn't care for them as much) but the overall interactions are marvelous. There is quite a bit of humor and an edgy situation near the end which shows a clash of cultures. It has a good ending and if a sequel was written I would most certainly read it.

So that's two for two and I haven't had a DNF from my list so far.  Would love to know what you are reading and any challenge plans you may have.

Sharing with:

Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday. and Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

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Getting current here on my February books.........

It's been a while since I book blogged...burnt out on the food blogging but books have always pulled me back to the keyboard.  Here are three of my February books. 

Beyond That, the Sea is a book spanning decades.

The working class family Reg and Millie Thompson decide to send their young daughter Beatrix from London to America during WW II.  The girl doesn't want to go but joins other children in relocation, safe from the bombs and destruction.

All the chapters are short and told from different viewpoints.  There is the Thompson family in London and the Gregory family in the U.S.  Nancy and Ethan Gregory have two sons, William and Gerald.  They welcome Beatrix with open arms and she eventually blends into their family, becoming the daughter they never had.

Meanwhile Millie is missing her daughter, feeling like she is missing out on Beatrix's childhood and indeed she is.  Mille and Reg are dealing with war, food shortages, burnt out buildings and hardship.   Bea, as the American family call her, lives with the Gregory family for five years and has many wonderful experiences.

Over the decades the stories are about love, death, disappointment, friendship and hope.  The settings are New York, Boston, Maine and London. 4.5 stars

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When All is Said by Anne Griffin is reflective story of a man's life and the people who meant the most to him.

Eighty-four year old widower Maurice Hannigan reflects on his life as he sits on a barstool, raising a toast to the five people he loved the most and the influences of others (not always positive) who shaped his life. He starts with his brother Tony and sips a stout, moving on to the other dear people in his life with a different whiskey and ale for each.

As he reflects on his regrets, triumphs, grief and revelations you are transported to another time when he was younger. I loved all of this book and true to Irish literature there are very sad moments.

The story unfolds and intertwines with the lives of the rich Dollard family and how they effected each other. Near the end some fairly interesting twists came to light.

The setting is Meath Ireland.

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Skylight by Jose Saramango

This is a novel translated from Portuguese by a Nobel Prize winner author. It's a slice of life from the 1950's in a small town, getting into the everyday lives of regular people. There are fractured relationships, secrets, love and deception.

Something I found interesting was the preface explaining about the author and how this novel came to be published after his death. He sent it to a publisher and unbeknowst to him, it was placed in a drawer and forgotten for over 30 years. When the company was moving to a different location the manuscript was discovered.

Imagine 30+ years later getting a call about this manuscript. Saramago immediately went to pick up his typed work, was offered to have to publsihed and he declined. He stated you must respect people and so he wouldn't have it published until after his death.
I rounded up to 4 stars.

One more to go and I'll start my March book stats.  So far, so good :-)

Walking Through History

If you are interested in history and most especially in English historical landmarks, I highly recommend the Walking Through History series. Check out this link HERE for an introduction to this exceptional series.

"Most of the walks Tony Robinson follows are around 100km long, and although he doesn't walk the full extent for the camera, he reckons he covers at least that distance during filming. "I walk my arse off," he says. "Every shot we do needs three or four takes - so I go up a mountain, come back down, and go up again."

The scenery is stunning and we enjoyed each episode. The photo below is from Cornwall, snapped from our TV as we watched.  This one detailed smuggling in the area and I learned the sayings "the coast is clear" and it's "all above board" originate from those times.

How I would love to be in shape and walk these trails. The history and walsk near Hadrians Wall was of particular interest to me.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Tom Hazard is  very old man; he is 429 years old.  He has only aged one year for each fifteen years in passing. Tom looks for meaning in life as he can never have a lasting relationship or let his guard down.  

As it turns out there are others in the world with the same condition and eventually they are discovered by a covert society called Albatross.  The society protects them, allowing them to live in a normal setting for eight years before getting an assignment, then relocating with a new identity. One thing that keeps Tom motivated to live (as he could kill himself to end this existence) is a desire to find his daughter Marion. She apparently inherited his genetic disposition and may be somewhere in the world trying to hide her identity. 

In his long life Tom has met F. Scott Fitzgerald, Captain Cook and Shakespeare among other historical figures. The book is divided by time periods and places.  Recently I read Benedict Cumberbatch has acquired film rights to star in the production.  For what it's worth, I prefered The Midnight Library to this book but I never considered abandoning the book.

Matt Haig was born in Sheffield England. His website may be found HERE. 

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg the Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction challenge.

Ashton Hall by Lauren Belfer

This book is a historical fiction based on the real Ashton Hall built in 1856 in Lancashire England.

Hannah Larson is researching her doctoral dissertation and the subject matter of Ashton Hall plays in.  There is a dark history about the house and a mystery about a  skeleton which was found in a locked room. You will eventually discover who that person was. The backstory on that and the house history is revealed at the end. This is not a ghost story and just about all of the book is set and present time. 

Hannah's life is basically a dumpster fire with a marriage in trouble and her son Nicky having emotional difficulties. I don’t mean he’s unruly or acting up, but more like a medical condition which causes him to become unpredictably violent.  Yet he is bright and it's Nicky who discovers the skeletal remains.

Hannah's research brings the Elizabethan era to life as she goes through old account ledgers and diaries.

Publication date is June 7, 2022 by Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books.  Genre: General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mysteries and Thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the Historical Fiction Readng Challenge.

Elly Griffiths books (I'll be taking a break from Ruth and Nelson)

 

The next two books in the Dr Ruth Galloway series may wrap it up for me.  I was very enthusiastic about a series with so many books and the first book grabbed me immediately.  This one was....meh.

Ruth is having a hard time with balancing motherhood and an active career.  She feels relief when someone takes Kate so she could get in the trenches and dig, fully immersing herself in her job. The author writes about Ruth's love of her work, mentioning the constant calling in of a child minder to babysit a few hours longer so she can work, making her feel alive and fulfilled.  Yet, she won't allow Kate's father to take a hand in her upbringing.

This is not a crack at single mothers and the balancing act, it's just that it's mentioned so many times in the books.  

Here is a loose breakdown of the plot separating the police investigation and the personal side stories.  

Investigative storyline: There is a house situated near the sea which is in danger of being overtaken by the rising waters.  Every year more beach is shaved off so it's inevitable the house will tumble in the future. The house is owned by a rich family with deep roots in the community.

A group of archaelogists are roaming the coastline near this house as they research coastal erosion.  They discover six bodies a crevice of a cliff.  The bodies are actually skeletal at this point, hands tied behind their backs and evidence of an execution style death. Ruth is called in as the senior archaeologist and bone expert.

DI Harry Nelson arrives to handle the situation in case as it's clear the remains are not from Roman times.  Lots of suspects and secrets.

Personal side stories:

Detective Sergeant Judy Johnson is about to be married to Darren, a man she's known since childhood.  But then she is attracted to Cathbad (for whatever reason) and goes to bed with him.

DI Harry Nelson is attracted to Ruth and concerned for their baby.  He continues to lie to his wife and wants to take a part in Kate's upbringing. Ruth always refuses, yet she seems to yearn for his attention whilst simultaneously pushing him away. 

Ruth's good friend Shona is seeing another married man and this time, Shona gets him to leave his wife. 

My thoughts on continuing:  The first book grabbed me with the excavations, Roman history and the vividly depicted Saltmarsh in Norfolk. As I mentioned in my review of The Janus Stone, the romantic and personal stories as a subplot was fine but I didn't want it to dominate the series.  I want mystery and police investigations.  Alas,  the relationships are getting an equal share of page time and I think I will take a break from the series.

So many books here at the house as well as on my Kindle so if I get back to this series it might be a while.  It had promise.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

Paul McCartney is 80! {Sharing my experience at a Wings concert and Beatle memorabilia}

 I have always been a fan of the Beatles but am too young to have been to one of their concerts.  My first experience with them was their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. 

Magazines seem to be a thing of the past these days when you can access just about anything online but I had to have these two publications.   

I have been fortunate enough to have seen Paul McCartney and Wings in concert when they were performing in Germany in 1977.  They performed in the Olympic Village in Munich and it was amazing.  It was also my first laser light show. I was 21 years old and completely besotted.

It's been enjoyable to flip through and read about the early start of their musical careers. I learned that Ringo was hospitalized early in childhood and went into a coma, later getting tuberculosis and admitted to a sanatorium for two years. 

Paul was a scholar winning prizes in Latin and English literature but his love of music sent him down a different a path.  There is quite a bit of information in the magazine to make it well worth the price if you are a fan of the Beatles.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

 

I like the archaeology topics which  are an important part of the plot but I am wondering how many old bones can be discovered in this part of the world.  The series has 14 books so I am looking forward to reading more.

I learned about radiocarbon dating while reading.

“It tests the amount of carbon in the bones. When we’re alive, we take in carbon fourteen. When we die, we stop. By estimating when these bones stopped taking in carbon fourteen we’ll be able to estimate the age of the skeleton.”

Colleagues from the Archaeolgy department at Norfolk  University have been digging on a hill for days.  They have uncovered not only evidence of a Roman villa but also earlier Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements. 

The other side story is about a wealthy family with plans to demolish an old children’s home to build luxury apartments. A child’s skeleton is found beneath a doorway which halts all work. An excavation team is brought in to remove the skeletal remains. It’s discovered the head is missing so this is looking more like a scarification from an early age. Or is it?!

The romantic subplot is fine so far, in my opinion, but I am hoping it won't eventually dominate the mystery and investigative side of the stories. I liked the first book more than this one but will read the next in the series so I can see where our characters are developing.

I am a series addict and love getting to know characters and seeing how they grow personally  and professionally. 

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

James Herriot's World via books and television

 If you are a fan of BBC or Masterpiece Theater you may have watched a season or two of All Creatures Great and Small.   The wholesome G-rated shows were inspired by James Herriot’s books. I have read all of his books and enjoyed each and every one. He brought the story to life and I could clearly picture the scenes in Yorkshire as he dealt with his patients – cows, sheep, bulls, dogs and you name it.

While I enjoyed the original series with Christopher Timothy and Carol Drinkwater more than the latest adaption, this is still good entertainment.  Love the scenery and the animal stories.

James Herriot's Yorkshire

This book – James Herriot’s Yorkshire – is written by James Herriot (his real name is James Alfred Wight) and it is a wonderful compilation of photos and stories about the Yorkshire dales. The town of Darrowby in his fictional works is actually Thirsk. That is where he practiced veterinary medicine along with Sigried and Tristan Farnon (Donald and Brian Sinclair). Herriot may be surprised that his books are still so popular today as well as the number of visitors he attracted to the area.

This book is copyrighted 1979 and is one of the original printings purchased in England. I treasure this book. I’ve read that people who travel to Yorkshire with the specific intent of visiting the area Herriot lived bring this book along and it’s an invaluable asset. If you like rural areas and have a plan to hike about in Yorkshire, this book is for you. Flip through and enjoy stories and photos about small villages, ruins and history.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

 

I wish I could remember who blogged about the Elly Griffiths' books because I'd like to thank you.  Please leave me a comment if you've recently reviewed the Dr Ruth Galloway series!

British author Elly Griffiths has moved to the top of my list of books I'll be reading in June and July. Love the style, the plot, character development and the Norfolk England coastal setting.

Bones are found near an ancient henge off Norfolk's coastline.  The saltmarshes can be dangerous to negotiate as the sands will swallow you up if you take a wrong turn.  When bones are discovered DI Harry Nelson contacts Dr Ruth Galloway to ascertain if the bones are ancient or the remains of missing child from ten years prior. Dr Ruth Galloway is a forensic archaeologist, university professor and lecturer.

One of Ruth's discoveries is from the Iron Age but a cold case quickly becomes a murder investigation as more information surfaces. I enjoyed reading about Ruth and the growing friendship with DI Nelson. Planning on reading the next in the series titled The Janus Stone. I'm just hoping the Galloway/Nelson relationship doesn't turn romantic as I love the detective work and mystery parts best.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

The No-Show and The Switch by Beth O'Leary

 

I liked this book. The author's first book The Flatshare was a nice easy read, chicklit in my opinion, and I knew I would read another as I like her style. 

This book focuses on two women, both named Eileen Cotton. There's the younger called Leena and her grandmother Eileen. Leena is used ot the fast paced corporate world of London but she is burnt out. After an incident at work she is placed on a two month sabatical so she heads up to Yorkshire to visit her grandmother. Leena has always been close to her grandmother and calls her all the time. 

She is barely on speaking terms with her mother Marion and this puts Eileen (the grandmother) in the middle. This is all a result of Leena's sister dying from cancer and decisions made which Leena couldn't come to terms with. It's all explained.

Eileen is 79 years old but don't think she sits around knitting and is all alone. She is very active and is always trying to get involved in new projects, organizing a festival, helping with crime watch and walking other folks dogs....you get the idea. Leena gets the idea to switch households for the two months as it's obvious both women need a change of scenery. Leena would live in Yorkshire and her grandmother would live in her flat in London.

It's nice to read about older people who had vibrant lives in their youth I was enjoying the parts set in Yorkshire as well and honestly, if I could and I had the physical stamina for those sort of cold winters, I would love to live in that area. 

This is a nice easy read that features love, infidelity, grief and life changes. I would read more by Beth O'Leary as she takes you right into the scenes. Love the descriptive parts about Yorkshire.

The No-Show: This book has quite a few surprises.  It appears Joseph Carter is a scoundrel who is juggling three different women, managing to stand them up on Valentine's Day.  As you start the book you will be supportive of these ladies outing him and possibly getting a bit of revenge. Word of warning, don't make assumptions as this is not a cookie cutter romance template.

This is not a story about a man cheating on his girlfriends.  There is a back story to each of the relationships which the author deftly weaves to a surprising conclusion.

There is heartbreak but I assure you, it won't be a scenario you're expecting. Somehow Beth O'Leary writes a light hearted story while interjecting real life hardships and situations.

There is more than one emotionally significant event to experience here. 

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy

 

The setting is Lough Glass in Ireland and it's the early 1950s. The story follows Mary Katherine McMahon's life as a child and the approximately ten years after her mother Helen disappears. It's thought her mother drowned but Mary (known as Kit) worried her mother killed herself.  She had a note from her mother but burned it without reading as if it was a suicide note she couldn't have a church burial.

Kit misses her mother very much and leans on friends and distant family to help her. She gets into a pen pal relationship with a woman named Lena Gray who claims to have known her mother.  There is certainly a surprise lurking for Kit in that relationship!

If you want to submerge yourself into 1950s Irish culture this will be a good book for you. It's dated in references but I liked it. The themes are loss and love.  I liked the comparison of English life vs Irish life from Kit's perspective.

 This is another book I am clearing from the shelves in my mission to read more books from the stacks at home.  It's already in the mail to a friend who may enjoy it!

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction challenge.

Imogen Clark books

Post Cards from a Stranger is the latest book I've read by Imogen Clark.  

The story shifts from perspectives in 1969, 1976, 1987 and then 2017 within three generations.

In 1969 the Kemp sisters Annie and Ursula are trying to stay out of their father's way when he returns home from work.  Anything can set him off and he becomes violent.  When he isn't angry he is condescending and demeaning.  They dream of the day they are old enough to leave and make a life for themselves far away. Why their mother endures being slapped and mocked is beyond their understanding.

When Annie is old enough to work she mets attractive and fast-talking Joe Ferensby.  She is charmed and accepts his marriage proposal, escaping her hellish homelife and thinks she hit the jackpot.

Joe doesn't hit Annie but his true nature comes out after marriage.  He's passive aggressive and talks down to her.  He isolates her from friends and keeps a tight wallet so she must ask for everything.  Once their two children Cara and Michael are born she knows she'll never leave. Lots more regarding the Feresby household but it's inserted in backstory throughout.

In 1987 we get a glimpse of single father Joe dealing with 2 year old Cara and 7 year old Michael. The children are uprooted from their London home and move to the Moors in Yorkshire.  Cara cries for her mother for weeks and Michael comforts her.  She misses her dead mother but in fact, young Michael is keeping huge secrets from his sister in an effort to protect her.

In 2017  Cara and her brother Michael as adults. Cara is caring for their father who has Alzheimers and her life is difficult.  Cara is still living on the moors while Michael is a barrister in London.  He is married with twin daughters and wants nothing to do with his father. There was a huge falling out when Michael was old enough to discover his father's secrets.

Now, Joe has Alzheimers. When things get bad Cara calls Michael for some input and he he says he knows it's difficult and would help more but..."you know how it is." He has no idea how difficult it is to be there and deal with an Alzheimers patient 24/7 and the rift between him and his father means he certainly won't head north and physically help. You'll discover the secrets much later in the book.

Cara is a wedding dress designer and has a studio where she crafts magnificent original designs. One day she is looking in the attic, a place forbidden by their father when Cara and Michael were children, and she finds a box of postcards.  Right there - her life is upended.

This wasn't my favorite book by Imogen Clark but I wasn't tempted to put it down. It certainly covers quite a bit of territory.  I was weirdly both sympathetic and impatient with Cara as she works her way the secrets her father kept. Imagine finding something you need to confront your parent with but their mind is gone so your opportunity is forever lost. 

Previous books I’ve enjoyed by the author are as follows:

Where the Story Starts

Reluctantly Home 

 On my former book blog Novel Meals I wrote about The Last Piece . I love the cover!

 I am awaiting the author's latest book Impossible to Forget.

Sharing with 

Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the  2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 

 Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.