This is one of those books I feel like I should have read well before now, but better late than never as they say. I did watch the film a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I now agree with others that, as is usually the case, the book is so much better.
I picked up my paperback copy from an independent book shop whilst on holiday in Holmfirth last year. I had read The Small Hand by Susan Hill previously and I really enjoyed that, so I was looking forward to reading more of her stories. I’m so glad I finally got round to reading The Woman in Black. If you have never read it before either, then I highly recommend it.
Not much phases me in books to be honest, but I do find a ghost story quite unnerving and this one really did give me goosebumps. I found Arthur Kipps’ story both terrifying and heart-wrenching.
What he sees at Mrs Drablow’s funeral is extremely creepy and even more so for him not realising what he was actually seeing at that time. I felt his frustrations with the locals who didn’t seem to want to offer any information about Mrs Drablow as I would be curious too. I understood why they were so reluctant as the story progresses.
The descriptions of Mrs Drablow’s house alone are enough to give you the chills. Where it is situated even more so. I certainly wouldn’t want to stay there on my own, so I take my hat off to Arthur who seems unperturbed initially. What he experiences whilst there though is terrifying (my heart was thumping on more than one occasion) and the ultimate consequences of his time there made my heart break for him.
This is one of those stories which will stay with me for a long time to come and I have been told that there is a theatre production which is quite terrifying, so I hope to catch that at some point. I imagine it would be quite an experience.
In Summer at the Cornish Café, we meet Demi when she is working at a café. Unfortunately, due to a run in with an influential customer she loses her job and finds herself homeless again, along with her trusty companion, Mitch (her dog, who is a fabulous character by the way!).
When Cal Penwith comes along with a job offer too good to turn down, they begin the massive task of rebuilding his holiday park and her life is never to be the same again.
I thoroughly enjoyed how their relationship develops throughout this story both professionally and personally. Of course, nothing ever runs smoothly, and they hit many a bump in the road with their development as well as their relationship. Both are such likeable characters though (despite Cal’s fluctuating moods) that I was rooting for them to succeed and find their true happiness. The chemistry between them is evident very early on. They are real and believable characters. Cal has his past, which he is initially reluctant to let go of and Demi, being that bit younger, has a natural vulnerability and relatable concerns. I love that she’s no pushover! The heart wants what it wants though, and we can’t help who we fall for.
This is such a gorgeous read. Set in a beautiful part of the country which I hope to visit again one day. I could just imagine sitting on the beach, sipping wine whilst watching the sun go down. Bliss!
There are several lovely characters in this book, and a couple not so lovely. All are integral though and add their own depth to the story.
Beautifully written, feel-good fiction at its best.
Elle’s A to Z of Love is Claire Huston’s second book. Having read, and loved, Art and Soul I was very much looking forward to reading this book. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Elle and those in her life.
Elle is an easily likeable character who often puts everyone else’s needs above her own. She hasn’t had the most maternal of role models in her mother either. I found their relationship quite sad.
This book focuses heavily on the ups and downs of new and long-term friendships, and romances. Elle does come across as a bit of a soft touch at times and I’m sure many will relate to her relationship with Adam. Most of us have been in love with someone totally wrong for us at some point in our lives and it doesn’t matter how many people try to knock sense into us we have to find out for ourselves, eventually!
Toby is a lovely character, as is Zach. I loved the email conversation between Elle and Zach, especially the Kit Kat debate! LOL! I laughed out loud a lot!
Haileybrook sounds like such a beautiful place to live. It’s hard to understand why Elle seems so keen to leave at her first opportunity. I think many of us are guilty of not appreciating what we already have, although I’ve never really had any burning desire to travel the world. I understand why people do though.
It does seem like Elle is destined to stay put though as one thing after another gets in the way of her travelling plans. Will she ever get on that plane?
Reading this story was a bit like being on an emotional rollercoaster. No wonder Elle’s head is spinning at times. I probably wouldn’t know what to do for the best either! I’m pleased to say that I finished this book with a big smile on my face though.
Elle’s A to Z of Love is beautifully written, feel-good fiction which I think anyone would enjoy. I very much recommend! All the stars from me!
**Many thanks to Claire Huston for my kindle review copy**
out now!
About the author….
Claire Huston
Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire, UK, with her husband and two children. She writes uplifting modern love stories about characters who are meant for each other but sometimes need a little help to realise it.
A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for all the cakes mentioned in Art and Soul at http://www.clairehuston.co.uk along with over 100 other recipes. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.
As well as her website, you can find her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Goodreads: linktr.ee/clairehuston_author
On the first Friday of each month I like to have a little look back at the books I was reading during the same month in previous years (since starting my blog).
Please do join in if you have the time, I’d love to see your posts. Share a link with us in the comments.
Here are my reviews from July 2020 plus a link to previous July FBFs….
Today I have the very great pleasure of welcoming Mary Rensten to Chat About Books! 🙂
Mary Rensten, social media author image
Dear Mary,
Thank you, Kerry, for inviting me onto your blog.
You’re very welcome….
For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?
Myself and my books. Okay. Well … I make no secret of the fact that I am ninety-one, and there are now things I cannot do easily, like climbing up steps to reach a high cupboard! I can still write though … and I do! I started off as a free-lance journalist – my first paid-for piece was in 1975; it was a humorous article for a magazine called Annabel – and at the same time I was writing plays: my first love, as way back I went to drama school! I have written non-fiction books and educational material – I was a teacher for ten years – and I also created a couple of word games. I now mainly write novels and I have had three published.
Where did/do you get your ideas from?
The idea for my novel Letters from Malta – which was a No. 1 best-seller! – came from an unplanned visit to a military cemetery there; Her Almost Perfect Husband began as a dream, and my most successful stage play, A Common Woman, resulted from supporting the women of Greenham Common in the 1980s.
Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?
Not intentionally, but a character will sometimes be an amalgam of features from several different people.
How do you pick your characters’ names?
I don’t! They have to come from them!
Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?
I will try. (This is for a play or a novel. ) Have an idea, jot down scribbled notes, map out the storyline and the time line – important to get this sorted early; also create the characters’ back stories. (As the author I need to know, and actors ask for them!) Then comes a very rough first draft, which journalists used to call the ‘first dreadful’. So far it is all in longhand. Now I go to the laptop and work on the next draft. And the next. Then it’s editing and tweaking, and more editing and tweaking … until I feel the book or play is ready for me to let someone read it. I find it very hard to decide when a piece of work is finished; there’s always something I could write differently. I do wish I could get a piece 100% right first time, but it never happens … not to me!
Who are your top 5 favourite authors?
Five? I have a lot more, but these would certainly be at the top of the list: Rose Tremain, Tracy Chevalier, C.J. Sansom, Alan Bennett and John Steinbeck.
If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?
Alan Bennett, and I would ask him about An Englishman Abroad, one of my all-time favourites, about how much is fact and which bits are fiction, and how much licence a writer may take with history in the interest of drama!
Were you a big reader as a child?
Oh yes. I remember reading Little Women when I was seven.
When did you start to write?
I wrote a play – kings and queens and a princess – when I was ten. I still have it! I was one of those nerdy kids who actually liked writing ‘compositions’!
If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?
Far From The Madding Crowd. I would give it the happy ending that the film has.
Is there a book you wish you had written?
That’s a tough one. Well … anything by Rose Tremain or Tracy Chevalier, I think.
If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?
I shall have to think about that one … in case I ever do! (Possibly Never Too Late as I didn’t publish my first novel until I was 80.)
If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?
I would invite Eliza Doolittle … and I would take her to one of the posh cafes in Covent Garden.
Tell us a random fact about yourself
I have recently become a great-grandmother!
Congratulations!
What are you working on right now?
A memoir about my childhood in Jamaica in the 1940s. Floella Benjamin’s Coming to England started me thinking about my own young days in a new country and how much I owe to that beautiful island.
Tell us about your last release?
My latest book, which came out in March, is a novel, Her Almost Perfect Husband. It is described as ‘A poignant story of love and deception, and the importance of human relationships set against material success.’
Do you have a new release due?
No, I don’t. (Next year, I hope.)
What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?
Sorry to be boring, but nothing really! I feel a sense of relief … and at the same time emptiness: I have lived with those characters for so long – several years – and now they have gone!
How can readers keep in touch with you?
By Twitter. @MaryRensten Please do!
Is there anything else you would like us to know?
I am a member and a Vice-President of SWWJ (Society of Women Writers and Journalists) a wonderful, friendly, international organisation which has been supporting writers since 1894! We love to welcome new writers … and readers, too, both women and men! Right now we are unable to meet in person, but we have regular virtual events. (Have a look at our website swwj.co.uk.)
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Mary 🙂
The Rock is another awesome addition to this excellent series! I have LOVED it! I can’t recommend it highly enough. Honestly, if you haven’t read these books yet you are seriously missing out.
This book is set in a beautiful location. I have been lucky enough to visit once whilst visiting friends in Sunderland and I’m looking forward to being back in that neck of the woods again soon. I have my map ready! 😉
I love catching up with Ryan and the team. I love how their personal stories and relationships have developed throughout the series. I love Ryan’s adoration of Anna and their daughter. I can understand him being concerned about the danger to his family because of his high-profile job and I love that Anna understands this but supports him fully and encourages him to continue doing what he seems to have been born to do.
The case the team are faced with this time is nothing short of horrifying. People trafficking is just horrendous and it’s terrifying to think how common a problem it probably is in the real world. I can’t even begin to imagine what these women must go through at the hands of these ba*tards. There are some sick people in this world!
There is a lot going on throughout this story. It is fast paced, intense, and features some quite inspirational characters. So full of suspense, emotion, and uncertainty. Heart-breaking but also heart-warming at times. It just ticks all the boxes. I was practically glued to my kindle.
Frank made me giggle a lot too, as he always does. He’s a ray of sunshine in their all too often dark world.
I honestly don’t know how Mark Tilbury does it but yet again he has created an unputdownable, dark, emotional, traumatic but compelling read.
One of my biggest fears, as a parent, has been the possibility of my children being kidnapped. It must be your worst nightmare come true. For Sean to have both of his sons taken by the same man, for reasons unbeknown to him, he is understandably terrified and feels he has no choice but to give in to the kidnapper’s demands in an effort to keep his boys safe. The things he asks him to do are just awful, but I could understand Sean’s need to do whatever he says, despite police advice to the contrary.
My heart went out to Sean and his boys. They share a close relationship, especially since the loss of the boy’s mother, Laura, in tragic circumstances. How much trauma can one family endure?
I love how the boys are as different as chalk and cheese. The bravery they show throughout their ordeal is exceptional, especially the older brother. What they are subjected to is nothing short of horrific and I was praying for them both throughout.
I love the relationship Sean shares with his father-in-law. He is a lovely character.
The kidnapper is one sick ba*tard! The boys aren’t his first victims either. All are linked in some way, but we don’t know how, and I was racing through the pages to find out what sick and twisted excuse he had for putting these people through such a horrendous ordeal. I did not see the twists in this story coming. Mark Tilbury knows how to surprise, shock, and horrify a reader! If you like your crime fiction dark and disturbing, then you will love this book.
This is one of those books that I thought about a lot when I wasn’t able to read it, wondering what might be coming next, and is most definitely one of those books that will stay with me for a long time to come.
All the stars from me, I highly recommend!
**Many thanks to Mark Tilbury for my advance review copy**
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WOW! Invisible Victim is another awesome read by Mel Sherratt. I have loved everything she has written, and this book has been no exception. It’s quite different to most of her other books in a lot of ways but similar in the way of having real, believable characters and a storyline which will suck you in from page one making it quite unputdownable.
There is a kidnapper on the loose who seems to be targeting random women for no obvious reason. All, but one, have been released after ten days but have no recollection of where they have been, who had been holding them captive or why. When the fifth victim is a Stoke reporter, who had been following the stories of the previous women we start to learn more about the kidnapper and those kidnapped. I was engrossed. I felt every emotion of the poor woman locked away holding on to the hope of going home on day ten. Ten days must feel like years in that situation. Also, the uncertainty of even going home at all. I can’t even imagine. I couldn’t wait to find out why, what was making this person tick and what reasons/excuses they had for putting these women through such an ordeal.
Mel Sherratt knows how to write exceptional characters. Even the ones you’re not supposed to like I still often end up feeling for to a certain degree. This kidnapper’s back story is quite heart-breaking, which does not of course condone their adult behaviour. However, it does go some way to explaining why their mind works the way it does. It does raise the nature v nurture question too, which has always fascinated me.
I devoured this book, I absolutely loved it!
I most certainly recommend to anyone and everyone!
#TeamSherratt
**Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy via NetGalley**
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