July 2012, Orion
352 pages, Paperback
Review copy
Themes:
bonds of families, different family values, different social circles
affecting life choices, finding that you can do things you never
imagined, dealing with heartbreak, learning to be a mother, hardship of
not being able to conceive, feeling alone, ditzy friend with a few
hatable habits eclipsed by her energy, journaling, discovering what you
really want in life, dealing with dementia & meningitus, a few brief
moderate adult situations, occasional inuendo, occasional swearing,
tragedy, heartbreak, grief, lots of tissues needed especially in last
100 pages
Summary from Orion
It's not the promises we make that count, it's the ones we keep...
Alice is living the life she always dreamed of: a travel guide writer, her life is one of carefree adventure, with no ties, no constraints and no worries.
Virginia finally has everything she ever wanted. The loving husband, the beautiful daughter and the successful career. Life hasn't always been easy, but she knows that her family can weather any storm.
They have been best friends since university - so much so that Virginia trusts Alice with all she holds dearest. Then tragedy strikes, and Alice finds she must honour a rash promise she made to her friend. It's then she discovers that it can be the people you think you know best who hold the most closely guarded secrets...
Alice is living the life she always dreamed of: a travel guide writer, her life is one of carefree adventure, with no ties, no constraints and no worries.
Virginia finally has everything she ever wanted. The loving husband, the beautiful daughter and the successful career. Life hasn't always been easy, but she knows that her family can weather any storm.
They have been best friends since university - so much so that Virginia trusts Alice with all she holds dearest. Then tragedy strikes, and Alice finds she must honour a rash promise she made to her friend. It's then she discovers that it can be the people you think you know best who hold the most closely guarded secrets...
Nayuleska's thoughts
I
love this book! I'd braced myself for more adult content, especially
with Alice but it wasn't like that. It was mostly a doors closed policy.
I loved Alice more than I expected. She is free and easy but she has
her own worries, especially with Scarlett on the scene. I figured out
some of the end, but was really touched by little moments between
Scarlett & Alice. The change of Alice's feelings about Scarlett was a
pleasure to read and made my heart happy. I think every reader will
identify with the aspects of life explored in the story, I certainly had
a few things clarified by both Alice & Scarlett.
I enjoyed
the style of the book switching from Virginia's past to Alice's present.
It gave an insight into what Scarlett had gone through. Virginia finds a
beautiful way to convey her thoughts in life, which are also the source
of a big misunderstanding at the end. She suffers a lot because of her
husband's family. I felt really sorry for her.
Scarlett...is
Scarlett. She is so quiet, it's a relief when she does rebel. I like the
part in the shoe shop - Alice starts to learn how tricky being a mother
is. Scarlett does rebel which causes a lot of anxiety for Alice, but
Scarlett's showdown helps everyone in the end. I needed lots of tissues
for this 10/10 read.
You can find out more on the Annie Sanders' (who is actually 2 authors) website.
Suggested read
For another book on parenting try Daughters by Elizabeth Buchan
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