When Rose Pritchard turns up on the doorstep of a Cumbrian B&B, it is her last resort. She and her seven-year-old daughter Maddie have left everything behind. And they have come to the village of Millthwaite in search of the person who once offered Rose hope.Almost immediately Rose wonders if she's made a terrible mistake - if she's chasing a dream - but she knows in her heart that she cannot go back. She's been given a second chance - at life, and love - but will she have the courage to take it?
..... Outer back cover.
FIRST SENTENCE (Chapter 1): "Do you know what time it is?" An irritated woman's muffled voice was just about audible from the other side of the door.
MEMORABLE MOMENT (Page 99): It didn't help that she had rocked up in the tightest pair of white jeans that Rose had ever seen, with a full three inches of fake-tanned tummy blossoming over the waistband before barely being covered by a flesh-pink top that plunged in a deep V, leaving very little to the imagination.
MY THOUGHTS: A friend of mine once said that the light at the end of the tunnel is the next train about to hit you - I mention this here because I think it describes perfectly Dearest Rose in that just as you thought something positive (dare I say it .... something nice) was about to happen to Rose another 'train' seemed to come trundling along knocking her back down again.
Sounds depressing?
I won't lie to you, there were aspects to the story that were harrowing but I wouldn't describe the story as depressing as there were so many elements that, though they had me reaching for the tissues, were what I can only describe as life affirming.
Beautifully penned, Dearest Rose takes you on an emotional roller-coaster of a ride with some truly heart-stopping moments but what most impressed me was the depth of the characters.
Concerned at first that this was going to be one of those novels in which all the female characters were written as paragons of virtue, the male characters as, well, less than desirable I was greatly pleased to discover a wonderful array of characters who, whether you loved them or hated them, brought something to the book as their part in Rose's life unfolded bit by bit.
DISCLAIMER: Read and reviewed on behalf of Arrow (A member of the Random House Group) I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.
13 comments:
Sounds like a book Oprah would love ;-) The first line of your thoughts made me laugh out loud! I'll watch for this book.
I might give this one a look.
Hi Tracy,
This is definitely another new author for my list.
All of her books sound like great reads, although it does seem as though she specialises in female characters with some really emotional and problems to solve and difficult decisions to be made.
I love the analogy to the train crash, that made me smile, but just about seems to sum it all up.
I am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of this book, thanks for a nice, honest review and have a good weekend,
Yvonne
Petty, I'm glad that you enjoyed this book. Terrific review! Your memorable moment and thoughts indicate that I'd also enjoy Dearest Rose.
good review...someday hope to read this :)
thanks for a great review, tracy!
sounds like a great read.
i'd also enjoyed this book!
i also like the cover and book title as well.
big hugs!
xx
Glad you enjoyed. I like a good ride on the emotional roller coaster.
Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog
Hm... not in a mood for a book like this right now, but perhaps at a later date.
It's impressive when books do terrible things to the characters, yet also manage to be positive.
Thanks for the review!
This sounds interesting and I am glad to hear that the charactes aren't too good to be true!
~Jess
This sounds like a good one, I'm a fan of reads like these.
Not certain its one for me, but so glad it hit home for you! Thanks for sharing...and happy reading!
I think i will skip this book at the moment. Not a good time to read such book
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