LOVE'S LONG ROAD by G D HARPER.BACK COVER BLURB: Glasgow, 1975. How do you cope when your boyfriend kills himself because of you?
When Bobbie Sinclair's boyfriend commits suicide and blames her, she vows never to love again. Instead she chooses to lead a double existence, kind-hearted by day and promiscuous by night. She increasingly struggles to maintain the balance between light and dark and soon finds herself sucked into the world of a controlling and ruthless crime lord from which she must escape.
Set against a vibrant but seedy 1970's Glasgow backdrop, Love's Long Road plots Bobbie's desperate plight. Starting a new life but constantly afraid of her past catching up with her, she battles danger, adversity and drug addiction on the long and perilous road back to love.
Love's Long Road is about dealing with the guilt of terrible events in your past and the risk of being corrupted by the world around you; it is a story that captures to perfection what it was like to be young and single in the 1970s.
FIRST SENTENCE {Glasgow, June 1975: Chapter One}: Should you be at someone's funeral, if they died because of you?
MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 181}: She liked I'd changed my name, and didn't ask what my old one was. Laughed when she heard my haircut was only one day old. I didn't tell her about being robbed. Didn't want to come across as a complete idiot.
SOURCE: Received for review from the author. Released April 28th 2016.
MY THOUGHTS: A complex character that on the one level having lost loved ones myself I could totally relate to. And yet, despite my understanding that its not unknown for people to react with self destructive behaviour at times of grief, on another level I simply didn't get Bobbie at all as she slept her way through countless number of men in her quest to find peace until, without giving too much away, she becomes involved with a man who though outwardly respectable is (shall we say) a wrong 'un.
A great premise, the whole control of a somewhat naive young women by a rich, seemingly sophisticated man fascinating and more than a little chilling. Love's Long Road had such potential and yet, one step ahead throughout, for me it didn't quite live up to this potential.
Still ....
'Glamorous halter-neck jumpsuit in bright green for disco nights, and a canary yellow trouser suit with the most amazing bell bottoms.' - Page 43
With references to the fashions (not to mention music) of the day the author certainly does a grand job of taking the reader back to the 1970's.
11 comments:
The 70s references alone would make this a fun (perhaps not an appropriate word given the subject matter) book to read. I can imagine a certain amount of destructive behavior since often people escape their grief in this way. Then, too, it's easy for behavior like that to spiral out of control. It's an interesting twist in that her boyfriend did blame her before killing himself. So often it's the survivor trying to get over their own guilty feelings when, in fact, they weren't to blame.
This sounds pretty intense and I'm not sure it's one for my wish list at this time, but I appreciated your review.
Hmm... I'm not sure what I think about this one. Enjoyed your review though.
The 70s setting sounds good. I haven't read that many from this time.
It's too bad that you were expecting something and finally didn't have fully all the things you wanted
I agree that the premise of this one sounds really good.
I think having someone kill themselves and blame another individual must be an experience that is unparalleled.
The references to the seventies fashion seem fantastic.
Ahhh 70's fashion.
I love that first line.
Karen @For What It's Worth
I shall have to check this one out, as I was working in Glasgow in 1975!!
Well this one does sound interesting. I also love that it is set in the 70s. Makes me more curious about the book. I still think her ex was a jerk especially in death, but it is an interesting premise as to how she deals with it.
I'd enjoy the 70s references but the plot makes me cringe.
I hadn't heard of this one- but the 70s references sound interesting. Sounds like an intense book. Thanks for sharing!
Not on my radar but it does sound intriguing. How sad she blames herself though! It circumstances can point that direction but you can't truly control someone entirely at that level. Sounds like despite not meeting its full potential, it still left its mark.
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