A previous guest reviewer on Pen and Paper, Leanne, who if you haven't already done so can meet here, is a work colleague of Mr T who is instrumental in organising the World Book Night events that have proved so popular at their place of work.
ALAN TITCHMARSH - THE HAUNTING.
FIRST SENTENCE: It was not a day for death.
MEMORABLE MOMENT: (Chapter 35: 72 Godolphin Street, Portsmouth: 17 April 1816, Page 214) 'you were right not to steal, Anne. It can only lead to trouble, sooner or later. Here: take these.'
MY THOUGHTS: As part of a promise to myself that I must read something different to my normal type of fiction every so often, I recently delved into this novel - and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would!
Harry Flint is recovering from the devastating blow of a short-lived and failed marriage. As part of the fresh start he so desperately craves, he jacks in his job as a teacher and moves to a run-down old cottage with an overgrown garden. He now has more time on his hands to research his mysterious family tree - but will he ever get to the bottom of it? And when an attractive woman introduces herself as his new next-door neighbour, will Harry have the courage to turn their blossoming friendship into something more?
The Haunting is an endearing novel which flits between the years of 1816 and 2010; as a result, the past and present collide in this book, with very intriguing consequences. A smattering of the supernatural helps the story along and the reader is drawn into the cosiness of the plot.
This definitely isn't the kind of book I'd usually read but, after a slightly slow start, I was intrigued.
LITERARY LABELS: Cosy, historic, lovely.
Leanne.
Thanks for yet another insightful review Leanne. I actually read and reviewed this novel a while back. To read my thoughts on it click here. TT
6 comments:
This sounds like an interesting read for sure! Thanks for sharing. Hope you are doing well my friend! xo
Hi Leanne,
I don't think we have met before :)
I must admit that I have always fought shy of reading Alan Titchmarsh books, despite friends recommending him to me. I guess I can't get the image of him in gardening mode out of my head!
In fact, when his books are donated into the charity shop where I volunteer, I never even bother checking out the synopses and just get them onto the shelves for sale.
I actually really like the sound of this one though, although there are so many cover versions floating around out there, it is unbelievable!
You have definitely brought 'The Haunting' to my attention and piqued my interest - It's no good, it's heading for my 'Want To Read' list :)
Yvonne
This definitely sounds like a good read.
Somehow I missed Tracy's review of this, but based on the two reviews put together, the jury is still out or me. I do like books with storylines in more than one era, but I'm not sure if there might be too much romance for me. I'm not familiar with the author, so that really has no bearing for me. Perhaps if I run across it as a freebie at some point...
Thanks for the review, Leanne, and thanks for sharing your space here, Tracy.
This sounds really good, will definitely have to give this one a go! Lovely review Leanne! - Tasha
It is really good to read things that one would not normally read once in a while.
The main character sounds like his experience is interesting thus adding to the appeal of this book.
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