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The whole thing felt pretty stale from the start to be honest; a party in a cut-off island location where several people have “history” and the organiser is worried about how everyone will get on...seriously? Again? And then the first part of the book seemed to go on forever as each person arrived and we very slowly learned a bit more about them, their relationship to the others and that each one has a Dark Secret and is worried about That Thing They Did being exposed – without, of course, telling us what the Secret or the Thing is. I got to the eye-rolling stage fairly early on in the book – and it got worse as absurdities and clichéd situations mounted up, so I was muttering “for heaven’s sake” (I paraphrase) pretty regularly until eventually I gave up because life was too short. He spoke to Nora McElhone about his latest novel The Cliff House ahead of his appearance at The East Neuk Literary Festival on November 8. He was originally planning on sending his bride and her guests to New York before deciding that they should have a more isolated party venue. Who can you trust in The Cliff House? What I loved about this book was not just the journey for each of the characters but the theme of love in this book. Not just romantic love, but the power of love in general whether it be romantic love, familial love, or self love. I felt encouraged and happy about this book even if at times my heart broke for some of the characters. Wallace Stegner refers to the Cliff House in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Angle of Repose in a letter from Susan Ward to her friend Augusta, in which she describes a visit to San Francisco in 1867 (1971). [24]
Stella receives news on her 40th birthday that, while not a surprise, will definitely be life-changing. She also finds out that the only man she ever loved has moved to her town. Their lives become entwined from day one and give her hope for what she once thought an impossibility – a second chance.
The New Forest National Park is also just on our door step, with plenty of fun to be had! If you want to get out and about, there are cycle routes, horse riding trails and some energetic or relaxing walks whilst taking in the beautiful scenery. Chris Brookmyre is a prolific author of crime fiction and one half of the highly successful Ambrose Parry writing partnership along with his wife Marisa Haetzman.
In July 1986 Tamsyn was a teenager, living with her mother, her brother and her ailing grandfather in the small town of St Just in the far west of Cornwall. They were a close family but money was tight, jobs were few since the mine had closed, and they were still coming to terms with the absence of Tamsyn’s beloved father, a lifeboat man who was lost at sea during a rescue.
The Cliff House and ‘the toy box’
This was a lovely book and one that I really enjoyed the more that I read it. It would be a perfect beach/vacation read or just something to read on a lazy summer day. Thayne is a fabulous writer and you can’t go wrong with any of her novels! There is a lot of family drama and angst in the story, but I didn't feel overwhelmed by it all. I'm actually very surprised at how I was able to focus on the love stories with all of the side plots happening, but somehow I was. Part of me wishes the story had one fewer romance so we could have delved even deeper with the other two, and part of me admires the hell out of RaeAnne Thayne for trying something so ambitious.
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