Book Chat's Winter Reading

The Clergyman’s Wife by Polly Greeley
This novel is a must for Jane Austen fans, picking up the story of Charlotte Lucas where Pride and Prejudice leaves off. As you might remember, Charlotte is Lizzie Bennett’s best friend, who with few options to marry well, accepts the hand of Mr Collins, the heir to Longbourn, Lizzie’s childhood home. Collins is pompous and lecturing, but when Charlotte meets Mr Travis, a local farmer, she finds her heart opens to feelings that question the life she has chosen.

The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan by Lisa Ireland
A wife plans the perfect trip for her husband, who is struggling with dementia, to the place where they fell in love. Fifty-seven years later Frank is in a rest home, when Shirley kidnaps him with no intention of bringing him back. This upsets their daughter, but helps Shirley make amends for a guilty secret that has haunted her for years. Our reader couldn't put down this novel which builds to a surprising twist at the end.

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner
Secrets bubble to the surface when Helen attends prenatal classes, after years of trying for a baby with her handsome architect husband. At the class she meets Rachel who is rebellious and not particularly maternal, but maybe she just needs a friend. Rachel’s erratic behaviour threatens to destroy Helen’s world in this debut novel that will appeal to fans of Girl on a Train. Expect twists and a story that’s hard to put down.

Bring Me Home by Alan Titchmarsh
Charlie Stuart had always looked forward to his future as heir to a Scottish castle on an atmospheric Scottish loch. But his mother’s sudden death and his father’s remarriage put obstacles in his path. Years later the past is all set to catch up with Charlie in this story that involves espionage, deceit and a mysterious death. Another great read from a superb writer.

Flappy Entertains by Santa Montefiore
We first meet Flappy Scott-Booth in an earlier Montefiore novel: The Temptation of Gracie. Flappy now has a novel of her own in a departure in style for the author. Flappy is something of a queen bee in her picturesque Devon village. Larger than life, she is busy with her lovely home, entertaining and with her devoted friends, until new people take up residence in an even grander home, giving Flappy a run for her money. A novel full of humour about keeping up with the Joneses.

The Witness by Nora Roberts
Elizabeth is the beloved child of her surgeon mother, who rules her life and has aspirations of her being a doctor. Elizabeth wants to work for the FBI. When her mother is away at a conference, Elizabeth takes flight into a world of freedom - shopping with friends, going out on the town… but then she witnesses a crime. Thrown into witness protection, Elizabeth’s life is governed by new rules and fears, and 15 years later the local law enforcement is starting to notice. A terrific story from one of the world’s most popular novelists.

23 August 2021

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