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Homecoming
The Sunday Times No. 1 paperback bestseller...because it's where the heart is Four women. Four lives. One place they call home. Eleanor Levine left Ireland years ago with just a suitcase and her mother's recipe book. And now, a lifetime later, she returns from New York for Dublin's beautiful Golden Square full of hard-won wisdom. As she watches life unfold from her window, she is drawn into the lives of the women who live in the square...Beautful actress Megan Bouchier had fame and success in her grasp - then she made the wrong kind of headlines. Now she needs a place to hide. Big-hearted teacher Connie O'Callaghan is approaching forty and has given up on love. Why does no man match the heroes in her romantic novels? Rae is a loyal friend and wife, dispensing tea and sympathy from Titania's Tea Room - until a secret threatens everything she holds dear ...
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
303 people are currently reading
1760 people want to read
About the author
Cathy Kelly
115 books1,090 followersBorn in Belfast but raised in Dublin, Cathy initially worked for thirteen years as a newspaper journalist with a national Irish Sunday newspaper, where she worked in news, features, along with spending time as an agony aunt and the paper’s film critic. However, her overwhelming love was always fiction and she published her first international bestseller, Woman To Woman, in 1997. She did not become a full-time writer until she had written another two books (She’s The One and Never Too Late) and finally decided to leave the world of journalism in 2001, moving to HarperCollins Publishers at the same time.
Someone Like You and What She Wants followed in successive years. Her sixth novel, Just Between Us, was her first Sunday Times number one bestseller, while her eighth novel, Always and Forever, topped the UK bestseller lists in October 2005, displacing Dan Brown and J. K. Rowling. In 2007, Past Secrets in was also a number one paperback bestseller.
Lessons in Heartbreak was shortlisted for the Eason Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards in April 2009. In September 2009, Once in a Lifetime topped the UK bestseller lists for three weeks. In March 2011, Homecoming achieved the same feat. Her latest novel is It Started With Paris, published by Orion in 2014.
In Autumn 2011, Cathy headlined a search for a new writer on ITV’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show.
Cathy’s trademark is warm story-telling and she consistently tops the bestseller lists around the world with books which deal with themes ranging from relationships and marriage to depression and loss, but always with an uplifting message and strong female characters at the heart.
Cathy also has a passionate interest in children’s rights and is an ambassador for UNICEF Ireland. Her role for UNICEF is a Global Parent, which means raising funds and awareness for children orphaned by or living with HIV/AIDs.
She lives with her husband, John, their twin sons, Dylan and Murray, and their three dogs in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
To contact Cathy email info@cathykelly.com
Someone Like You and What She Wants followed in successive years. Her sixth novel, Just Between Us, was her first Sunday Times number one bestseller, while her eighth novel, Always and Forever, topped the UK bestseller lists in October 2005, displacing Dan Brown and J. K. Rowling. In 2007, Past Secrets in was also a number one paperback bestseller.
Lessons in Heartbreak was shortlisted for the Eason Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards in April 2009. In September 2009, Once in a Lifetime topped the UK bestseller lists for three weeks. In March 2011, Homecoming achieved the same feat. Her latest novel is It Started With Paris, published by Orion in 2014.
In Autumn 2011, Cathy headlined a search for a new writer on ITV’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show.
Cathy’s trademark is warm story-telling and she consistently tops the bestseller lists around the world with books which deal with themes ranging from relationships and marriage to depression and loss, but always with an uplifting message and strong female characters at the heart.
Cathy also has a passionate interest in children’s rights and is an ambassador for UNICEF Ireland. Her role for UNICEF is a Global Parent, which means raising funds and awareness for children orphaned by or living with HIV/AIDs.
She lives with her husband, John, their twin sons, Dylan and Murray, and their three dogs in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
To contact Cathy email info@cathykelly.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 254 reviews
October 9, 2010
Cathy Kelly is back on track in this latest heartwarming tale (is it just me or is she becoming more like Maeve Binchy as time goes on)? This is the type of book you can snuggle up with, a cup of tea and biscuits in one hand. It’s easy to read, the plot is interesting but not exceptionally brain-taxing and it’s fun.
Like other Cathy Kelly novels, this book is set in Ireland and has several main female characters. There’s Eleanor, returning to Ireland after a life in New York; Rae, whose happy face hides a painful past; Megan, the movie star hiding from the papparazi and Connie, a kind hearted teacher who has all but given up on love.
You know the drill. As all the characters are living in the same square, of course they meet up and become friends, helping to guide each other through problems. It’s a happy ending, but you knew that before you picked up the book, right?
You may be thinking- why read this book then? Well, apart from some awkward sounding dialogue, it’s an easy read. The characters are well thought out and you can easily picture in your mind the square and Titania’s Tea Rooms. It leaves you with a warm, happy feeling that sometimes things just all work out (eventually). It’s also a quick read and would be ideal for a short break or just a cozy book before bed. It would also make a good present for your mum or grandmother.
Like other Cathy Kelly novels, this book is set in Ireland and has several main female characters. There’s Eleanor, returning to Ireland after a life in New York; Rae, whose happy face hides a painful past; Megan, the movie star hiding from the papparazi and Connie, a kind hearted teacher who has all but given up on love.
You know the drill. As all the characters are living in the same square, of course they meet up and become friends, helping to guide each other through problems. It’s a happy ending, but you knew that before you picked up the book, right?
You may be thinking- why read this book then? Well, apart from some awkward sounding dialogue, it’s an easy read. The characters are well thought out and you can easily picture in your mind the square and Titania’s Tea Rooms. It leaves you with a warm, happy feeling that sometimes things just all work out (eventually). It’s also a quick read and would be ideal for a short break or just a cozy book before bed. It would also make a good present for your mum or grandmother.
September 28, 2024
Not a bad book but it just really didn't resonate. There was way too many characters and too many timelines at one point to try to follow.
Full review:
Honestly, I didn't have a favorite storyline this time which caused me to drop this to 1 star. The whole book dragged and I was just bored from the beginning to the end. I think the inclusion of Megan's storyline just didn't work and maybe that's how the whole thing was thrown off. Eleanor's felt tacked on too. Connie's storyline was a whole freaking mess from beginning to end. And Rae was in the middle of some other book I felt.
The ending left way too many balls in the air I thought.
Full review:
Honestly, I didn't have a favorite storyline this time which caused me to drop this to 1 star. The whole book dragged and I was just bored from the beginning to the end. I think the inclusion of Megan's storyline just didn't work and maybe that's how the whole thing was thrown off. Eleanor's felt tacked on too. Connie's storyline was a whole freaking mess from beginning to end. And Rae was in the middle of some other book I felt.
The ending left way too many balls in the air I thought.
May 1, 2012
It had potential to be a comfortable and comforting book. The writing is flat, though. The plot is mediocre. It's written with a pretty blah voice. The characters are pretty cool. I would hope this author could get better but this one just didn't have much personality.
October 30, 2015
Hooray, Cathy Kelly is back. I have read every book she has written and loved the vast majority of them. However, her last two books didn't rate that highly for me and I was beginning to wonder what had happened to this wonderful writer. Thankfully she has returned with an absolute corker of a book.
We meet the four wonderful women who are living in Golden Square. Eleanor is the first person we meet and you soon realise that Eleanor is not the normal character you would expect to find in a Chick Lit novel. Thankfully, she is the glue that holds this story together beautifully.
Eleanor is a wonderful and wise character, a woman in her eighties that has wisdom and knowledge on her side. From the very beginning we see extracts from her mother's handwritten cookery book. Only the cooker book is no ordinary book. It seems to teach valuable lessons to Eleanor who then in turn will share with the other three characters we meet.
Megan is very glamorous and having realised following her disastrous love affair had gone wrong she retreats to her Aunt Nora's home. Megan is a young and very glamorous woman who we see struggle with her grief at her loss of the man in her life she loved.
Rae is the mother hen of the bunch who everybody adores and Cathy Kelly has painted a wonderful picture of her. I even got to the point where I could imagine this being made into a film.
Connie is also a great character who has an air of humour about her. She struggles with her lack of sense when it comes to men and spends more time helping out others.
The story itself was wonderfully told and I adored the setting of Golden Square. The characters all had great strength without being too much, but at the same time they all had their secrets, neurosis and funny quirks.
The book is a really good read and is the perfect length. I loved the way their lives all interact and there is a dose of old fashioned faith with the addition of Eleanor's mother's cookbook. This was a joy to read and I was as pleased as punch that Cathy Kelly has gone back to her (IMO) former glory. There is nothing I can criticise about this book and it was a thoroughly enjoyable read that I would highly recommend.
We meet the four wonderful women who are living in Golden Square. Eleanor is the first person we meet and you soon realise that Eleanor is not the normal character you would expect to find in a Chick Lit novel. Thankfully, she is the glue that holds this story together beautifully.
Eleanor is a wonderful and wise character, a woman in her eighties that has wisdom and knowledge on her side. From the very beginning we see extracts from her mother's handwritten cookery book. Only the cooker book is no ordinary book. It seems to teach valuable lessons to Eleanor who then in turn will share with the other three characters we meet.
Megan is very glamorous and having realised following her disastrous love affair had gone wrong she retreats to her Aunt Nora's home. Megan is a young and very glamorous woman who we see struggle with her grief at her loss of the man in her life she loved.
Rae is the mother hen of the bunch who everybody adores and Cathy Kelly has painted a wonderful picture of her. I even got to the point where I could imagine this being made into a film.
Connie is also a great character who has an air of humour about her. She struggles with her lack of sense when it comes to men and spends more time helping out others.
The story itself was wonderfully told and I adored the setting of Golden Square. The characters all had great strength without being too much, but at the same time they all had their secrets, neurosis and funny quirks.
The book is a really good read and is the perfect length. I loved the way their lives all interact and there is a dose of old fashioned faith with the addition of Eleanor's mother's cookbook. This was a joy to read and I was as pleased as punch that Cathy Kelly has gone back to her (IMO) former glory. There is nothing I can criticise about this book and it was a thoroughly enjoyable read that I would highly recommend.
July 19, 2011
I enjoy the warmth and relaxation that Cathy Kelly's books offer. They are wonderful escapist reading and Homecoming is no exception. Kelly brings together a disparate group of people who reside around the Golden Square, featuring the stories of Eleanor who is mourning the loss of her husband, Megan who is hiding from the paparazzi after an ill-considered affair, Rae who is terrified of her lifelong secret being revealed and Connie who has given up on finding love, without neglecting an array of siblings, aunts, in laws, daughters, friends and husbands that these women interact with.
Having recently read and reviewed Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner where I was critical of her stereotyped characters, Kelly could be accused of a similar failing, however I feel her characters are much more fleshed out than Weiner managed. Their lives are full with work, friends and family and it is easy to relate to both their worries and their happiness.
One of the things I enjoyed most about Homecoming is the sense of community that Kelly invokes. I can just imagine sitting in the tearoom on the square, watching the children play in the park, chatting under the dryer at Patsy's hair salon. It's an idealised but comforting scenario when neighborhoods such as these have all but disappeared.
Homecoming is a satisfying chick-lit novel from one of my favourite Irish writers of the genre. Curl up on the lounge with a few chocolates and enjoy this light and easy read.
Having recently read and reviewed Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner where I was critical of her stereotyped characters, Kelly could be accused of a similar failing, however I feel her characters are much more fleshed out than Weiner managed. Their lives are full with work, friends and family and it is easy to relate to both their worries and their happiness.
One of the things I enjoyed most about Homecoming is the sense of community that Kelly invokes. I can just imagine sitting in the tearoom on the square, watching the children play in the park, chatting under the dryer at Patsy's hair salon. It's an idealised but comforting scenario when neighborhoods such as these have all but disappeared.
Homecoming is a satisfying chick-lit novel from one of my favourite Irish writers of the genre. Curl up on the lounge with a few chocolates and enjoy this light and easy read.
December 18, 2019
3.5 stars
The first half of Homecoming by Cathy Kelly was to some degree tedious and there were multiple characters to keep track of I was struggling to keep them straight however, just a little more than halfway through I could then easily identify all the various characters and from then on the story flowed and following each of the protagonists life was enjoyable.
The four heroine’s in this slow but interesting tale live and work in and around Golden Square, Dublin, they’re each facing a few challenges and along the way their lives intertwine and they form a bond and connect in ways that is surprising.
The authors description of Golden Square forms a vivid picture in ones mind and you feel as if you’re part of a wonderful and caring community.
*Book #38/72 of my coffee table to-read pile challenge
The first half of Homecoming by Cathy Kelly was to some degree tedious and there were multiple characters to keep track of I was struggling to keep them straight however, just a little more than halfway through I could then easily identify all the various characters and from then on the story flowed and following each of the protagonists life was enjoyable.
The four heroine’s in this slow but interesting tale live and work in and around Golden Square, Dublin, they’re each facing a few challenges and along the way their lives intertwine and they form a bond and connect in ways that is surprising.
The authors description of Golden Square forms a vivid picture in ones mind and you feel as if you’re part of a wonderful and caring community.
*Book #38/72 of my coffee table to-read pile challenge
January 15, 2016
I couldn't finish this book. I found the characters undeveloped and overly stereotypical. I couldn't relate to a single one, and there were quite a few to keep track of, because they were more like cardboard cutouts than real people. I was also bothered by the inconsistencies in character. One minute Eleanor was drained by the same action that energised her less than a page later. Connie, we are told, had never read a bridal magazine only to have read several a few years earlier, a page later. This kind of sloppy characterisation prevented me from becoming engaged in the story which was hard to follow as chapter by chapter the focus character changed with no introduction or segway. I persevered until page 216 but decided life is too short to keep reading a disappointing book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2019
While no author can ever replace Maeve Binchy in my heart, I think I have found my next favorite Irish author. I love this book for its simple storytelling. I am looking forward to reading more of this author's work.
June 28, 2017
Muito bom.
Sabe bem ler um cruzamento de histórias que são ensinamentos, ternura e amizade.
Sabe bem ler um cruzamento de histórias que são ensinamentos, ternura e amizade.
July 20, 2014
Homecoming is my first book from Cathy Kelly. I've talked about the book cover design on my social media before, and how the author's name overshadowed the book title. I think I have the answer now. Who cares about the title if the author is Cathy Kelly? I certainly won't; the result of reading just one book. I think I'm a fan.
Lately, I haven't picked up many books. The previous book took me 2 months or so to finish. I thought I have lost interest in books but turns out, I had just picked up the wrong book all along.
Homecoming is a light, warm and comforting read. Cathy Kelly is a genius author when it comes to women's fiction. There is no over-the-top romanticism, just pure bittersweet stories of 4 women who lives intersect. It's a story of healing, finding yourself, accepting...it's just so beautiful!
I finished this in 2 days. Not nearly record-breaking but definitely an improvement from the previous 2 months stupor. I am in love with Cathy Kelly's writings!
Lately, I haven't picked up many books. The previous book took me 2 months or so to finish. I thought I have lost interest in books but turns out, I had just picked up the wrong book all along.
Homecoming is a light, warm and comforting read. Cathy Kelly is a genius author when it comes to women's fiction. There is no over-the-top romanticism, just pure bittersweet stories of 4 women who lives intersect. It's a story of healing, finding yourself, accepting...it's just so beautiful!
I finished this in 2 days. Not nearly record-breaking but definitely an improvement from the previous 2 months stupor. I am in love with Cathy Kelly's writings!
March 16, 2012
I hadn't read any Cathy Kelly before "Homecoming" but I will certainly be reading more now!
The story follows four women, each at crisis point in their own lives, who are all brought together by one place: Golden Square. The narrative style is reminiscient of Maeve Binchy's multiple narratives - one omniscient narrator, cutting between the four protagonists who each, in their own special way, help each other out. However, Kelly adds her own sense of style to the narrative - it's gentler and less jarring than some of the crises in Binchy's narratives. In addition, the chapters open with "extracts" from a special cookbook - Recipes for Life - that one protagonists mother wrote. It's heart-warming, funny at times and deeply moving. Not exactly classic literature material but exquisite all the same.
The story follows four women, each at crisis point in their own lives, who are all brought together by one place: Golden Square. The narrative style is reminiscient of Maeve Binchy's multiple narratives - one omniscient narrator, cutting between the four protagonists who each, in their own special way, help each other out. However, Kelly adds her own sense of style to the narrative - it's gentler and less jarring than some of the crises in Binchy's narratives. In addition, the chapters open with "extracts" from a special cookbook - Recipes for Life - that one protagonists mother wrote. It's heart-warming, funny at times and deeply moving. Not exactly classic literature material but exquisite all the same.
August 7, 2011
I love all of Cathy Kelly's books, but especially Homecoming, where you not only read about strong, gutsy women, you get to know them and care about them. Each of the four main women has her own problems that she tries to keep private but learns that sharing with friends strengthens her and makes life not only bearable but joyful. The author has a real talent for talking to the reader and sharing great bits of wisdom. She is very much like a young Maeve Binchy.
January 11, 2012
Loved this book, what a tale of what we as women can learn from each other and gain from each other. I fell in love with the receipe book, so much so that I might try my own hand at it. My mother is also gone, too early in this life, but left behind may ideas and ideals that I think I have used (and maybe improved upon).
I really enjoy books, that make me want to meet the charecter's for a cup of tea (and maybe a cupcake!).
I really enjoy books, that make me want to meet the charecter's for a cup of tea (and maybe a cupcake!).
February 27, 2015
I really enjoyed this heartwarming story with the subject of family and home at its core. If like me you want to be left with a warm and fluffy feeling once you've finished a book then this is one for you.
August 7, 2011
Another fantastic read by one of my fav authors.
November 11, 2020
Read this for a Book Club. Found the plot boring and the characters annoying. Thought they would engage better with each other, isn't that the point of this type of book?
January 5, 2020
Olen jjo unohtanut koko sisällön
April 6, 2021
A typical book about women, for women. Not my favourite genre but managed to finish this one.
October 20, 2024
En hirveästi tykännyt. Liikaa henkilöhahmoja, varsinkin aluksi oli todella sekavaa luettavaa. Tarina itsessään ihan sympaattinen. Osa päähahmoista oli todella ärsyttäviä.
August 22, 2025
A lovely book that has been sat on my shelf for far too long. In the style of my fave, Maeve Binchy, we have a group of Irish women coming together and learning about what life really is. I love this type of book. Some parts definitely resonated more than others and the overall effect was very good. Not up to the Best of Binchy, but that is a very high place to climb. Not all of Binchy was up there either. I need to read all of the author’s work. I have everything up to this novel, which must have been one of the final ones that my mum read before her death in 2011. I can see why she was such a beloved writer for my mum.
July 2, 2023
Some lines from this book -
But the humble mushroom is proof that sometimes the best things in life are found growing wild and free right under your nose. Don't rush so fast, that you can't see the wild mushrooms around you. (Pg no. 87)
Had life been more simple then? When it was harder merely to survive, did people get on with it and not tangle themselves in knots over who they were and why life had shaped them a certain way? (Pg no. 122)
Lists can be self-defeating. Lists can become a way to lessen the importance of something. It's too enormous to cope with, so we break it down into a list and then it has less power over us. And that's shutting the door on what we have to deal with. (Pg no. 142)
Life is about getting by. Surviving. It's never perfect and we self-sabotage for any number of reasons, but if you try to understand all that about yourself, you can be happy. (Pg no. 143)
The problem with running away is that the problem runs with you. (Pg no. 361)
Keep it light, never let them know know how you feel. But that doesn't always work out. Sometimes you had to let people know how you felt. Keeping it light, concealing your true feelings, meant nobody knew you. You were a mystery, and being a mystery was all well and good, but it was a lonely way to live. (Pg no. 403)
But the humble mushroom is proof that sometimes the best things in life are found growing wild and free right under your nose. Don't rush so fast, that you can't see the wild mushrooms around you. (Pg no. 87)
Had life been more simple then? When it was harder merely to survive, did people get on with it and not tangle themselves in knots over who they were and why life had shaped them a certain way? (Pg no. 122)
Lists can be self-defeating. Lists can become a way to lessen the importance of something. It's too enormous to cope with, so we break it down into a list and then it has less power over us. And that's shutting the door on what we have to deal with. (Pg no. 142)
Life is about getting by. Surviving. It's never perfect and we self-sabotage for any number of reasons, but if you try to understand all that about yourself, you can be happy. (Pg no. 143)
The problem with running away is that the problem runs with you. (Pg no. 361)
Keep it light, never let them know know how you feel. But that doesn't always work out. Sometimes you had to let people know how you felt. Keeping it light, concealing your true feelings, meant nobody knew you. You were a mystery, and being a mystery was all well and good, but it was a lonely way to live. (Pg no. 403)
August 3, 2012
http://reinodeadlle.blogspot.pt/2012/...
Este livro custou 5 euros em segunda mão e é um dos livros mais enternecedores que eu já li. Não é uma obra-prima, não está maravilhosamente escrito, mas a sua simplicidade é o que mais me fascina. As personagens são simples, mas são humanas. Conseguimos facilmente encontrar semelhanças com a nossa própria vida ou com a de alguém conhecido. O livro conta história de quatro mulheres: Eleanor, Megan, Rae e Connie. Estas mulheres têm uma coisa em comum: um passado mal resolvido. Assim, na Golden Square, elas vivem e, com experiências banais como tomar chá e ajudar que lhes é próximo, começam a curar-se e, no caso da Connie, encontrar o amor. Acho que não consigo escrever o quanto este livro me fascinou. Não o consegui largar desde que o comecei a ler. Ah, um parte interessante do livro é o livro de receitas da mãe de Eleanor, que, para além de receitas culinárias, tem receitas para a vida, na forma de histórias sobre a pequena cidade onde cresceu na Irlanda no início do século XX e da forma como a comida a ajudava a passar pelos momentos mais difíceis.
Recomendo este livro a toda a gente, sem excepção, porque é um daqueles livros que acabam por nos aquecer o coração.
Este livro custou 5 euros em segunda mão e é um dos livros mais enternecedores que eu já li. Não é uma obra-prima, não está maravilhosamente escrito, mas a sua simplicidade é o que mais me fascina. As personagens são simples, mas são humanas. Conseguimos facilmente encontrar semelhanças com a nossa própria vida ou com a de alguém conhecido. O livro conta história de quatro mulheres: Eleanor, Megan, Rae e Connie. Estas mulheres têm uma coisa em comum: um passado mal resolvido. Assim, na Golden Square, elas vivem e, com experiências banais como tomar chá e ajudar que lhes é próximo, começam a curar-se e, no caso da Connie, encontrar o amor. Acho que não consigo escrever o quanto este livro me fascinou. Não o consegui largar desde que o comecei a ler. Ah, um parte interessante do livro é o livro de receitas da mãe de Eleanor, que, para além de receitas culinárias, tem receitas para a vida, na forma de histórias sobre a pequena cidade onde cresceu na Irlanda no início do século XX e da forma como a comida a ajudava a passar pelos momentos mais difíceis.
Recomendo este livro a toda a gente, sem excepção, porque é um daqueles livros que acabam por nos aquecer o coração.
March 11, 2019
Set in a small community in Dublin, this novel follows the lives of four very different women. There's an elderly woman seeking her roots, a young film star who is in hiding after doing something stupid, a delightful school teacher who feels she should give up on the idea of love, and a generous, hard-working woman who works in a tea-shop, but has a deep-rooted secret which threatens to destroy her peace of mind.
It took me a couple of weeks to finish it because I was very busy with guests, and at times I had to skip back to remind myself who was whom; there are quite a few minor characters in the book, not all of them memorable.
As with the first novel I read by Cathy Kelly, I was reminded several times of Maeve Binchy's style; it's a tad grittier, and the viewpoint leaps around rather too much for my tastes, but overall I enjoyed this very much. Two of the main characters were particularly sympathetic, and I liked the way that the four stories gently entwined as the women got to know each other, and started to share their hopes and wishes.
Four and a half stars would be fairer.
It took me a couple of weeks to finish it because I was very busy with guests, and at times I had to skip back to remind myself who was whom; there are quite a few minor characters in the book, not all of them memorable.
As with the first novel I read by Cathy Kelly, I was reminded several times of Maeve Binchy's style; it's a tad grittier, and the viewpoint leaps around rather too much for my tastes, but overall I enjoyed this very much. Two of the main characters were particularly sympathetic, and I liked the way that the four stories gently entwined as the women got to know each other, and started to share their hopes and wishes.
Four and a half stars would be fairer.
October 5, 2016
Great in parts, otherwise good
This book is about 50 pages too long for me. I have said that about several books lately--maybe I am losing my concentration. But overall I enjoyed it very much. It is a "happy" book--has loads of the challenges that women face in the forms of several different women that are all resolved to everyone's joy at the end of the book.
It is the kind of book we often need to buoy us up but we turn to chocolate instead. I am glad I spent the hours with the book :) I particularly liked the description of Eleanor as a psychotherapist who saw through the other women's facades and helped each one toward their own truth.
This book is ultimately about living truthfully and joyfully. About confronting our demons and moving on.
This book is about 50 pages too long for me. I have said that about several books lately--maybe I am losing my concentration. But overall I enjoyed it very much. It is a "happy" book--has loads of the challenges that women face in the forms of several different women that are all resolved to everyone's joy at the end of the book.
It is the kind of book we often need to buoy us up but we turn to chocolate instead. I am glad I spent the hours with the book :) I particularly liked the description of Eleanor as a psychotherapist who saw through the other women's facades and helped each one toward their own truth.
This book is ultimately about living truthfully and joyfully. About confronting our demons and moving on.
October 25, 2019
I loved this 📖 book,
It was so well written, Cathy Kelly has a happy knack of using modern settings and attitudes to portray the pressures of modern day life.
Eleanor Megan Rae and Connie are the four main characters, they are different ages and various stages of their lives.
Each of them needed to reconnect with their past, in order to find how their lives could be fulfilled.
Old fashioned wisdom, was sprinkled through the novel by way of a diary from the past.
Life lessons were disguised as recipes and stories from a previous age when things were very different, were warm and likeable.
The characters in this book are there to fall in love 🥰 with, its a page turner, very hard to put down.
It was so well written, Cathy Kelly has a happy knack of using modern settings and attitudes to portray the pressures of modern day life.
Eleanor Megan Rae and Connie are the four main characters, they are different ages and various stages of their lives.
Each of them needed to reconnect with their past, in order to find how their lives could be fulfilled.
Old fashioned wisdom, was sprinkled through the novel by way of a diary from the past.
Life lessons were disguised as recipes and stories from a previous age when things were very different, were warm and likeable.
The characters in this book are there to fall in love 🥰 with, its a page turner, very hard to put down.
June 8, 2013
I did like this book in the end but it has taken me over a week to read it which is unusual for me with a Cathy Kelly book. I loved Connie, Rae and Megan's storylines but wasn't fussed with Eleanor's bits as I skipped most of the recipe book entries at the start of the chapters because I just wanted to get on with the story. The story itself was nice but I just didn't get drawn in as quickly as I normally do and kept putting it down and picking it up whilst reading other books in between. Still a good read overall but not my favourite.
January 7, 2012
“Reencontros” é um livro que ficará para sempre na minha memória.
Esta maravilhosa história chegou a mim transbordando conceitos valorosos bem como uma humanidade palpável onde assisti a um cruzar de vidas fascinante. Entrelaçados por mil laços invisíveis vemos os nossos personagens descobrir o seu caminho pela neblina até ao raiar da felicidade, oferecendo-nos no seu percurso, uma autêntica lição de vida.
Esta maravilhosa história chegou a mim transbordando conceitos valorosos bem como uma humanidade palpável onde assisti a um cruzar de vidas fascinante. Entrelaçados por mil laços invisíveis vemos os nossos personagens descobrir o seu caminho pela neblina até ao raiar da felicidade, oferecendo-nos no seu percurso, uma autêntica lição de vida.
March 26, 2013
É um livro que gostei de ler mas apenas leva três estrelas por ser, como disse, uma leitura que daqui a uns meses nem me vou lembrar, tal como não me lembro dos outros dois livros que li da autora.
Opinião completa aqui: http://algodaodoceparaocerebro.blogsp...
Opinião completa aqui: http://algodaodoceparaocerebro.blogsp...
July 3, 2011
Shouldn't have opened a book like this when I've been reading more crime books. Only thing I can say of this is that it was nonsense. Better than some books I've read, so it earned 2 stars. Plus, before I liked Kelly's books but that was when I read mostly books like this.
July 3, 2012
I really thought I would like it. Based on research, I thought it would be a similar type to Binchy and Keyes, but even though it was an easy read, it just didn't grip me. I ended up skimming through it, just to get to the end.
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