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A Good Liar
Jessie Thompson had been lying to her mother all her life’…and the lies continue as Jessie gives away her baby in the chaos of Barrow during the Great War, changes her name and escapes to the glorious landscape of west Cumberland where the River Esk winds into the Irish Sea. Driven by loneliness, and despite her better judgment, Jessie embarks on a love affair that threatens her security, while a ghost from her past moves ever closer.
Set in what is now the Lake District National Park, Ruth Sutton’s first novel introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters, in the first half of the last century, when oil lamps lit the houses and horses ploughed the fields. Life was different then, but the passions and risks that shape our lives were just as real.
This is the first part of a trilogy ‘Between the Mountains and the Sea’ tracing Jessie’s life through the dramatic decades from the Great War through the thirties into the Second War and on into the gloom of post-war England and the dawn of the nuclear age in Cumberland. (2012-04-16)
Set in what is now the Lake District National Park, Ruth Sutton’s first novel introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters, in the first half of the last century, when oil lamps lit the houses and horses ploughed the fields. Life was different then, but the passions and risks that shape our lives were just as real.
This is the first part of a trilogy ‘Between the Mountains and the Sea’ tracing Jessie’s life through the dramatic decades from the Great War through the thirties into the Second War and on into the gloom of post-war England and the dawn of the nuclear age in Cumberland. (2012-04-16)
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 23, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 22, 2024
Beautiful Storytelling with a Stunning Backdrop.
I don’t know how I came about this book, I think it was recommended in a group, but imagine my joy when I started reading to find that it’s set in my area—not many fiction books are. It ramped up my enjoyment no end, as I knew all the places mentioned.
This story unveils a deep secret that a pillar of the local community has been hiding. Nobody would ever imagine that the school headmistress, Jessie, had ever done such a thing. It’s a compelling narrative woven around the complexities of Jessie Whelan’s life. She’s a teacher hiding under a façade of deception. The book explores the intricacies of Jessie's character, portraying her as a woman driven by the desire to safeguard her independence and career. It’s a very honest look at the fact that not all women want to have their peaceful life turned upside down.
But once bitten isn’t twice shy for our Jessie. As she embarks on a clandestine love affair, it captures the tension between vulnerability and the yearning for connection, making the reader empathetic to Jessie's dilemma.
And we see the story from the flip side of the coin, too.
Set against the backdrop of the north-west corner of England in the early twentieth century, Sutton's writing skilfully paints a picture of Cumbria, building an immersive experience for readers. I adored the travelogue elements of the story. The portrayal of interconnected lives adds several layers of richness to the narrative. The unveiling of Jessie's secret past keeps the reader turning pages to uncover the mystery within the picturesque landscapes.
This is the captivating first book in a trilogy called Between the Mountains and the Sea. The evocative storytelling offers a poignant exploration of love, deception, and the intricate dance of lives in a historical setting that comes to life within beautiful West Cumbria.
I don’t know how I came about this book, I think it was recommended in a group, but imagine my joy when I started reading to find that it’s set in my area—not many fiction books are. It ramped up my enjoyment no end, as I knew all the places mentioned.
This story unveils a deep secret that a pillar of the local community has been hiding. Nobody would ever imagine that the school headmistress, Jessie, had ever done such a thing. It’s a compelling narrative woven around the complexities of Jessie Whelan’s life. She’s a teacher hiding under a façade of deception. The book explores the intricacies of Jessie's character, portraying her as a woman driven by the desire to safeguard her independence and career. It’s a very honest look at the fact that not all women want to have their peaceful life turned upside down.
But once bitten isn’t twice shy for our Jessie. As she embarks on a clandestine love affair, it captures the tension between vulnerability and the yearning for connection, making the reader empathetic to Jessie's dilemma.
And we see the story from the flip side of the coin, too.
Set against the backdrop of the north-west corner of England in the early twentieth century, Sutton's writing skilfully paints a picture of Cumbria, building an immersive experience for readers. I adored the travelogue elements of the story. The portrayal of interconnected lives adds several layers of richness to the narrative. The unveiling of Jessie's secret past keeps the reader turning pages to uncover the mystery within the picturesque landscapes.
This is the captivating first book in a trilogy called Between the Mountains and the Sea. The evocative storytelling offers a poignant exploration of love, deception, and the intricate dance of lives in a historical setting that comes to life within beautiful West Cumbria.
April 9, 2018
This was a lovely introduction to Ruth's work. All the places were familiar to me which added interest. I loved her dialogue-so often Cumbrian dialect and words are overlooked in local books-but she was spot on. I enjoyed the story-I did guess who was who-but that didn't detract from the enjoyment-can't wait for the next one.
August 22, 2024
Loving this series of books
January 24, 2014
This was my book group's most recent read. The author came to speak to the group, but I was unfortunately unable to attend in the end. So. It's an historical novel set in West Cumbria and it is good. It's a story of a girl who gives up a child during the first world war, and then…well I won't give away any spoilers.
The dialogue is good, I really got some good flavours of West Cumbrian dialect from the author there. The plot is sufficiently twisty to surprise me, whilst not being outlandish. There are characters that are drawn with detail and they were also believable. So why the relatively low score? Well, for me it didn't have enough meat, enough oomph. It was a story that didn't have quite enough light and shade for my liking, and perhaps the story darted onwards in some places where the reader could have happily stopped and stared, so to speak.
So thank you Ruth Sutton, for an interesting read. Lovely to have this neck of the woods as a backdrop. Perhaps I might read the next instalment, but I have a backlog of sequels to get through this year, so this has to go to the bottom of the pile.
The dialogue is good, I really got some good flavours of West Cumbrian dialect from the author there. The plot is sufficiently twisty to surprise me, whilst not being outlandish. There are characters that are drawn with detail and they were also believable. So why the relatively low score? Well, for me it didn't have enough meat, enough oomph. It was a story that didn't have quite enough light and shade for my liking, and perhaps the story darted onwards in some places where the reader could have happily stopped and stared, so to speak.
So thank you Ruth Sutton, for an interesting read. Lovely to have this neck of the woods as a backdrop. Perhaps I might read the next instalment, but I have a backlog of sequels to get through this year, so this has to go to the bottom of the pile.
December 31, 2013
Lent by a friend and thoroughly enjoyed it, easy holiday reading. It is a complete novel in itself although I understand it is part one of a trilogy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews