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The Lemon Grove
Set on the rugged, mountainous west coast of Mallorca, this taut, sultry, brilliantly paced novel is an urgent meditation on female desire, the vicissitudes of marriage and the allure of youth.
Taking place over the course of one week, The Lemon Grove lands in the heat of Deia, a village on an island off the southeast coast of Spain. Jenn and Greg are on their annual holiday to enjoy languorous, close afternoons by the pool, and relaxed dinners overlooking the rocks. But the equilibrium is upset by the arrival of their teenage daughter, Emma, and her boyfriend, Nathan. Jenn, in her early forties, loves her (older) husband and her (step)daughter and is content with her life, she thinks. But when this beautiful, reckless young man comes into her world, she is caught by a sexual compulsion that she's seldom felt before. As the lines hotly blur between attraction, desire and obsession, Jenn’s world is thrown into tumult--by Nathan's side, she could be young and carefree once again, and at this stage in her life, the promise of youth is every bit as seductive as the promise of passion. Jenn struggles between the conflicting pulls of resistance and release, and the events of the next few days have the potential to put lives in jeopardy as the players carry out their roles in this unstoppably sexy and unputdownable novel from a brilliant observer of the human condition.
Taking place over the course of one week, The Lemon Grove lands in the heat of Deia, a village on an island off the southeast coast of Spain. Jenn and Greg are on their annual holiday to enjoy languorous, close afternoons by the pool, and relaxed dinners overlooking the rocks. But the equilibrium is upset by the arrival of their teenage daughter, Emma, and her boyfriend, Nathan. Jenn, in her early forties, loves her (older) husband and her (step)daughter and is content with her life, she thinks. But when this beautiful, reckless young man comes into her world, she is caught by a sexual compulsion that she's seldom felt before. As the lines hotly blur between attraction, desire and obsession, Jenn’s world is thrown into tumult--by Nathan's side, she could be young and carefree once again, and at this stage in her life, the promise of youth is every bit as seductive as the promise of passion. Jenn struggles between the conflicting pulls of resistance and release, and the events of the next few days have the potential to put lives in jeopardy as the players carry out their roles in this unstoppably sexy and unputdownable novel from a brilliant observer of the human condition.
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2014
86 people are currently reading
3196 people want to read
About the author
Helen Walsh
31 books74 followersHELEN WALSH was born in Warrington in 1977 and moved to Barcelona at the age of sixteen. Working as a fixer in the red light district, she saved enough money to put herself through language school. Burnt out and broke, she returned to England a year later and now works with socially excluded teenagers in North Liverpool. Brass is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 549 reviews
August 13, 2016
4 STARS
Just as a heads up, this book is about four shitty people having a grand vacation in Mallorca, Spain where they go through the motions of living a charmed life desperately concealing the realities of deceit and discontent. So there’s a lot of green-eyed envy on my part as a reader as I watch these undeserving liars and thieves enjoy sun-soaked lunches sipping wine, island hiking and breakfast ensaimadas for a great part of the novel. There’s of course, a certain degree of smug schadenfreude that comes with discovering the defective nuts and bolts in each character, but Deia and the holiday idyll was so vivid and pervasive, it’s hard not to be embittered that you’re not there while reading this.
So unless you’re reading this from any Mediterranean coast, it’s probably going to suck to a certain degree.
But everywhere else, I thought it worked brilliantly. I was expecting smart taboo and it delivered that and more.
Jenn, her husband Greg and his fifteen-year old daughter Emma traditionally spends their summer in a rented Villa in Deia. Except this year, Emma decides to bring along her boyfriend, Nathan. The book spans a week of their vacation, frolicking in beaches, bars, mountain trails and caves gradually exposing each character, that by the end of the book they are not quite the people you know from their take-off points: Jenn as the loving stepmom now struggling with her relationship with Emma as she comes to terms with her age and frustrations; Greg the elitist university professor seemingly absorbed in his own academic world to recognize the tension between his wife and daughter; Emma the impressionable and bratty teenager enthralled by the idealism of adolescence; and Nathan seventeen and a hipstery music blogger.
#sarcasm
They really are such a horrid group of people, their complexities gradually revealed layer by layer while the story operates at every turn with what has been revealed about them thus far. I want to namedrop Gillian Flynn but probably with less crazy-eyes and more calculated brilliance. Which is so much harder to pull off since the story in itself had a lot of pitfalls for gratuity that this managed to avoid with grace and aplomb. Because hello, cougar stepmom and the boyfriend. On vacation.
True it doesn’t bring anything new to the table in terms of a heroine on that pit-stop in her life where frustrations shift, in the physical and everywhere else, meets a younger man, engaging in a beyond forbidden affair. And it did feel a little bom-chika-wow-wow porny in the beginning with the . But Jenn’s contemplations of what she’s missed and what she’s currently missing was spot on heart-felt in her sadness and regret.
It is quite naive to expect a May/December romance between her and Nathan in the tradition of Jane Harvey-Berrick. There’s actually very little assertion on the taboo nature of Jenn's carnal longing of her stepdaughter's boyfriend (the story's tension was equal parts will they or won't they and the sneaking around). If anything, every time Jenn has some flares of jealousy over Nate and Emma, I am left to wonder if it’s losing a non-competition with her younger stepdaughter or if it’s losing her stepdaughter to adulthood that is speaking for her. Because the dynamic between Emma and Jenn was equally fascinating with that of Nate and Jenn. I love the quick snapshots of their pasts as a family, the sentimental nostalgia kept in check but not lacking either. It was a short novel that could’ve easily been stretched longer, with the tedium of graphic sex and soap-ish drama but instead chose to be precise and methodical in creative storytelling.
There was some involvement of soap and sex but the drama and the graphic was held in check, thankfully.
I loved how things progressed but loved how this ended most. Just when you thought your safe from the tricks and the tension, this book pulls that brilliant card from out of nowhere.
Definitely something worth checking out, be it for one’s cougaring curiosities or exploring the ”vicissitudes of marriage and the politics of other people's children” Helen Walsh delivers on her promises and so much more.
ARC courtesy of RH-Doubleday thru Netgalley. Quotes taken from an uncorrected proof.
Also on BookLikes.
She likes the sense of being here, yet being invisible.
Just as a heads up, this book is about four shitty people having a grand vacation in Mallorca, Spain where they go through the motions of living a charmed life desperately concealing the realities of deceit and discontent. So there’s a lot of green-eyed envy on my part as a reader as I watch these undeserving liars and thieves enjoy sun-soaked lunches sipping wine, island hiking and breakfast ensaimadas for a great part of the novel. There’s of course, a certain degree of smug schadenfreude that comes with discovering the defective nuts and bolts in each character, but Deia and the holiday idyll was so vivid and pervasive, it’s hard not to be embittered that you’re not there while reading this.
So unless you’re reading this from any Mediterranean coast, it’s probably going to suck to a certain degree.
But everywhere else, I thought it worked brilliantly. I was expecting smart taboo and it delivered that and more.
Jenn, her husband Greg and his fifteen-year old daughter Emma traditionally spends their summer in a rented Villa in Deia. Except this year, Emma decides to bring along her boyfriend, Nathan. The book spans a week of their vacation, frolicking in beaches, bars, mountain trails and caves gradually exposing each character, that by the end of the book they are not quite the people you know from their take-off points: Jenn as the loving stepmom now struggling with her relationship with Emma as she comes to terms with her age and frustrations; Greg the elitist university professor seemingly absorbed in his own academic world to recognize the tension between his wife and daughter; Emma the impressionable and bratty teenager enthralled by the idealism of adolescence; and Nathan seventeen and a hipstery music blogger.
#sarcasm
They really are such a horrid group of people, their complexities gradually revealed layer by layer while the story operates at every turn with what has been revealed about them thus far. I want to namedrop Gillian Flynn but probably with less crazy-eyes and more calculated brilliance. Which is so much harder to pull off since the story in itself had a lot of pitfalls for gratuity that this managed to avoid with grace and aplomb. Because hello, cougar stepmom and the boyfriend. On vacation.
True it doesn’t bring anything new to the table in terms of a heroine on that pit-stop in her life where frustrations shift, in the physical and everywhere else, meets a younger man, engaging in a beyond forbidden affair. And it did feel a little bom-chika-wow-wow porny in the beginning with the . But Jenn’s contemplations of what she’s missed and what she’s currently missing was spot on heart-felt in her sadness and regret.
If only someone older and wiser had told her. Told her that, after a certain point in a woman’s life, her past becomes open to reevaluation. Once her flesh grows soft, once she gets married and has kids, once her allure dims, once that woman ceases to be a proposition, nobody cares what you were anyway. Nobody remembers.
It is quite naive to expect a May/December romance between her and Nathan in the tradition of Jane Harvey-Berrick. There’s actually very little assertion on the taboo nature of Jenn's carnal longing of her stepdaughter's boyfriend (the story's tension was equal parts will they or won't they and the sneaking around). If anything, every time Jenn has some flares of jealousy over Nate and Emma, I am left to wonder if it’s losing a non-competition with her younger stepdaughter or if it’s losing her stepdaughter to adulthood that is speaking for her. Because the dynamic between Emma and Jenn was equally fascinating with that of Nate and Jenn. I love the quick snapshots of their pasts as a family, the sentimental nostalgia kept in check but not lacking either. It was a short novel that could’ve easily been stretched longer, with the tedium of graphic sex and soap-ish drama but instead chose to be precise and methodical in creative storytelling.
There was some involvement of soap and sex but the drama and the graphic was held in check, thankfully.
I loved how things progressed but loved how this ended most. Just when you thought your safe from the tricks and the tension, this book pulls that brilliant card from out of nowhere.
Definitely something worth checking out, be it for one’s cougaring curiosities or exploring the ”vicissitudes of marriage and the politics of other people's children” Helen Walsh delivers on her promises and so much more.
ARC courtesy of RH-Doubleday thru Netgalley. Quotes taken from an uncorrected proof.
Also on BookLikes.
August 13, 2014
If the main character of this book was male and went on to repeatedly sleep with a 17 year old girl, would we regard this book so highly?
I don't understand why so many people liked this book...
the writing didn't draw me in, I wasn't made to like any of the characters (even the protagonist)! Maybe that's the point? Everyone gets what they deserve because they have no redeeming qualities?
I only decided to finish it because I'm taking Harper Collins '50 Book Pledge' and I knew I could pound this out (yes, pun intended) in two days.
I don't understand why so many people liked this book...
the writing didn't draw me in, I wasn't made to like any of the characters (even the protagonist)! Maybe that's the point? Everyone gets what they deserve because they have no redeeming qualities?
I only decided to finish it because I'm taking Harper Collins '50 Book Pledge' and I knew I could pound this out (yes, pun intended) in two days.
January 28, 2015
I'm not particularly picky about the books I choose as vacation reads - in fact, I sometimes even save longer or heavier ones for trips that I know will have long hours of uninterrupted beach reading time, leaving me no choice but to finish them (I even conquered The Fountainhead on one such holiday!)
But The Lemon Grove is what I would classify as a true vacation read - it's something you want to read all at once, it's smart without being dense or complicated, and it leans more towards the pleasure side of a guilty pleasure. The story focuses on Jenn, wife of Greg and stepmother of Emma, who's starting to feel a bit listless - the beginnings a mild midlife crisis - as well as useless. She's essentially raised Emma (whose mother died in childbirth) from a young age, but is starting to feel a distance, a disconnect with her as she enters her teenage years. The three of them have been traveling to Deia, Mallorca on an annual holiday for years, but on this particular occasion, Emma has campaigned heavily to bring her new boyfriend, Nathan (who is 17 to her 15) along. Triggered by an episode in which Jenn falls asleep while sunbathing topless and is spotted by Nate & Emma upon their arrival, Jenn is taken over by an overwhelming attraction for Nate (which he reciprocates), which shifts and disrupts the family dynamics and sets the scene for a very interesting vacation.
It's a book that's drenched in atmosphere, perfectly evoking the feel of lounging and exploring on a Spanish beach island (which of course made me want to hightail it to Spain to rent a villa immediately!) I've seen several words frequently tossed around to describe it - evocative, lush, erotic (in my opinion, tastefully so), and these are all true. The sex scenes are a little graphic, but they are short and intense and don't push too many boundaries (apart from Nate's age, of course).
Age is such an important theme of the novel - Jenn dealing with her aging body and regretting the safe path she took in her youth, Emma coming of age, Nate's selfish teenage sexual appetite and the appeal to Jenn of being wanted by someone so young, Greg being pushed out of his job because of his old-fashioned academic ideals. And Walsh deals with the complex relationships between the various characters very well, especially the turbulent bond between Jenn and Emma, which constantly wavers between affection and resentment.
It's a book that's lingered with me a bit in the past couple days, and the ending, while a bit of an ellipsis, is ambiguous but poignant. Definitely recommended, especially if you have a soft spot for "summer" novels.
But The Lemon Grove is what I would classify as a true vacation read - it's something you want to read all at once, it's smart without being dense or complicated, and it leans more towards the pleasure side of a guilty pleasure. The story focuses on Jenn, wife of Greg and stepmother of Emma, who's starting to feel a bit listless - the beginnings a mild midlife crisis - as well as useless. She's essentially raised Emma (whose mother died in childbirth) from a young age, but is starting to feel a distance, a disconnect with her as she enters her teenage years. The three of them have been traveling to Deia, Mallorca on an annual holiday for years, but on this particular occasion, Emma has campaigned heavily to bring her new boyfriend, Nathan (who is 17 to her 15) along. Triggered by an episode in which Jenn falls asleep while sunbathing topless and is spotted by Nate & Emma upon their arrival, Jenn is taken over by an overwhelming attraction for Nate (which he reciprocates), which shifts and disrupts the family dynamics and sets the scene for a very interesting vacation.
It's a book that's drenched in atmosphere, perfectly evoking the feel of lounging and exploring on a Spanish beach island (which of course made me want to hightail it to Spain to rent a villa immediately!) I've seen several words frequently tossed around to describe it - evocative, lush, erotic (in my opinion, tastefully so), and these are all true. The sex scenes are a little graphic, but they are short and intense and don't push too many boundaries (apart from Nate's age, of course).
Age is such an important theme of the novel - Jenn dealing with her aging body and regretting the safe path she took in her youth, Emma coming of age, Nate's selfish teenage sexual appetite and the appeal to Jenn of being wanted by someone so young, Greg being pushed out of his job because of his old-fashioned academic ideals. And Walsh deals with the complex relationships between the various characters very well, especially the turbulent bond between Jenn and Emma, which constantly wavers between affection and resentment.
It's a book that's lingered with me a bit in the past couple days, and the ending, while a bit of an ellipsis, is ambiguous but poignant. Definitely recommended, especially if you have a soft spot for "summer" novels.
June 9, 2021
The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh holds all the top marks from me. I loved this sexy story from start to finish. I loved it that much that I did not want the story to end. The story has it all intersting characters that you are istanly drawn to. The hot sun, swimming pool, the beach the markets and restaurants, pubs and the spanish people, makes you feel that you are right there in Mallorca. The story is hot, sexy, sultry and very fast-paced. I totally loved it all. Jenn and her husband Greg have been renting out the same villa in Deia for years, but this time the holiday will be different oozing with tension. Jenn and Greg have this time come alone to Mallorca enjoying their inintimately time alone together. Until Gerg announces that his fifteen-year-old daughter Emma and her boyfriend Nathan are due to fly out and join them. When Nathan arrives he stirs something in Jenn she is seduced by Nathans youth and Jenn crossses the boundaries with Nathan by having a reckless charged liaision with him. A novel not to be missed. I am keeping an eye out for Helen walsh in the future she has become one of my favourite authors.
July 29, 2014
5 tart and tangy stars.
Soooo it looks like I'm in the minority here for rating this book high but whatever, ain't no shame in loving what you love.
Yes, The Lemon Grove is very scandalous and immoral, but that's exactly why I picked it up at the bookstore (plus the UK cover is to die for). I love stories that are taboo, and no, cheating in fiction doesn't bother me (especially if there's a bit of karma involved). You may not like the main character, though you may also relate at times. And yeah, the "lust interest" is an douchecanoe with a capital "D." But, the writing was beautiful, poetic and atmospheric and I literally could not put it down. Literally. Like, I was in Dublin at the Guinness factory and I was reading it while standing in line. To me, it was that engaging. I HAD to know what was going to happen next.
I even appreciated the ending, though I had to read the last few pages a few more times to really get the sense of what was going to happen after it said "The End" but you knew things weren't going to be that easy after everything that had just transpired. Would I have liked some more closure? Sure. But I think I can figure it out for myself, too.
Overall, if you're open-minded and are looking for an adult read that will test your boundaries over what's appropriate, don't mind characters you could end up hating, and want to be transported to Mallorca with beautiful prose and vivid imagery, scoop this baby up.
PS usually I relate more to books written in 1st person rather than 3rd, but I think because this was done in 3rd, really helped me look past the MC's behaviour. It was like the equivalent of watching a train wreck, instead of actually being in the train wreck. As the reader you were just an observer along for the ride and any of the consequences weren't yours to deal with...
Soooo it looks like I'm in the minority here for rating this book high but whatever, ain't no shame in loving what you love.
Yes, The Lemon Grove is very scandalous and immoral, but that's exactly why I picked it up at the bookstore (plus the UK cover is to die for). I love stories that are taboo, and no, cheating in fiction doesn't bother me (especially if there's a bit of karma involved). You may not like the main character, though you may also relate at times. And yeah, the "lust interest" is an douchecanoe with a capital "D." But, the writing was beautiful, poetic and atmospheric and I literally could not put it down. Literally. Like, I was in Dublin at the Guinness factory and I was reading it while standing in line. To me, it was that engaging. I HAD to know what was going to happen next.
I even appreciated the ending, though I had to read the last few pages a few more times to really get the sense of what was going to happen after it said "The End" but you knew things weren't going to be that easy after everything that had just transpired. Would I have liked some more closure? Sure. But I think I can figure it out for myself, too.
Overall, if you're open-minded and are looking for an adult read that will test your boundaries over what's appropriate, don't mind characters you could end up hating, and want to be transported to Mallorca with beautiful prose and vivid imagery, scoop this baby up.
PS usually I relate more to books written in 1st person rather than 3rd, but I think because this was done in 3rd, really helped me look past the MC's behaviour. It was like the equivalent of watching a train wreck, instead of actually being in the train wreck. As the reader you were just an observer along for the ride and any of the consequences weren't yours to deal with...
March 28, 2014
If I could give this a 0 stars I would. The writing was sub par, and the story line was boring. No one wants to read a book about a grown woman with a 17 year old - gross.
February 22, 2022
(Review originally published on my blog, February 2014) The Lemon Grove is a breathless, read-it-in-a-day kind of book, heavy with atmosphere and feeling, the type of story that is almost hallucinogenic in its evocation of place and character. Its focus is Jenn, a bored and restless fortysomething woman who is holidaying in Mallorca with her older husband, Greg, a lecturer. The holiday is a long-established family tradition, but this year the equilibrium has been disturbed: Jenn's step-daughter Emma is now fifteen, newly aware of her sexuality and desirability, and this year she has insisted on bringing along a boyfriend, Nathan. As the story begins, Jenn is awaiting Nathan's arrival: the chain of events that is set in motion thereafter threatens to throw everything into jeopardy for all the members of this rapidly-changing family.
This book is short, quick, and unfolds over the course of just a week. I found it compulsively readable, and finished it within two brief train journeys. But it also contains a great deal of depth. Jenn is a great character: relatable, flawed, human. The narrative offers continuous insight into her psyche, the constant push and pull of her dangerous attraction to Nathan, the conflicting resentment and love of Emma, the all-pervading dissatisfaction that keeps you guessing all the way to the end. Yet at the same time as I felt I knew everything about her, there was always something that remained fundamentally unknowable, like I couldn't get to the heart of who she was, and it was this, more than anything, that made her seem like a real person. Emma is brilliantly drawn too, not particularly likeable - and she is as simultaneously vacuous and pretentious as you'd expect a spoilt 15-year-old to be - yet her vulnerability shines through. Other reviewers have remarked that the relationship between Jenn and Emma is the most believable and compelling of the novel, and I'd have to agree. Despite the extremity of what transpires between Jenn and Nathan, the interaction between Jenn and her step-daughter is nuanced and thoughtful.
The plot is peppered with red herrings () and unexpected turns. When Jenn makes bad decisions, the pull of the narrative is so effective it's like you're standing right next to her as she steps off the edge of a cliff. The narrative is also heavily sexual, switching between the erotic and the uncomfortable. Jenn's thoughts about Nathan, and ultimately her double betrayal - of both her husband and her step-daughter - with him are explicitly detailed and, given Nathan's youth, this is both disturbing and exciting. Jenn's imaginings frequently skim over the details of Emma and Nathan's relationship, in a sort of queasy awareness-slash-fascination around what they may (or may not) be doing. For the reader, as well as for Jenn, this feels both faintly unpleasant and undeniably arousing.
In many ways Jenn and Nathan's involvement is like a microcosm of an affair, running the whole gamut of emotions from uncontrollable lust to eventual repulsion. In depicting every nuance of the situation, the disgust and self-hatred involved as well as the power of the sexual element, the obsession with a lover's body, the exhilarating seediness of it all, The Lemon Grove is far sexier than a whole stack of 'erotica' with pictures of a necklace/high-heeled shoe/some satin ribbon on the (invariably black) cover. It could legitimately be called something clichéd like 'a steamy poolside read', but it's so much more than that too. To top it all off, there's a great ending - ambiguous, but not frustratingly so, which allows the reader to make up his or her own mind about the ultimate outcome of these events.
I loved The Lemon Grove. It's one of those stories that stays with you, the setting brought to life so effectively that it's as if you've been there. It would make a great film, but then, having read the book, I already feel as if I've seen the film. I'm rubbish at sticking to promises like this, but I'm determined I WILL read more of Helen Walsh's work at some point. I also recommend that everyone gives this book a go, if not this Thursday (when it's published), then definitely when you head off on holiday this summer.
This book is short, quick, and unfolds over the course of just a week. I found it compulsively readable, and finished it within two brief train journeys. But it also contains a great deal of depth. Jenn is a great character: relatable, flawed, human. The narrative offers continuous insight into her psyche, the constant push and pull of her dangerous attraction to Nathan, the conflicting resentment and love of Emma, the all-pervading dissatisfaction that keeps you guessing all the way to the end. Yet at the same time as I felt I knew everything about her, there was always something that remained fundamentally unknowable, like I couldn't get to the heart of who she was, and it was this, more than anything, that made her seem like a real person. Emma is brilliantly drawn too, not particularly likeable - and she is as simultaneously vacuous and pretentious as you'd expect a spoilt 15-year-old to be - yet her vulnerability shines through. Other reviewers have remarked that the relationship between Jenn and Emma is the most believable and compelling of the novel, and I'd have to agree. Despite the extremity of what transpires between Jenn and Nathan, the interaction between Jenn and her step-daughter is nuanced and thoughtful.
The plot is peppered with red herrings () and unexpected turns. When Jenn makes bad decisions, the pull of the narrative is so effective it's like you're standing right next to her as she steps off the edge of a cliff. The narrative is also heavily sexual, switching between the erotic and the uncomfortable. Jenn's thoughts about Nathan, and ultimately her double betrayal - of both her husband and her step-daughter - with him are explicitly detailed and, given Nathan's youth, this is both disturbing and exciting. Jenn's imaginings frequently skim over the details of Emma and Nathan's relationship, in a sort of queasy awareness-slash-fascination around what they may (or may not) be doing. For the reader, as well as for Jenn, this feels both faintly unpleasant and undeniably arousing.
In many ways Jenn and Nathan's involvement is like a microcosm of an affair, running the whole gamut of emotions from uncontrollable lust to eventual repulsion. In depicting every nuance of the situation, the disgust and self-hatred involved as well as the power of the sexual element, the obsession with a lover's body, the exhilarating seediness of it all, The Lemon Grove is far sexier than a whole stack of 'erotica' with pictures of a necklace/high-heeled shoe/some satin ribbon on the (invariably black) cover. It could legitimately be called something clichéd like 'a steamy poolside read', but it's so much more than that too. To top it all off, there's a great ending - ambiguous, but not frustratingly so, which allows the reader to make up his or her own mind about the ultimate outcome of these events.
I loved The Lemon Grove. It's one of those stories that stays with you, the setting brought to life so effectively that it's as if you've been there. It would make a great film, but then, having read the book, I already feel as if I've seen the film. I'm rubbish at sticking to promises like this, but I'm determined I WILL read more of Helen Walsh's work at some point. I also recommend that everyone gives this book a go, if not this Thursday (when it's published), then definitely when you head off on holiday this summer.
March 26, 2016
1 star - I really hated it.
Based on the synopsis, I was expecting a drama filled summer read about the after effects of a mother betraying her daughter and husband. What I read instead was soft erotica for mature women that harbor cougar fantasies...definitely NOT my cup of tea. The synopsis does a very poor job of accurately representing what the novel actually entails.
The plot was extremely unrealistic and unbelievable. The reader is supposed to accept that a 17 year old "ripe and beautiful man-boy" (CLEARLY not my words), who has several young beautiful girls throwing themselves at him, instead lusts after and seems to fall in insta-love with an average woman old enough to be his mother. Right.
Let's say you can suspend disbelief and you would like to enjoy a nice little bit of cougar fantasy erotica (erotica that isn't even hot on the sizzle index, mind you). There is still the significant problem of the writing being horrible; the book is filled with short choppy sentences. The main character is also very inconsistent in character, doing 180 degree turns as the author saw fit to advance the plot. Excerpts are below, but also please don't forget about the "ripe and beautiful man-boy" description. That explains much in and of itself.
Nothing moves. The darkness deepens. Jenn shivers, intoxicated by the magic of the hour. The road is no longer visible. The first stars stud the sky.
He has his back to her. He smooths his wet hair back. Seawater trickles down his neck and shoulders.
-------------------------------------------
Favorite Quote: N/A
First Sentence: The sun drops low on the horizon and, with it, the distant hum of life starts up again.
Based on the synopsis, I was expecting a drama filled summer read about the after effects of a mother betraying her daughter and husband. What I read instead was soft erotica for mature women that harbor cougar fantasies...definitely NOT my cup of tea. The synopsis does a very poor job of accurately representing what the novel actually entails.
The plot was extremely unrealistic and unbelievable. The reader is supposed to accept that a 17 year old "ripe and beautiful man-boy" (CLEARLY not my words), who has several young beautiful girls throwing themselves at him, instead lusts after and seems to fall in insta-love with an average woman old enough to be his mother. Right.
Let's say you can suspend disbelief and you would like to enjoy a nice little bit of cougar fantasy erotica (erotica that isn't even hot on the sizzle index, mind you). There is still the significant problem of the writing being horrible; the book is filled with short choppy sentences. The main character is also very inconsistent in character, doing 180 degree turns as the author saw fit to advance the plot. Excerpts are below, but also please don't forget about the "ripe and beautiful man-boy" description. That explains much in and of itself.
Nothing moves. The darkness deepens. Jenn shivers, intoxicated by the magic of the hour. The road is no longer visible. The first stars stud the sky.
He has his back to her. He smooths his wet hair back. Seawater trickles down his neck and shoulders.
-------------------------------------------
Favorite Quote: N/A
First Sentence: The sun drops low on the horizon and, with it, the distant hum of life starts up again.
March 2, 2014
I was expecting something along the lines of Swimming Home or Stealing Beauty but unfortunately this book didn’t even come close. Jenn, the annoying main character, seems to act with little motivation and even less thought. Throw in a few gratuitous sex scenes (not in the least convincing) and the odd convenient plot twist and that’s about the sum of it.
(I received my copy of The Lemon Grove from the publisher, Hachette Australia, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review)
(I received my copy of The Lemon Grove from the publisher, Hachette Australia, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review)
February 9, 2014
I’m going to pin my colours to the mast on this one – I really enjoyed it. From a quick whizz through other reviews, it’s confused a lot of people. I don’t really see the comparison with Gone Girl or Beautiful Ruins – and approaching it expecting something similar does it no favours. Is it erotica then? Not really – although the sexual tension and its development and resolution are really well done. It’s fairly graphic, but I think anyone looking for a hot sex read might be a bit disappointed. And it’s certainly not a run-of-the-mill beach read – it’s too well done for that, more literary in style. So if all that describes what it isn’t – what is it?
I enjoyed the exploration of a marriage – the difficulties of taking on another woman’s child, the secrets that can lie under the surface, the simple pleasure that can be derived from each other’s company. The setting is wonderful, beautifully drawn – I’m not very familiar with Majorca, but the sleepy village setting watching the sun go down is perfect. The attraction of young Nathan passes me by a little – whether it’s looking for lost youth, jealousy of the spoilt stepdaughter or something other is never really explained. But it’s a fascinating read as Jenn sacrifices everything for sexual gratification – the tension is palpable, and everything shimmers wonderfully in the heat. The ending has left people scratching their heads a little – but I thought the absence of resolution was quite perfect.
All I can say really is “read it”. It’s a book that will divide people, but I thought it had a mesmerising intensity that made it an absolute must read.
I enjoyed the exploration of a marriage – the difficulties of taking on another woman’s child, the secrets that can lie under the surface, the simple pleasure that can be derived from each other’s company. The setting is wonderful, beautifully drawn – I’m not very familiar with Majorca, but the sleepy village setting watching the sun go down is perfect. The attraction of young Nathan passes me by a little – whether it’s looking for lost youth, jealousy of the spoilt stepdaughter or something other is never really explained. But it’s a fascinating read as Jenn sacrifices everything for sexual gratification – the tension is palpable, and everything shimmers wonderfully in the heat. The ending has left people scratching their heads a little – but I thought the absence of resolution was quite perfect.
All I can say really is “read it”. It’s a book that will divide people, but I thought it had a mesmerising intensity that made it an absolute must read.
February 22, 2014
We join Jenn and Greg who are taking their annual holiday on Majorca, in the villa that they rent every year. The sun is hot, the days are long and full of food and drink, lounging by the pool, exploring nearby villages and enjoying the slow pace of life. Jenn is unsettled, their usual routine is set to change. Their daugher Emma is arriving, with her new boyfriend and neither Jenn nor Greg seem really keen on the idea. Emma is only fifteen, Nate is seventeen and appears much older, and more experienced.
Emma and Nathan arrive, and things get off on the wrong foot. Jenn fell asleep in the sun, topless and Emma is mortified and embarrassed that her 40-something mother could behave like that in front of her boyfriend.
This story is told over seven days. Not very long, but long enough to turn everything that Jenn believed about herself, her family and her daughter on it's head. Nathan triggers something inside her that is totally alien to her, a feeling of passion and lust that she's never felt before. Neither of them really do anything to prevent the inevitable and it's not long before Jenn has given in to her inner passion and Nathan is an eager partner. So follows the development of a relationship that can only cause harm and destruction for everyone. Jenn knows that, Nathan knows that, but their animal attraction far outweighs the possible implications of getting caught.
Helen Walsh has written a story that is short (just over 200 pages), but that delivers a punch that left me reeling. The heat of Majorca, the sights, the smells, the sounds are all so brilliantly written that the the reader is left feeling as though they too are prickling under the bright midday Spanish sunshine. And then there are the scenes between Jenn and Nathan. Raw, animalistic sex, that pulls no punches in the description - this is no love-story of slowly emerging passion, this is fast, hard sexual tension that has to be sated by these two unlikely lovers straight away, no matter where they happen to be.
As Jenn's feelings emerge, and it clear that Nathan is all too happy to sample the body of his girlfriend's mother, I wanted to shout at her, for God's sake woman, stop! Stop and think about what you are doing. Their relationship unfolds rather like a car crash in slow-motion; the reader wants it to stop, but cannot help but keep reading, anticipating and hoping that Jenn will swerve to avoid the collision.
Alongside Jenn and Nathan's relationship, Jenn also has her feelings about Emma and Greg to think about. Emma is her stepdaughter, Jenn has brought her up since she was a baby, yet there still seems to be a divide in the family. It's clearly Greg and Emma versus Jenn at times and she can't help but resent Emma's closeness to her father. Greg seems preoccupied, and he's beginning to annoy Jenn. The familiar things that she once loved so much are now beginning to grate on her, or is this because Nathan's smooth body is there to tempt her wherever she turns in the villa?
I read The Lemon Grove in two sittings. It is an utterly brilliant read and I cannot praise it highly enough. The examination of a marriage, of a family and of time moving on for a woman is so cleverly done. It is rare that the desires of an almost middle-aged woman are written about so explicitly and so honestly and the hot and sticky setting of Majorca only adds to the sense of danger of this story.
The ending is shocking. It is so cleverly written, and so unexpected - it felt like I was left hanging from the edge of a cliff by a fingernail. The final paragraphs are the true triumph of this novel.
I think you can tell that I absolutely loved The Lemon Grove and would recommend it highly. Tinder Press, once again, have published a stunner of a novel.
Emma and Nathan arrive, and things get off on the wrong foot. Jenn fell asleep in the sun, topless and Emma is mortified and embarrassed that her 40-something mother could behave like that in front of her boyfriend.
This story is told over seven days. Not very long, but long enough to turn everything that Jenn believed about herself, her family and her daughter on it's head. Nathan triggers something inside her that is totally alien to her, a feeling of passion and lust that she's never felt before. Neither of them really do anything to prevent the inevitable and it's not long before Jenn has given in to her inner passion and Nathan is an eager partner. So follows the development of a relationship that can only cause harm and destruction for everyone. Jenn knows that, Nathan knows that, but their animal attraction far outweighs the possible implications of getting caught.
Helen Walsh has written a story that is short (just over 200 pages), but that delivers a punch that left me reeling. The heat of Majorca, the sights, the smells, the sounds are all so brilliantly written that the the reader is left feeling as though they too are prickling under the bright midday Spanish sunshine. And then there are the scenes between Jenn and Nathan. Raw, animalistic sex, that pulls no punches in the description - this is no love-story of slowly emerging passion, this is fast, hard sexual tension that has to be sated by these two unlikely lovers straight away, no matter where they happen to be.
As Jenn's feelings emerge, and it clear that Nathan is all too happy to sample the body of his girlfriend's mother, I wanted to shout at her, for God's sake woman, stop! Stop and think about what you are doing. Their relationship unfolds rather like a car crash in slow-motion; the reader wants it to stop, but cannot help but keep reading, anticipating and hoping that Jenn will swerve to avoid the collision.
Alongside Jenn and Nathan's relationship, Jenn also has her feelings about Emma and Greg to think about. Emma is her stepdaughter, Jenn has brought her up since she was a baby, yet there still seems to be a divide in the family. It's clearly Greg and Emma versus Jenn at times and she can't help but resent Emma's closeness to her father. Greg seems preoccupied, and he's beginning to annoy Jenn. The familiar things that she once loved so much are now beginning to grate on her, or is this because Nathan's smooth body is there to tempt her wherever she turns in the villa?
I read The Lemon Grove in two sittings. It is an utterly brilliant read and I cannot praise it highly enough. The examination of a marriage, of a family and of time moving on for a woman is so cleverly done. It is rare that the desires of an almost middle-aged woman are written about so explicitly and so honestly and the hot and sticky setting of Majorca only adds to the sense of danger of this story.
The ending is shocking. It is so cleverly written, and so unexpected - it felt like I was left hanging from the edge of a cliff by a fingernail. The final paragraphs are the true triumph of this novel.
I think you can tell that I absolutely loved The Lemon Grove and would recommend it highly. Tinder Press, once again, have published a stunner of a novel.
June 16, 2019
The Lemon Grove is far from my usual reading matter but I remember when it was released in 2014 it received a fair amount of praise and I was intrigued to see if there was any more substance to it than simply being mildly salacious. Sadly this is one book that missed the mark entirely for me and although I persevered in the hope of finding some depth, I failed to see any signs of Helen Walsh’s astute observations as an increasingly implausible week in the village of Deià, Mallorca takes place.
After a week of holidaying in a familiar destination which the entire family have fond memories of, forty-something care worker, Jenn, and her older, academic husband, Greg, are preparing for the arrival of Greg’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Emma, accompanied by her seventeen-year-old new boyfriend, Nathan (Nate). But what at first appears to be trepidation about the arrival of a stranger into the comfortable middle-aged marital harmony mixed with Jenn’s mild concerns about Emma’s, at times, petulant behaviour obviously runs far deeper on the evidence of Jenn’s lightening quick fall from grace. As an illicit encounter between Jenn and Nate takes place throughout the week, it threatens to come dangerously close to obsession for Jenn and she soon begins to unravel.
Not only do the characters feel flat and skimpily developed, protagonists Jenn and cocky teen, Nate, lack credibility. Neither are remotely conceivable and Greg and daughter, Emma, are the only two whose motivation and characterisation feels remotely believable. There is no stealthy pursuit and the thrill of the chase within the story with the capitulation by Jenn at the loins of Nate all very swift and rather tawdry. Forget a meeting of minds, as Jenn’s intent seems clear from the moment she sees her step-daughter’s beau by the poolside. In the case of describing sexual passion, less really is more and some suggestive direction would have done more for the imagination than the tacky descriptions contained within The Lemon Grove.
The descriptions of the rugged mountainous landscape of Mallorca and heady culture of Deià proved the highlight in a novel of few surprises, with little more to the story beyond the premise of a taboo sexual encounter. The conclusion has apparently been subject to much speculation about its exact interpretation, but for me it finally added some belated intrigue to an unenlightening read.
After a week of holidaying in a familiar destination which the entire family have fond memories of, forty-something care worker, Jenn, and her older, academic husband, Greg, are preparing for the arrival of Greg’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Emma, accompanied by her seventeen-year-old new boyfriend, Nathan (Nate). But what at first appears to be trepidation about the arrival of a stranger into the comfortable middle-aged marital harmony mixed with Jenn’s mild concerns about Emma’s, at times, petulant behaviour obviously runs far deeper on the evidence of Jenn’s lightening quick fall from grace. As an illicit encounter between Jenn and Nate takes place throughout the week, it threatens to come dangerously close to obsession for Jenn and she soon begins to unravel.
Not only do the characters feel flat and skimpily developed, protagonists Jenn and cocky teen, Nate, lack credibility. Neither are remotely conceivable and Greg and daughter, Emma, are the only two whose motivation and characterisation feels remotely believable. There is no stealthy pursuit and the thrill of the chase within the story with the capitulation by Jenn at the loins of Nate all very swift and rather tawdry. Forget a meeting of minds, as Jenn’s intent seems clear from the moment she sees her step-daughter’s beau by the poolside. In the case of describing sexual passion, less really is more and some suggestive direction would have done more for the imagination than the tacky descriptions contained within The Lemon Grove.
The descriptions of the rugged mountainous landscape of Mallorca and heady culture of Deià proved the highlight in a novel of few surprises, with little more to the story beyond the premise of a taboo sexual encounter. The conclusion has apparently been subject to much speculation about its exact interpretation, but for me it finally added some belated intrigue to an unenlightening read.
May 7, 2016
Award-winning author Helen Walsh’s latest novel ‘The Lemon Grove’ is tipped to be the hot read of the summer. Don��t be fooled – this is no light beach read. Like Josephine Hart, Walsh explores dangerous adult territory – desire, envy, obsession and the complicated, bittersweet experience of aging.
Jenn and Greg have summered in idyllic Deia each year, but when they are joined by their teenage daughter Emma and her boyfriend Nathan, their family will never be the same. The fact that Emma is Jenn's step-daughter tightens the tension between the women still further. Walsh is known for her unflinching prose, and as she explores one of the great taboos, there are passages not for the prudish (there's a food scene that makes 91/2 weeks look like tea at Fortnum & Masons - you'll never look at Serrano ham again in the same way).
Some reviewers have queried the ending, but for me it was perfectly executed. Walsh has an admirable grip on her characters - I was left with that sickening sense of freefall you get at the peak of a rollercoaster.
Shocking, intense, the characters are flawed and broken, (if not downright dislikable), and each is damaged in their own way - but as Hart memorably wrote: ‘Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive.’
Jenn and Greg have summered in idyllic Deia each year, but when they are joined by their teenage daughter Emma and her boyfriend Nathan, their family will never be the same. The fact that Emma is Jenn's step-daughter tightens the tension between the women still further. Walsh is known for her unflinching prose, and as she explores one of the great taboos, there are passages not for the prudish (there's a food scene that makes 91/2 weeks look like tea at Fortnum & Masons - you'll never look at Serrano ham again in the same way).
Some reviewers have queried the ending, but for me it was perfectly executed. Walsh has an admirable grip on her characters - I was left with that sickening sense of freefall you get at the peak of a rollercoaster.
Shocking, intense, the characters are flawed and broken, (if not downright dislikable), and each is damaged in their own way - but as Hart memorably wrote: ‘Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive.’
April 24, 2014
This is a personal taste 1 star. There is definitely a desperate housewife market for this bored mummy sex fantasy.
I felt like the author struggled to describe body parts comfortably which often made me cringe. I mean, if you've landed on the word "buttocks" to describe a cute arse you re-read that sentence and think "does that sound any good?" In my opinion, it didn't.
I've read Tampa. That author new how to write body parts and make it work.
Also, I'm not a middle aged married woman with a kid. I'm sure ticking any of those boxes may have added to my enjoyment of this book.
I felt like the author struggled to describe body parts comfortably which often made me cringe. I mean, if you've landed on the word "buttocks" to describe a cute arse you re-read that sentence and think "does that sound any good?" In my opinion, it didn't.
I've read Tampa. That author new how to write body parts and make it work.
Also, I'm not a middle aged married woman with a kid. I'm sure ticking any of those boxes may have added to my enjoyment of this book.
August 21, 2014
You know what? For once I'd like to read a book featuring a female protagonist in her early 40s who isn't completely insecure, narcissistic, petrified of her teenage daughter or so deeply subservient to her family that she has lost touch with herself. Perhaps it really is just me but I'd like to read more about real women who feel accomplished and secure and competent. Women who left all of that self-doubt back in their 20s (which, incidentally, is the approximate age group of the author of this book).
March 9, 2014
I was given a proof copy of this book in return for an honest review by Georgina Moore at Headline which I'm more than happy to do.
I really wanted to read this book, I'd heard so much about it, not all good I have to say. There didn't seem to be any middle ground reviewers either loved it or couldn't get on with it at all. Life kept conspiring to stop me reading it but eventually and ironically I finished it on the train north on publication day as Helen Walsh was heading south to London.
The story is set in Mallorca, in the summer on what is, the annual, family holiday. Only this year Jenn and Greg are expecting not just their fifteen year old daughter but her seventeen year old boyfriend too. An event they're not altogether pleased about.
Circumstances such as — the heat, good food and relaxation play a huge part in the events that brings unexpected passion to their villa. It's quite hard to believe that over the course of just one week everything that held the family so strong unravels to the point that nothing will ever be quite the same again.
I've been a mother of a teenage daughter and remember the egg-shell walking well! As a parent I've kept my counsel rather than face the fireworks so can emphasise with Jenn who's feeling it twice as bad, on account of being 'step-mother' to Emma. She has a husband who seems wrapped up in his world - just like real life really. It's easy to get stuck in the comfort zone and not see what's under your nose - marriage and family's are hard work and shouldn't be ignored - a lesson both Greg and Jenn needed to learn.
Jenn's defences are down, and Nathan unleashes feelings in her that she hasn't known for a long time if ever. First came lust and then out of control passion that Jenn knows is wrong but she is compelled to ignore the warning bells. Passion blinds her to what she's doing and she careers down a path that can only lead to her self destruction.
I found myself reading faster and faster, heart in mouth as I envisaged Jenn getting caught and ruining everybody's life in the process - I kept willing her to come to her senses, I wanted to shake Greg and make him see what was going on under his own nose. The sexual tension just fizzes off the page, there was no quiet build up it was animalistic and intense, graphic but without being too much.
I'd highly recommend this book and would love to hear there was going to be a sequel - everything gets wrapped up nicely but then Helen added a twist right at the end and we're left guessing what happens next.
I really wanted to read this book, I'd heard so much about it, not all good I have to say. There didn't seem to be any middle ground reviewers either loved it or couldn't get on with it at all. Life kept conspiring to stop me reading it but eventually and ironically I finished it on the train north on publication day as Helen Walsh was heading south to London.
The story is set in Mallorca, in the summer on what is, the annual, family holiday. Only this year Jenn and Greg are expecting not just their fifteen year old daughter but her seventeen year old boyfriend too. An event they're not altogether pleased about.
Circumstances such as — the heat, good food and relaxation play a huge part in the events that brings unexpected passion to their villa. It's quite hard to believe that over the course of just one week everything that held the family so strong unravels to the point that nothing will ever be quite the same again.
I've been a mother of a teenage daughter and remember the egg-shell walking well! As a parent I've kept my counsel rather than face the fireworks so can emphasise with Jenn who's feeling it twice as bad, on account of being 'step-mother' to Emma. She has a husband who seems wrapped up in his world - just like real life really. It's easy to get stuck in the comfort zone and not see what's under your nose - marriage and family's are hard work and shouldn't be ignored - a lesson both Greg and Jenn needed to learn.
Jenn's defences are down, and Nathan unleashes feelings in her that she hasn't known for a long time if ever. First came lust and then out of control passion that Jenn knows is wrong but she is compelled to ignore the warning bells. Passion blinds her to what she's doing and she careers down a path that can only lead to her self destruction.
I found myself reading faster and faster, heart in mouth as I envisaged Jenn getting caught and ruining everybody's life in the process - I kept willing her to come to her senses, I wanted to shake Greg and make him see what was going on under his own nose. The sexual tension just fizzes off the page, there was no quiet build up it was animalistic and intense, graphic but without being too much.
I'd highly recommend this book and would love to hear there was going to be a sequel - everything gets wrapped up nicely but then Helen added a twist right at the end and we're left guessing what happens next.
Read
March 1, 2015ARC received on behalf of Doubleday Books from NetGalley.
I am not going to be able to rate this one, DNF'd at 20%, this is a first for me. Typically I can ride it through until the end with a hope that something will spark.
After getting a fifth of the way through the story I felt absolutely nothing for the characters or even the story. The writing in away is quite beautiful, but in a way it comes across far too intense in a way that really makes it difficult to follow along. A lot of purposeful fragmented sentences and sentences that are are written almost with a rhythm laced with far too much description, yet describing nothing at the same time.
I have seem some pretty good reviews of this and sense that had I been able to stick it out, there may have been one fantastic story hidden within the pages. But after attempting to give this my all over the last two hours I just can't do it any longer. Maybe I'll venture back to this book and revise this review, but for now I just can't go any further.
I am not going to be able to rate this one, DNF'd at 20%, this is a first for me. Typically I can ride it through until the end with a hope that something will spark.
After getting a fifth of the way through the story I felt absolutely nothing for the characters or even the story. The writing in away is quite beautiful, but in a way it comes across far too intense in a way that really makes it difficult to follow along. A lot of purposeful fragmented sentences and sentences that are are written almost with a rhythm laced with far too much description, yet describing nothing at the same time.
I have seem some pretty good reviews of this and sense that had I been able to stick it out, there may have been one fantastic story hidden within the pages. But after attempting to give this my all over the last two hours I just can't do it any longer. Maybe I'll venture back to this book and revise this review, but for now I just can't go any further.
July 16, 2015
5 Words: Unexpected, sexy, relationships, forbidden, summer.
I'd heard a lot of general buzz about this book - how could I have missed it? The Lemon Grove was all over the blogosphere last year. But I'd never properly looked at it, never even read the synopsis.
So when I started reading the book I was in for a great surprise.
The Lemon Grove is like nothing I've read before in terms of what happens. The exploration of relationships within families is amazing. This book really delves into those places you always wonder about but never really get to experience. It's told from a different perspective.
This story is fast paced and sexy. Super sexy. It's just one week, but that one week is everything. And that ending. What a fantastic ending!
The Lemon Grove is a book you read fast, you just can't put it down.
I received a copy of this for free via NetGalley for review purposes.
I'd heard a lot of general buzz about this book - how could I have missed it? The Lemon Grove was all over the blogosphere last year. But I'd never properly looked at it, never even read the synopsis.
So when I started reading the book I was in for a great surprise.
The Lemon Grove is like nothing I've read before in terms of what happens. The exploration of relationships within families is amazing. This book really delves into those places you always wonder about but never really get to experience. It's told from a different perspective.
This story is fast paced and sexy. Super sexy. It's just one week, but that one week is everything. And that ending. What a fantastic ending!
The Lemon Grove is a book you read fast, you just can't put it down.
I received a copy of this for free via NetGalley for review purposes.
August 7, 2015
What the hell did I just read. No real story, no character development, and in no way believable or enjoyable. A somewhat rather crude choice of language used also. Despite the reviews and recommendations this book may have, it is seriously not worth the time.
April 9, 2017
I would have given this book only one star. I gave it two only out of respect for the talent in the writing. The author does a masterful job of describing setting, smells, micro-expressions and painting the picture of this story so delicately that I can close my mind and envision all characters and setting. It was a book that took you travelling with it. As the mother of a teen boy I could not get past the basic content. I know just how YOUNG a boy if that age is. Despite the title character calling him a man and reading into his actions. This all struck me as distasteful at best and smacks of pedophile actions at worst. The main idea around which the entire novel is built was simply a hurdle that no great writing could make up for. If the young man were even a few years older it would have made a difference in my review.
August 6, 2017
this is my first book from this author. and yuck!!
i am expecting hot steamy reading. but i got nothing. no vibe, no steamy and no hot summer reading.
i feel like i submerge my head on the water and just blah.... !!
i am expecting hot steamy reading. but i got nothing. no vibe, no steamy and no hot summer reading.
i feel like i submerge my head on the water and just blah.... !!
July 15, 2014
Thanks to Headline Publishing for sending me a review copy of The Lemon Grove........
This seems to be the book that everyone is talking about this summer. The reviews are mixed and it is a classic case of you either love it, or hate it. I refused to read any reviews until I had read the book myself, as I wanted to keep an open mind. This means that my review is unbiased and not influenced by any publication or blog review.
Jenn and Greg return to the same villa,on Mallorca, each year for their holidays but this year things are slightly different, as their fifteen year old daughter, Emma, is bringing her seventeen year old boyfriend, Nathan. Jenn is actually Emma's step-mother but has been her 'Mum' since she was a toddler. A content family, they have many happy memories of their times at the villa but Jenn is tiptoeing around a hormonal teenager and all the drama that exists with a girl's coming of age. Nathan brings extra tension to the table and Jenn finds herself looking at him through the eyes of a woman, rather that a mother. Nathan senses her watching him and plays up on it by strutting around like a peacock. The descriptions of him climbing out of the pool with the sun glistening on his perfectly toned abs, while Jenn watches through her darkened sunglasses, are so well written that it feels like you are watching a movie. The heat of the summer sunshine, the scent of chlorine and the quickening of pulses practically jump off the page. Lust is is the air, for both Jenn and Nathan and if this was a story about a man in his late thirties/early forties, gazing adoringly at a nineteen year old girl, then I'm sure the book would be very different But Jenn is fantasizing about her daughter's boyfriend. So the narrative is more tense, secretive and sexy. Her longing for him awakens something inside her and she becomes more aware of herself as a sexual being, rather than just a wife and mother. Will she act on it though? Will lust win over logic?
Let me just point out, that this is NOT a Fifty Shades of Grey kind of read. This, like all of Tinder Press books that I have read, is literature at its best. I read this book in one sitting. It's beautifully written with stunning locations and a very clever story-line. You don't have to like the characters to understand their feelings. The author show how an average family unit can be affected by inserting a new person into the fold. The same can be said for friendships. The clever part, is the the author identifying that women who are approaching midlife do not stop thinking about sex, appreciating handsome bodies or wanting to try new things. In fact, I would think that they may need it more than men need their mid-life crisis accessories, like new cars, younger mistresses and all the stereotypical ideals. Jenn wants to be noticed as a sexual being. Nathan definitely notices her. Helen Walsh brings the reader across. the ocean, to a beautiful island, inhabited by tanned, attractive tourists and locals. She adds in the fantastic meals, lots of wine, lounging about in bikinis and glimpses of nudity. All this builds up to a state of sexual arousal for the characters which is going to reach it's climax, one way or another. An intense read, full of heat, sweat and lust. May not be for the more reserved reader, but as a piece of literature, I found it exciting and sexy, pure escapism, ideal for the summer. Maybe hide from your fifteen year old daughter, though.
This seems to be the book that everyone is talking about this summer. The reviews are mixed and it is a classic case of you either love it, or hate it. I refused to read any reviews until I had read the book myself, as I wanted to keep an open mind. This means that my review is unbiased and not influenced by any publication or blog review.
Jenn and Greg return to the same villa,on Mallorca, each year for their holidays but this year things are slightly different, as their fifteen year old daughter, Emma, is bringing her seventeen year old boyfriend, Nathan. Jenn is actually Emma's step-mother but has been her 'Mum' since she was a toddler. A content family, they have many happy memories of their times at the villa but Jenn is tiptoeing around a hormonal teenager and all the drama that exists with a girl's coming of age. Nathan brings extra tension to the table and Jenn finds herself looking at him through the eyes of a woman, rather that a mother. Nathan senses her watching him and plays up on it by strutting around like a peacock. The descriptions of him climbing out of the pool with the sun glistening on his perfectly toned abs, while Jenn watches through her darkened sunglasses, are so well written that it feels like you are watching a movie. The heat of the summer sunshine, the scent of chlorine and the quickening of pulses practically jump off the page. Lust is is the air, for both Jenn and Nathan and if this was a story about a man in his late thirties/early forties, gazing adoringly at a nineteen year old girl, then I'm sure the book would be very different But Jenn is fantasizing about her daughter's boyfriend. So the narrative is more tense, secretive and sexy. Her longing for him awakens something inside her and she becomes more aware of herself as a sexual being, rather than just a wife and mother. Will she act on it though? Will lust win over logic?
Let me just point out, that this is NOT a Fifty Shades of Grey kind of read. This, like all of Tinder Press books that I have read, is literature at its best. I read this book in one sitting. It's beautifully written with stunning locations and a very clever story-line. You don't have to like the characters to understand their feelings. The author show how an average family unit can be affected by inserting a new person into the fold. The same can be said for friendships. The clever part, is the the author identifying that women who are approaching midlife do not stop thinking about sex, appreciating handsome bodies or wanting to try new things. In fact, I would think that they may need it more than men need their mid-life crisis accessories, like new cars, younger mistresses and all the stereotypical ideals. Jenn wants to be noticed as a sexual being. Nathan definitely notices her. Helen Walsh brings the reader across. the ocean, to a beautiful island, inhabited by tanned, attractive tourists and locals. She adds in the fantastic meals, lots of wine, lounging about in bikinis and glimpses of nudity. All this builds up to a state of sexual arousal for the characters which is going to reach it's climax, one way or another. An intense read, full of heat, sweat and lust. May not be for the more reserved reader, but as a piece of literature, I found it exciting and sexy, pure escapism, ideal for the summer. Maybe hide from your fifteen year old daughter, though.
August 15, 2016
This was disappointing. I was prepared for something light and quick to read, but it was really only just ok and nothing special. The characters weren't likeable and the plot was pretty thin. It didn't live up to the cover endorsements sadly.
June 29, 2019
So well-written and taut, it was a breeze to page through this book in the span of a couple of sun-drenched hours. Not quite the erotic thriller it was made out to be, there is little depth here (and very little by way of sex, and what little is depicted is completely need-driven and pointedly un-romantic), yet many choppy brushstrokes of a life packed into these brief pages. More is left to the imagination than spelled out in graphic detail, conflict and desire swerved around rather than approached head-on. All of the makings of a blow-up, bang-on conflict were here, yet never truly acted upon... And besides that, Nathan was absolutely not worth the jeopardy in which he put this family. However, putting aside my dissatisfaction with the reaches of this story, I will definitely look for more from this author.
April 9, 2018
I purchased Helen Walsh's The Lemon Grove on the strength of the author, as I very much enjoyed her book Go to Sleep. I did not check the synopsis or the reviews before ordering myself a secondhand copy of the novel, but was a little sceptical when I saw what a low overall rating it had, and skimmed over some of the more negative comments. If I had, I'm not sure I would have ever chosen to read this; I do not read erotic fiction, and expected it to be a large part of the plot from what the blurb and other reviews suggest. Thankfully, it wasn't, and The Lemon Grove has far more depth than this. Indeed, there is a lot going on here. The novel is rather intricate in terms of the relationships and dynamics which it depicts. The Lemon Grove is taut, well plotted, and rather a sleek novel. The third person perspective worked well, and I found myself immersed within its story almost immediately. Walsh's pacing here was just right.
May 31, 2024
What a crap book. The only thing I liked about it was that it was over quickly.
The main character (and potentially the writer) should be locked up because he’s SEVENTEEN which is not an adult despite the age of consent so overall v uncomfortable to read.
Also don’t feel like she got nearly enough karma for sleeping with her step daughters boyfriend.
The main character (and potentially the writer) should be locked up because he’s SEVENTEEN which is not an adult despite the age of consent so overall v uncomfortable to read.
Also don’t feel like she got nearly enough karma for sleeping with her step daughters boyfriend.
October 28, 2016
Okay, so this book was absolutely terrible. Everything about it was just a tad short of laughable.
October 25, 2014
If I had to sum The Lemon Grove up in a word, that word would be ‘gratuitous’. I bought this because it was included on a list of recommended summer reads but I don’t think I’d have particularly enjoyed it even had I read it during sunnier months. It’s crude, unpleasant to read, and feels very much like an author seeking headlines in the book sections by picking a controversial topic.
The events of the novel take place over a single week in a town on a Spanish island and are told from the point of view of Jenn, who is holidaying with her husband Greg. They seem to be reluctantly (at least on Jenn’s part) expecting the arrival of their daughter and her boyfriend, and even early on there are clear hints at tension in the family and the marriage. When Emma and Nathan arrive, Jenn’s fears that her peaceful retreat will be disrupted become realised, but not in the way she’d expected. She finds herself drawn to her daughter’s boyfriend and spends the week struggling to keep her desire in check.
The blurb about The Lemon Grove references “the conflicting pulls of resistance and release” and describes it as “an urgent meditation on female desire, the vicissitudes of marriage and the allure of youth” and an “unstoppably sexy and unputdownable novel from a brilliant observer of the human condition”. These grand statements vastly overestimate the skill and depth of the novel. I think primarily the problem is that it’s not believable: it’s rushed and unsophisticated, resulting in a premise that feels flimsy and characters that aren’t clearly drawn.
Jenn and Greg’s marriage is initially painted as quite blissful, so her ridiculously quick fall into infidelity doesn’t ring true and nor does her subsequent disdain for Greg. Jenn’s relationship with Emma is frustratingly inconsistent – one minute it seems it’s always been fraught and troubled; the next Jenn is fondly recalling tender moments in both the distant and recent past. Nathan is two-dimensional and not really sympathetically presented at all, so Jenn’s immediate attraction to him isn’t anchored in anything in the text and nor is her growing obsession with him. There’s not a single character to root for or even care about, and that makes it hard to care about the novel as a whole.
Most of the narrative feels like an attempt to get to the next sex scene as quickly as possible – to be honest, much of what’s assumed about Fifty Shades of Grey is far more applicable to The Lemon Grove. And those scenes are pretty unpleasant to read – fairly explicit and written in the crudest language. Language that again doesn’t resonate with Jenn as she’s presented the rest of the time. There’s an attempt at some suspense and at tying the erotic plot into something a little deeper (as the blurb says, “the events of the next few days have the potential to put lives in jeopardy”) but it feels contrived and weak – just several flimsy plotlines clumsily woven together in order to give the story an ending.
I’m someone who’ll generally give anything a try when it comes to reading, and enjoy light-hearted or chick-lit reads from time to time. But this kind of novel, I really dislike: the kind that dresses itself up as literary or intellectual, as some kind of social commentary, when really it’s just hoping to trade on sex. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most un-sexy things I’ve ever read, so it doesn’t even do that bit well.
The events of the novel take place over a single week in a town on a Spanish island and are told from the point of view of Jenn, who is holidaying with her husband Greg. They seem to be reluctantly (at least on Jenn’s part) expecting the arrival of their daughter and her boyfriend, and even early on there are clear hints at tension in the family and the marriage. When Emma and Nathan arrive, Jenn’s fears that her peaceful retreat will be disrupted become realised, but not in the way she’d expected. She finds herself drawn to her daughter’s boyfriend and spends the week struggling to keep her desire in check.
The blurb about The Lemon Grove references “the conflicting pulls of resistance and release” and describes it as “an urgent meditation on female desire, the vicissitudes of marriage and the allure of youth” and an “unstoppably sexy and unputdownable novel from a brilliant observer of the human condition”. These grand statements vastly overestimate the skill and depth of the novel. I think primarily the problem is that it’s not believable: it’s rushed and unsophisticated, resulting in a premise that feels flimsy and characters that aren’t clearly drawn.
Jenn and Greg’s marriage is initially painted as quite blissful, so her ridiculously quick fall into infidelity doesn’t ring true and nor does her subsequent disdain for Greg. Jenn’s relationship with Emma is frustratingly inconsistent – one minute it seems it’s always been fraught and troubled; the next Jenn is fondly recalling tender moments in both the distant and recent past. Nathan is two-dimensional and not really sympathetically presented at all, so Jenn’s immediate attraction to him isn’t anchored in anything in the text and nor is her growing obsession with him. There’s not a single character to root for or even care about, and that makes it hard to care about the novel as a whole.
Most of the narrative feels like an attempt to get to the next sex scene as quickly as possible – to be honest, much of what’s assumed about Fifty Shades of Grey is far more applicable to The Lemon Grove. And those scenes are pretty unpleasant to read – fairly explicit and written in the crudest language. Language that again doesn’t resonate with Jenn as she’s presented the rest of the time. There’s an attempt at some suspense and at tying the erotic plot into something a little deeper (as the blurb says, “the events of the next few days have the potential to put lives in jeopardy”) but it feels contrived and weak – just several flimsy plotlines clumsily woven together in order to give the story an ending.
I’m someone who’ll generally give anything a try when it comes to reading, and enjoy light-hearted or chick-lit reads from time to time. But this kind of novel, I really dislike: the kind that dresses itself up as literary or intellectual, as some kind of social commentary, when really it’s just hoping to trade on sex. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most un-sexy things I’ve ever read, so it doesn’t even do that bit well.
July 8, 2014
"The Lemon Grove": authored by Helen Walsh is an absorbing and shocking novel of exploration, of furious hot lust and desire that builds inside thought and fantasy, glances, words, and finally touch. This happens between Jenn, a 40 year old wife, and her stepdaughter Emma's 17 year old boyfriend Nathan.
Enjoying the wealth and privilege of marrying well, Jenn and her much older pre-occupied academic husband, Greg, are from Great Britain enjoying a lavish family holiday at the beautiful Mediterranean island of Majorca Spain. Emma is upset when she arrives with Nathan to find Jenn lounging at the pool topless. The seductive attraction begins to build between Jenn and Nathan. With the wine flowing feely, delicious restaurant meals, sight-seeing, shopping, hiking, there is plenty to enjoy.
The novel challenges pre-conceived ideas and judgment of the moral character of Jenn, a villain reader's might love to hate.
Was Jenn truly as vain, self-absorbed, and superficial as she seemed? After all, she was described as a caring Mum, and did her best to insure a happy childhood for Emma after her birth mother died.
Could Jenn risk her life style/family life by not controlling herself emotionally or sexually in the presence of a man-boy barely past the age of consent?
Was the wine that flowed so freely throughout the story indicative of an enjoyable holiday, or, Jenn's possible drinking problem?
Were Jenn and Greg so out of touch as parents to assume that Emma and Nathan weren't sexually active?
It was very amusing and laughable when Jenn was jealous and judgmental in finding Nathan enjoying the affectionate attention of another woman. This was really a great novel with a good satisfying ending, although I understand those who may not agree.
Helen Walsh is an award winning author who lives in Liverpool, UK. Many thanks to Doubleday Books for sponsoring this Goodreads Giveaway. I am grateful to have won this novel.
Enjoying the wealth and privilege of marrying well, Jenn and her much older pre-occupied academic husband, Greg, are from Great Britain enjoying a lavish family holiday at the beautiful Mediterranean island of Majorca Spain. Emma is upset when she arrives with Nathan to find Jenn lounging at the pool topless. The seductive attraction begins to build between Jenn and Nathan. With the wine flowing feely, delicious restaurant meals, sight-seeing, shopping, hiking, there is plenty to enjoy.
The novel challenges pre-conceived ideas and judgment of the moral character of Jenn, a villain reader's might love to hate.
Was Jenn truly as vain, self-absorbed, and superficial as she seemed? After all, she was described as a caring Mum, and did her best to insure a happy childhood for Emma after her birth mother died.
Could Jenn risk her life style/family life by not controlling herself emotionally or sexually in the presence of a man-boy barely past the age of consent?
Was the wine that flowed so freely throughout the story indicative of an enjoyable holiday, or, Jenn's possible drinking problem?
Were Jenn and Greg so out of touch as parents to assume that Emma and Nathan weren't sexually active?
It was very amusing and laughable when Jenn was jealous and judgmental in finding Nathan enjoying the affectionate attention of another woman. This was really a great novel with a good satisfying ending, although I understand those who may not agree.
Helen Walsh is an award winning author who lives in Liverpool, UK. Many thanks to Doubleday Books for sponsoring this Goodreads Giveaway. I am grateful to have won this novel.
March 20, 2014
The Lemon Grove Helen Walsh.
Great book, the story, Essentially a middle aged couple (Jenn & Greg) are holidaying aboard at their regular Villa are awaiting the arrival of their teenage Daughter Emma (Jenn's step daughter) and her new (extremely muscular, confident and sexually experienced for his age) boyfriend, Nathan.
The book is beautifully written and paints a lovely picture of Majorca that makes you feel like you are there exploring every nook and cranny of the mountains, the local villages, the countryside and the cuisine. If that makes it sound safe and boring, then I am doing it a disservice.
Right from the off, I felt a tension that kept me engrossed throughout and although, once the teenagers arrived, it does kind of feel inevitable that Jenn will develop longings for Nathan and although it should feel a bit preposterous that things will develop between this married woman in her thirties and the teenage boyfriend of her step daughter, the author manages to make it believable by imbuing a real sense of unease throughout that kept my interest to the point that I fairly raced through this book with a permanent "shit, whats going to happen" expression on my face.
I really enjoyed The lemon Grove as I have enjoyed previous novels by Helen Walsh. The Lemon Grove shows a more mature and subtle side to Helen's writing..It would have got 5/5 instead of 4 if there was a little more of that grit and nastiness that we saw in Brass, but that's just me. I think this is far more mature, mainstream and attractive to a wider audience and i'm already looking forward to Walsh's next book. 4/5
Great book, the story, Essentially a middle aged couple (Jenn & Greg) are holidaying aboard at their regular Villa are awaiting the arrival of their teenage Daughter Emma (Jenn's step daughter) and her new (extremely muscular, confident and sexually experienced for his age) boyfriend, Nathan.
The book is beautifully written and paints a lovely picture of Majorca that makes you feel like you are there exploring every nook and cranny of the mountains, the local villages, the countryside and the cuisine. If that makes it sound safe and boring, then I am doing it a disservice.
Right from the off, I felt a tension that kept me engrossed throughout and although, once the teenagers arrived, it does kind of feel inevitable that Jenn will develop longings for Nathan and although it should feel a bit preposterous that things will develop between this married woman in her thirties and the teenage boyfriend of her step daughter, the author manages to make it believable by imbuing a real sense of unease throughout that kept my interest to the point that I fairly raced through this book with a permanent "shit, whats going to happen" expression on my face.
I really enjoyed The lemon Grove as I have enjoyed previous novels by Helen Walsh. The Lemon Grove shows a more mature and subtle side to Helen's writing..It would have got 5/5 instead of 4 if there was a little more of that grit and nastiness that we saw in Brass, but that's just me. I think this is far more mature, mainstream and attractive to a wider audience and i'm already looking forward to Walsh's next book. 4/5
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