Dead Ernest

by Frances Garrood

'Dead Ernest' is a tale of redemption, love, and ultimately of forgiveness. Perhaps, after all, the life - and death - of Ernest Bentley have not been in vain.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

From Author's Website:

My main career was nursing, but I also trained and worked for many years as a relationship counsellor with Relate. Widowed in 1992, I re-married and now live with my husband in Wiltshire, where I enjoy riding my horse in the beautiful Pewsey Vale, reading, writing, and keeping up with my grandchildren. I also write regularly to a prisoner on Texas Death Row.

I first started writing as a child; mainly poetry, but there was one horrific novel (mercifully, never finished) in which a woman gives birth to a hideously deformed child in a thunderstorm. While I was bringing up my four children, I began writing and selling short stories to magazines before the enforced immobility following a fractured spine gave me the time to tackle my first novel.

All my books are very strongly relationship-based. My writing has also been affected by my widowhood, and my books sometimes include issues of death and bereavement. Strangely (and not by design) they all seem to include pet animal funerals (not a subject which normally occupies my mind!).

Reviews

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCERPT: BENTLEY Ernest. Husband of Annie and father of William (Billy) passed away suddenly on January 2nd 2004 aged 83. Funeral January 10th at 12.30 p.m. at Great Minden Crematorium. Family flowers only.
"What about 'beloved'? Something like that?" Billy asked, scrutinizing Annie's crabbed handwriting.
"Beloved? Beloved what?"
"You know. Beloved husband, much loved father. That sort of thing."
"Did you love your father, Billy?"
"Of course. Well, I suppose so. Yes, of course I did."
"Well then. We can put much loved father."
"And husband? What about husband?"
"No," said Annie. "Not beloved husband. Not any sort of husband."

ABOUT THIS BOOK: 'Dead Ernest' is a tale of redemption, love, and ultimately of forgiveness. Perhaps, after all, the life - and death - of Ernest Bentley have not been in vain.

When you have been married for sixty years and your husband suddenly dies, how do you start again?

No one had expected Ernest to die, least of all Ernest…

Ernest Bentley was a pillar of the community. But when he suddenly dies of a heart attack his wife Annie refuses to have the words ‘beloved husband’ added to his gravestone. Worried about how she will cope on her own after the bereavement the local vicar, Andrew, starts to visit her.

Before she knows what is happening, Annie finds herself telling Andrew things she has kept hidden for years. Dark secrets that had plagued her marriage to Ernest.

When Annie’s estranged granddaughter, Ophelia, turns up for a visit, the two quickly realise how much they have in common. But when Ophelia meets Andrew, the unhappily married vicar, things start to get very complicated…

What is the truth about Ernest? Why is Annie behaving so strangely now that he is dead?

And how can Andrew reconcile his growing feelings for Ophelia with his respect for his religion?

Spanning from the Second World War to the present day, DEAD ERNEST is a poignant, moving and, at times, very funny look at love, marriage and family life, dealing with issues of abuse and heartbreak to make a beautifully sensitive and inspirational novel.

MY THOUGHTS: There are a number of well known sayings that will give you an indication of the tone of this book - 'You never know what goes on behind closed doors/in people's heads' and 'Don't judge a book by its cover' are just an example.

To those on the outside, Ernest and Annie had a good solid marriage. They rubbed along, made the best of it. Because that was what you did. But when Ernest dies, Annie is suddenly cast adrift, free for the first time in her life.

Dead Ernest is a poignant tale of an elderly woman having to find her place in the world, of her making peace with herself and her dead husband. Perfect for the fans of The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, Dead Ernest will run the gamut of your emotions. A beautiful read.

Thank you to Sapere Books for providing a digital copy of Dead Ernest by Frances Garrood for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

How lucky was I to discover this book, written by an author I have not heard of before, and so very good. I loved the characters, the story, the funny parts and the sad ones too.

The title is very apt since Ernest is already dead and the book opens with Annie, his widow, and Billy, his son, making the funeral arrangements. It is quickly made clear that Annie is not suffering quite the way society expects after the loss of a partner of 60 years. I loved Annie straight away and enjoyed all her quirky moments like taking Ernest's ashes to Bingo, because he always hated it, and then accidentally leaving them on the bus.

The book spans the time from before Annie and Ernest's marriage to the present and we find out all the things that Annie has endured over those many years. Two other important characters enter her life, Andrew and Ophelia, and they supply the romance and the tragedy in the story. I can honestly say that I laughed and I cried over the course of this charming book.

Beautifully written, quirky without being silly, true to life especially the ending. Loved it and the author's name is now on my list.

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

After sixty unfulfilling years of marriage, Ernest Bentley dies of a heart attack in front of a fish and chips shop in England. His long-suffering wife Annie is taking the death very well. Too well. There are no tears, she doesn't want the word "beloved" to precede the word husband in the death announcement, and she calmly carries on with life. As she does so, Annie refers to various situations and things Ernest wouldn't have liked...but she's now happily doing them. She's also carrying around Ernest's ashes on the bus, storing them in the larder and taking them to bingo (something Ernest hated). In the mind of her adult son Billy, something isn't right with Mom's behaviour. So, he enlists the intercession of the young local vicar, Andrew.

First of all, Annie can't understand why Ernest died in front of a fish and chips establishment when he had just had lunch. This sole fact of his death seems to bother Annie more than anything. Other than that, she has settled into life as a widow with aplomb. Now the young vicar Andrew is coming around to call on Annie and help in any way he can. However, he will not report back to Billy as requested. He considers Annie his "client" and will keep their conversations confidential. This begins a sort of therapy over hot tea where Annie feels comfortable enough to tell the story of how she came to marry Ernest, and the less than happy years of marriage that followed.

Vicar Andrew has marital issues of his own, with his cold and clinical marriage to bishop's daughter Janet. Janet is very involved and helpful with the parish, but she and Andrew now sleep in separate beds. Andrew finds more solace in the company of his cat Tobias. Things get further complicated when Annie's granddaughter Ophelia comes to visit and sparks fly between her and Andrew.

This is a lovely story set in an English village where life is simple and served up with a cup of tea. The chapters volley between Annie, Andrew and Ophelia as Annie and Ernest's story is revealed through the decades. This was an unexpected joy to read, as I was initially put off by the muddy wellington boots and book title on its cover. The writing is likened to that of Rachel Joyce (one of my favorite authors) and had a rather timeless quality to it, which was very enjoyable. If it wasn't for the mentioning of mobile phones, I wouldn't be able to pinpoint the time period. This story had a very "cozy English village" feel to it.

Thank you to Sapere books for furnishing this advance reader copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[Veronica ⭐️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Ernest has died, suddenly and unexpected. However, Annie isn’t exactly stricken with grief. She knows how a recently widowed woman should act so she goes through the motions for her son. Sometimes she forgets Ernest is dead. They had been married for sixty years so it would be only natural to occasionally wonder why he is late for dinner.

Annie’s son, Billy, asks the local vicar to drop in and see how Annie is fairing. Annie doesn’t really want him there and Andrew, the vicar, doesn’t particularly want to babysit the old woman but an unlikely friendship occurs and both start to look forward to the ensuing visits. Annie begins to confide in the vicar telling him secrets she has kept hidden; some for as long as sixty years.

Annie’s story moves back and forward between present day and her earlier life in the 1940’s as a young wife and mother. A story about what goes on behind closed doors told in a sensitive way and is not too graphic.
Ophelia, Annie’s granddaughter has a small side story of her own which was quite touching even if I couldn’t see the reason for its inclusion.

In telling Andrew her deepest kept secrets Annie has been able to free herself to live her own life.
Annie’s escapades with Ernest’s ashes give for some quite humorous moments in an otherwise solemn story.
Some input from the committees that Ernest was involved with, such as people saying how wonderful, helpful and friendly he was, would have given the reader a better comparison of his two facades.

The writing is straightforward and uncomplicated. I would have liked more emotion portrayed in the story. To grab readers the story needs to be emotionally charged, heartbreaking or heartwarming. We need to hate characters, love characters, desperately needing to know what they will do next.

Garrood has written an empathetic, honest and candid story of life spent in a stringently controlled environment ruled by fear.

Dead Ernest is a moving look at marriage and family life as it was for some in the 1940’s and 1950’s and how it compares to today’s society.

[ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unexpected delight.

Ernest suddenly dies. Hes not long had his tea, so how come he had a heart attack outside the local chippy, his wife wonders.

Ernest didn't expect to die he was a pillar of the Community in which he lived in.

But what is this all about? Annie his wife refuses to have "beloved husband" engraved on his headstone.
Her son feels she has locked away her feelings, she feels nothing, so he calls in the help of the Vicar. The Vicar calls, but she is a bit reluctant, but after several visits she opens up to him.

Gradually things come to light about Ernest and they're marriage. Then up pops Annie's Granddaughter Ophelia.

The Vicar and Ophelia form a bond and all becomes very complicated.

This story spans from the secound world war to the present day.

In those day, in marriage you made your bed you lie in it.

So when Ernest dies Annie is free.
Its like taking the chains off of a prisoner, they have gone from having decisions made for them, their every move accounted for, they suddenly they are free.

Its a poignant story with a sense of sadness, sense of loss but also some laugh out loud moments.

This will be released toward the end of March 2018.

An amazing book that I would love you to take a chance on.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. It was lovely and heartwarming. Some parts were sad at times but it was good to see that the main character, Annie gets her life back on track and finds meaning in the world again. Annie is a brilliantly created character and I warmed to her from the start. I would certainly recommend this book and many thanks to Caoimhe from Sapere Books for letting me read this before its release date

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story follows a “grieving” widow after the death of her husband of 60 years. In a time where what happened behind closed doors stayed there and no one was any the wiser, the secrets spill out to the local vicar.

For a book following the route of grief, it is excellently done. Those who are (intimately) acquainted with the loss of a loved one know exactly what Annie is going through- why was he at the chip shop? A mystery that was never resolved, but it does accurately portray the odd things you hold on to in grief.

This is a story obviously written from the heart because the funeral scenes and wake are perfectly encapsulated. Who are these people? Why do you suddenly care? How do I actually feel? And the fact that Annie feels free after Ernest’s death (something which is completely natural and normal and perfectly acceptable folks!) and uses this as a board to define (for once) who she is as her own person. Annie’s definition of herself as a widow involves jet setting with her granddaughter (the plane seeing being undoubtedly the best scene of the entire novel but I think since my nans’ would have drunk the minibar dry I’m biased).

For those reading the book as and when on their kindle- do not worry about forgetting the characters or plot. The characters are on a level so vivid I haven’t experienced them since JK Rowling last publication. It’s a very absorbing story where you are quickly absorbed into it (I think it’s because of the vividness of the characters and the fact we all know at least one Billy etc) and I actually found myself wondering what happens next (something that rarely happens and never occurs on a ebook).

From a historical point of view, this is breathtaking. The war for some was a happy time- a place of community and sharing. But this isn’t romanticised here. People were forced into unwanted and unhappy marriages where they suffered social isolation alongside emotional, mental and sexual abuse over the course of their long marriage unbeknownst to family and friends. This is real life and it’s something that isn’t dealt with enough.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book well worth the reading and I highly highly recommend it!

[Barbara Rohde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the utterly charming story of Annie whose husband, Ernest, has just died. Annie's son Billie is concerned that his mother is not 'grieving properly' and as he lives several hours away, he enlists the help of the local vicar to visit his mother and help her to accept Ernest's death. A lovely friendship develops between the two of them as Annie recounts her life story to him. In the meantime, and interwoven with Annie's story, we find out more about Andrew, the vicar, and Ophelia, Annie's granddaughter.

An engaging, gentle read that nevertheless involves the reader fully in the lives of these characters. Highly recommended.

[Rob Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A joy to read if only because it covered my own timeline and I worked in a bank (where we had to move to be promoted). Whilst the book centre around Annie, I was drawn more to the granddaughter's character Ophelia. I believe Kay Mellor (or similar) could write a series about this whole family but centred on Ophelia. Lovely, but sometimes boring dialogue, written in individual chapters from various family characters. Many things close to the truth about family life in that time, and credit to the author.

[booksofallkinds · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a picture-perfect English village, Annie suddenly finds herself a widow when her husband of sixty years, Ernest, drops dead outside the local fish and chip shop. But Annie takes it all in her stride. Actually, she seems to be coping just fine, a fact which is irritating her overbearing son Billy no end. Shouldn't she be grief-stricken, lost, heartbroken? So when he mentions this to the local vicar, Andrew, who has his own marital problems, Andrew decides to look in on Annie and see if she needs to talk. As Annie begins to confide the truth about Ernest and their marriage, long-buried secrets will come to the surface, and when Ophelia arrives to spend time with her grandmother, this will set off an altogether different chain reaction ...

DEAD ERNEST by Frances Garrood is a well-developed, thought-provoking story with characters that will worm their way under your skin and make you feel connected to their lives. Even though we all know the saying that 'Looks can be deceiving', this story will really make you stop and think about it. Ernest was a pillar of the community, a well-respected man who lived a quiet life with his gentle wife, but as Annie peels away the layers of her life, we get to see the truth.
DEAD ERNEST by Frances Garrood is a story of family, secrets, and what truly happens behind closed doors and I thoroughly enjoyed this rich drama. I look forward to more from this author.

*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly I would like to thank Caoimhe O’Brien at Sapere Books for asking me to review this book written by Frances Garrood.

I love a good mystery, so was excited to be asked to read and review this book. I found the story and the characters very intriguing as the story unfolded page by page. I loved some of the history that was woven into the characters, Annie at first comes across as a heartless person upon the death of her husband Ernest. You start off by feeling that she must have been very hard on him or not loved him as the story goes on.

I was mortified to find what was behind the supposed pillar of the Community and Annie's marriage and the heartache and soul destroying life she must have lead. I felt that her son Billy seemed to be concerned when asking the Vicar to go and see his mum after his fathers death, but loved the way the author then lead the story into something unexpected.

The tale around Annie and her granddaughter's lack of knowledge about each, blossoms and warms the heart.

Overall I loved the book and the ending and would highly recommend it to anyone no matter what genre they read, as it is a fantastic read and I had to read it in one go, I could not put it down.

[Faouzia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Sapere Books for this free copy in exchange of an honest review.

A very interesting book to start this new year, with a touching story about choices, love, loss and redemption.

The death of Ernest came as a surprise. More surprising than that was the refusal of Annie, his widow, to have "beloved husband" written on his gravestone. As far as the community was concerned, Ernest was a very respected man, his wife a good housewife and good a mother and their home functioned as well as any other.
But as Annie started telling the secrets she kept hidden during her 60 years of marriage , we begin to discover a whole new side to Annie's life.

I liked Annie a lot and at the same time i felt deeply sorry for her. It was actually quite interesting to see how the shadow of Ernest kept controlling her even months after his death, interesting and sad also. And it was heartwarming to see her change bit by bit as she keeps telling her story and enjoying her new freedom.

Ophelia, Annie granddauhter, and Andrew were a different story. I liked the characters seperately, but i didn't sympathize much to the "relationship§ they had. I don't know why, maybe it's my skeptichal side, but their "relationship" did not convey a lot of meaning to me, it didn't seem a plausible thing. Although it seemed to have a purpose after all, if i am being honest. Still, that particular part about them was not my favorite in the book.
As for Ernest, for a dead character, he was pretty imposing in the book. He seemed more present and had more of an impact than any of the other living characters. And i liked how the author made this happen sometime with only subtle hints at what he liked or disliked.

As i said, i liked the story and the way it was written; the story of Annie, then that of Ophelia, Andrew, the present life of Annie and back again to her old story. This dynamic made reading the book more enjoyable, the chapters easy to read and the book harder to close.
I guess what touched me the most is that Annie's story, as uncomplicated as it seems, may happen to anyone anywhere; that choices are not easy to make and sometimes we can get trapped without having much of a choice about it but it is always what we do next that define us.

I would recommend this book to my friends.

[Snoakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Ernest is the story of an unhappy marriage. Forced by circumstance to marry a man she doesn't love (and who most definitely doesn't love her either), 60 years later when he suddenly dies Annie finds herself all at sea. Ernest was so controlling, such a dominant feature in her life that she doesn't really know what to do with her new found freedom. Her son, Billy (by all accounts a bit of a domineering chip off the old block) decides that Annie isn't reacting 'properly' to the death of his father and sends round the local vicar for a visit. This sparks Annie off into recounting the story of her life.

By all accounts this is a sad tale of a life of missed opportunities. But it's tempered by Annie's burgeoning relationship with her granddaughter Ophelia who is as disappointing to her father as Annie was to Ernest.

Poignant and moving, Dead Ernest is a bittersweet delight.

[The Geeky Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

After sixty years of marriage, Annie found herself alone after her husband Ernest's sudden death. Concerned she wasn't grieving properly, her son Billy asked Annie's local vicar, Andrew, to visit with her and see if he could find out what was wrong. Andrew agreed and started seeing Annie regularly, listening to talk about her life and how she came to be stuck in an unhappy, abusive marriage. Andrew sympathized with her, being in an unhappy marriage himself.

Frustrated by Andrew's refusal to tell him anything about his visits with Annie, Billy sends his daughter, Ophelia, for a short visit with her—hoping she will do what Andrew will not. Resistant to the idea of staying with the grandmother she barely knows, Ophelia still agrees to go, and is pleasantly surprised when she and Annie hit it off. Her decision to stay longer is only partly due to Annie, however... it's also because she feels drawn to Andrew.

In the weeks that follow, the lives of Annie, Andrew, and Ophelia will be marked by acceptance, heartache, and the promise of a new beginning... and it's all thanks to the sudden death of Ernest.

I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoyed reading Dead Ernest. I expected to like it, of course, but I suppose I didn't expect to feel so invested in these characters so quickly. I was immediately drawn in by Annie, needing to understand why she reacted the way she did to Ernest's death—she seemed more concerned about why he was in a certain area when he died than the fact that he was dead. I was completely engrossed in the story of her life with Ernest—their path to marriage came about in a way I didn't expect, and it definitely affected the their life together.

The present-day Annie was much different than the Annie of the past, and I really liked her! She had a quirky sense of humor and a defiant streak that was so fun to read. The Annie of the past was full of sadness and weary resignation, and my heart went out to her so often. It made me want to reach into the book and smack Ernest for being so awful to her.

My second favorite character was Andrew. His marital unhappiness echoed that of Annie's, to a certain degree, and it didn't take long for me to decide I did not like his wife, Janet, at all. I wasn't surprised by his immediate attraction to Ophelia, and it was interesting to see how it played out.

Ophelia was an unexpected delight, and she had a lot of common with Annie. I loved the easy closeness they shared, and (surprise, surprise) I quickly found myself disliking her parents for the way they treated her and for causing her to expect their disappointment in all things. I could easily understand why she was attracted so strongly to Andrew, and even though it was problematic, I was really rooting for them as a couple.

In one way or another, all of the main players in this book were afflicted with unhappiness, and often felt lonely—and I think that's something we can all identify with in our own lives. Despite that, the book isn't weighed down with an abundance of these negative emotions. Many lighthearted moments are scattered through the story, as well, giving a much-needed bit of comic relief that had me laughing out loud many times.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to read Dead Ernest, and I doubt I will forget these characters anytime soon.

I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of Sapere Books.

[Katherine Sunderland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really fancied this when I read this blurb. It sounded a little quirky, a little chaotic, full of lively characters and a bit like a mixture of Marian Keyes crossed with Dorothy Koomsom. And it was. This is a book that may lead you to raise a smile, then blink away a tear while Garrood captures the grey areas that linger like unsaid conversations in corridors as families realise that actually, they barely know each other.



From the outset it's clear that Annie's reaction to her husband's death might not be the one that is expected from her. She says straight away that she can not use the word 'beloved' on his grave as he was not. This upfront, honest and frank attitude of Annie's is a little surprising compared with the kind of character she is perceived to be by others around her, but it captures the imagination of the reader and gives this book a more original feel. There is a lot of humour used in the novel - yet always gently so and never slapstick or without some level of poignancy behind it. There's an hilarious scene when she has to report to the police that she's left her husband 'naked on the Little Mindon bus' because she took him to bingo, which he would have hated had he been alive. The policeman dealing with Annie seems completely bemused as she continues to explain she left the him in a Tesco bag, in an urn; "Ernest in an urn. Uuurnest!" There's a definite feel of Julie Walters in some of Annie's narrative which helps the reader to relate to her and empathise with her situation.



We flit backwards and forwards through Annie's life, revealing more about the past and why Annie feels the way she does. Annie is an appealing character, easy to engage with, sympathise with and although she has been unhappy, she attempts at times to also be fair in her discussion of why Ernest was perhaps the way he was. It's impossible not to like her. Her story reveals much about attitudes to marriage and motherhood within the historical period and the repercussions of this suppression of feelings, mismatched marriage and unresolved unhappiness.



What helps keeps the story buoyant is the interaction Annie has with the vicar, Andrew, and how this unlikely friendship comes to lead to some decisions and outcomes which reawaken Annie and allow her to begin to discover who she may really be. His role becomes more complicated once granddaughter Ophelia arrives on the scene and once again, the theme of love, decisions, responsibility and these grey areas is explored which gives the storyline a little more depth and intrigue beyond just a recount of Annie and Ernest's time together.



The other thing which makes this book rather special is the relationship between Annie and her granddaughter Ophelia. Initially forced to spend time with her, Ophelia isn't pleased to be with Annie and begins by asking tricky questions or trying to find out more about Ernest and Annie's marriage. As time continues though, both of them find that they offer each other something important and valuable. A grandmother / granddaughter relationships can be similar to that of mother / daughter but without the same need for boundaries and authority. I was very moved by the relationship that develops between them and how once again, an unlikely pairing can in this instance, bring hope, happiness and a sense of fulfilment. I think the book is a real celebration of grandmothers and granddaughters.



This is a quick read, a humorous read, a read that touches on a range of universal issues and themes, with characters that are relatable and likeable. It's all brought alive with great dialogue and pace. I would recommend!

[AnnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Ernest is a standalone book by Frances Garrood.

What a beautifully written if somewhat bittersweet story this is. Annie, a pensioner has just become a widow after her husband Ernest dies. She doesn't openly grieve which worries her son Billy, who in turn asks the local vicar, Andrew, to visit with her. When the vicar refuses to report back to Billy, he then insists his daughter, Ophelia, spends some time with her grandmother. And there we have the main characters that this book revolves around.

The vicar over cups of tea and the occasional sherry or whisky manages to get Annie to discuss her marriage. Far from the upstanding member of the community and loving husband which Ernest is seen by the public, Ernest is anything but that. I cried tears for poor Annie and all that she had to put up with right from the beginning of her relationship with him.

Andrew, poor unloved Andrew, his story is rather sad too. He's married to a woman he doesn't love anymore, and his faith is being sorely tested. His wife isn't a nice person and something that she does, no spoilers though, made me wish the author would kill her off! Poor poor Andrew.

Ophelia is a great disappointment to her parents, they want her to be a perfect beauty, be the perfect dress size, and to have a career or at least a husband they can brag about to their friends. She is none of those things. It's not difficult to understand how she lacks in self-esteem. She doesn't really want to go to her grandmothers, they don't really know each other well, but when she loses her job she has no excuse anymore not to visit.

Andrew and Ophelia meet at Annie's after one of his visits there, and immediately there is a connection between them, almost as if they are soulmates. They want desperately to be together, but they both know too much is at risk, not least Andrew's faith. Will they have a choice or will their attraction be too strong to fight?

Although Andrew and Ophelia provide the romantic aspect of this story, this book was very much about darling Annie. She is such a beautiful character and I am just so happy that after all that she has suffered, she is finally going to have happiness in her life. I also really enjoyed watching her relationship with Ophelia develop into what we would all like to have with a grandparent.

This was a beautiful, heartwarming, emotional story that I am happy to recommend.

[Maggie Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a charming story in many ways, but in some ways I wanted Annie to stand up for herself and beat the living daylights out of her brute of a husband. I mean, she was a farm girl for goodness sakes, she would have had the strength to take a broom handle and break it over the jerk's head. And another thing, a big deal was made over his dying in front of the fish and chips shop, but we never find out what he was up to.

I did enjoy the relationship that developed with the granddaughter. Both of them were seeking to have approval and love. The daughter felt judged and unloved by her father, the grandmother felt judged and unloved by her son. I think the fact that they developed a strong and loving bond was the best part of the book. The tedious part was the ashes of the grandfather being carried around town and then stowed in the pantry and then at the very end taken to a place he had never been to scatter them.

I guess it is about forgiveness, but I don't see how anyone could forgive someone for 60 years of abuse. I would have been dancing on the bastard's grave, so to speak.

[Mary Pettit · Rating 4 out of 5]

We were skeptical of this book because it isn't our usual genre! Let me tell you how NOT disappointed we were! This was a most endearing, heartfelt, funny account of Annie's past, present and future. 
Readers may experience a range of emotion as Annie's story unravels. We laughed, cried, felt frustrated, and wore big smiles as we learned about Annie's past. She was treated unfairly growing up, had to endure a dreadful marriage, and only began to know what it felt like to be free after her husband's unexpected death! 
The relationship she developed with her granddaughter, was so special. The friend she makes with the Vicar and the strings she feels severed as she details her story were just endearing. We are so happy to have been asked to be a part of this blog tour as we may have not chosen this book on our own. We love being exposed to different genres and learning that our love for reading stretches far beyond our comfort zone! 
Bravo Frances Garrood and Sperebooks!

[Flapper72 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. It's probably the best book I've read in a very long while and, as is so often the case, I just stumped upon it. Ernest is dead when the book starts. We meet Edith. Her rather distant son, Billy, is too busy to spend much time with Edith so Billy phones the local vicar, Andrew. Edith tells Andrew the story of her life. Billy's daughter, Ophelia, is coerced to go and stay with her Gran for a while. That's it. Edith hadn't had a happy life. A really beautiful relationship develops between Edith and Ophelia. So touching. Wonderfully written, very accessible and personable. Can't recommend it highly enough

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book by Frances Garrood that I have read but judging by how much I enjoyed ‘Dead Ernest’, it most certainly won’t be the last. I loved it but more about that in a bit.
Annie was married to Ernest and it isn’t too far into the book that you realise that the marriage was not altogether a happy one. To start with I did find it strange that Annie was so numb about her husband dying and she doesn’t mourn him as such. I soon realised why and by the end of the book, I didn’t blame her. I don’t really want to type too much about the reasons why theirs was a loveless marriage, needless to say that by the sounds of it Ernest was a control freak, who dominated his wife and told her what to do and what to think. There are also indications that some of his control became more sinister but you will have to read the book for the full details. Annie sees Ernest’s death as a release and she feels liberated because this now means that she can do all the things that she wants to do and not have to worry about what her husband will say or do. There were several times during the story that I wanted to jump inside the pages of the book and give Annie a blooming big hug and help her move on. Annie is helped a lot by her local vicar, Andrew and Annie feels safe enough with Andrew to be able to tell him her life story. Andrew is asked by Annie’s son to go and visit her because he (the son) is concerned about his mother’s behaviour and thinks that she needs help. (I ended up thinking that it was the son who needed the help and not his mother). Andrew is a bit of a lost soul too as he is trapped in a loveless marriage with his wife and he often feels lonely as a result. I sense that Andrew would have loved a family but his wife wasn’t so keen on the idea because it would mean that she would lose her figure. At first Andrew doesn’t like the fact that he has to go and visit Annie but it isn’t long until he looks forward to seeing her as it’s sort of confessional for him too and he feels as though Annie is a friend. Andrew’s attention is soon taken by Ophelia, who is Annie’s granddaughter. I really felt for Ophelia. She is ignored by her parents but after Ernest dies, her father basically tells her that she is going to stay with her grandmother whether she likes it or not. Ophelia is a kind and gentle soul, whose intentions are often misunderstood. I got the impression that she felt lonely too and she doesn’t seem to have many friends. She seems to have been used and abused emotionally for a long time. Will Annie find the happiness she longs for? Will Andrew & Ophelia get together properly? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
I must be honest and say that when I first started the book, I wasn’t sure which path the story would take and I wasn’t sure that I would like it. However, it wasn’t long until I became hooked on reading this beautifully written and deeply sensitive book. I became so wrapped up in the story that I didn’t realise how quickly I was reading it and before I knew it I had read 60 % of the book, but because I was so completely taken with the story, I hadn’t realised how fast either the page numbers or the time were flying by. The characters are so sensitively described in this book that they seemed real to me and I was wanting to jump inside the book to give the main characters of Annie, Andrew and Ophelia a hug, whilst wanting to slap certain other characters around the chops with a wet fish several dozen times. I won’t say which ones but you will realise who I mean as you read the book. I became so wrapped up in the story that I became deeply affected by it and on more than one occasion I got a lump in my throat, especially when Annie describes how Ernest and her parents treated her. Once I had finished reading the book I really did feel as though I had been through the emotional wringer with all the highs, the lows and the in between bits.
In short, I absolutely loved reading ‘Dead Ernest’ and I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to others. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.

[Saarah Niña · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming, a little crazy but certainly hilarious...

Annie was a daughter. She is a mother and a grandmother. But now, she's also a widow, and she worries there's not much else.

She's trudged through a life of adversity, never really thinking much of herself. But, when her husband, Ernest, passes away outside a fish & chip shop, she finds it peculiar that everyone from the policewoman who gave her the news, the locals at the supermarket, to her son and his family expect her to be in tears and miserable. She just can't think why.

When the local vicar, a man in an unhappy marriage, turns up at Annie's doorstep, she finds that she could actually use some company. Then, with her granddaughter's arrival, a young woman she barely knows, Annie quickly realises just how lonely she'd been. And so, it begins... A warm, but sometimes painful, story of courage, strength, love and friendship.

Frances Garrood has spun together a beautiful story, fully observant of life's funny but, also bitter ways. I think aside from the actual story, and the characters that have such honest humanity within them, this book is especially worth reading because of Garrood's understated and often subtle humour. The conversations between the characters were 'laugh-out-loud funny' and, even when tough subjects were mentioned, the humour signified an unwavering and admirable spirit of hope and moving forward. I don't think I've read such a heartbreaking fictional story written with sensitivity and infused with such light.

I recommend, most definitely!

→ Don't be fooled by the cover.

I received this book from Sapere Books for review consideration.

[jimtown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a rather unique way of telling the story of a marriage, grieving and relearning to love and be happy. The insight into Ernest and Annie's marriage comes as she slowly reveals all the secrets and feelings she's been hiding to the vicar who visits her.

Annie's son believes she is not grieving properly. She seems in denial maybe. He asks the vicar to visit his mother and the vicar, Andrew, finds Annie different and her stories strangely interesting. They make him realize that his own marriage is unsatisfactory. So he continues to visit tho she's not a member of his church.

When Annie's lackluster granddaughter, Ophelia, is sent to check on her, both Annie and the vicar find her refreshing. They all learn to love again, two only briefly, but two for life.

It's the glimpse into Annie's marriage that is especially well done.

Excerpts:

"After all that time with Ernest, she had long since ceased to expect happiness. There had been small pleasures - a favourite television programme, the feel and smell of a shiny new magazine, a rare evening of bingo, the carefully measured sherries Ernest used to pour for her (Annie had come a long way since those sherries) - but happiness had become a forgotten luxury. And now, in her newly widowed state, surely she couldn't be expected to be happy, could she?"

"She no longer dreamed of escape. She was too weary, and by now too entrenched in the life she and Ernest had made for themselves."

"The bits of the world Annie knew were limited, but they were safe and familiar; everyone spoke English, and you could get a decent cup of tea when you wanted one."

[Rose Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ernest is dead and Annie his wife is not very upset over this terrible event. So begins the story of Annie who as a young woman is forced into marriage because of a unexpected pregnancy. But no one in her family or life understand how unhappy Annie has been all of her life, how she never found any happiness until Ernest is dead she is free.
Andrew the vicar comes to visit her and offer some comfort and Annie begins to tell the story of her life.
She does find comfort and finally happiness with her granddaughter Ophelia another misunderstood person
This was a fast read and makes you wonder how many people are living a miserable life because of circumstances beyond their control ? How many people are controlled by others? And what happens when they get the freedom they thought they would never have?

[julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

BENTLEY Ernest. Husband of Annie and father of William (Billy) passed away suddenly on January 2nd 2004 aged 83. Funeral January 10th at 12.30 p.m. at Great Minden Crematorium. Family flowers only.
"What about 'beloved'? Something like that?" Billy asked, scrutinizing Annie's crabbed handwriting.
"Beloved? Beloved what?"
"You know. Beloved husband, much loved father. That sort of thing."
"Did you love your father, Billy?"
"Of course. Well, I suppose so. Yes, of course I did."
"Well then. We can put much loved father."
"And husband? What about husband?"
"No," said Annie. "Not beloved husband. Not any sort of husband."

this is a book about loss, forgiveness and hope. I really really enjoyed it and will look for more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this in return for an honest and unbiased review.

[Helen Costello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This story was a little unexpected gem. Totally different to what I expected (I thought it was going to be a thriller). A gentle yet brutal story about love, marriage and relationships.

Annie is lovely - Brilliant to show the other side to when a spouse passes away. Life can sometimes begin and doesn't have to end. The relationship between her and her granddaughter, Ophelia is just lovely. The cold, detached character of Annie's son, Billy is just so believable.

Slight predictable relationship between Andrew and Ophelia that I saw coming although we were kept guessing right until the end about how it turned out. Didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book though.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book lived up to every expectation. I could not put it down and was very sad when I finished it. The book is about Annie who has lost her husband Ernest, but it is more than that because it's also about her son and her new relationship with her granddaughter who she never really knew and most importantly it's about Annie finding a way into her new life. It is so well written and you invest so much into the characters. It has so many layers and you enjoy reading your way through them.

I am so looking forward to Frances Garrood's next book.

[Marli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - This book took me by surprise. I expected a lighthearted story and it turned out to be a tale of one woman's story of an abusive marriage.
After her husband dies, Annie takes into her confidence a visiting vicar who returns to hear her life story. Forced to marry the man who basically date raped her (although that wasn't a term used back then) this book brings to vivid life the bitter, impotent struggle of Annie's life. With strength, fortitude, and imagination she survives and with the love and support of her granddaughter, finds a way to be happy again.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Ernest liberated Annie

This book was a story that was a surprise. A memorable story that could be about any woman's life. Annie was a strong woman but just did not realize it until her husband's death. She was finally able to find herself and her granddaughter. Matter of fact, her granddaughter was able to also find herself also. You never know what goes on behind closed doors.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Annie & Ernest is an interesting one, though not a happy one.
When Ernest dies, Annie meets Vicar Andrew whose kindness allows Annie to unlock the secrets hiding 60 years of pain. Annie's granddaughter Ophelia comes to help and opens Annie's world further.
A well-written, emotional tale where 'everyone needs to have a purpose' comes through, along with 'everyone needs to be needed' which allows for hope and peace.

Published by Sapere Books 2007.

[Brenda Neale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable book

I really enjoyed this book, it covered how women years ago put up with a loveless and often violent marriage without any support from their families in the name of respectability. Francis Garood managed to capture the essence of hopelessness, but also the relief of the end of an era with the death of a cold and heartless man. I loved the ending too it finished this book off beautifully.