Το τελευταίο ρεπορτάζ

by Susan Lewis, Έφη Τσιρώνη (Translator)

Στην πιο κρίσιμη στιγμή της ζωής της, η διάσημη αρθρογράφος Κέιτι Κίρναν καλεί κοντά της την αδερφή της Μισέλ. Δεν έχει κανέναν άλλο στον κόσμο για να εμπιστευτεί την έφηβη κόρη της, αν τελικά χάσει τη μάχη με την ασθένεια που την απειλεί...

Έτσι η Μισέλ, φλογερή ακτιβίστρια, επιστρέφει στην Αγγλία από το Πακιστάν, όπου βρίσκεται ως εθελόντρια. Το ανεξάντλητο πάθος της για ζωή μπορεί να δώσει στην Κέιτι τη δύναμη που χρειάζεται. Αλλά οι παλιές αντιζηλίες και πικρίες που τις αποξένωσαν φουντώνουν ξανά, δυσκολεύοντάς τη σχέση τους.

Την ίδια στιγμή, ο άντρας που άφησε πίσω της στο Πακιστάν, ο ρεπόρτερ Τομ Τσέιμπερς, αντιμετωπίζει τη μεγαλύτερη πρόκληση της καριέρας του, όταν κάποια άκρως απόρρητα ντοκουμέντα πέφτουν στα χέρια του. Για να ερευνήσει την υπόθεση, ζητά τη βοήθεια του συναδέλφου του στην Αγγλία, Έλιοτ Ράσελ.

Ο Έλιοτ δέχεται, αλλά ταυτόχρονα έχει να αντιμετωπίσει τη βαθιά κρίση της σχέσης του με τη Λόρι. Μετά τη δική του, ασυγχώρητη προδοσία, είναι η σειρά της να παρασυρθεί από ένα σαρωτικό πάθος...

Κανείς τους δεν είναι προετοιμασμένος για τις συγκλονιστικές αποκαλύψεις στις οποίες οδηγεί η έρευνα του Τομ. Οι έρωτες, οι συγκρούσεις, οι φόβοι και τα όνειρά τους μπλέκονται ξαφνικά με μια συνωμοσία ασύλληπτων διαστάσεων, που η αποκάλυψή της μπορεί να σώσει χιλιάδες αθώες ζωές. Και να βάλει σε θανάσιμο κίνδυνο τις δικές τους...

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit

552 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.


Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Following periods of living in Los Angeles and the South of France, she currently lives in Gloucestershire with her husband James, stepsons Michael and Luke, and mischievous dogs Coco and Lulu.

Reviews

[June Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit too political for me, if it had not been for Molly, and Laurie, I would have given up

[Jheelkamal Nayak (word_muse_) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hornbeam Tree is a powerful story of the unbreakable bond between a mother and a daughter. Even as the celebrated columnist and single mother of a 14 year old daughter(Molly) Katie Kiernan struggles through life when she is diagnosed with cancer, her life becomes doubly challenging when her sister Michelle arrives in her doorstep to help her in her last days. But she comes with longing for the man she left behind to cope with her sister's looming death, a rebellious teenager and the resentment and old jealousies from their past.

Laurie Forbes, is trying to get back with Elliott Russell after a devastating betrayal but the relationship is threatened when she gets sucked into whirlwind of passion that can break them apart completely.

Tom Chambers, the man Michelle left behind gets hold of some very important and classified documents which can unveil government's plots and agendas. He calls upon Elliot to help with the investigation of the explosive data he found but they are soon caught up in the deadly efforts to stop them going to print.
This 600+ pages story had a lot to fill in and Susan Lewis did justice to the characters making them grow as the story progresses.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are too many different and unconnected things going on in this story. One woman has a severe health issue and another one leaves Karachi where her journalist friend is passing strange documents around via contacts. At home in England, the teenage daughter -14 - of one woman is getting peer pressured by girls she doesn't even know, to behave strangely and be let join their group. Peer pressure doesn't work on me but I suppose some teen girls were stupid or desperate enough for this. The teenage stuff was the worst part. The girls know well they are too young for all they are doing.
One woman has a husband in Las Vegas gambling away their money and she has just been laid off from her news column. Too much that doesn't add up. Nobody I like. There are some interesting scenes around three-letter agencies and the potential for terrorist into from Pakistan / Afghanistan, but this really has no place in a women's fiction called the Hornbeam Tree.
I read a paperback.

[Poorvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my 16th Susan Lewis read in 12 months. I think if the synopsis really stipulated how much of political jargon there would be inn this novel, I'd have never picked the book off the library shelf. I was caught off guard.
I did, however enjoy it, barring all the political nonsense, which admittedly I skipped through the bulk of.
Laurie was an extremely senseless and irritating character!
Loved Katie. Her dialog kept the atmosphere alive. And definitely thought Molly added to the suspense.

[Darrell Rivers · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, like, part of this book was like, so annoying and patronising. Other parts were boring and seeming to go on forever. A bIt of a meh kind of read, one of those that I had to finish but regretted that I even picked it up in the first place.

[Debbie McWilliam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea really - I am a big fan of Susan Lewis usually but this just didn't float my boat much at all.

[Sandra Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read

[Sali Pike · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really but didnt make the 4 stars. Some great bits some dull bits.

[Oonagh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dull.

[Safa Jarrar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main theme they wished to label the book with is " A powerful story of the unbreakable bonds between a mother and a daughter" and I fond that so not presenting for the book.
The book talks about an American Journalist and a British humanitarian who were located in Afghanistan and discovered an arranged plot in the UK to take place. The surprise was to find that the American and British governments were the responsible for that terrorism attack aiming to use in elections and as a justification for all the weapon investment, and to launching wars against terrorism and accordingly gain command over countries with desired resources. During the journey of investigation, mother and daughter face troubles knowing that the mother is dying, and the girls rejects her aunt. A friend who is torn about loving someone yet can't stop thinking of his infidelity! A healing hornbeam tree that symbolizes life and the end of it.
I thought the book should have the title " Perpetual war for perpetual peace" I think it would describe the story better. Anyhow, the more I read about wars the more sick of this world I get!!

[Bernadette Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

At over 600 pages this story sure did have a lot of pages to fill. It was an epic tale covering lots of different topics from terminal illness, politics and a love story or two thrown in for good measure. I don't think it really knew what it was meant to be, but I did enjoy it on the whole.

I enjoyed the story surrounding Katie, her sister Michelle and Katie's daughter. It must be so hard when you're suffering from a terminal illness such as Katie's and don't know how to tell your children the full extent of the illness. Lots of people end up relying on other members of the family to help out. I'm sure that a lot of children would have reacted in a similar way when faced with the return of an Aunt that they don't know that well, turning up on their doorstep like Michelle did.

Perhaps it was a little over long but there was a lot to pack into the pages, as there was so much happening.

I gave it a 7/10 and I will look forward to reading other books by this Author in due course.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I expected. Amid the storyline of Kate, a investigative journalist with terminal cancer, reconciled with her estranged sister Michelle and trying to cope with wayward stroppy, anguished teenage daughter, Molly, I was caught up in a novel of political intrigue about terrorism and counter terrorism in Pakistan involving UK and USA governments. I came close to giving up on the book with the unsavoury chapters on Molly's so called friends, the obligatory highly charged sex scenes and the political machinations - not a book for me. However I found it interesting enough to rush through to the final, somewhat sentimental chapter, as I wanted to know how it turned out, and I had to admire the way the author juggled the different strands and characters into a mammoth 630 page read.

[Tracy Barrall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I did enjoy this book it surprised me at how political the story was, some of it was a bit over my head regarding the potitical battles between countries. I even wondered why it was called "The Hornbeam Tree" when it features so little in the book. That said there are some very sad, touching and well written moments that will bring a lump to your throat. The trials and dilemma's that Katie and Molly have to deal with seemed very real to me.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover says "A powerful story of the unbreakable bonds between a mother and daughter" - well sort of, but there were highly classified govenment documents, a journalist on the run.....I thought that the author tried to put too much into the story to make it "page turning" and lost the plot a bit. I won't rush to read any more of her books. Readable but really not great.

[Rosalee 'Leah' Thrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time a book has had me with tears running down my face, on the edge of my seat and laughing. As someone that prefers curling up at the end of the day with a good book, this book also had me staying put in bed in the morning to finish it. (Something a morning person Never does.) Thought it was amazing!

[Barbara Wicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took time to get into the story, I was expecting a lot more emotion with regard to the sister with cancer, but even though her time was up at the end of the book it did not make me weep. This is not a criticsm, just a point of view.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't overly impressed with this one, my first Susan Lewis book which I haven't really liked, too much going on and couldn't keep track of what the real story was supposed to be, have loved most of her other books which I have read and will read others of hers, can't get it right every time

[Amanda Fair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agree with the critique from previous readers - at the end the story was about a dying mother and teenager daughter and their bond which had a happy ending
. But political storie line was possibly too much overbearing.

[Tracey Washington-lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author always draws me in. I found it hard to put down. The combination of grief in a family and works events trying to override made an interesting read. Great characters and storyline tinged with sadness of the inevitable.

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio edition. Many strands to plot.

[Anouska Mond · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books of all time. A must read! It makes you laugh and cry and leaves you wanting more.

[Jerome · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all what I was expecting, more a political story than a 'unbreakable bond between mother and daughter' story. The plot was scattered, with an overall poor ending.

[Dawn Lockey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great story!

[Vanessa]

Good

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were clear pros and cons to this book. It has an upbeat chick lit style, which jarred a bit when the main character starts the book being told her cancer is terminal. There is a lot of humour in the book, and I liked and cared about the female characters, but when it came to the depiction of the life of a patient with terminal cancer, I felt the book suffered from a lack of realism.

Also, the detective/spy story that runs alongside the domestic drama is not a great fit. I never bought it, really. it annoyed me, because it just petered out as well.

Also, this book is way to explicit (for me) with unrealistically amazing sex.