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300 Days of Sun
Combining the atmosphere of Jess Walters’ Beautiful Ruins with the intriguing historical backstory of Christina Baker Kline’s The Orphan Train, Deborah Lawrenson’s mesmerizing novel transports readers to a sunny Portuguese town with a shadowy past—where two women, decades apart, are drawn into a dark game of truth and lies that still haunts the shifting sea marshes.
Traveling to Faro, Portugal, journalist Joanna Millard hopes to escape an unsatisfying relationship and a stalled career. Faro is an enchanting town, and the seaside views are enhanced by the company of Nathan Emberlin, a charismatic younger man. But behind the crumbling facades of Moorish buildings, Joanna soon realizes, Faro has a seedy underbelly, its economy compromised by corruption and wartime spoils. And Nathan has an ulterior motive for seeking her company: he is determined to discover the truth involving a child’s kidnapping that may have taken place on this dramatic coastline over two decades ago.
Joanna’s subsequent search leads her to Ian Rylands, an English expat who cryptically insists she will find answers in The Alliance, a novel written by American Esta Hartford. The book recounts an American couple’s experience in Portugal during World War II, and their entanglements both personal and professional with their German enemies. Only Rylands insists the book isn’t fiction, and as Joanna reads deeper into The Alliance, she begins to suspect that Esta Hartford’s story and Nathan Emberlin’s may indeed converge in Faro—where the past not only casts a long shadow but still exerts a very present danger.
Traveling to Faro, Portugal, journalist Joanna Millard hopes to escape an unsatisfying relationship and a stalled career. Faro is an enchanting town, and the seaside views are enhanced by the company of Nathan Emberlin, a charismatic younger man. But behind the crumbling facades of Moorish buildings, Joanna soon realizes, Faro has a seedy underbelly, its economy compromised by corruption and wartime spoils. And Nathan has an ulterior motive for seeking her company: he is determined to discover the truth involving a child’s kidnapping that may have taken place on this dramatic coastline over two decades ago.
Joanna’s subsequent search leads her to Ian Rylands, an English expat who cryptically insists she will find answers in The Alliance, a novel written by American Esta Hartford. The book recounts an American couple’s experience in Portugal during World War II, and their entanglements both personal and professional with their German enemies. Only Rylands insists the book isn’t fiction, and as Joanna reads deeper into The Alliance, she begins to suspect that Esta Hartford’s story and Nathan Emberlin’s may indeed converge in Faro—where the past not only casts a long shadow but still exerts a very present danger.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2016
174 people are currently reading
2716 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Lawrenson
12 books164 followersAfter a childhood of constant moves around the world - my family lived at various times in Kuwait, China, Belgium, Luxembourg and Singapore - I read English at Trinity College, Cambridge. I trained as a journalist on a weekly South London newspaper, then worked on several national newspapers and magazines.
My first novel Hot Gossip (1994) was a satire based on my experiences working on Nigel Dempster's diary column, and was followed by a sequel, Idol Chatter (1995). The Moonbathers, a black comedy, followed in 1998.
The Art of Falling was a complete change of direction, which took five years to research and write. But trying to get it published was like starting from scratch again. In the end, after many false dawns and disappointments, I published it myself under the Stamp Publishing imprint in September 2003.
Almost immediately it became clear that the novel had struck a chord with booksellers and reading groups around my home in Kent. Ottakar's liked it enough to recommend it to their stores nationwide, and the rights were sold to Random House.
The Art of Falling was republished by Arrow in July 2005 and chosen as one of the books for the WHSmith Fresh Talent promotion that summer. It went on to sell more than all the others put together!
Songs of Blue and Gold is in a similar style: a story that grew out of my curiousity about past events and a love for the warmer shores and colours of southern Europe.
My latest novel, The Lantern, has been chosen for The TV Book Club Summer Reads 2011 on Channel4 and More4. I have also written a linked short story for Woman&Home magazine's 2011 summer reading supplement.
I currently divide my time between rural Kent and a crumbling hamlet in Provence, which is the atmospheric setting for The Lantern.
My first novel Hot Gossip (1994) was a satire based on my experiences working on Nigel Dempster's diary column, and was followed by a sequel, Idol Chatter (1995). The Moonbathers, a black comedy, followed in 1998.
The Art of Falling was a complete change of direction, which took five years to research and write. But trying to get it published was like starting from scratch again. In the end, after many false dawns and disappointments, I published it myself under the Stamp Publishing imprint in September 2003.
Almost immediately it became clear that the novel had struck a chord with booksellers and reading groups around my home in Kent. Ottakar's liked it enough to recommend it to their stores nationwide, and the rights were sold to Random House.
The Art of Falling was republished by Arrow in July 2005 and chosen as one of the books for the WHSmith Fresh Talent promotion that summer. It went on to sell more than all the others put together!
Songs of Blue and Gold is in a similar style: a story that grew out of my curiousity about past events and a love for the warmer shores and colours of southern Europe.
My latest novel, The Lantern, has been chosen for The TV Book Club Summer Reads 2011 on Channel4 and More4. I have also written a linked short story for Woman&Home magazine's 2011 summer reading supplement.
I currently divide my time between rural Kent and a crumbling hamlet in Provence, which is the atmospheric setting for The Lantern.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews
May 9, 2016
I became quite caught up in this one, a story within a story about events decades apart. In the current story, Jo comes to Faro, Portugal to escape a relationship with someone who wanted more than she could give. A journalist by trade, she enrolls in a language course where she meets Josh, a young man who wants Joanna to use her journalistic skills to help him uncover the secrets of his parentage. During the course of their investigation she meets and older man, Ian, who tells her to read a book written about the second World War, called The Alliance.
The setting attracted me, have not read many books set in Portugal and knew little about its role during the war. A hotbed of journalists, Nazi agents and black marketers converged in this country, the last bastion of freedom for those who wanted to escape the Nazi terror. A thrilling roller coaster of a ride it was easy for me to become involved in both parts of the story. Likable characters, a love story and some unknown history kept me fascinated. At books end, the author's note tells exactly what was true or not.
ARC from publisher.
The setting attracted me, have not read many books set in Portugal and knew little about its role during the war. A hotbed of journalists, Nazi agents and black marketers converged in this country, the last bastion of freedom for those who wanted to escape the Nazi terror. A thrilling roller coaster of a ride it was easy for me to become involved in both parts of the story. Likable characters, a love story and some unknown history kept me fascinated. At books end, the author's note tells exactly what was true or not.
ARC from publisher.
August 24, 2021
Debaixo do Sol
Crimes e escapadelas sob um sol que brilha, incansavelmente, cerca de 300 dias por ano, e que por feliz acaso até é bem nosso!
Aposto que, tal como eu, desconheciam que o nosso querido e amado sol era tão diligente assim?!
A continuar com esta cadência, ainda nos tomba em cima com algum esgotamento!!! 😜
Aprender é sempre louvável, mas… invade-nos uma sensação algo incómoda, sempre que são estrangeiros a ensinar-nos sobre a nossa própria pátria. Quando assim é, sentimo-nos, impreterivelmente, culpados — acaso não estaremos nós a negligenciar o nosso "jardim à beira mar plantado"?!😉😜
Crimes e escapadelas sob um sol que brilha, incansavelmente, cerca de 300 dias por ano, e que por feliz acaso até é bem nosso!
Aposto que, tal como eu, desconheciam que o nosso querido e amado sol era tão diligente assim?!
A continuar com esta cadência, ainda nos tomba em cima com algum esgotamento!!! 😜
Aprender é sempre louvável, mas… invade-nos uma sensação algo incómoda, sempre que são estrangeiros a ensinar-nos sobre a nossa própria pátria. Quando assim é, sentimo-nos, impreterivelmente, culpados — acaso não estaremos nós a negligenciar o nosso "jardim à beira mar plantado"?!😉😜
February 23, 2022
(Review originally published on my blog, April 2016)
Something I have found about holidaying alone is that I tend to develop more intimate relationships to the places I visit. When I've stayed somewhere on my own, I often feel as though I've lived there for a short period - even if the duration of my holiday was just a few days - and find I can recall features of the area, such as the layout of streets, in far more more detail than seems usual. I'm mentioning this because the main setting of 300 Days of Sun is Faro, Portugal, which I visited on a solo trip last year, and there's no doubt that this added to my enjoyment of Deborah Lawrenson's latest novel. Specific places I visited - such as Ilha Deserta and the Chapel of Bones - are key to the story. There's always something a little bit thrilling about that, and though Lawrenson's description is sharp and vivid, being able to picture these places from memory definitely added to the effect.
There are two stories here, told in alternating parts. In 2014, Jo, a journalist who has fled to Faro to escape a persistent ex-boyfriend, meets Nathan at a Portuguese language class. He tells her he's there to seek the truth about his real parents, and suspects there may be links between his past and two resorts close to Faro, where a number of child abductions have taken place. Jo finds a contact with possible connections to the resorts; he gives her a book which, he says, contains information that will help her get answers. The book is a 1954 novel named The Alliance, with its roots in the real life story of its American author, Esta Hartford. Extracts from Esta's novel, set during the Second World War in Lisbon and Faro, make up the second plot strand.
I have a real weakness for the type of story in which a character investigates a mystery at a fairly slow place, by following a trail of clues - exploring locations related to the crime, looking up old newspaper articles at the local library, and arranging meetings with people who might know something, who then pass them on to other people who might know something . It's all well-trodden ground, but I absolutely love it, and Jo and Nathan's story is a perfect example. Their sections were my favourites, and I could quite happily have read a whole book about these two characters. I even loved the quiet scenes of Jo's everyday life: attending classes, pottering around her rented flat, going out for a walk and a coffee - they're so real and ordinary, and really brought Jo to life for me.
By contrast, the Esta sections take quite a while to really get going. Jo's bits are in first person and Esta's in third, which perhaps makes Esta - or rather, her avatar, Alva - harder to get close to. The content also initially seems somewhat drier, as Alva and her husband Michael (another journalist) struggle to adjust to wartime life when they find themselves stranded in Portugal. But as more is revealed, the Esta/Alva narrative becomes just as fascinating as the modern-day story; perhaps even more so, as it spans years and involves a richer sense of history.
300 Days of Sun doesn't break any new ground, but it's a lovely, gentle, feelgood read complete with gorgeous locations, an interesting mystery and a pinch of romance. It's the perfect book for anyone craving a little bit of relaxing escapism.
I received an advance review copy of 300 Days of Sun from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Something I have found about holidaying alone is that I tend to develop more intimate relationships to the places I visit. When I've stayed somewhere on my own, I often feel as though I've lived there for a short period - even if the duration of my holiday was just a few days - and find I can recall features of the area, such as the layout of streets, in far more more detail than seems usual. I'm mentioning this because the main setting of 300 Days of Sun is Faro, Portugal, which I visited on a solo trip last year, and there's no doubt that this added to my enjoyment of Deborah Lawrenson's latest novel. Specific places I visited - such as Ilha Deserta and the Chapel of Bones - are key to the story. There's always something a little bit thrilling about that, and though Lawrenson's description is sharp and vivid, being able to picture these places from memory definitely added to the effect.
There are two stories here, told in alternating parts. In 2014, Jo, a journalist who has fled to Faro to escape a persistent ex-boyfriend, meets Nathan at a Portuguese language class. He tells her he's there to seek the truth about his real parents, and suspects there may be links between his past and two resorts close to Faro, where a number of child abductions have taken place. Jo finds a contact with possible connections to the resorts; he gives her a book which, he says, contains information that will help her get answers. The book is a 1954 novel named The Alliance, with its roots in the real life story of its American author, Esta Hartford. Extracts from Esta's novel, set during the Second World War in Lisbon and Faro, make up the second plot strand.
I have a real weakness for the type of story in which a character investigates a mystery at a fairly slow place, by following a trail of clues - exploring locations related to the crime, looking up old newspaper articles at the local library, and arranging meetings with people who might know something, who then pass them on to other people who might know something . It's all well-trodden ground, but I absolutely love it, and Jo and Nathan's story is a perfect example. Their sections were my favourites, and I could quite happily have read a whole book about these two characters. I even loved the quiet scenes of Jo's everyday life: attending classes, pottering around her rented flat, going out for a walk and a coffee - they're so real and ordinary, and really brought Jo to life for me.
By contrast, the Esta sections take quite a while to really get going. Jo's bits are in first person and Esta's in third, which perhaps makes Esta - or rather, her avatar, Alva - harder to get close to. The content also initially seems somewhat drier, as Alva and her husband Michael (another journalist) struggle to adjust to wartime life when they find themselves stranded in Portugal. But as more is revealed, the Esta/Alva narrative becomes just as fascinating as the modern-day story; perhaps even more so, as it spans years and involves a richer sense of history.
300 Days of Sun doesn't break any new ground, but it's a lovely, gentle, feelgood read complete with gorgeous locations, an interesting mystery and a pinch of romance. It's the perfect book for anyone craving a little bit of relaxing escapism.
I received an advance review copy of 300 Days of Sun from the publisher through Edelweiss.
March 26, 2019
Quando peguei no 300 dias de sol, pensei que ia ler um romance parvo na praia e acabei envolvida num policial onde há mistério, crimes, uma pitada de romance e é um livro passado em Portugal, mais precisamente em Faro. Entretanto fui pesquisar pela autora e percebi que é bastante conhecida lá fora e totalmente anónima no nosso país, o que é irónico porque a sua investigação sobre Faro, Lisboa, Cascais, Estoril e partes da nossa história é absolutamente fabulosa.
O enredo base do livro é o rapto de uma criança - remete logo imediatamente para o caso Maddie mas é apenas uma coincidência - e, a partir daí, entramos no universo das duas personagens principais e das investigações que dão corpo a este mistério intrigante. E quando pensamos que o livro se vai ficar por um policial cheio de espionagem e duas personagens principais apaixonadas no meio de um crime, Deborah faz uma coisa extremamente interessante: cria um novo livro dentro do livro ao colocar-nos a ler o que a personagem está a ler. E deixamos de nos focar no desvendar do mistério do rapto, para entrarmos num livro (ficcional) sobre a II Guerra Mundial em Lisboa, a espionagem, os crimes de guerra, o jornalismo falso e o romance entre uma americana e um nazi, num labirinto de relações entre personagens que nos deixa sem fôlego e em ânsias para resolver o crime. Ao longo do livro vamos saltando entre estes dois períodos temporais que aparentemente podem não estar relacionados mas, afinal, são uma parte-chave de todo o mistério, o que torna esta leitura uma festa.
Uma das coisas que mais me fascinou é que a personagem principal, Joanna Millard, é uma jornalista acabada de ser despedida e que viaja para Faro para fugir de todos os problemas da sua vida. E quando viajamos sozinhos, tendemos a absorver muito mais o ambiente que nos rodeia e a criar relações muito mais próximas com as cidades. E é exactamente o caso: o envolvimento da personagem com Faro é intenso ao ponto de darmos por nós a ler pormenores sobre o nosso país aos quais, provavelmente, nunca prestámos atenção mas que a autora de alguma forma os achou relevantes para os colocar no seu livro. E faz um trabalho fantástico ao conseguir enviar-nos mentalmente para todos os cenários com descrições absolutamente fenomenais, sobretudo das nossas tradições, que estão irrepreensíveis. Parece que a autora viveu cá, mas não. Apenas passou duas semanas em Faro com a filha, apaixonou-se pela nossa cultura e conseguiu transmitir a nossa história de uma forma comovente.
Porque é que o livro se chama 300 dias de sol? Porque, numa das partes, é referido que é impossível ser-se infeliz num país que tem 300 dias de sol ao ano - o nosso. O que me deixa a pensar que isto é capaz de ser verdade e que só nós, que cá vivemos, é que não lhe damos o devido valor.
O enredo base do livro é o rapto de uma criança - remete logo imediatamente para o caso Maddie mas é apenas uma coincidência - e, a partir daí, entramos no universo das duas personagens principais e das investigações que dão corpo a este mistério intrigante. E quando pensamos que o livro se vai ficar por um policial cheio de espionagem e duas personagens principais apaixonadas no meio de um crime, Deborah faz uma coisa extremamente interessante: cria um novo livro dentro do livro ao colocar-nos a ler o que a personagem está a ler. E deixamos de nos focar no desvendar do mistério do rapto, para entrarmos num livro (ficcional) sobre a II Guerra Mundial em Lisboa, a espionagem, os crimes de guerra, o jornalismo falso e o romance entre uma americana e um nazi, num labirinto de relações entre personagens que nos deixa sem fôlego e em ânsias para resolver o crime. Ao longo do livro vamos saltando entre estes dois períodos temporais que aparentemente podem não estar relacionados mas, afinal, são uma parte-chave de todo o mistério, o que torna esta leitura uma festa.
Uma das coisas que mais me fascinou é que a personagem principal, Joanna Millard, é uma jornalista acabada de ser despedida e que viaja para Faro para fugir de todos os problemas da sua vida. E quando viajamos sozinhos, tendemos a absorver muito mais o ambiente que nos rodeia e a criar relações muito mais próximas com as cidades. E é exactamente o caso: o envolvimento da personagem com Faro é intenso ao ponto de darmos por nós a ler pormenores sobre o nosso país aos quais, provavelmente, nunca prestámos atenção mas que a autora de alguma forma os achou relevantes para os colocar no seu livro. E faz um trabalho fantástico ao conseguir enviar-nos mentalmente para todos os cenários com descrições absolutamente fenomenais, sobretudo das nossas tradições, que estão irrepreensíveis. Parece que a autora viveu cá, mas não. Apenas passou duas semanas em Faro com a filha, apaixonou-se pela nossa cultura e conseguiu transmitir a nossa história de uma forma comovente.
Porque é que o livro se chama 300 dias de sol? Porque, numa das partes, é referido que é impossível ser-se infeliz num país que tem 300 dias de sol ao ano - o nosso. O que me deixa a pensar que isto é capaz de ser verdade e que só nós, que cá vivemos, é que não lhe damos o devido valor.
March 10, 2019
Journalist Joanna Millard goes to Faro, Portugal to escape a relationship and a career that are both going nowhere. She meets Nathan Emberlin in a language class and is charmed by the younger man and his easy manner. But Nathan confides that he is really interested in a decades old child kidnapping, and Joanna gets caught up in helping him. Soon they are in danger of coming afoul of the criminal element and powerful political influences.
This started out slowly but picked up steam as small revelations led to bigger discoveries. A significant clue is a 1954 novel written by Esta Hartford, that purportedly described true events during World War II, though the names of the main characters were changed. Lawrenson interrupts Joanna and Nathan’s story arc to give the reader Hartford’s novel. I found this technique of parallel story lines interesting but sometimes jarring. Still, this technique kept this reader in some suspense and turning pages, as slowly pieces fell into place. I virtually flew through the last 100 pages.
Others have commented on Lawrenson’s ability to bring the landscape and culture of Portugal alive, and I have to agree with those reviewers. I’ve been to Portugal and found Lawrenson’s descriptions vivid and true to my own memories
This started out slowly but picked up steam as small revelations led to bigger discoveries. A significant clue is a 1954 novel written by Esta Hartford, that purportedly described true events during World War II, though the names of the main characters were changed. Lawrenson interrupts Joanna and Nathan’s story arc to give the reader Hartford’s novel. I found this technique of parallel story lines interesting but sometimes jarring. Still, this technique kept this reader in some suspense and turning pages, as slowly pieces fell into place. I virtually flew through the last 100 pages.
Others have commented on Lawrenson’s ability to bring the landscape and culture of Portugal alive, and I have to agree with those reviewers. I’ve been to Portugal and found Lawrenson’s descriptions vivid and true to my own memories
June 21, 2016
"Nothing is what it should be." " We cannot go back to what we once were". Both quotes are very appropriate for the theme of this novel. 300 Days of Sun is a well written novel by Deborah Lawrenson. It is an intriguing story within a story which takes place in Portugal decades apart ( present day and WWII). There are numerous elements to this novel; romance, complex relationships, historical events, espionage, mystery, to name a few. I personally enjoyed the detailed descriptions of historical sights in Lisbon.
June 10, 2016
This was a struggle for me to get through. First: I really dislike the book within a book format, especially when it goes on for chapters. It's particularly grating when you have no interest in the "inner book" and just want to get back to the main story.
Second: the main story. It was a slog, I didn't like any of the characters and felt their motivations were thin. Stuff just kind of happened and I didn't feel the gravity of things that should have been major. It lacked heart.
Third: the pacing was terrible.
Not for me. At all.
Second: the main story. It was a slog, I didn't like any of the characters and felt their motivations were thin. Stuff just kind of happened and I didn't feel the gravity of things that should have been major. It lacked heart.
Third: the pacing was terrible.
Not for me. At all.
October 6, 2015
With its lush settings, high-stakes suspense, and novel-within-a-novel, 300 DAYS OF SUN delivers a labyrinth of complex relationships the reader is both breathless to solve and eager to return to upon completion. I lost sleep reading this fabulous, haunting novel.
July 5, 2019
Pela capa parece um bom romance light de verão. Mas não é. Acaba por se tornar um thriller com contornos de romance histórico.
Divide-se em duas narrativas, uma no presente que se passa em 2014 e outra durante a segunda guerra mundial. No entanto, são histórias diferentes e acaba quase por ser uma história dentro da história. Gostei muito deste facto de existirem duas histórias diferentes ao longo do livro.
No entanto, não fiz grande clique com o livro ou com as personagens. Lê-se bem, é relativamente fácil, tem muita informação histórica, mas não me arrebatou.
Divide-se em duas narrativas, uma no presente que se passa em 2014 e outra durante a segunda guerra mundial. No entanto, são histórias diferentes e acaba quase por ser uma história dentro da história. Gostei muito deste facto de existirem duas histórias diferentes ao longo do livro.
No entanto, não fiz grande clique com o livro ou com as personagens. Lê-se bem, é relativamente fácil, tem muita informação histórica, mas não me arrebatou.
September 9, 2016
This story was told in two separate time periods and initially I longed to return to the current day, to spend time with Nathan & Jo in their search for the truth about his heritage. And if I'm honest I was hoping for a romantic liaison to develop between them. As the book progressed and we spent more time with Alva during the pre and post WW11 years, I became more invested in that story. The writing was on the wall for Alva's marriage and I became caught up in the emeging relationship between Alva and Klaus.
I enjoyed both the setting and the mystery that was woven into each of the separate stories. I'd read some 70% of the book before the two began to converge, but despite this I loved the feeling of unpredictability about where the story might (and eventually did) take me.
This was my first title by Deborah Lawrence any was excited to see she has written a number of other successful novels which I'll endeavour to get my hands upon.
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this free electronic copy.
I enjoyed both the setting and the mystery that was woven into each of the separate stories. I'd read some 70% of the book before the two began to converge, but despite this I loved the feeling of unpredictability about where the story might (and eventually did) take me.
This was my first title by Deborah Lawrence any was excited to see she has written a number of other successful novels which I'll endeavour to get my hands upon.
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this free electronic copy.
June 20, 2019
Dois períodos, uma história incrível.
Penso que não há melhor forma de descrever este livro de Deborah Lawrenson com Portugal como cenário.
Li sem pesquisar do que se tratava e até sem ler a sua contra-capa, foi uma sugestão que vi no @hmbookgang e arrisquei. Decisão acertada!
Joanna viaja até Faro para fugir dos dramas da sua vida e Nathan é um jovem que procura resolução para um mistério. Um livro une-os numa história que entre idas e vindas promete ser a maior das suas vidas.
Conseguimos sentir a tensão a cada página e este romance/thriller salta entre ambos os géneros de uma forma frenética.
É uma história de guerra, com acções passadas na Segunda Guerra Mundial e ao mesmo tempo um romance moderno que de confuso nada tem, ambas as épocas conseguem obter um resultado perfeito.
Um livro dentro do livro com uma escrita inteligente e descrições do nosso país que são rigorosas mas ao mesmo tempo puras.
Penso que não há melhor forma de descrever este livro de Deborah Lawrenson com Portugal como cenário.
Li sem pesquisar do que se tratava e até sem ler a sua contra-capa, foi uma sugestão que vi no @hmbookgang e arrisquei. Decisão acertada!
Joanna viaja até Faro para fugir dos dramas da sua vida e Nathan é um jovem que procura resolução para um mistério. Um livro une-os numa história que entre idas e vindas promete ser a maior das suas vidas.
Conseguimos sentir a tensão a cada página e este romance/thriller salta entre ambos os géneros de uma forma frenética.
É uma história de guerra, com acções passadas na Segunda Guerra Mundial e ao mesmo tempo um romance moderno que de confuso nada tem, ambas as épocas conseguem obter um resultado perfeito.
Um livro dentro do livro com uma escrita inteligente e descrições do nosso país que são rigorosas mas ao mesmo tempo puras.
July 12, 2016
I truly can't overstate how bad this book really is. The writing is terrible and seems to be mostly comprised of filler. It's as if she wrote a short story and then stretched it out to a novel. It literally includes words that don't exist and words that are unnecessarily complex but infrequently enough that it is like Lawrenson picked a word at random and looked it up in a thesaurus. The plot is absurd and doesn't tie together well. She really seems to have tried to pick up every type of drama -- love, sex, kidnapping, violence, drugs, Nazis (that really hold a grudge -- for generations), murder, multiple aliases for nearly every character, poison, adultery... it is all way too much.
The only thing that got me through this horrific read was that I actually feel a moral obligation to stop others from reading it.
The only thing that got me through this horrific read was that I actually feel a moral obligation to stop others from reading it.
July 12, 2016
Loved the setting and mood created by descriptions of Portugal. Dual time period romance is always best when its done by great writer like Deborah Lawrenson. I loved escaping with this novel.
April 26, 2016
"Portugal is a high hill with a white watch tower on it flying signal flags. It is apparently inhabited by one man who lives in a long row of yellow houses with red roofs, and populated by sheep who do grand acts of balancing on the side of the hill."
----Richard H. Davis
Deborah Lawrenson, an English writer, pens a fascinating tale of romance, mystery and escapism, in her new book, 300 Days of Sun that unfolds the journey of two women- one in the present times and another in the World war II era, and set against a mystifying and eye-catchy backdrop of the country, Portugal, where they both discovers that the country is not only laced by the beauty of mother nature but is gripped by a seeding underworld where corruption, scandals and murders are the major highlights.
Synopsis:
Traveling to Faro, Portugal, journalist Joanna Millard hopes to escape an unsatisfying relationship and a stalled career. Faro is an enchanting town, and the seaside views are enhanced by the company of Nathan Emberlin, a charismatic younger man. But behind the crumbling facades of Moorish buildings, Joanna soon realizes, Faro has a seedy underbelly, its economy compromised by corruption and wartime spoils. And Nathan has an ulterior motive for seeking her company: he is determined to discover the truth involving a child’s kidnapping that may have taken place on this dramatic coastline over two decades ago.
Joanna’s subsequent search leads her to Ian Rylands, an English expat who cryptically insists she will find answers in The Alliance, a novel written by American Esta Hartford. The book recounts an American couple’s experience in Portugal during World War II, and their entanglements both personal and professional with their German enemies. Only Rylands insists the book isn’t fiction, and as Joanna reads deeper into The Alliance, she begins to suspect that Esta Hartford’s story and Nathan Emberlin’s may indeed converge in Faro—where the past not only casts a long shadow but still exerts a very present danger.
Joanna, a journalist has escaped to the scenic landscape of Faro situated on the southern tip of Algarve coast in Portugal, from her troubling past and bad relationships. She enrolled herself in a Portuguese language course and that is here she meets the enchanting and the Casanova, Nathan Emberlin, who asks Joanna for her help to investigate about some child disappearances that occurred two decades ago. Joanna agrees to help Nathan and on her path to this investigation, she meets a retired British ex-pat, Ian Rylands, who helps her by lending a novel, The Alliance written by a woman named, Esta Hartfordin in the year 1954.
While reading the novel, Joanna realizes that the story is not merely fictional instead its very real and is based on real-life characters, Alva and Mike Barton. It unfolds the story of a couple who spent their time in Lisbon during the second world war. And similarly, the author too have confronted the dark secrets of this beautiful country that still exist in Joanna's current timeline.
The author's writing style is fantastic and the author sets an atmospheric mood for the readers in the story line, thus making it an enthralling read. The narrative is engaging and will keep the readers glued till the very last page. The mystery set in this small Portuguese coastal town is quite layered and as each layer is revealed, the story gets more complicated, thus keeping its readers anticipating till the very end. The pacing is really fast as the story progresses swiftly towards its unpredictable climax.
The best part of the novel is its setting, which is situated across the picturesque backdrop of an old walled town, Faro, that harbors the marina, the evocative historical aspects and its culture. And it feels the author has simply not penned the details through her articulate words but has vividly arrested the whole city into the story line with its architecture, heritage and its sunny weather, and yes its a real treat for those readers who are looking to spend their next summer holidays in a traditional coastal town. And the story is a complete getaway for those who are looking for an escape into the laps of golden beaches.
The author has also captured the city of Lisbon during the World War II and how it was left unaffected by the wrath of the Nazis or the Allies. The story of Alva, who was an unhappy married woman and her journey to escape her sad life is quite compelling to read and the author has painted her story with lots of deep, heart-felt emotion as she too get tangled into the dark underbelly of Portugal.
The characters are highly interesting and drawn from realism. The demeanor of both the women are brave and excellent and their journeys are gripping to read about. The supporting cast are also very well-developed.
Overall, this masterpiece is a must read for mystery fans as well as for the contemporary fiction lovers. The intrigue is very evident in each and every page of this book, thus you must carry this book while travelling to your next holiday destination.
Verdict: Go ahead pick a copy of this book now.
Courtesy : Thanks to the author, Deborah Lawrenson, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
----Richard H. Davis
Deborah Lawrenson, an English writer, pens a fascinating tale of romance, mystery and escapism, in her new book, 300 Days of Sun that unfolds the journey of two women- one in the present times and another in the World war II era, and set against a mystifying and eye-catchy backdrop of the country, Portugal, where they both discovers that the country is not only laced by the beauty of mother nature but is gripped by a seeding underworld where corruption, scandals and murders are the major highlights.
Synopsis:
Traveling to Faro, Portugal, journalist Joanna Millard hopes to escape an unsatisfying relationship and a stalled career. Faro is an enchanting town, and the seaside views are enhanced by the company of Nathan Emberlin, a charismatic younger man. But behind the crumbling facades of Moorish buildings, Joanna soon realizes, Faro has a seedy underbelly, its economy compromised by corruption and wartime spoils. And Nathan has an ulterior motive for seeking her company: he is determined to discover the truth involving a child’s kidnapping that may have taken place on this dramatic coastline over two decades ago.
Joanna’s subsequent search leads her to Ian Rylands, an English expat who cryptically insists she will find answers in The Alliance, a novel written by American Esta Hartford. The book recounts an American couple’s experience in Portugal during World War II, and their entanglements both personal and professional with their German enemies. Only Rylands insists the book isn’t fiction, and as Joanna reads deeper into The Alliance, she begins to suspect that Esta Hartford’s story and Nathan Emberlin’s may indeed converge in Faro—where the past not only casts a long shadow but still exerts a very present danger.
Joanna, a journalist has escaped to the scenic landscape of Faro situated on the southern tip of Algarve coast in Portugal, from her troubling past and bad relationships. She enrolled herself in a Portuguese language course and that is here she meets the enchanting and the Casanova, Nathan Emberlin, who asks Joanna for her help to investigate about some child disappearances that occurred two decades ago. Joanna agrees to help Nathan and on her path to this investigation, she meets a retired British ex-pat, Ian Rylands, who helps her by lending a novel, The Alliance written by a woman named, Esta Hartfordin in the year 1954.
While reading the novel, Joanna realizes that the story is not merely fictional instead its very real and is based on real-life characters, Alva and Mike Barton. It unfolds the story of a couple who spent their time in Lisbon during the second world war. And similarly, the author too have confronted the dark secrets of this beautiful country that still exist in Joanna's current timeline.
The author's writing style is fantastic and the author sets an atmospheric mood for the readers in the story line, thus making it an enthralling read. The narrative is engaging and will keep the readers glued till the very last page. The mystery set in this small Portuguese coastal town is quite layered and as each layer is revealed, the story gets more complicated, thus keeping its readers anticipating till the very end. The pacing is really fast as the story progresses swiftly towards its unpredictable climax.
The best part of the novel is its setting, which is situated across the picturesque backdrop of an old walled town, Faro, that harbors the marina, the evocative historical aspects and its culture. And it feels the author has simply not penned the details through her articulate words but has vividly arrested the whole city into the story line with its architecture, heritage and its sunny weather, and yes its a real treat for those readers who are looking to spend their next summer holidays in a traditional coastal town. And the story is a complete getaway for those who are looking for an escape into the laps of golden beaches.
The author has also captured the city of Lisbon during the World War II and how it was left unaffected by the wrath of the Nazis or the Allies. The story of Alva, who was an unhappy married woman and her journey to escape her sad life is quite compelling to read and the author has painted her story with lots of deep, heart-felt emotion as she too get tangled into the dark underbelly of Portugal.
The characters are highly interesting and drawn from realism. The demeanor of both the women are brave and excellent and their journeys are gripping to read about. The supporting cast are also very well-developed.
Overall, this masterpiece is a must read for mystery fans as well as for the contemporary fiction lovers. The intrigue is very evident in each and every page of this book, thus you must carry this book while travelling to your next holiday destination.
Verdict: Go ahead pick a copy of this book now.
Courtesy : Thanks to the author, Deborah Lawrenson, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
August 17, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
Very enjoyable read. I loved the current day and historical setting, the mystery and romance elements. The location also plays a huge part in the story and the author brings to life Portugal and especially the Algarve. It’s made me want to explore the few places in Portugal I have not visited before.
Excellent.
Very enjoyable read. I loved the current day and historical setting, the mystery and romance elements. The location also plays a huge part in the story and the author brings to life Portugal and especially the Algarve. It’s made me want to explore the few places in Portugal I have not visited before.
Excellent.
July 25, 2016
2 ½-stars
When I read, I like to go beyond my own geographical borders when choosing books. Though it's not actual travel, armchair transport can be really enjoyable. I was drawn to Lawrenson's novel because I have not read very many books set in Portugal. I was also quite drawn to the cover - it was an enticing design for a summer read. So, yes! I did judge this book by its cover.
Lawrenson's book is totally meta as she has written a novel within a novel. The NWaN begins with the German occupation of France in WWII, and ties into the contemporary story being told. Mostly this worked quite well and it was an interesting historical jaunt - though Portugal was neutral during WWII, dubious German and Allied operations were going on, and the country had many people take up residence as they fled the fighting going on in other parts of Europe. Some of these people were working as spies for both sides of the war efforts, or working to undermine their country's efforts.
Though I enjoyed the historical aspects, the book faltered for me on the contemporary branch of the story. I found Jo, the narrator, very thinly developed, though convenient to the plot. Nathan felt a bit like a caricature at times. I also found the dialogue weak. The mystery at the heart of this piece of the book was engaging enough, though was predictable. The ending was pretty weak.
But, overall, this was a quick read, and one that worked well as a 'vacation' read. It was meatier than I had anticipated, which was great. I just wish I had liked it more.
When I read, I like to go beyond my own geographical borders when choosing books. Though it's not actual travel, armchair transport can be really enjoyable. I was drawn to Lawrenson's novel because I have not read very many books set in Portugal. I was also quite drawn to the cover - it was an enticing design for a summer read. So, yes! I did judge this book by its cover.
Lawrenson's book is totally meta as she has written a novel within a novel. The NWaN begins with the German occupation of France in WWII, and ties into the contemporary story being told. Mostly this worked quite well and it was an interesting historical jaunt - though Portugal was neutral during WWII, dubious German and Allied operations were going on, and the country had many people take up residence as they fled the fighting going on in other parts of Europe. Some of these people were working as spies for both sides of the war efforts, or working to undermine their country's efforts.
Though I enjoyed the historical aspects, the book faltered for me on the contemporary branch of the story. I found Jo, the narrator, very thinly developed, though convenient to the plot. Nathan felt a bit like a caricature at times. I also found the dialogue weak. The mystery at the heart of this piece of the book was engaging enough, though was predictable. The ending was pretty weak.
But, overall, this was a quick read, and one that worked well as a 'vacation' read. It was meatier than I had anticipated, which was great. I just wish I had liked it more.
October 12, 2016
Spoilers below.
Really enjoyed this book right up to the last 2 pages. Why do authors feel they have to end books sad? Do they think it's more legit that way? Every book I read doesn't have to end happy but there should be some realistic reason that it doesn't. This book the sad ending was contrived. Like she decided at the last minute to make it sad when the whole book was leaning towards happy and I was left feeling " well f*ck me ."
Really enjoyed this book right up to the last 2 pages. Why do authors feel they have to end books sad? Do they think it's more legit that way? Every book I read doesn't have to end happy but there should be some realistic reason that it doesn't. This book the sad ending was contrived. Like she decided at the last minute to make it sad when the whole book was leaning towards happy and I was left feeling " well f*ck me ."
August 26, 2016
Too many characters (confusing), too many places (didn't know where I was half the time), too slow (seemed like a lot of filler to me). Once again i am in the minority (2 stars) according to the reviews. I hate it when I find myself skimming over pages which is what I found myself doing especially the second half.
October 23, 2016
Surpreendente bom! Mistério no rescaldo da 2a guerra mundial.
99% da acção é passada em Portugal, a maioria dos lugares são conhecidos só alguns são ficcionados. À medida que a leitura vai avançando vem-nos à memória uma sensação de dejá vu !
Gostei e recomendo!
99% da acção é passada em Portugal, a maioria dos lugares são conhecidos só alguns são ficcionados. À medida que a leitura vai avançando vem-nos à memória uma sensação de dejá vu !
Gostei e recomendo!
January 2, 2018
So if Faro, Portugal gets 300 days a year of sun, what happens to the other 65?
Crime syndicates, sleezy people, child abductions and Nazi gold is the obvious answer. For a good escape on a beach holiday, this will do the trick (unless your beach holiday is in the Algarve Coast, then watch out).
The story revolves around a young woman reporter Joanna Millard, whose job was cut due to cutbacks and needs some space from her Belgium boyfriend. She heads to Faro to take some Portuguese language lessons and gets involved with a young Nathan Emberlin. Nothing like a little romance in an exotic location to entice the reader. Add in a family secret, a dodgy British Expat, some shady land deals and some mysterious characters and the plot thickens.
To add intrigue, the plot within a plot revolves around a book written during the war years. Of course Portugal remained neutral but under Salazar, the ties to Germany were more favourable. The main characters are American. He is a journalist and she wants to be a photographer. Their paths cross with some Germans. Things happen. Is it a novel or are the facts more true than expected? And do those German ties in post war Portugal lead to the corruption in the shady land deals later on.
As you can tell, a lot packed into a novel. Twists and turns. A lot of shady people. Yes, 65 dark days a year can add up. Where do those resorts get their money? Crime is everywhere, I guess. And the past? Secrets are always uncovered and maybe things are not what they seem? So much to ponder?
Nah. It’s only a beach novel.
Crime syndicates, sleezy people, child abductions and Nazi gold is the obvious answer. For a good escape on a beach holiday, this will do the trick (unless your beach holiday is in the Algarve Coast, then watch out).
The story revolves around a young woman reporter Joanna Millard, whose job was cut due to cutbacks and needs some space from her Belgium boyfriend. She heads to Faro to take some Portuguese language lessons and gets involved with a young Nathan Emberlin. Nothing like a little romance in an exotic location to entice the reader. Add in a family secret, a dodgy British Expat, some shady land deals and some mysterious characters and the plot thickens.
To add intrigue, the plot within a plot revolves around a book written during the war years. Of course Portugal remained neutral but under Salazar, the ties to Germany were more favourable. The main characters are American. He is a journalist and she wants to be a photographer. Their paths cross with some Germans. Things happen. Is it a novel or are the facts more true than expected? And do those German ties in post war Portugal lead to the corruption in the shady land deals later on.
As you can tell, a lot packed into a novel. Twists and turns. A lot of shady people. Yes, 65 dark days a year can add up. Where do those resorts get their money? Crime is everywhere, I guess. And the past? Secrets are always uncovered and maybe things are not what they seem? So much to ponder?
Nah. It’s only a beach novel.
May 1, 2016
The sunny southern coast of Portugal is the setting for this mystery/suspense novel. Journalist Joanna Millard, at a loose end after losing her job, escapes to Faro hoping to put distance between her and a failed relationship. Despite the glittering allure of sun and sea, shadows of apprehension darken any holiday mood. At her language class, Joanna meets Nathan, a charming younger man who wants to make use of her investigative skills on a decades old child abduction case. Intrigued by the hints of a story in his background, Joanna reluctantly is drawn in by his appeals and sets out feelers of her own. A mysterious older retiree responds to one of her requests for information and points her toward a book written by an American woman in Portugal during World War II. The World War II story alternates with the 2014 timeline, creating a book within a book, and reveals the events that led to an act of retribution whose effects were felt in the present day.
Lawrenson's style is a gentle building of foreboding tension rather than a heart-pounding thriller. The women protagonists of both stories are smart and intrepid, but torn by doubts as to whom to trust as they go deeper into danger. Lawrenson excels at evoking atmosphere, contrasting the sunny setting whose glare masks the dark taint of years of political corruption, ugly revenge, and contemporary crimes. I was reminded of some of my favorite Mary Stewart suspense novels set in similar sunny European climes. A recommended read.
Lawrenson's style is a gentle building of foreboding tension rather than a heart-pounding thriller. The women protagonists of both stories are smart and intrepid, but torn by doubts as to whom to trust as they go deeper into danger. Lawrenson excels at evoking atmosphere, contrasting the sunny setting whose glare masks the dark taint of years of political corruption, ugly revenge, and contemporary crimes. I was reminded of some of my favorite Mary Stewart suspense novels set in similar sunny European climes. A recommended read.
April 27, 2016
300 Days of Sun is actually like two books in one. You get the present story of Joanna who is staying in Faro as a language student. She is recruited by Nathan to use her reporter skills to look for the truth behind his adoption. Interspersed throughout the story are long excerpts from a book, The Alliance which is a fictionalized account of Esta's time in the Portugal during WWII.
I was initially sucked into the Joanna's story and was eager to follow the mystery to the end. However, I didn't end up loving this book as much as I wanted to but I did find it somewhat enjoyable. I found that it dragged in places and the insertion of Esta's book excerpts disrupted the flow of Joanna's story for me. It was hard to figure out what relevance the excerpts had to the mystery until close to the end of the book and that was frustrating. It just took too long to get to the point. Had there been more clues earlier on, I think I might have enjoyed it more. The resolution was one that makes you wonder what is real and what is a lie and I was a bit dis-satisfied with the ending.
When I picked up this book, I had no idea what the title was referring to, but it refers to Portugal having "300 days of sun" a year. The one thing that I did like about the book was the writing. The author's descriptions of the countryside in the book made me feel as if I were there. I would love to add the area to my travel bucket list.
I was initially sucked into the Joanna's story and was eager to follow the mystery to the end. However, I didn't end up loving this book as much as I wanted to but I did find it somewhat enjoyable. I found that it dragged in places and the insertion of Esta's book excerpts disrupted the flow of Joanna's story for me. It was hard to figure out what relevance the excerpts had to the mystery until close to the end of the book and that was frustrating. It just took too long to get to the point. Had there been more clues earlier on, I think I might have enjoyed it more. The resolution was one that makes you wonder what is real and what is a lie and I was a bit dis-satisfied with the ending.
When I picked up this book, I had no idea what the title was referring to, but it refers to Portugal having "300 days of sun" a year. The one thing that I did like about the book was the writing. The author's descriptions of the countryside in the book made me feel as if I were there. I would love to add the area to my travel bucket list.
June 22, 2017
Joanna Millard meets Nathan Emberlin in a Portuguese language class in Faro, Portugal, after breaking up with her boyfriend and losing her job as a journalist. Nathan approaches her to help him investigate an old family friend with connections to shady dealings involving holiday resorts and even some missing children. Jo and Nathan's present-day story is interspersed with excerpts from The Alliance, a novel that tells the story of journalist Michael Barton and his wife Alva, who flee from Paris to Portugal just after the World War II begins. The book is, in fact, an autobiographical account by Esta Hartford of events that have a direct bearing on Nathan's investigation.
Set on the Algarve coast of southern Portugal, a land which experiences three hundred days of sun, this is a story of romance, mystery, suspense, and international intrigue. Fictional elements are expertly blended with real-life details, such as the storm of 1941, the presence of expats during the war, the Portuguese government's dealings with the Nazis, and the disappearance of young children from holiday resorts. The author has a real talent for describing the oppressive atmosphere of the place, both in the past and the present. You will be kept in suspense, trying to work out how the two stories are connected.
An intriguing blend of contemporary and historical genres.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (22 June): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.co...
Set on the Algarve coast of southern Portugal, a land which experiences three hundred days of sun, this is a story of romance, mystery, suspense, and international intrigue. Fictional elements are expertly blended with real-life details, such as the storm of 1941, the presence of expats during the war, the Portuguese government's dealings with the Nazis, and the disappearance of young children from holiday resorts. The author has a real talent for describing the oppressive atmosphere of the place, both in the past and the present. You will be kept in suspense, trying to work out how the two stories are connected.
An intriguing blend of contemporary and historical genres.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (22 June): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.co...
November 24, 2015
When you pick up a novel by Deborah Lawrenson you can be sure of one thing, that you are going to be transported to a fascinating place that will come alive as you turn the pages. In 300 Days of Sun, that location is Portugal, and you not only feel that you are there during the read, you will be checking travel sites to see how you can get there in real life.
Journalist Joanna Millard washes up in Faro, on the southern Algarve coast, to take a Portuguese language course. It’s high summer yet the town seems downbeat, a long way from the luxury resort hotels out along the shore. At the language school, she meets charismatic Nathan, a younger guy who just wants to have a good time. Only, as she gets to know him better, she discovers this good-time persona is about as far from the truth as could be.
When he asks Joanna for her help in researching dubious dealings and criminal activities in the region, including instances of child disappearances, she only reluctantly agrees. Using her journalist’s know-how, she makes contact with a retired British ex-pat, Ian Rylands, who suggests that she might find answers in a novel written and quickly forgotten in 1954, The Alliance by Esta Hartford. He gives her a copy, but she only starts to read it after Nathan makes a startling admission.
At first, it seems like the two stories can’t possibly be connected. Esta Hartford was an American woman who spent the years of the second world war in Lisbon with her foreign correspondent husband, but Rylands insists her novel The Alliance is a true story based on her experiences. But the more Joanna pulls the threads together, the more credible a link seems to be – and the implications are frightening.
Esta’s autobiographical story of Alva and Mike Barton is a novel-within-a-novel, and I have to say I started the first extract of The Alliance with a sinking heart. I’d got involved with Jo and Nathan, and I didn’t want to be pulled out of that. But bear with it. You soon get equally caught up in what happens to the Bartons as they escape France as Hitler’s army invades, and end up in Lisbon, from where there seems so escape. Lawrenson gives a brilliant picture of Lisbon, the espionage capital where no-one is quite what they seem. In neutral Portugal, the Nazis and the Allies walk the same streets, eat at the same restaurants and gamble against each other at the casino.
Alva wants to leave, expects that they will soon be leaving, but her husband has other ideas. He seems more interested in his job than in her happiness, and the marriage starts to come apart. It’s a familiar story, but here, set against the sea mists and intrigues of a dangerous city, it’s really unsettling. Alva is a strong woman, who becomes braver and braver as the book goes on, and I really enjoyed her part of the story and really wanted to find out how everything connected. Actually, there are only three Alliance sections and the last one is short.
The historical aspects of this book are extremely well done. I learned quite a bit about Portugal and what went on there during the war but it was all completely relevant to the story. I thought this book was a great read, a clever combination of a thriller-type story, fast-paced in places, with psychological overtones and beautiful writing. Lawrenson’s writing is so intelligent and smooth with fabulous lyrical insights that sometimes I had to stop and just read what I’d just read again. When she writes of terrible things, the knife goes in so smoothly that it gives you a shiver that it could be that easy.
Journalist Joanna Millard washes up in Faro, on the southern Algarve coast, to take a Portuguese language course. It’s high summer yet the town seems downbeat, a long way from the luxury resort hotels out along the shore. At the language school, she meets charismatic Nathan, a younger guy who just wants to have a good time. Only, as she gets to know him better, she discovers this good-time persona is about as far from the truth as could be.
When he asks Joanna for her help in researching dubious dealings and criminal activities in the region, including instances of child disappearances, she only reluctantly agrees. Using her journalist’s know-how, she makes contact with a retired British ex-pat, Ian Rylands, who suggests that she might find answers in a novel written and quickly forgotten in 1954, The Alliance by Esta Hartford. He gives her a copy, but she only starts to read it after Nathan makes a startling admission.
At first, it seems like the two stories can’t possibly be connected. Esta Hartford was an American woman who spent the years of the second world war in Lisbon with her foreign correspondent husband, but Rylands insists her novel The Alliance is a true story based on her experiences. But the more Joanna pulls the threads together, the more credible a link seems to be – and the implications are frightening.
Esta’s autobiographical story of Alva and Mike Barton is a novel-within-a-novel, and I have to say I started the first extract of The Alliance with a sinking heart. I’d got involved with Jo and Nathan, and I didn’t want to be pulled out of that. But bear with it. You soon get equally caught up in what happens to the Bartons as they escape France as Hitler’s army invades, and end up in Lisbon, from where there seems so escape. Lawrenson gives a brilliant picture of Lisbon, the espionage capital where no-one is quite what they seem. In neutral Portugal, the Nazis and the Allies walk the same streets, eat at the same restaurants and gamble against each other at the casino.
Alva wants to leave, expects that they will soon be leaving, but her husband has other ideas. He seems more interested in his job than in her happiness, and the marriage starts to come apart. It’s a familiar story, but here, set against the sea mists and intrigues of a dangerous city, it’s really unsettling. Alva is a strong woman, who becomes braver and braver as the book goes on, and I really enjoyed her part of the story and really wanted to find out how everything connected. Actually, there are only three Alliance sections and the last one is short.
The historical aspects of this book are extremely well done. I learned quite a bit about Portugal and what went on there during the war but it was all completely relevant to the story. I thought this book was a great read, a clever combination of a thriller-type story, fast-paced in places, with psychological overtones and beautiful writing. Lawrenson’s writing is so intelligent and smooth with fabulous lyrical insights that sometimes I had to stop and just read what I’d just read again. When she writes of terrible things, the knife goes in so smoothly that it gives you a shiver that it could be that easy.
April 29, 2016
I am going up to 5 stars for this one! Highly unusual for me ;-) but I feel it's closer to a 5 than a 4 and my favorite of Lawrenson's books so far.
There are things that I expect from a Deborah Lawrenson book after discovering her through TLC Book Tours of her first two books, The Lantern (set in Provence) and The Sea Garden, (set on a Mediterranean Island off the French Coast). When describing her writing, I always fall back on the word "lush." There are the beautiful and lush locations she writes about and the lush way she describes them that makes a reader feel as though there is a touch of sun on their face and they are smelling the sea air, hearing the cries of the birds, seeing the local flowers and foliage, and tasting the delicious food. There is also that Gothic literature feeling that her writing evokes--knowing that beneath all that beauty, especially in the crumbling corners of old buildings and ruins, there lurk secrets, mystery and menace. 300 Days of Sun does not disappoint, in fact I found it to be more of a pulse pounder than the first two books and it had me turning the pages with a sense of anticipation and dread to learn the secrets of tiny seaside Faro, Portugal--both in World War II and those carried on to present day and find out just how it was all woven together.
The story goes back and forth from present day Faro, where recently-unemployed journalist Joanna is staying while completing a Portuguese language course and meets Nathan, a younger man with a mystery that he seeks her help in solving. As she begins to investigate, a British expat she meets suggests that she read a novel written by an American woman about her experiences in Faro and nearby Lisbon during World War II. At first Joanna doesn't see a connection between the book and Nathan's mystery, but the probing that she and Nathan do into the past seems to be digging up trouble, danger and even murder. The back and forth and the story within a story work well here as it kept me guessing and wondering throughout the book. I am a fan of wartime fiction, particularly World War II, and as in The Sea Garden, Lawrenson has taken a country where I didn't know much about the effects of the war on the citizens and expats that lived there and given an interesting perspective with her detailed research of the political issues, spying, and intrigue that occurred. But, even if you are not typically a fan of historical fiction don't shy away from 300 Days of Sun as it is a excellent mix of mystery and romance, modern day and history, and she tosses in some travel writing to wrap it all in a setting that will make you carry it outside to your lanai, just to feel the sun on your face and to warm any goosebumps that might pop up as the tension builds.
You can see my review and a couple of delicious recipes inspired by the book on my Kahakai Kitchen blog post here: http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...
Note: A review copy of "300 Days of Sun" was provided to me by the publisher and TLC Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.
There are things that I expect from a Deborah Lawrenson book after discovering her through TLC Book Tours of her first two books, The Lantern (set in Provence) and The Sea Garden, (set on a Mediterranean Island off the French Coast). When describing her writing, I always fall back on the word "lush." There are the beautiful and lush locations she writes about and the lush way she describes them that makes a reader feel as though there is a touch of sun on their face and they are smelling the sea air, hearing the cries of the birds, seeing the local flowers and foliage, and tasting the delicious food. There is also that Gothic literature feeling that her writing evokes--knowing that beneath all that beauty, especially in the crumbling corners of old buildings and ruins, there lurk secrets, mystery and menace. 300 Days of Sun does not disappoint, in fact I found it to be more of a pulse pounder than the first two books and it had me turning the pages with a sense of anticipation and dread to learn the secrets of tiny seaside Faro, Portugal--both in World War II and those carried on to present day and find out just how it was all woven together.
The story goes back and forth from present day Faro, where recently-unemployed journalist Joanna is staying while completing a Portuguese language course and meets Nathan, a younger man with a mystery that he seeks her help in solving. As she begins to investigate, a British expat she meets suggests that she read a novel written by an American woman about her experiences in Faro and nearby Lisbon during World War II. At first Joanna doesn't see a connection between the book and Nathan's mystery, but the probing that she and Nathan do into the past seems to be digging up trouble, danger and even murder. The back and forth and the story within a story work well here as it kept me guessing and wondering throughout the book. I am a fan of wartime fiction, particularly World War II, and as in The Sea Garden, Lawrenson has taken a country where I didn't know much about the effects of the war on the citizens and expats that lived there and given an interesting perspective with her detailed research of the political issues, spying, and intrigue that occurred. But, even if you are not typically a fan of historical fiction don't shy away from 300 Days of Sun as it is a excellent mix of mystery and romance, modern day and history, and she tosses in some travel writing to wrap it all in a setting that will make you carry it outside to your lanai, just to feel the sun on your face and to warm any goosebumps that might pop up as the tension builds.
You can see my review and a couple of delicious recipes inspired by the book on my Kahakai Kitchen blog post here: http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...
Note: A review copy of "300 Days of Sun" was provided to me by the publisher and TLC Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 25, 2016
I think I need to read more from this author because she does such a fantastic job of mentally sending you to the setting, I can't think of anyone who does it better. I signed up for this book tour only for the cover and the comparison to Orphan Train, which is one of my favorite books so I felt compelled to read. Does it live up to that comparison? Meh, not really. Sure, 300 Days of Sun has a great story that we flip back to but it doesn't grab me like Orphan Train, but that doesn't mean it's not good on its own merit. Basically, we have two separate story lines that are put together so you leave feeling like you've really finished two different stories.
We have Joanna, who has come to Portugal to escape her life that she feels is suffocating her. She decides to take a class on how to speak Portuguese, which is how she meets Nathan, and expatriate. Nathan soon asks for Joanna's help in solving an old kidnapping case, which leads them to a book, and that essentially breaks this book wide open. It's a mystery that sucks you in and keeps you reading to figure out what has happened in the past and how it is motivating things in the current. My number one complaint is going to be in parts, it was too slow for my liking. I'm saying this as a person who gets very little dedicated reading time so I'm reading in short chunks of time and sometimes I'd finish my chunk and felt like nothing happened. I would 100% feel differently if I could plop myself down, preferably in a lawn chair in the sunshine, and just read. Maybe split up over a weekend. The best part about the book for me is the mystery at the heart of it, and of course, the writing. Never in my life have I ever thought I'd ever want to go to Portugal, but Deborah Lawrenson has made me want to get a passport and go. It sounds absolutely stunning. This would be a really great addition to your vacation planning- take this book with you!
We have Joanna, who has come to Portugal to escape her life that she feels is suffocating her. She decides to take a class on how to speak Portuguese, which is how she meets Nathan, and expatriate. Nathan soon asks for Joanna's help in solving an old kidnapping case, which leads them to a book, and that essentially breaks this book wide open. It's a mystery that sucks you in and keeps you reading to figure out what has happened in the past and how it is motivating things in the current. My number one complaint is going to be in parts, it was too slow for my liking. I'm saying this as a person who gets very little dedicated reading time so I'm reading in short chunks of time and sometimes I'd finish my chunk and felt like nothing happened. I would 100% feel differently if I could plop myself down, preferably in a lawn chair in the sunshine, and just read. Maybe split up over a weekend. The best part about the book for me is the mystery at the heart of it, and of course, the writing. Never in my life have I ever thought I'd ever want to go to Portugal, but Deborah Lawrenson has made me want to get a passport and go. It sounds absolutely stunning. This would be a really great addition to your vacation planning- take this book with you!
December 2, 2015
I received an ARC copy of 300 Days of Sun from the publisher. It did not disappoint. Lawrenson is a master at setting a scene, and I quickly found myself absorbed in the stifling heat and beauty of the Portuguese coast, which perfectly fit this story of conspiracy, murder, love, and the search for truth. I especially loved the characters of Joanna and Alva, two distinctly different women living seven decades apart. One knows her mind – pretty much, and the other has to discover who she really is against a culture that does not foster female independence. Yet, each woman has the courage to stand against the secrets and danger that have reached across 70 years to threaten them both. 300 Days of Sun is a great combination of beautiful writing that is a pleasure to read, a tense plot, and characters that make you care. I will definitely recommend it to my friends.
February 1, 2017
I wish more fiction readers knew about Deborah Lawrenson, she really is a great novelist. Her books always have great detail of place and time, revealing the amount of research Lawrenson must do. I enjoyed this one for various reasons: a unique locale (Portugal), a believable &relatable narrator, WWII historical fiction backstory woven into contemporary tale, true crime suspense, and an interesting ending. Jo's story and Alva's story were both so compelling, I didn't want to put the book down!
June 8, 2017
Journalist Joanna Millard, having just lost her job and needing separation from her boyfriend Marc, travels from Brussels to Faro, Portugal. She spends her days taking language lessons and lazily exploring the history and natural beauty of this seaside town. She soon befriends fellow classmate Nathan Emberlin, who enlists Joanna to investigate a number of child kidnappings that have occurred in the area. As Joanna reaches out to the locals, she uncovers 'The Alliance', a novel written by Esta Hartford, which recounts an American couple's experiences in Portugal during WWII. Although written as fiction, Joanna begins to suspect that the story of 'The Alliance' and the mysterious kidnappings are somehow connected.
So, I have to admit that when I first started reading this back in 2016, I gave up on it after only 100 pages. At the time I just wasn't in the right frame of mind, and honestly found the writing to be slow and dry, and I just couldn't get interested in the premise of the story. Fast forward to present day, I decided to give 300 Days of Sun a second chance when I found it would fit one of the Goodreads Seasonal Challenge tasks.
I'm so happy to have restarted it again. While the writing is still slow, and I didn't really find it very thrilling, the descriptions of Faro, and the Algarve coast are so wonderfully vivid. I found myself engaged with the characters, almost imagining myself following in their footsteps, lazily enjoying the sun's heat or exploring the historical beauty of Portugal.
The use of the two timelines, with Joanna and Nathan in present day Faro and the Faro of WWII depicted in 'The Alliance', works really well and adds a certain historical depth to the mystery. Both stories eventually converge, providing a satisfying tying up of loose ends.
300 Days of Sun has almost all you could hope for; mystery, espionage, history and romance and is really the perfect read for the lazy days of summer ahead of us.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lawsome Books for providing a digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
So, I have to admit that when I first started reading this back in 2016, I gave up on it after only 100 pages. At the time I just wasn't in the right frame of mind, and honestly found the writing to be slow and dry, and I just couldn't get interested in the premise of the story. Fast forward to present day, I decided to give 300 Days of Sun a second chance when I found it would fit one of the Goodreads Seasonal Challenge tasks.
I'm so happy to have restarted it again. While the writing is still slow, and I didn't really find it very thrilling, the descriptions of Faro, and the Algarve coast are so wonderfully vivid. I found myself engaged with the characters, almost imagining myself following in their footsteps, lazily enjoying the sun's heat or exploring the historical beauty of Portugal.
The use of the two timelines, with Joanna and Nathan in present day Faro and the Faro of WWII depicted in 'The Alliance', works really well and adds a certain historical depth to the mystery. Both stories eventually converge, providing a satisfying tying up of loose ends.
300 Days of Sun has almost all you could hope for; mystery, espionage, history and romance and is really the perfect read for the lazy days of summer ahead of us.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lawsome Books for providing a digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
November 28, 2024
I don't know how I acquired 300 Days of Sun in my Kindle collection.
I suspect it may have been something of a late night impulse purchase influenced by a sale price and a pretty cover and title giving me the impression of a light and breezy read. The book's blurb would reveal otherwise after the fact, much to my chagrin. And would haunt the top of my to read list for years until I finally decided to exhume it.
That said, for a story revolving around kidnappings, fake identities, murder and organized crime, 300 Days of Sun wasn't a fast-paced adventure pulling its reader along. I'd go so far as calling the book pretty sleepy, much like the Portuguese city it chose as its setting. So perhaps, despite the plot's premise, it was more the breezy read than I gave it credit for.
And yet, I still took issue with the pacing. And the primary culprit is the book-within-a-book existing alongside the actual plot.
For me, it weighed down the story. While important to the plot's progression in places, it felt like it also created bloat, bogging down the narrative with far more explanatory exposition than necessary, especially early on, making the whole thing feel a lot more plodding than a slow burn.
The constant layer of doubt by primary protagonist Joanna Millard carried with her on just about everything also created a feeling of hesitancy I couldn't shake for myself while reading. Even in those moments she gave herself over to impulse, there remained a layer of distrust that coloured the story's tone.
This distrust ultimately culmulated into how the author chose to end her book, one that felt unusual to me. While grounded in reality and consistent with the characterization of her main protagonist, it wasn't satisfying in a conclusionary sense, something I take some personal issue with in fiction.
We have enough unfinished business to deal with in real life, so a medium of made-up entertainment adding to the burden without some kind of intellectual payoff is not often a welcome one.
Ultimately, I'm not much of a reader of thrillers. While at times they can be so engrossing it actually interferes with my life until I finish reading, I discovered I'm more likely to find them unenjoyable due to how uncomfortable the plot can make me. Doubly so if I find the characters unrelatable or unlikeable, or the premise outlandish or contrived.
Nothing about this book was objectionable to me, neither the characters nor plot. That said, nothing was particularly memorable or made me want to linger after.
300 Days of Sun didn't fall into the engrossing read category. But I didn't find it unenjoyable. Actually, I found it pretty mid. Which may be all someone wants or needs when reading anything. But for me, it seems I wanted and expected it to be so much smarter than it actually was, so there was some disappointment in how the story unfolded.
But, much like the book's primary narrator, that expectation may have been an unreasonable one of mine. And so, perhaps, I was the architect of my own disappointment, as opposed to the book and its creator.
I suspect it may have been something of a late night impulse purchase influenced by a sale price and a pretty cover and title giving me the impression of a light and breezy read. The book's blurb would reveal otherwise after the fact, much to my chagrin. And would haunt the top of my to read list for years until I finally decided to exhume it.
That said, for a story revolving around kidnappings, fake identities, murder and organized crime, 300 Days of Sun wasn't a fast-paced adventure pulling its reader along. I'd go so far as calling the book pretty sleepy, much like the Portuguese city it chose as its setting. So perhaps, despite the plot's premise, it was more the breezy read than I gave it credit for.
And yet, I still took issue with the pacing. And the primary culprit is the book-within-a-book existing alongside the actual plot.
For me, it weighed down the story. While important to the plot's progression in places, it felt like it also created bloat, bogging down the narrative with far more explanatory exposition than necessary, especially early on, making the whole thing feel a lot more plodding than a slow burn.
The constant layer of doubt by primary protagonist Joanna Millard carried with her on just about everything also created a feeling of hesitancy I couldn't shake for myself while reading. Even in those moments she gave herself over to impulse, there remained a layer of distrust that coloured the story's tone.
This distrust ultimately culmulated into how the author chose to end her book, one that felt unusual to me. While grounded in reality and consistent with the characterization of her main protagonist, it wasn't satisfying in a conclusionary sense, something I take some personal issue with in fiction.
We have enough unfinished business to deal with in real life, so a medium of made-up entertainment adding to the burden without some kind of intellectual payoff is not often a welcome one.
Ultimately, I'm not much of a reader of thrillers. While at times they can be so engrossing it actually interferes with my life until I finish reading, I discovered I'm more likely to find them unenjoyable due to how uncomfortable the plot can make me. Doubly so if I find the characters unrelatable or unlikeable, or the premise outlandish or contrived.
Nothing about this book was objectionable to me, neither the characters nor plot. That said, nothing was particularly memorable or made me want to linger after.
300 Days of Sun didn't fall into the engrossing read category. But I didn't find it unenjoyable. Actually, I found it pretty mid. Which may be all someone wants or needs when reading anything. But for me, it seems I wanted and expected it to be so much smarter than it actually was, so there was some disappointment in how the story unfolded.
But, much like the book's primary narrator, that expectation may have been an unreasonable one of mine. And so, perhaps, I was the architect of my own disappointment, as opposed to the book and its creator.
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