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Calling Home
Sarah Frost enjoys her dream job as director of the Frost Foundation making her home at one of their writers' retreats, The Lodge on the Lake. The general manager of The Lodge is Berry Fields, an old childhood friend. Galen Thomas arrives at the island to fill the post of handy person, taking an extended break from her vet's practice to help her decide how to shape her future life and career. When the next group of writers arrives for their two-week retreat, along with Sarah's grandmother, tensions start to surface. Magda Frost doesn't approve of the appointment of the "vet" and still questions Sarah's decision to hire Berry. The island idyll is soon undermined by the revelation of events from forty years earlier, threatening the lives and loves of Sarah, Berry, and Galen. Calling home and what they now call home—all are affected by the disturbing legacy from the past.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2018
About the author
Jen Silver
23 books24 followersJen lives near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire with her long-term partner whom she married in December 2014. She has always enjoyed reading an eclectic range of genres including sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction and lesbian fiction. As well as reading and writing, other activities include golf, archery, and taking part in archaeological digs. Jen's debut novel, Starting Over, was published by Affinity in October 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 10, 2018
Superb!
Older characters, writers retreat, legacy from the past, emotionally damaged, a shocking truth, a gripping mystery, a great romance and it's set in a beautiful area. A lot of twists and turns to keep you guessing. There is so much going on, it was very difficult to put down. A well crafted, utterly compelling story that you don't want to miss. I highly recommend it.
Older characters, writers retreat, legacy from the past, emotionally damaged, a shocking truth, a gripping mystery, a great romance and it's set in a beautiful area. A lot of twists and turns to keep you guessing. There is so much going on, it was very difficult to put down. A well crafted, utterly compelling story that you don't want to miss. I highly recommend it.
June 9, 2018
Interesting
Thus was an interesting book on how things can completely change in an instant. I liked the different relationships all the women had with each other.
Thus was an interesting book on how things can completely change in an instant. I liked the different relationships all the women had with each other.
June 18, 2018
Sarah Frost manages the Frost Foundation and several writers retreats around England. Her favourite, The Lodge on the Lake, is set on a small island somewhere in the north, and managed by her childhood friend Berry. The women share a dark background, escapees from a hippie commune gone wrong, and as always Sarah was the lucky one who avoided the worst excesses to became grand-daughter of the welcoming and wealthy Frosts, while Berry suffered cruelly and escaped into a hard life of survival while making her own way.
Joined on the retreat staff by a burned out vet, Galen, the friends are happy in their quiet and settled lives; Sarah with a new love interest in the local village and Berry with a decided interest in her new colleague. Neither woman could imagine the upset and upheaval about to be created by the arrival of the weeks residents or the uncovering of 3 long-buried bodies in Northumbria.
Jen Silver’s voice is decidedly English, bringing to life the countryside and people of her native North. More than just the setting and character though there is something delightfully colloquial and decidedly British about her tales, echoes of the quintessential voice of Britain of the 50’s like a Poirot movie or The Famous Five.
The romances are always gentle and sympathetically drawn, not that there aren’t hot scenes, but the emotion is deep and the unfolding realistic. The mysteries are intriguing, unusual and pulled from the past, influencing and affecting the women of today from the grave. The settings are subtly drawn but solidly present as a part of the story.
In “Calling Home” Silver has created another complex plot and enjoyable ensemble piece with eight women collected at the island retreat for a week; the old friends, the heartbroken drunk, the new lovers, the mysterious autobiography writer and the doting but grumpy Gran. The characters are well drawn and their interactions a perfect people watchers composition.
There is a huge twist in the tale, the past really does come out and bite them in the most unexpected way, overturning everything they thought they knew about their lives and themselves, and despite the gentle pace and subtle build Ms Silver keeps us on the edge of our seats.
Thoroughly enjoyable and well done.
Joined on the retreat staff by a burned out vet, Galen, the friends are happy in their quiet and settled lives; Sarah with a new love interest in the local village and Berry with a decided interest in her new colleague. Neither woman could imagine the upset and upheaval about to be created by the arrival of the weeks residents or the uncovering of 3 long-buried bodies in Northumbria.
Jen Silver’s voice is decidedly English, bringing to life the countryside and people of her native North. More than just the setting and character though there is something delightfully colloquial and decidedly British about her tales, echoes of the quintessential voice of Britain of the 50’s like a Poirot movie or The Famous Five.
The romances are always gentle and sympathetically drawn, not that there aren’t hot scenes, but the emotion is deep and the unfolding realistic. The mysteries are intriguing, unusual and pulled from the past, influencing and affecting the women of today from the grave. The settings are subtly drawn but solidly present as a part of the story.
In “Calling Home” Silver has created another complex plot and enjoyable ensemble piece with eight women collected at the island retreat for a week; the old friends, the heartbroken drunk, the new lovers, the mysterious autobiography writer and the doting but grumpy Gran. The characters are well drawn and their interactions a perfect people watchers composition.
There is a huge twist in the tale, the past really does come out and bite them in the most unexpected way, overturning everything they thought they knew about their lives and themselves, and despite the gentle pace and subtle build Ms Silver keeps us on the edge of our seats.
Thoroughly enjoyable and well done.
August 30, 2018
4.5 stars rounded to 5 Stars
I loved the idyllic setting of a Lodge by the Lake, a writers’ retreat. Sarah Frost is director of the Frost Foundation. Berry is the General Manager of The Lodge on the Lake. Then Galen Thomas arrives to join the “staff” as a Handy Person. What follows is a gripping story of what happened 40 years ago and its past and present impact on the women’s lives. I loved Berry and Galen, and enjoyed watching their characters grow and develop. A compelling page turner I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Expertly written by Jen Silver, this is the first book that I have read by this author but it won’t be the last. Thoroughly recommend this riveting book.
I loved the idyllic setting of a Lodge by the Lake, a writers’ retreat. Sarah Frost is director of the Frost Foundation. Berry is the General Manager of The Lodge on the Lake. Then Galen Thomas arrives to join the “staff” as a Handy Person. What follows is a gripping story of what happened 40 years ago and its past and present impact on the women’s lives. I loved Berry and Galen, and enjoyed watching their characters grow and develop. A compelling page turner I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Expertly written by Jen Silver, this is the first book that I have read by this author but it won’t be the last. Thoroughly recommend this riveting book.
June 29, 2018
Here's what I love about Jen Silver's books, she always seems to include multiple rich characters besides the two main ones and those added characters create a more interesting story. Berry was hands down my favorite character. I am a sucker for a character that is wounded and comes into her own by the end of the book. There is not a single book by Jen Silver I haven't enjoyed and this one satisfies my need for both romance and interesting characters. Jen Silver is a well deserving Goldie finalist because her writing is always top notch.
September 24, 2018
From the UK comes Jen Silver's lesbian romance CALLING HOME, about the staff and guests at a writer's retreat, set at The Lodge on the Lake. A richly-drawn cast of mostly women, some lesbian, some heterosexual, are the center of a two-week retreat during which two key characters fall in love and also learn about, and reveal, their mysterious pasts. So romance with a bit of mystery thrown in. I loved the characters and the story and was very satisfied with how it turned out. My only issue was that in some ways it seemed real and in some ways a fantasy because so much happened in two weeks time, with some completion saved to an Epilogue. I struggle as an older lesbian with instant romance and instant love. Aside from that one aspect, I really enjoyed this book and expect to read more by Jen Silver.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews