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Wyld Dreamers
"Holmes creates a quiet air of tension as she deftly describes the carelessness of youth and its consequences in her endearingly flawed characters." --Hilary Boyd, bestselling author of Thursdays in the Park
In the summer of 1972, a group of friends is invited to Somerset to help photographer Seymour Stratton renovate a dilapidated cottage on Wyld Farm. Over the next year, they come to regard the farm as a place to be for the rest of their lives, to enjoy the good life. But despite the commitment and camaraderie, the rural idyll collapses.
Twenty-five years later, the group is brought together again in unexpected circumstances--and the secrets of the past that are revealed may devastate once unbreakable friendships--in this extraordinary novel from the bestselling author of The Huntingfield Paintress.
"Wry, vivid and deftly plotted, this account of how youthful follies can come back to haunt you in middle age is a real delight." --John Preston, author of A Very English Scandal
In the summer of 1972, a group of friends is invited to Somerset to help photographer Seymour Stratton renovate a dilapidated cottage on Wyld Farm. Over the next year, they come to regard the farm as a place to be for the rest of their lives, to enjoy the good life. But despite the commitment and camaraderie, the rural idyll collapses.
Twenty-five years later, the group is brought together again in unexpected circumstances--and the secrets of the past that are revealed may devastate once unbreakable friendships--in this extraordinary novel from the bestselling author of The Huntingfield Paintress.
"Wry, vivid and deftly plotted, this account of how youthful follies can come back to haunt you in middle age is a real delight." --John Preston, author of A Very English Scandal
376 pages, Paperback
Published October 4, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 13, 2020
Enjoyed this book - the 1970s which I remember although I was a few years younger than the protagonists. The reunion felt a bit contrived but not enough to spoil it for me
October 4, 2018
I was sent Wyld Dreamers out of the blue by Urbane Publications (thank you) and I have to be honest had never heard of the book or Holmes. The inside of the book was particularly beautiful however and noting it was due to be published in October I decided to give it a whirl.
"In the summer of 1972, a group of friends is invited to Somerset to help photographer Seymour Stratton renovate a dilapidated cottage on Wyld Farm. Over the next year the group come to regard the farm as offering them a place to be for the rest of their lives, to enjoy 'the good life'. But despite the commitment and camaraderie the rural idyll collapses.
Twenty-five years later, the group is brought together again in unexpected circumstances. Can events of the past be forgotten? Or will the secrets that are revealed devastate once unbreakable friendships?"
I immediately loved the opening chapters where main character Amy escapes the confines of her parents to spend the summer with her boyfriend and friends at the idyllic Wyld Farm - who hasn't had their first taste of freedom and never wanted it to end? Similarly Chapter Two where Amy's mother faces an empty bedroom following her only beloved daughter flying the nest is a heartbreak I will one day have to face.
I also really enjoyed reading about the group's life at the farm. My dream is to one day live on a small holding so I was really interested about Amy growing spinach and milking Daisy the cow. Don't be put off by this, it certainly isn't a 'how to live off the land' book but I did enjoy these occasional references and the setting of rural Somerset was beautiful.
Amy's increasing belief that the summer holiday was a long term thing came across as very naive, was she just trying to escape life at home? I certainly fumed alongside her when Vi was introduced! As the book developed Amy's confrontation with farm owner Seymour seemed to confirm she really was just naive which I suppose was understandable given that she was an only child, clearly doted on who used to seek solace in her mothers arms even as a teenager. A good dose of realism was certainly needed!
I did get confused at times between the boys Seymour, Simon, Gerard, Julian, David. I thought at times certain characters were slightly underdeveloped, maybe as there were so many of them? Mrs Morle, her daughter, Seymour's girlfriend, the shopkeeper.... Perhaps it would have been better to concentrate on one or two of these and really dig deep (dig! farm! get it?....I'll stop now).
I did at one point think we were heading to a murder mystery and the build up to the group leaving the farm was certainly tense, heightened by rapid paragraphs flitting in between the characters. In the end I wasn't disappointed with the reasoning behind why the group left Wyld Farm, (much more realistic than a murder) but found the reasoning behind the inheritance much more difficult to understand.
Seeing how the group had altered during the passing of time and how the dynamics changed as the reality of running a cottage hit was interesting but the twist at the end felt a bit twee. The build up hadn't been central to the first part of the book and I felt it distracted from the otherwise captivating study of a group of people from different back grounds both as teens and as adults.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, the countryside sings from the pages and I'm pleased it crossed my path.
"In the summer of 1972, a group of friends is invited to Somerset to help photographer Seymour Stratton renovate a dilapidated cottage on Wyld Farm. Over the next year the group come to regard the farm as offering them a place to be for the rest of their lives, to enjoy 'the good life'. But despite the commitment and camaraderie the rural idyll collapses.
Twenty-five years later, the group is brought together again in unexpected circumstances. Can events of the past be forgotten? Or will the secrets that are revealed devastate once unbreakable friendships?"
I immediately loved the opening chapters where main character Amy escapes the confines of her parents to spend the summer with her boyfriend and friends at the idyllic Wyld Farm - who hasn't had their first taste of freedom and never wanted it to end? Similarly Chapter Two where Amy's mother faces an empty bedroom following her only beloved daughter flying the nest is a heartbreak I will one day have to face.
I also really enjoyed reading about the group's life at the farm. My dream is to one day live on a small holding so I was really interested about Amy growing spinach and milking Daisy the cow. Don't be put off by this, it certainly isn't a 'how to live off the land' book but I did enjoy these occasional references and the setting of rural Somerset was beautiful.
Amy's increasing belief that the summer holiday was a long term thing came across as very naive, was she just trying to escape life at home? I certainly fumed alongside her when Vi was introduced! As the book developed Amy's confrontation with farm owner Seymour seemed to confirm she really was just naive which I suppose was understandable given that she was an only child, clearly doted on who used to seek solace in her mothers arms even as a teenager. A good dose of realism was certainly needed!
I did get confused at times between the boys Seymour, Simon, Gerard, Julian, David. I thought at times certain characters were slightly underdeveloped, maybe as there were so many of them? Mrs Morle, her daughter, Seymour's girlfriend, the shopkeeper.... Perhaps it would have been better to concentrate on one or two of these and really dig deep (dig! farm! get it?....I'll stop now).
I did at one point think we were heading to a murder mystery and the build up to the group leaving the farm was certainly tense, heightened by rapid paragraphs flitting in between the characters. In the end I wasn't disappointed with the reasoning behind why the group left Wyld Farm, (much more realistic than a murder) but found the reasoning behind the inheritance much more difficult to understand.
Seeing how the group had altered during the passing of time and how the dynamics changed as the reality of running a cottage hit was interesting but the twist at the end felt a bit twee. The build up hadn't been central to the first part of the book and I felt it distracted from the otherwise captivating study of a group of people from different back grounds both as teens and as adults.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, the countryside sings from the pages and I'm pleased it crossed my path.
February 22, 2022
La femme au pinceau n'a pas été une lecture mémorable pour moi mais je dois dire que le récit se lit bien malgré tout. Je n'ai pas été convaincue par la conclusion mais la préface qui nous révèle que l'histoire de Mildred est tirée d'une histoire vraie a quelque peu changé ma vision sur le livre.
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September 5, 2024Non lu
October 9, 2018
I like reading books set in the seventies as I love that era, so when I read the blurb for this book I thought it would be one I’d enjoy. The book opens well and sets the scene and time without being too forceful. For example, The BBC news has just finished. (He does not approve of ITV) It also felt very believable a lot of people were looking to become self-reliant at this time and Wyld farm would be perfect for that.
There’s a lot of tension in the writing and I felt Holmes does a good job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel throughout and found myself wanting to skip ahead to find out what secrets would be revealed and see what impact these would have.
I think its best to read this novel in one or two sittings, if possible, as I felt it was more enjoyable like that. The novel feels confidently written and well plotted. I know this is not the authors first novel and it shows. I had high expectations from the blurb and I didn’t feel disappointed. I’d highly recommend Wyld Dreamers. its one of the best books I’ve read this year. I am now going to seek out Pamela Holmes first novel, The Huntingfield Paintress.
There’s a lot of tension in the writing and I felt Holmes does a good job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel throughout and found myself wanting to skip ahead to find out what secrets would be revealed and see what impact these would have.
I think its best to read this novel in one or two sittings, if possible, as I felt it was more enjoyable like that. The novel feels confidently written and well plotted. I know this is not the authors first novel and it shows. I had high expectations from the blurb and I didn’t feel disappointed. I’d highly recommend Wyld Dreamers. its one of the best books I’ve read this year. I am now going to seek out Pamela Holmes first novel, The Huntingfield Paintress.
October 19, 2018
I was drawn to this book as it's set in Somerset; a place close to my heart. I never lived the hedonistic lifestyle these characters lived but thoroughly enjoyed the tale. Ms. Holmes paints an honest picture of the naivety of youth, the anguish of growing up, and the repercussions of decisions made in haste that are repented at leisure. Well-written, with deep character development, Wyld Dreamers is worthy of your precious reading time.
November 7, 2018
set in 1972, this book is full of secrets as you read, the characters stories set in somerset, wyld farm is a place of haven. this book for me was an excellent read, that i got into as soon as i started reading. i did however find it could have stated a few more details at the end. but above all it was readable a good book as a stand alone.
February 16, 2020
Picked this one because of where it is set. Sadly apart from one or two references it could have been anywhere. I think this book might have suffered as it came straight after a gripping 5* read and this was a slow burner. I didn't really care much about any of the characters.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews