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On Hampstead Heath
Thorn Marsh was raised in a house of whispers, of meaningful glances and half- finished sentences. Now she's a journalist with a passion for truth, more devoted to her work at the London Journal than she ever was to her ex-husband.
When the newspaper is bought by media giant The Goring Group, who value sales figures over fact-checking, Thorn openly questions their methods, and promptly finds herself moved from the news desk to the midweek supplement, reporting heart-warming stories for their new segment, The Bright Side, a job to which she is spectacularly unsuited.
On a final warning and with no heart-warming news in sight, a desperate Thorn fabricates a good-news story of her own. The story, centred on an angelic apparition on Hampstead Heath, goes viral. Caught between her principles and her ambitions, Thorn goes in search of the truth behind her creation, only to find the answers locked away in the unconscious mind of a stranger.
Marika Cobbold returns with her eighth novel, On Hampstead Heath . Sharp, poignant, and infused with dark humour, On Hampstead Heath is an homage to storytelling and to truth; to the tales we tell ourselves, and the stories that save us.
When the newspaper is bought by media giant The Goring Group, who value sales figures over fact-checking, Thorn openly questions their methods, and promptly finds herself moved from the news desk to the midweek supplement, reporting heart-warming stories for their new segment, The Bright Side, a job to which she is spectacularly unsuited.
On a final warning and with no heart-warming news in sight, a desperate Thorn fabricates a good-news story of her own. The story, centred on an angelic apparition on Hampstead Heath, goes viral. Caught between her principles and her ambitions, Thorn goes in search of the truth behind her creation, only to find the answers locked away in the unconscious mind of a stranger.
Marika Cobbold returns with her eighth novel, On Hampstead Heath . Sharp, poignant, and infused with dark humour, On Hampstead Heath is an homage to storytelling and to truth; to the tales we tell ourselves, and the stories that save us.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2021
24 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
About the author
Marika Cobbold
13 books37 followersI was born in Gothenburg Sweden into a family of readers and writers. My father is a newspaper editor and columnist, as is my brother. My mother, who stayed at home looking after the family, furnished the walls of every room with shelves full of books. We were a family that read and discussed and whereas there were restrictions about what we were allowed to watch on TV, and comic books were discouraged, books were a different matter; basically, the rule was that my brother and I could read whatever we could reach. (It was a happy day when, standing on a chair, I got hold of Fanny Hill.)
Ours was a liberal and tolerant household but some sins, I had imprinted on me, were beyond the pale, book burning and censorship of the written word were two of them. Hanging on his wall at his office at the newspaper my father had a quote from Voltaire. Translated from French into Swedish and then by me, into English, it went something like this: 'I may well not agree with your opinion, but I will defend to the death your right to state it.'
Growing up I was pretty well the standard embryo writer - you know the kind? Prone to daydreaming, constantly reading, feeling as if I were on the outside looking in, finding the world of books more relevant than the 'real' world I lived in.
Aged nineteen I married a British naval officer and moved to England. Before the move I had had just one year at university so, arriving here, I had no idea of what I was going to do with my life. But not for long as my son was born the following year and three years after that, my daughter. Life as a naval wife was a mix of periods of loneliness and periods of great fun and adventure. But as we settled in the Hampshire countryside, having decided that following the fleet was not so practical with two school age children, I began to think about writing. I had always been a great 'trier outer' of things, and it has to be said, also a great quitter, but almost the minute I sat down to write I felt as if I had come home. I had never kept a diary, not for longer than a week anyway (although I bought many, especially those which had a little tiny gold key) or written stories as a child- thought them up yes, but written them down no - but here I was, feeling as if I had walked straight through a doorway marked, Life's Work.
Of course, as the weeks and months became years I realised that it would be much more of a struggle to persuade the world (other than my family who were hugely supportive) that I was a writer than it had been convincing myself. But finally, when I was thirty-five, my novel Guppies For Tea, a story about growing old and fighting back, was accepted for publication. Several other publishers had turned it down saying no one was interested in reading about old people. Luckily, as it turns out, they were wrong. Even so, if it had not been for the help of my friend the writer Elizabeth Buchan, and that of Hilary Johnson of The New Writers' Scheme, whose interest in, and support of new writing went well beyond that which was purely romantic, I might never have been published. This taught me that luck and the goodwill and support of others is essential in the writing business as in so much else.
Oddly enough, instead of feeling the euphoria I had expected once my dream of being a published author had come true, I went into a kind of prolonged sulk. I spent many hours thinking up plans for how to minimise the humiliations I was sure would follow publication, including working out how many copies of my own book I could afford to buy up and stash away in the garage.
As it turned out, Guppies For Tea, was rather a lucky book. It was picked for the first W.H. Smith's Fresh Talent promotion, ensuring nationwide review coverage, massive distribution and the kind of support most new writers can only dream of. Following that the book was short-listed for The Sunday Express Book of the Year and after that it was serialised on Woman's Hour. As one a
Ours was a liberal and tolerant household but some sins, I had imprinted on me, were beyond the pale, book burning and censorship of the written word were two of them. Hanging on his wall at his office at the newspaper my father had a quote from Voltaire. Translated from French into Swedish and then by me, into English, it went something like this: 'I may well not agree with your opinion, but I will defend to the death your right to state it.'
Growing up I was pretty well the standard embryo writer - you know the kind? Prone to daydreaming, constantly reading, feeling as if I were on the outside looking in, finding the world of books more relevant than the 'real' world I lived in.
Aged nineteen I married a British naval officer and moved to England. Before the move I had had just one year at university so, arriving here, I had no idea of what I was going to do with my life. But not for long as my son was born the following year and three years after that, my daughter. Life as a naval wife was a mix of periods of loneliness and periods of great fun and adventure. But as we settled in the Hampshire countryside, having decided that following the fleet was not so practical with two school age children, I began to think about writing. I had always been a great 'trier outer' of things, and it has to be said, also a great quitter, but almost the minute I sat down to write I felt as if I had come home. I had never kept a diary, not for longer than a week anyway (although I bought many, especially those which had a little tiny gold key) or written stories as a child- thought them up yes, but written them down no - but here I was, feeling as if I had walked straight through a doorway marked, Life's Work.
Of course, as the weeks and months became years I realised that it would be much more of a struggle to persuade the world (other than my family who were hugely supportive) that I was a writer than it had been convincing myself. But finally, when I was thirty-five, my novel Guppies For Tea, a story about growing old and fighting back, was accepted for publication. Several other publishers had turned it down saying no one was interested in reading about old people. Luckily, as it turns out, they were wrong. Even so, if it had not been for the help of my friend the writer Elizabeth Buchan, and that of Hilary Johnson of The New Writers' Scheme, whose interest in, and support of new writing went well beyond that which was purely romantic, I might never have been published. This taught me that luck and the goodwill and support of others is essential in the writing business as in so much else.
Oddly enough, instead of feeling the euphoria I had expected once my dream of being a published author had come true, I went into a kind of prolonged sulk. I spent many hours thinking up plans for how to minimise the humiliations I was sure would follow publication, including working out how many copies of my own book I could afford to buy up and stash away in the garage.
As it turned out, Guppies For Tea, was rather a lucky book. It was picked for the first W.H. Smith's Fresh Talent promotion, ensuring nationwide review coverage, massive distribution and the kind of support most new writers can only dream of. Following that the book was short-listed for The Sunday Express Book of the Year and after that it was serialised on Woman's Hour. As one a
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March 8, 2022
Thorn Marsh is a journalist with a passion for the truth and integrity in reporting. Her job as news editor at the well-respected London Journal is even more important to her than her marriage to Nick, which crumbled under the strain, although she and Nick have remained friends. The worst day of Thorn’s life occurs when the Journal is sold and a new managing editor is brought in to make it more appealing to the masses (ie. more news about celebrities, less about the arts and books, more photos and a social media presence). Thorn finds herself replaced and demoted to the midweek supplement, writing upbeat segments about what to see and do in London.
Thorn’s only solace is in early morning walks on Hampstead Heath with her neighbour’s dog Gillie and pouring her heart out to Nick. Meeting Nick for a drink one evening, he shows her a photo he took early that morning on Hampstead Heath of a man in a suit diving off Viaduct Bridge into the pond. The way the light has caught his head, creating a halo over his fiery red hair, makes him look like an angel. Back home and happily inebriated, Thorn’s journalistic mind imagines the story behind the man’s dive into the water, but it’s not until the next morning that she realises she has sent the story to her news desk only for it to be already published and trending on social media under the headline “Angel of the Heath”.
Marika Cobbold’s novel is a fable for our times in this age of fake news and sensationalist headlines. Initially appalled at her own slip of journalistic standards Thorn is pulled between printing a retraction and thereby losing her job or hoping that the story will soon be replaced by the next social media sensation. Unfortunately, when the unconscious “Angel” is found in hospital with concussion after his dive, the story takes on a life of its own.
Infused with wit and humour, a little romance and some British quirkiness this is a very enjoyable read. The importance of truth and being honest with our families and relationships is at the heart of the novel. The richly depicted characters are flawed but very real as are the relationships that Thorn has with her complicated family, her neighbour and ex-husband and a stranger she meets on Hampstead Heath. And by being honest, Thorn might just find exactly what she’s been looking for.
With thanks to Quercus books and Netgalley for a copy to read
Thorn’s only solace is in early morning walks on Hampstead Heath with her neighbour’s dog Gillie and pouring her heart out to Nick. Meeting Nick for a drink one evening, he shows her a photo he took early that morning on Hampstead Heath of a man in a suit diving off Viaduct Bridge into the pond. The way the light has caught his head, creating a halo over his fiery red hair, makes him look like an angel. Back home and happily inebriated, Thorn’s journalistic mind imagines the story behind the man’s dive into the water, but it’s not until the next morning that she realises she has sent the story to her news desk only for it to be already published and trending on social media under the headline “Angel of the Heath”.
Marika Cobbold’s novel is a fable for our times in this age of fake news and sensationalist headlines. Initially appalled at her own slip of journalistic standards Thorn is pulled between printing a retraction and thereby losing her job or hoping that the story will soon be replaced by the next social media sensation. Unfortunately, when the unconscious “Angel” is found in hospital with concussion after his dive, the story takes on a life of its own.
Infused with wit and humour, a little romance and some British quirkiness this is a very enjoyable read. The importance of truth and being honest with our families and relationships is at the heart of the novel. The richly depicted characters are flawed but very real as are the relationships that Thorn has with her complicated family, her neighbour and ex-husband and a stranger she meets on Hampstead Heath. And by being honest, Thorn might just find exactly what she’s been looking for.
With thanks to Quercus books and Netgalley for a copy to read
December 10, 2022
The last time I read anything by Marika Cobbold was "Guppies for Tea" which had made it onto the BBC's Top 100 Reads (back in the very early noughties). I couldn't now tell you anything about the book but looking at notes I gave it 5 stars so it must have been enjoyable.
I was lucky enough to get On Hampstead Heath on approval from Netgalley as an audio book. It is read by Tracey-Ann Oberman who I've never really rated as an actress. However her narration is superb. She strikes the perfect balance between the characters voices so you're never confused about who you are listening to. So narrator gets a big star.
The next 4 stars are purely for the story. It's a sort of love story but nothing soppy (I loathe soppy). The characters of Thorn/Rose, Nick, Lottie and Rufus are wonderfully drawn. Just enough detail to give you a flavour of who they are but still some left back for your imagination.
The story centres mainly on Thorn (also known as Rose) who is a journalist. Her newspaper is turning into a tabloid style celebration of the mediocre celebrity and Thorn is a serious journalist. She is told to change or lose her job but what fluffy feel good story can she write? The answer comes during a drunken meeting with her ex-husband, Nick. Nick shows her a picture of an angel he had taken that morning on the heath.
The day after Thorn wakes up to her worst nightmare - a happy editor, pleased that she has embraced the notion of an optimistic news story. But what does he mean? What has she done? With fear in her heart she takes a look at the front page. There is Nick's "angel" but with her words ... and the story she has made up.
We then follow Thorn as she tries to make things right with the angel, her next door neighbour, her estranged mother and her ex-husband.
I laughed out loud. I cried. I shouted at the characters. I had my heart in my mouth. It was a wonderful ride. Marika Cobbold is back on my to read list. I really enjoyed this. It won't change the world but it will most definitely entertain you. It does delve into some interesting subjects not least of which is the use of fake news and the OTT knee-jerk reactions of people who don't do their homework into how true any story really is.
I'd recommend it for anyone who enjoys a smart rom-com style novel. It is head and shoulders above quite a lot of so-called rom-coms I've read. That Marika Cobbold can write beautifully is not in doubt and if you're lucky enough to get the audio then Tracey-Ann Oberman does not disappoint as a narrator.
I was lucky enough to get On Hampstead Heath on approval from Netgalley as an audio book. It is read by Tracey-Ann Oberman who I've never really rated as an actress. However her narration is superb. She strikes the perfect balance between the characters voices so you're never confused about who you are listening to. So narrator gets a big star.
The next 4 stars are purely for the story. It's a sort of love story but nothing soppy (I loathe soppy). The characters of Thorn/Rose, Nick, Lottie and Rufus are wonderfully drawn. Just enough detail to give you a flavour of who they are but still some left back for your imagination.
The story centres mainly on Thorn (also known as Rose) who is a journalist. Her newspaper is turning into a tabloid style celebration of the mediocre celebrity and Thorn is a serious journalist. She is told to change or lose her job but what fluffy feel good story can she write? The answer comes during a drunken meeting with her ex-husband, Nick. Nick shows her a picture of an angel he had taken that morning on the heath.
The day after Thorn wakes up to her worst nightmare - a happy editor, pleased that she has embraced the notion of an optimistic news story. But what does he mean? What has she done? With fear in her heart she takes a look at the front page. There is Nick's "angel" but with her words ... and the story she has made up.
We then follow Thorn as she tries to make things right with the angel, her next door neighbour, her estranged mother and her ex-husband.
I laughed out loud. I cried. I shouted at the characters. I had my heart in my mouth. It was a wonderful ride. Marika Cobbold is back on my to read list. I really enjoyed this. It won't change the world but it will most definitely entertain you. It does delve into some interesting subjects not least of which is the use of fake news and the OTT knee-jerk reactions of people who don't do their homework into how true any story really is.
I'd recommend it for anyone who enjoys a smart rom-com style novel. It is head and shoulders above quite a lot of so-called rom-coms I've read. That Marika Cobbold can write beautifully is not in doubt and if you're lucky enough to get the audio then Tracey-Ann Oberman does not disappoint as a narrator.
January 4, 2021
Finally managed to snatch the time in the lull between Christmas and return to work. Not my usual choice but I'd happily read anything else by Marika Cobbold, really engaged with the characters, especially the main one.
April 26, 2021
Novel set around Hampstead Heath
Our You Tube review: https://youtu.be/isau-ryCj44
This is a rather ingenious story. Rose (actually known as Thorn, get it?) is a woman focussed on her journalism career at the London Journal, to the exclusion of virtually everything else. Her husband leaves her for this very reason and is soon hitched to another woman. Yet he and Thorn remain in friendly contact. He happens to take a photo of a man jumping from the Viaduct Bridge on Hampstead Heath, seemingly in a suicide attempt. He shares the photo with Thorn.
Thorn – known for her honest reporting, always with integrity – is moved from the news desk to a soft midweek lifestyle section, not her bag at all. She gets drunk and fabricates a story which is a good news story of how the ‘jumper’ was diving into the water to save a woman’s life. It, of course, goes viral. Speculation as to his identity is rife. She gets a tip off that he is, in fact, in hospital with concussion and more, and in the clear light of day she has to make sure her story stays under wraps. What can he remember? Will he spill the beans once he comes round?
As a premise, this is an exciting and relevant story for our times of #fakenews. It is funny in parts and speeds along at a nice pace. The writing is good and robust. It opens in a flurry of excitement and that sets the tone for a great narrative that occasionally scuttles down rabbit holes – but that all adds to the intrigue. We get to know Gillie (who is her friend’s male dog), we meet Thorn’s mother who has been sitting on a secret or two. And I wasn’t overly convinced by the friendly post-separation relationship that Thorn and her husband, Nick, seemed to have managed to maintain but some couples do manage to be more than cordial with ex-partners!
Overall the storyline is such an interesting and relevant concept; I felt perhaps it could have done with a bit of tightening at times but definitely the storyline wins out. It’s quite zany (remember that word, so popular in the late 20th Century?) and it is a lively story set in this lovely part of London.
Our You Tube review: https://youtu.be/isau-ryCj44
This is a rather ingenious story. Rose (actually known as Thorn, get it?) is a woman focussed on her journalism career at the London Journal, to the exclusion of virtually everything else. Her husband leaves her for this very reason and is soon hitched to another woman. Yet he and Thorn remain in friendly contact. He happens to take a photo of a man jumping from the Viaduct Bridge on Hampstead Heath, seemingly in a suicide attempt. He shares the photo with Thorn.
Thorn – known for her honest reporting, always with integrity – is moved from the news desk to a soft midweek lifestyle section, not her bag at all. She gets drunk and fabricates a story which is a good news story of how the ‘jumper’ was diving into the water to save a woman’s life. It, of course, goes viral. Speculation as to his identity is rife. She gets a tip off that he is, in fact, in hospital with concussion and more, and in the clear light of day she has to make sure her story stays under wraps. What can he remember? Will he spill the beans once he comes round?
As a premise, this is an exciting and relevant story for our times of #fakenews. It is funny in parts and speeds along at a nice pace. The writing is good and robust. It opens in a flurry of excitement and that sets the tone for a great narrative that occasionally scuttles down rabbit holes – but that all adds to the intrigue. We get to know Gillie (who is her friend’s male dog), we meet Thorn’s mother who has been sitting on a secret or two. And I wasn’t overly convinced by the friendly post-separation relationship that Thorn and her husband, Nick, seemed to have managed to maintain but some couples do manage to be more than cordial with ex-partners!
Overall the storyline is such an interesting and relevant concept; I felt perhaps it could have done with a bit of tightening at times but definitely the storyline wins out. It’s quite zany (remember that word, so popular in the late 20th Century?) and it is a lively story set in this lovely part of London.
June 8, 2022
Although several of the pivotal scenes in this book take place on Hampstead Heath, the title and setting are something of a red herring. Somewhat, but not entirely - because what other location in London contrasts as neatly (with its relative wildness and prettiness) with the concrete jungle of the City? Anyway, the main character lives in Hampstead and frequents the Heath and feels herself most fortunate in both regards. I’m also a north Londoner, and I also love the Heath, and that’s exactly why I succumbed to the lure of this book in the Hampstead Waterstones Bookshop. It wasn’t a cover buy; it was a title buy.
The protagonist is a 44 year old journalist - formerly a news editor, but recently demoted to the ‘lifestyle’ section - who has two names: ‘Rose’ and ‘Thorn’. In her role as tough news editor, our protagonist has operated as Thorn; and indeed, her personality is thorny. But after suffering a series of reversals (in career and love), Thorn finds it necessary to at first hide under the name of Rose, and later, to grow into that softer name. Rose/Thorn is a changeling of sorts, and the idea of identity plays out in a variety of ways - including in her growing understanding of her own origins. Those names encapsulate a nice duality that exists in the novel’s tone and themes, but they also give this contemporary tale a whiff of timeless fairy tale. In this case, the ‘sleeping beauty’ is the male love interest - who is also an object of confusion, mystery and a fabricated saviour story.
At first, I thought this book was going to be primarily about dangerous trends in journalism: the simplification of serious journalism, the deliberate exploitation of emotional reactions (mostly angry ones) to create readership, the flagrant disregard for the truth. And certainly that is a theme, and an important one, although I felt it got somewhat lost at times.* As the storyline develops, though, it becomes more centred on the development of the main character. Happily, she’s a rather appealing one - particularly if you enjoy self-deprecating and dark humour.
My reading of this book suffered from a big gap in the middle - entirely the fault of some drama in my life, and in no way the fault of a sluggish storyline - but I reread the first half just to make sure. It was even more enjoyable the second go-round, and the ending was a satisfying merging of the happy (Rose-like) and realistic (thornier, obviously).
* (Perhaps not, as the author does bring us back to that point by the ending - mostly through the vehicle of an elderly Jewish woman who is one of Thorn’s closest friends. Actually, that’s quite subtly and cleverly done.)
The protagonist is a 44 year old journalist - formerly a news editor, but recently demoted to the ‘lifestyle’ section - who has two names: ‘Rose’ and ‘Thorn’. In her role as tough news editor, our protagonist has operated as Thorn; and indeed, her personality is thorny. But after suffering a series of reversals (in career and love), Thorn finds it necessary to at first hide under the name of Rose, and later, to grow into that softer name. Rose/Thorn is a changeling of sorts, and the idea of identity plays out in a variety of ways - including in her growing understanding of her own origins. Those names encapsulate a nice duality that exists in the novel’s tone and themes, but they also give this contemporary tale a whiff of timeless fairy tale. In this case, the ‘sleeping beauty’ is the male love interest - who is also an object of confusion, mystery and a fabricated saviour story.
At first, I thought this book was going to be primarily about dangerous trends in journalism: the simplification of serious journalism, the deliberate exploitation of emotional reactions (mostly angry ones) to create readership, the flagrant disregard for the truth. And certainly that is a theme, and an important one, although I felt it got somewhat lost at times.* As the storyline develops, though, it becomes more centred on the development of the main character. Happily, she’s a rather appealing one - particularly if you enjoy self-deprecating and dark humour.
My reading of this book suffered from a big gap in the middle - entirely the fault of some drama in my life, and in no way the fault of a sluggish storyline - but I reread the first half just to make sure. It was even more enjoyable the second go-round, and the ending was a satisfying merging of the happy (Rose-like) and realistic (thornier, obviously).
* (Perhaps not, as the author does bring us back to that point by the ending - mostly through the vehicle of an elderly Jewish woman who is one of Thorn’s closest friends. Actually, that’s quite subtly and cleverly done.)
March 29, 2022
This was an absolute delight to read and had I had the opportunity, I could easily have sat and read it all in one go. I was completely engaged with it, and I really did not want to put it down.
For my full review please visit my blog at:https://leftontheshelfbookblog.blogsp...
For my full review please visit my blog at:https://leftontheshelfbookblog.blogsp...
May 1, 2021
This pithy gem is Marika Cobbold’s inspired ode to the halcyon days of old-fashioned journalism, when pursuing the truth was more important than online hits and the media were considered guardians of democracy.
Principled and independent forty-four-year-old, Thorn Marsh, has spent thirteen years at The New London Journal and the last five in charge of the newsroom, sacrificing her marriage in her unbridled commitment to her journalistic career. An upbringing of being kept in the dark has fuelled Thorn with a scrupulous passion for her work but she is swimming against the tide in an industry where print journalism is dying a death and content is being dumbed-down. When the Journal is bought by the Goring Group and the downward slide in pursuit of revenue begins, Thorn finds herself moved sideways and charged with reporting the heartwarming stories in an innovative good news section called ‘The Bright Side’. For a hardened cynic such as Thorn it’s a Herculean task and one that she is no doubt intended to fail, but inebriated and facing an impending deadline she fabricates a story. Using the beatific photo of a besuited man jumping off Viaduct Bridge on Hampstead Heath taken by her ex-husband, Nick, Thorn cobbles together a story of his selfless act in order to save a woman’s life. Waking up and finding her fictitious story all over social media with the unknown man dubbed the Angel of Hampstead Heath, Thorn is impossibly compromised as her very own piece of fake news takes on a life of its own...
About to be hoist by a petard of her very own making as she is caught between her principles and ambitions with her article making an unwitting hero out of a man whose life she has no business intruding upon, Thorn goes in search of the truth behind her phoney story. As the story rumbles on and her initial fake news story propagates, Thorn finds herself drawn to the man at the centre of the storm, subsequently ‘outed’ as Rufus Harding. In getting closer to the man himself and the real story Thorn finds herself learning a few home truths and understanding more about her own past. Thorn is a realistically flawed and believable protagonist and her sarcasm, honesty and unwillingness to sit back and accept something she disagrees with meant I warmed to her from the off and as the story unfolds it’s evident that behind her forthright exterior lies a far more vulnerable woman than meets the eye. Juxtaposed alongside Thorn’s present day dalliance with fake news is the sobering background of her elderly neighbour and Jewish friend, Lottie, and her experiences in WWII Germany when conspiracy theories and propaganda were used to hide the truth for far too long.
The entire novel is astutely observed and Cobbold’s insight and, at times, withering observations are a joy to experience in full flow. The humour is a brilliant combination of quirky and dark but not unremittingly so, with unexpected moments of lightness that kept me invested in Thorn’s journey. At times in the second half I felt the narrative was threatening to falter but Marika Cobbold pulls it back on track and On Hampstead Heath is a timely satire but also darn good fun!
Principled and independent forty-four-year-old, Thorn Marsh, has spent thirteen years at The New London Journal and the last five in charge of the newsroom, sacrificing her marriage in her unbridled commitment to her journalistic career. An upbringing of being kept in the dark has fuelled Thorn with a scrupulous passion for her work but she is swimming against the tide in an industry where print journalism is dying a death and content is being dumbed-down. When the Journal is bought by the Goring Group and the downward slide in pursuit of revenue begins, Thorn finds herself moved sideways and charged with reporting the heartwarming stories in an innovative good news section called ‘The Bright Side’. For a hardened cynic such as Thorn it’s a Herculean task and one that she is no doubt intended to fail, but inebriated and facing an impending deadline she fabricates a story. Using the beatific photo of a besuited man jumping off Viaduct Bridge on Hampstead Heath taken by her ex-husband, Nick, Thorn cobbles together a story of his selfless act in order to save a woman’s life. Waking up and finding her fictitious story all over social media with the unknown man dubbed the Angel of Hampstead Heath, Thorn is impossibly compromised as her very own piece of fake news takes on a life of its own...
About to be hoist by a petard of her very own making as she is caught between her principles and ambitions with her article making an unwitting hero out of a man whose life she has no business intruding upon, Thorn goes in search of the truth behind her phoney story. As the story rumbles on and her initial fake news story propagates, Thorn finds herself drawn to the man at the centre of the storm, subsequently ‘outed’ as Rufus Harding. In getting closer to the man himself and the real story Thorn finds herself learning a few home truths and understanding more about her own past. Thorn is a realistically flawed and believable protagonist and her sarcasm, honesty and unwillingness to sit back and accept something she disagrees with meant I warmed to her from the off and as the story unfolds it’s evident that behind her forthright exterior lies a far more vulnerable woman than meets the eye. Juxtaposed alongside Thorn’s present day dalliance with fake news is the sobering background of her elderly neighbour and Jewish friend, Lottie, and her experiences in WWII Germany when conspiracy theories and propaganda were used to hide the truth for far too long.
The entire novel is astutely observed and Cobbold’s insight and, at times, withering observations are a joy to experience in full flow. The humour is a brilliant combination of quirky and dark but not unremittingly so, with unexpected moments of lightness that kept me invested in Thorn’s journey. At times in the second half I felt the narrative was threatening to falter but Marika Cobbold pulls it back on track and On Hampstead Heath is a timely satire but also darn good fun!
March 19, 2021
On Hampstead Heath may be the first book I have read by Marika Cobbold but it definitely won't be the last. I absolutely love her dark humour and had many unexpected laugh out loud moments in this thought-provoking, witty and hugely entertaining book.
Thorn is a journalist with a conscience, most of the time. There are many things you shouldn't do when drunk - writing a story and submitting it to the news desk is definitely one of them, as Thorn discovers when she wakes up with a hangover and a story that's gone viral. As events spiral out of control, it's both poignant and hilarious as Thorn struggles with the weight of keeping her secret.
In this humourous and entertaining novel, Marika Cobbold gives us a glimpse into the cutthroat world of journalism through the eyes of her fabulous main character of Thorn. I really felt for Thorn as nothing seems to go right in her personal or work life but maybe the angel of Hampstead Heath is about to turn that around. As the secrets and lies begin to snowball into a massive web of deceit, Thorn is trapped between living a lie or coming clean and facing the consequences. Is she really a journalist with a conscience?
This is definitely a book I will read again and at only 238 pages long it's a quite a quick read. I think there is so much to be gained from this small but mighty novel; it's not only an entertaining story but for me, it's a stark reminder of the importance of creating a good work/life balance. Many of us put our work before our home life, but Thorn has given the best years of her life to her job and when she finally gets a glimpse of what a happy and fulfilling life could be like her job still manages to get in the way.
An absolute little gem of a book, On Hampstead Heath is entertaining, thought-provoking and extremely witty. Marika Cobbold writes with incredible raw honestly and has such hilarious observations of the mundane that I definitely want to read more of her books. I absolutely unreservedly recommend this magnificent book.
I received an ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Thorn is a journalist with a conscience, most of the time. There are many things you shouldn't do when drunk - writing a story and submitting it to the news desk is definitely one of them, as Thorn discovers when she wakes up with a hangover and a story that's gone viral. As events spiral out of control, it's both poignant and hilarious as Thorn struggles with the weight of keeping her secret.
In this humourous and entertaining novel, Marika Cobbold gives us a glimpse into the cutthroat world of journalism through the eyes of her fabulous main character of Thorn. I really felt for Thorn as nothing seems to go right in her personal or work life but maybe the angel of Hampstead Heath is about to turn that around. As the secrets and lies begin to snowball into a massive web of deceit, Thorn is trapped between living a lie or coming clean and facing the consequences. Is she really a journalist with a conscience?
This is definitely a book I will read again and at only 238 pages long it's a quite a quick read. I think there is so much to be gained from this small but mighty novel; it's not only an entertaining story but for me, it's a stark reminder of the importance of creating a good work/life balance. Many of us put our work before our home life, but Thorn has given the best years of her life to her job and when she finally gets a glimpse of what a happy and fulfilling life could be like her job still manages to get in the way.
An absolute little gem of a book, On Hampstead Heath is entertaining, thought-provoking and extremely witty. Marika Cobbold writes with incredible raw honestly and has such hilarious observations of the mundane that I definitely want to read more of her books. I absolutely unreservedly recommend this magnificent book.
I received an ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
April 16, 2021
I have very fond memories of walking on Hampstead Heath during my time living in London and so when I realised Marika Cobbold was releasing her eighth novel On Hampstead Heath (Arcadia Books) I was more than keen to review before publication. And what a fabulous read it really is. My thanks to Georgina Moore at Midas PR for sending me a review copy.
Thorn Marsh is a journalist for the London based newspaper The New London Journal and she has been at the paper for many years and is dedicated to her role as News Editor. But then the paper is now being bought by the Goring Group. The problem is that Marsh does not really agree with their ways of running a newspaper and this causes conflict which means that she now finds herself being somewhat moved out of the job she has loved to a role within the paper covering feel good stories. That is not really a role for our Thorn Marsh.
As this is basically a story of how much we can really believe in the newspaper business and the digital social media world the story now takes on a real twist as Thorn Marsh as she seeks to find a really good story that will make her bosses sit up and take notice except the story is not actually true but just how did she manage to come up with the story in the first place? I just love how Marika Cobbold has created the character of Thorn Marsh. There were real times I was laughing quite loudly and that is not best in the early hours.
But what of our leading character, now the story she has created has gone crazy and viral. But what does Marsh do now? She has spent the best part of thirteen years living and working as a journalist with a real conscience for the truth. And the truth is out there somewhere!
This is just a brilliant novel that I just knew I was going to love, and it is witty. A real joy. A novel to jump and down about, but not in the early hours please!
Thorn Marsh is a journalist for the London based newspaper The New London Journal and she has been at the paper for many years and is dedicated to her role as News Editor. But then the paper is now being bought by the Goring Group. The problem is that Marsh does not really agree with their ways of running a newspaper and this causes conflict which means that she now finds herself being somewhat moved out of the job she has loved to a role within the paper covering feel good stories. That is not really a role for our Thorn Marsh.
As this is basically a story of how much we can really believe in the newspaper business and the digital social media world the story now takes on a real twist as Thorn Marsh as she seeks to find a really good story that will make her bosses sit up and take notice except the story is not actually true but just how did she manage to come up with the story in the first place? I just love how Marika Cobbold has created the character of Thorn Marsh. There were real times I was laughing quite loudly and that is not best in the early hours.
But what of our leading character, now the story she has created has gone crazy and viral. But what does Marsh do now? She has spent the best part of thirteen years living and working as a journalist with a real conscience for the truth. And the truth is out there somewhere!
This is just a brilliant novel that I just knew I was going to love, and it is witty. A real joy. A novel to jump and down about, but not in the early hours please!
April 27, 2021
I’ve never read any of Marika Cobbold’s books but I’m going to start now! On Hampstead Heath is a brilliant book about truth & fake news & how we can get caught up in both & lose sight of the reality. A great book for our current social media controlled lives! Loved it!
Want to read
December 27, 2020Alex Preston in Guardian 2021 preview: "a gentler affair. A mystery and an elegy for the death of old-fashioned journalism, it’s a book that will warm your heart."
April 25, 2021
Journalist, Thorn Marsh is the long standing news editor at The London Journal. Changes come when the paper is bought over and Thorn's moved over to the light hearted midweek supplement - London Living to edit "the bright side" page. This involves her writing true to life, heartwarming tales about the everyday Londoner.
She's absolutely devastated to lose the job which has defined her and calls on her ex-husband for support. They have a few drinks and he tells her about something he saw on Hampstead Heath which he captured on film. A little drunk and with some embellishments on Thorn's part, the story takes wings and goes viral overnight...
What follows in the aftermath is her understanding of a lot of things including her mother's distance, how much her neighbour and her little dog mean to her as well as, discovering who the stranger is. It's a heartwarming story laced with lots of humour, friendships, family secrets, sadness and new beginnings. An absolute gem. I loved it.
She's absolutely devastated to lose the job which has defined her and calls on her ex-husband for support. They have a few drinks and he tells her about something he saw on Hampstead Heath which he captured on film. A little drunk and with some embellishments on Thorn's part, the story takes wings and goes viral overnight...
What follows in the aftermath is her understanding of a lot of things including her mother's distance, how much her neighbour and her little dog mean to her as well as, discovering who the stranger is. It's a heartwarming story laced with lots of humour, friendships, family secrets, sadness and new beginnings. An absolute gem. I loved it.
April 15, 2021
On Hampstead Heath may be a relatively short read at 248 pages but it's certainly a mighty one. Thorn Marsh is a journalist, a news editor at a London newspaper when she finds that all of a sudden her face no longer fits with the new managing editor. She's cast aside to a supplement focusing on cheery stories, not her thing at all. In a fit of pique and in the throes of a drunken haze she writes a piece that has only a vague semblance of truth to it. The repercussions of Thorn's deception ripple down through the book.
The plot of this novel is inspired, focusing on how much truth there is in the press (or lack thereof), the advent of the digital age slowly killing off the newspaper, and all that social media has to answer for in the current news climate. It's the writing and the characterisations that really stood out for me though. Marika Cobbold's narrative for Thorn is a work of genius, the dialogue sublimely sharp and her inner thoughts so astute and perfectly observed. I found it so darkly funny. There is one scene in particular where Thorn visits her mother whose old friend, Joan Pyke, is there. Thorn's acerbic thoughts on seeing Joan were thrown at me like knives from a knife-thrower, one after the other, never letting up, and I just couldn't stop laughing. I kept re-reading certain sections of the book as a whole, marvelling at the way they were written and the pointed scrutiny of everyday situations and human foibles.
Thorn is a brilliant creation but every character in this book is perfect, slotting into their places in Thorn's life, however large or small a part. Her relationships with her family, her friends and her colleagues all seem to be rather complicated but also very real, and I found them absolutely compelling.
I thought this was a fabulous read. It's wise and perceptive, honest and witty. I think that whenever I need a good laugh I will think about Joan Pyke! This is the sort of book that belongs on prize lists.
The plot of this novel is inspired, focusing on how much truth there is in the press (or lack thereof), the advent of the digital age slowly killing off the newspaper, and all that social media has to answer for in the current news climate. It's the writing and the characterisations that really stood out for me though. Marika Cobbold's narrative for Thorn is a work of genius, the dialogue sublimely sharp and her inner thoughts so astute and perfectly observed. I found it so darkly funny. There is one scene in particular where Thorn visits her mother whose old friend, Joan Pyke, is there. Thorn's acerbic thoughts on seeing Joan were thrown at me like knives from a knife-thrower, one after the other, never letting up, and I just couldn't stop laughing. I kept re-reading certain sections of the book as a whole, marvelling at the way they were written and the pointed scrutiny of everyday situations and human foibles.
Thorn is a brilliant creation but every character in this book is perfect, slotting into their places in Thorn's life, however large or small a part. Her relationships with her family, her friends and her colleagues all seem to be rather complicated but also very real, and I found them absolutely compelling.
I thought this was a fabulous read. It's wise and perceptive, honest and witty. I think that whenever I need a good laugh I will think about Joan Pyke! This is the sort of book that belongs on prize lists.
January 28, 2023
3.5 stars, rounded up
I live in Hampstead, so naturally I often see this book on display at my local bookshops and I've always been intrigued by it.
The story centres around Thorn Marsh (also known as Rose - that juxtaposition was a bit too on the nose for me I must admit), a journalist who loves her job so much it ruined her marriage. When the London Journal where she works is sold, she's moved from news reporting to the mid-week segment tasked with writing uplifting, feel good fluff pieces - as far as Thorn's concerned, that's the worst thing that could possibly happen to her. She finds comfort in early morning walks with her neighbour's dog and her ex-husband, Nick(who she's still good friends with). With a fast approaching deadline and no inspiration, she goes to the pub with Nick who shows her a photo he took of a man jumping from the Viaduct bridge into the pond below, the morning light creating a halo effect over his fiery red hair making him look like an angel. Fuelled by too much gin and the fear of missing a deadline, Thorn fabricates a story about the "Angel of the Heath" and while she has no memory of filing the story, it's already taken social media by storm when she wakes the next morning.
On Hampstead Heath is a very English rom-com, with typical British humour that may be lost on some non-Brits but I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters are really well developed, and although they're deeply flawed you can't help but root for them. While it is a comedy, there are some heavy topics which were explored really well - it didn't go too dark but didn't make light of the issues either. Hearing Rufus' full story did break my heart just a little bit.
There's also the underlying theme of the danger of "fake news", disregard for the truth for your own gain, and the reduction of journalism to click bait and sensationalism. That's most obvious with Thorn's struggle between wanting to tell the truth and wanting to protect Rufus, but it's woven throughout different pivotal points as well - such as the true nature of Thorn's relationship with her mother, her view of Nick's relationship with his new wife and, perhaps most poignantly, her friendship with her elderly Jewish neighbour.
This is the first book I've read by Marika Cobbold and I really enjoyed her writing style. I listened to the audiobook, which I thoroughly recommend - it's narrated by Tracey-Ann Oberman who does a wonderful job. I have to admit I also really enjoyed reading a book set where I live - it's fun to hear little mentions of the surroundings you know so well.
Thank you to Quercus and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review
I live in Hampstead, so naturally I often see this book on display at my local bookshops and I've always been intrigued by it.
The story centres around Thorn Marsh (also known as Rose - that juxtaposition was a bit too on the nose for me I must admit), a journalist who loves her job so much it ruined her marriage. When the London Journal where she works is sold, she's moved from news reporting to the mid-week segment tasked with writing uplifting, feel good fluff pieces - as far as Thorn's concerned, that's the worst thing that could possibly happen to her. She finds comfort in early morning walks with her neighbour's dog and her ex-husband, Nick(who she's still good friends with). With a fast approaching deadline and no inspiration, she goes to the pub with Nick who shows her a photo he took of a man jumping from the Viaduct bridge into the pond below, the morning light creating a halo effect over his fiery red hair making him look like an angel. Fuelled by too much gin and the fear of missing a deadline, Thorn fabricates a story about the "Angel of the Heath" and while she has no memory of filing the story, it's already taken social media by storm when she wakes the next morning.
On Hampstead Heath is a very English rom-com, with typical British humour that may be lost on some non-Brits but I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters are really well developed, and although they're deeply flawed you can't help but root for them. While it is a comedy, there are some heavy topics which were explored really well - it didn't go too dark but didn't make light of the issues either. Hearing Rufus' full story did break my heart just a little bit.
There's also the underlying theme of the danger of "fake news", disregard for the truth for your own gain, and the reduction of journalism to click bait and sensationalism. That's most obvious with Thorn's struggle between wanting to tell the truth and wanting to protect Rufus, but it's woven throughout different pivotal points as well - such as the true nature of Thorn's relationship with her mother, her view of Nick's relationship with his new wife and, perhaps most poignantly, her friendship with her elderly Jewish neighbour.
This is the first book I've read by Marika Cobbold and I really enjoyed her writing style. I listened to the audiobook, which I thoroughly recommend - it's narrated by Tracey-Ann Oberman who does a wonderful job. I have to admit I also really enjoyed reading a book set where I live - it's fun to hear little mentions of the surroundings you know so well.
Thank you to Quercus and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review
April 14, 2021
Certainly a book that will warm your heart.
I have to say it isn't necessarily my usual choice of book but I found myself quite enamoured with Marika's writing style.
Our main protagonist is is Thorn (Rose) Marsh. But this story isn't just hers to tell.
This is because when Thorn fabricates a 'bright side' news story when she is moved to a different section of the newspaper she works for, she unknowingly starts a different sort of journey for the angelic apparition that she has supposedly captured on camera.
Dearest Thorn is a journalist with a conscience so when her lies begin to catch up with her, she wants to reveal her secret but is torn when it becomes clear that the truth won't necessarily set her free.
I adore Thorn. She is a quirky yet loveable character. Miss Marsh is an inspiring person, I particularly enjoyed the relationship that she had with her ex-husband. Refreshing and realistic. I wonder whether the author based her on anyone in particular?
The way her character is presented and how the story unfolds is exceptional. There is a heady mix of light and dark within this tale. Humour mixed in with darker sarcasm. Light-hearted moments combined with more sorrowful times.
Everything together made for a quick yet in-depth read.
Covering subjects such as grief and depression, On Hampstead Heath is a novel that is both entertaining and poignant.
Thought provoking.
Maybe we need a bit more old fashioned journalism back instead of this need for fake news and celebrity based articles.
Also looking at the complexities of work/life balance and posing the question can we really have it all? The dream job, the perfect relationship and family. Does that sort of equilibrium even exist?
A novel that I will happily recommend to others and read again myself.
I have to say it isn't necessarily my usual choice of book but I found myself quite enamoured with Marika's writing style.
Our main protagonist is is Thorn (Rose) Marsh. But this story isn't just hers to tell.
This is because when Thorn fabricates a 'bright side' news story when she is moved to a different section of the newspaper she works for, she unknowingly starts a different sort of journey for the angelic apparition that she has supposedly captured on camera.
Dearest Thorn is a journalist with a conscience so when her lies begin to catch up with her, she wants to reveal her secret but is torn when it becomes clear that the truth won't necessarily set her free.
I adore Thorn. She is a quirky yet loveable character. Miss Marsh is an inspiring person, I particularly enjoyed the relationship that she had with her ex-husband. Refreshing and realistic. I wonder whether the author based her on anyone in particular?
The way her character is presented and how the story unfolds is exceptional. There is a heady mix of light and dark within this tale. Humour mixed in with darker sarcasm. Light-hearted moments combined with more sorrowful times.
Everything together made for a quick yet in-depth read.
Covering subjects such as grief and depression, On Hampstead Heath is a novel that is both entertaining and poignant.
Thought provoking.
Maybe we need a bit more old fashioned journalism back instead of this need for fake news and celebrity based articles.
Also looking at the complexities of work/life balance and posing the question can we really have it all? The dream job, the perfect relationship and family. Does that sort of equilibrium even exist?
A novel that I will happily recommend to others and read again myself.
May 4, 2021
Journalist Thorn Marsh makes a career-ending mistake which leads her to a life-changing encounter. This is a cleverly-woven story around Thorn's bid to rescue her career and her relationships after a clanger of a decision to fabricate/exaggerate a story. What follows is a series of events that lead her to question everything in her life. Her relationship with ex-husband Nick is drawn with fabulous attention to the little details of married life that determine longevity. Nick becomes a crutch to lean on, a shoulder to cry on, but ultimately remains removed. Each of the true-to-life characters in this engaging story lifts the pages as we turn and discover with Thorn the real story behind the fake one she has created. An entertaining, poignant read, ultimately about storytelling, those in print and those we tell ourselves.
March 14, 2022
What will a journalist do to get an exclusive for her paper? This is the dilemma for Thorn after she is demoted from her job on the newsdesk of a newspaper. Then she sees a photograph taken by her ex-husband Nick, of a man jumping from a bridge, and what follows is how she turns her imagination of a 'fake' story into a headline news one. But the book is also a gentle romance, one which is not helped by the web of lies Thorn has woven around herself and her true identity.
On Hampstead Heath is a most engaging read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Arcadia Books for the opportunity to read and review it.
On Hampstead Heath is a most engaging read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Arcadia Books for the opportunity to read and review it.
September 8, 2024
I’ve had mixed experiences with Cobbold’s novels. I tally enjoyed Frozen Music but didn’t really like Drowning Rose at all. This falls somewhere in between. It’s not my usual sort of book and I mainly bought it because of the Hampstead Heath setting but I still found it perfectly enjoyable. It has some good insights in to fake news and the dumbing down of serious journalism - although it probably won’t add much for anyone who takes an interest in these things anyway, and it can also be very funny in a wry way. Overall an easy read but also one that does have some important messages at its core.
March 20, 2022
It was a very interesting read: it's entertaining and full of food for thought at the same time.
The uplifting, compelling, and well written story of a journalist and how she invented a story and the web of lies.
It's a reflection on the world of news and the story of a person whose only interest is work.
i liked the style of writing and the character.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
The uplifting, compelling, and well written story of a journalist and how she invented a story and the web of lies.
It's a reflection on the world of news and the story of a person whose only interest is work.
i liked the style of writing and the character.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
May 22, 2022
I very much enjoyed this novel. It starts as a critique of fake news and becomes a story about truth and lies and how falsehoods can end up totally compromising human relationships. Well drawn characters and a cute dog. What more could I ask for?
August 13, 2023
An enjoyable read. I enjoyed Marika Cobbold's writing style. Although the story is described as a comedy of errors, I found it quite a sad tale in some ways, thankfully the witty writing pulled me through those parts. I would happily recommend this book to fellow readers.
February 22, 2022
A clever and sobering look on the iffy morals, lack of integrity and the abundance of alternative facts that have become the mainstream in today’s click driven world of electronic journalism. It’s the story of a true journalist, Thorn, who can no longer fit in today’s news. Editors don’t want her because she refuses to follow the sensational rather than fact based newspaper reporting. A friendship with a holocaust survivor and a relationship with a stranger met on the heath are the best parts of the story. Slow paced with humor, the story gets better and is worth the pursuit.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy.
February 2, 2025
A very quaint book, felt a bit like Roald Dahl but for adults. Loved the location vibes and all descriptions of Hampstead and the Heath. Found myself very into the story by half way which tipped it into 4 ⭐️
Fave quote: If there exists a more eloquent excuse for our existence on this planet than music, I’m at loss as to what it would be.
Fave quote: If there exists a more eloquent excuse for our existence on this planet than music, I’m at loss as to what it would be.
April 24, 2021
Fun little book. Mostly enjoyed it because it’s set in Hampstead and it was nice to read about all the familiar spots in the neighborhood!
April 23, 2021
Today is my spot on the blog tour for 𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛 by Marika Cobbold. Thank you to Amber Choudhary at Midas PR for having me along and for sending me a proof copy of the book.
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'𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱? 𝗗𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘆?'
'𝗕𝗮𝗶𝘁,' 𝗜 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, '𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗹'𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻.'
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The story follows Thorn Marsh, a journalist, and her internal debate about the importance of truth, in an age where the press promotes clickbait and outrage, and where fake news is rampant.
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𝗜 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁. 𝗔 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵, 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘂𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿. 𝗢𝗿 𝘀𝗼 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁.
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As part of a company takeover and restructure, Thorn finds herself ousted from her job in the main newsroom, and shuffled into a living supplement part of the paper.
At first glance this does seem to be a poor match, as Thorn herself (real name Rose) is a practical realist, somewhat cynical, and definitely not overly romantic in her outlook on life.
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𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗹.
𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵-𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿-𝗶𝗻-𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸
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I don't want to give the plot away, but for a story that pivots around a lie, it is incredibly honest.
Thorn herself is such an interesting and relatable character. She doesn't buy into toxic positivity, and calls BS where she sees it. But she is also able to accurately reflect on society, and life, and through her Cobbold is able to give an accurate and satiric portrayal of society.
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'𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼, 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?'
𝗠𝗶𝗿𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸. '𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁? 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼, 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗶𝘁?'
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Far from being cantakerous, Thorn's outlook is genuinely funny. I laughed out loud a few times while reading On Hampstead Heath, which is quite rare for me while reading.
One moment in particular was especially amusing, while also being reflective of modern day: Thorn is watching young children perform a play in the presence of nuns, and the nun's saint names become a topic of debate focussed on gender.
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𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮 𝗻𝘂𝗻, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻, 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 ... 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, '𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝘆'𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲.' ...
𝗔 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱, '𝗡𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗶𝗱.'
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There are also important reflections on family, and lineage, and what we inherit through our biological and chosen families.
Not all origin stories are happy ones, but finding a place of belonging with those who love us, and who care, is so important.
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𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗳 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 ...
𝗔𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀' 𝗻𝗼𝘁-𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽; 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗻𝘆, 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.
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The book was also very moving in parts. With a romantic interest, and the loss of a dear friend, I felt the ending did serve as a poignant reminder that truth in the press, and internally challenging the news we absorb, has to remain a priority.
We are what we ingest, and so it is important for us to remain scrupulous and curious, and to continually question things rather than believing everything we see, hear or read at first glance.
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𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝘆𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹, 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳-𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗼 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝗳?
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I would highly recommend On Hampstead Heath to anyone who enjoys romance and literary fiction. And I would definitely read more from Marika Cobbold.
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'𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱? 𝗗𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘆?'
'𝗕𝗮𝗶𝘁,' 𝗜 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, '𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗹'𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻.'
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The story follows Thorn Marsh, a journalist, and her internal debate about the importance of truth, in an age where the press promotes clickbait and outrage, and where fake news is rampant.
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𝗜 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁. 𝗔 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵, 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘂𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿. 𝗢𝗿 𝘀𝗼 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁.
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As part of a company takeover and restructure, Thorn finds herself ousted from her job in the main newsroom, and shuffled into a living supplement part of the paper.
At first glance this does seem to be a poor match, as Thorn herself (real name Rose) is a practical realist, somewhat cynical, and definitely not overly romantic in her outlook on life.
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𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗹.
𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵-𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿-𝗶𝗻-𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸
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I don't want to give the plot away, but for a story that pivots around a lie, it is incredibly honest.
Thorn herself is such an interesting and relatable character. She doesn't buy into toxic positivity, and calls BS where she sees it. But she is also able to accurately reflect on society, and life, and through her Cobbold is able to give an accurate and satiric portrayal of society.
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'𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼, 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?'
𝗠𝗶𝗿𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸. '𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁? 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼, 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗶𝘁?'
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Far from being cantakerous, Thorn's outlook is genuinely funny. I laughed out loud a few times while reading On Hampstead Heath, which is quite rare for me while reading.
One moment in particular was especially amusing, while also being reflective of modern day: Thorn is watching young children perform a play in the presence of nuns, and the nun's saint names become a topic of debate focussed on gender.
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𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮 𝗻𝘂𝗻, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻, 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 ... 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, '𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝘆'𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲.' ...
𝗔 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱, '𝗡𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗶𝗱.'
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There are also important reflections on family, and lineage, and what we inherit through our biological and chosen families.
Not all origin stories are happy ones, but finding a place of belonging with those who love us, and who care, is so important.
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𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗳 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 ...
𝗔𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀' 𝗻𝗼𝘁-𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽; 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗻𝘆, 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.
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The book was also very moving in parts. With a romantic interest, and the loss of a dear friend, I felt the ending did serve as a poignant reminder that truth in the press, and internally challenging the news we absorb, has to remain a priority.
We are what we ingest, and so it is important for us to remain scrupulous and curious, and to continually question things rather than believing everything we see, hear or read at first glance.
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𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝘆𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹, 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳-𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗼 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝗳?
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I would highly recommend On Hampstead Heath to anyone who enjoys romance and literary fiction. And I would definitely read more from Marika Cobbold.
October 9, 2022
Quite quirky in places, this isn’t a bad read overall, although the beginning seemed a little like it was going to drag on for its entirety.
Good storyline and an interesting ending, has the making of a good film.
Good storyline and an interesting ending, has the making of a good film.
April 19, 2021
Thorn Marsh is a journalist in the old style. Long-standing Editor of the news desk at her beloved London Journal, one of the last bastions of decent reporting, she believes in printing the facts and holds the responsibility granted to the media as the Fourth Estate as sacred. But something is afoot at the Journal. It has been taken over by the media giant The Goring Group and under the guardianship of a 'media consultant' the Journal is about to be brought firmly into the twenty-first century and rebranded as click-bait central, with very little regard to the actual truth. Thorn's kind of reporting is no longer required, thank you very much, and she has been side-lined into working on the light-hearted, news free, midweek supplement London Living, specifically the rather ominously entitled The Bright Side page, which will involve her writing heart-warming and inspirational stories - something which Thorn is most certainly not suited for.
Thorn's upbringing, and her passion for the truth are not conducive to writing the sort of content now required of her, so after a drunken session with her ex-husband, Thorn resorts to making up a story about a man seen leaping from Viaduct Bridge into a pond on Hampstead Heath. Although such a man does exist, did jump for reasons unknown, and surprisingly survived the drop, Thorn spins the tale as that of the 'Angel of the Heath' and embellishes it by adding in that he saved a drowning woman - a tale which unfortunately takes off out of all proportion and goes viral. Trapped in a lie that she cannot now confess to, Thorn has to weave a web of half-truths and downright whoppers to keep her in a job and she begins to question who she is becoming. As she is forced to dwell into the truth behind the man she has made an unwitting hero, she must confront her own secrets and lies, and what she finds affects her in ways she could never have imagined.
Sometimes you start reading a book and know from the very first page that you are going to love it, wherever the story takes you. On Hampstead Heath by Marika Cobbold is that kind of book.
The characters here are rich, varied and realistically flawed, and Cobbold weaves her threads around them with a deft touch, taking us on a journey that she playfully hints at the direction of with a portentous first chapter. It is a heart-felt lament for good old fashioned journalism, and I found the shattering of everything Thorn values surprisingly emotional - I defy you not to feel that the kind of lowest common denominator reporting that takes the place of her ideals is distressing in the extreme, and a sad indictment of the kind of journalism we see so much of today. But more than that, this is a book about the importance of truth in a wider sense too - the truth between friends and loved ones that can easily become subverted and lead to misunderstandings; the truth you must acknowledge to yourself about the kind of person you really are; and the truth about acts of the past that should never be allowed to be forgotten.
There is a lot here to tug firmly on your heartstrings, but it is also full of the most brilliant humour that will make you chuckle on and off throughout, despite the poignancy of the story. Cobbold throws up a lot for us to examine as part of her exploration of truth, including the influence of social media and the impact of family secrets on the way we see ourselves in adulthood. I have to say it was also a delight to have a protagonist who was able to really shine as a middle aged woman.
This is my first Marika Cobbold novel, but it will most definitely not be my last. I have fallen in love with her writing and am looking forward to the enjoyment of exploring every one of the seven books in her back catalogue. In many ways it reminds me of the sublime Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers in how it examines our feelings about the things we hold dear, which is a very good thing indeed. I cannot recommend this one highly enough.
Thorn's upbringing, and her passion for the truth are not conducive to writing the sort of content now required of her, so after a drunken session with her ex-husband, Thorn resorts to making up a story about a man seen leaping from Viaduct Bridge into a pond on Hampstead Heath. Although such a man does exist, did jump for reasons unknown, and surprisingly survived the drop, Thorn spins the tale as that of the 'Angel of the Heath' and embellishes it by adding in that he saved a drowning woman - a tale which unfortunately takes off out of all proportion and goes viral. Trapped in a lie that she cannot now confess to, Thorn has to weave a web of half-truths and downright whoppers to keep her in a job and she begins to question who she is becoming. As she is forced to dwell into the truth behind the man she has made an unwitting hero, she must confront her own secrets and lies, and what she finds affects her in ways she could never have imagined.
Sometimes you start reading a book and know from the very first page that you are going to love it, wherever the story takes you. On Hampstead Heath by Marika Cobbold is that kind of book.
The characters here are rich, varied and realistically flawed, and Cobbold weaves her threads around them with a deft touch, taking us on a journey that she playfully hints at the direction of with a portentous first chapter. It is a heart-felt lament for good old fashioned journalism, and I found the shattering of everything Thorn values surprisingly emotional - I defy you not to feel that the kind of lowest common denominator reporting that takes the place of her ideals is distressing in the extreme, and a sad indictment of the kind of journalism we see so much of today. But more than that, this is a book about the importance of truth in a wider sense too - the truth between friends and loved ones that can easily become subverted and lead to misunderstandings; the truth you must acknowledge to yourself about the kind of person you really are; and the truth about acts of the past that should never be allowed to be forgotten.
There is a lot here to tug firmly on your heartstrings, but it is also full of the most brilliant humour that will make you chuckle on and off throughout, despite the poignancy of the story. Cobbold throws up a lot for us to examine as part of her exploration of truth, including the influence of social media and the impact of family secrets on the way we see ourselves in adulthood. I have to say it was also a delight to have a protagonist who was able to really shine as a middle aged woman.
This is my first Marika Cobbold novel, but it will most definitely not be my last. I have fallen in love with her writing and am looking forward to the enjoyment of exploring every one of the seven books in her back catalogue. In many ways it reminds me of the sublime Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers in how it examines our feelings about the things we hold dear, which is a very good thing indeed. I cannot recommend this one highly enough.
May 12, 2021
Fun and heartwarming book even though I sometimes hated the main character. I think I liked it more than usual just because it’s set in Hampstead and liked reading a story set in familiar (and favorite!) places.
October 5, 2022
Fun
A good story, nicely told. A little dog is one of the important characters, but he doesn’t come into his own until the end. Lots of good characterisation in this story, which was enjoyable to read.
A good story, nicely told. A little dog is one of the important characters, but he doesn’t come into his own until the end. Lots of good characterisation in this story, which was enjoyable to read.
June 6, 2023
Such a great story of a journalist, her problems, and a man who jumps from a bridge. Sweet! But full of wonderful quotes, both inspiring and comedic!
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