Jumping to Conclusions

by Sarah Challis

Point-to-point jockey Jess Haddon has maintained a resolute silence about the identity of the father of her little daughter, Izzy. But that hasn't stopped the rumours swirling around their small Dorset village. Izzy's adoring grandmother Belinda is not the only one who believes Jess must have had a fling with charming Johnnie Bearsden before he moved to America with his family.


Belinda is certain Jess's secret cannot be kept for ever. And when she discovers Johnnie is back in the area, she knows everything is about to change. Sooner or later the story must break, and when it does, there will surely be terrible consequences.

Genres: Chick Lit

448 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2010

About the author

Sarah Challis, whose father is the distinguished cinematographer, Christopher Challis, travelled widely with film units as a child. She has since lived in Scotland and California but is now happily settled in a Dorset village with three rescued dogs and three chickens. She is married with four sons.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/s...

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting beginning and end, but I felt the majority of the book seemed to just be filling time with very little plot development. Found it difficult to persevere with the book and took a ,long time to get to the end. Glad I did read the ending though as it was interesting and tied up unanswered questions really well.

[Elizabeth Fuller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thoroughly disappointing...nothing of interest really happens in this book. It basically just follows a group of very unlikeable people around as they live their very mundane lives. Jess is a terrible mother and honestly just an unlikeable person. Irresponsible, selfish, greedy, lazy and overall, kind of a loser. Belinda is a busybody with no ability to set boundaries. Tom is a pushover who needs to grow a backbone. Karen is annoying and avoids accountability like the plague. 

The author drones on and on, including details, conversations and interactions and long chapters about random things that have nothing to do with the main plot - which by the way, really only starts getting underway past the halfway mark of the book and isn't really all that interesting in the first place - the who's the father tripe. The twist in the end is something I didn't see coming but when Jess is as unlikeable and cold as she is, it's hard to form a connection to her as a reader and I just found myself not caring about her problems. Honestly, after the big reveal, it more or less just cemented that she really was a selfish loser who didn't care about other people's feelings at all...I guess I felt bad for Belinda that she has such a terrible daughter but also happy that at the very end Jess becomes someone else's responsibility and Belinda can start living her own life...maybe if you're into horse racing you'll enjoy this book as there are several very long chapters going to great detail of Jess's life as a racer but for me, it was a struggle to want to finish. 

[Tracey Gemmell]

I chose this book as it's set in beautiful Dorset with the backdrop of horse racing. It took me a while to get into it as it's hard to relate to a mother, Jess, who seems indifferent to her child. But as the story moved forward, I was drawn into the multi-generational sagas and secrets. It was also nice to find a love story between older characters. Belinda and Victor are sympathetically drawn and their relationship feels authentic. The racing scenes are exciting, yet realistic. Recommended for anglophile horse lovers.

[Alicia Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't agree with horse racing, hunting, or bringing animals into the world for the purpose of killing them (i.e animal farming), so a lot of this book was skipped and I didn't like it. But i was almost tempted for give the book three stars because the twist in it was excellent and I hadn't considered it, and there was parts I enjoyed.
Nevertheless, I couldn't fully immerse myself in the book or story because of the above.

[Pat Osment · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book really good storyline and characterisation plus living in the area the book is set in added to bringing it all to life.It has good humorous bits and also a twist or two.

[Shanti Timalsina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moral: Don't ever jump into conclusions! Cozy read for a long winter night.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't find it "Brilliant" as Rosamunde Pilcher is quoted on the cover. Too many side stories. Liked other Sarah Challis books much more!

[LindyLouMac · Rating 3 out of 5]

An author whose work I have liked the sound of for a long while, but for some reason have not got around to reading any of her novels before now. With choosing 'Jumping to Conclusions' from our bookshelves for my letter 'J' in the title reading challenge I am taking part in this year, that has at last been rectified. With one more on our shelves already, I have added the rest of her back catalogue and the new one 'The Lonely Desert ' due out in Jan 2013 to my Amazon Wishlist. You never know I may just get the opportunity to read some of the tempting books on this one day.

A heart warming and romantic story set in a rural setting with realistic and strong characters, immerse yourself in village life, horses and rumours. An evocative read that transported me to the English countryside where we spent many happy years before moving to Italy.

Jess Haddon is a point to point jockey and she lives with her mother Belinda and daughter Izzy in the Dorset village where she grew up and developed her passion for horses. Jess has always kept the identity of her daughter's father strictly to herself but of course this did not stop the rumours when she was born, when locals suspected that she had been having an affair with a local married man. Seven years later those old wounds are reopened when the name 'Johnnie Bearsden' appears in some books purchased at a local village jumble sale, it seems he and his family are back. On seeing his name again Jess is unsettled but will neither confirm or deny that he is Izzy's father not even to her Mother. Belinda feels that the secret cannot be kept for ever and that when it does come out everything will change, especially for her granddaughter.
Will Jess manage to keep her secret or will all be revealed?

For more please visit:
http://lindyloumacbookreviews.blogspo...

[Cathc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at a National Trust second hand book shop for 30p and wasn't expecting great things. So it came as a bit of a surprise to me how much I enjoyed it, so much so I will look out some of Sarah Challis's other novels. It's set in deepest rural Dorset and the main character is Jess who is a point to point jockey. She gave birth to Isobel when she was 18 and has kept the name of the father secret until it all comes back to bite her when the man, who everyone presumes to be Izzy's father, moves back to the community with his wife and family. She has a sometimes edgy relationship with her widowed mother with whom she shares a cottage. I liked the descriptions of the Dorset countryside. I don't want to spoil the story and its ending but to my mind it was very satisfactory for all concerned.

[Christina Rochester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this book. The characters were so easy to relate too, and I loved the jockey point to point world. It all seemed so glamorous and exciting, if not dangerous at the same time. And the twist with Izzy and Mikey was just perfect. An amazing book.

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad at all, especially if you're interested in horse jumping competitions. Decent story and a happy ending.

[Pam]

OK- not a barn burner for me.

[Jeanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

British chick lit, very sweet. My mother-in-law loved it and passed it on to me.

[Lara]

I didnt really get into this book until near the end. Its pretty long winded, but I can see that some people will like it. Good holiday read I suppose.

[Shikha Malviya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mild read but I liked the way author portrayed different colours of women's emotions and the way characters evolve as story progresses..