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Love Always
A compelling and heartbreaking tale of lost love, family secrets and those little moments that can change your life for ever.
Returning to the wild Cornish coast for the funeral of her beloved grandmother, Natasha has no idea of how things are about to change. This trip reunites her with her large and complicated family for perhaps the last time: Summercove, her grandparents' beautiful house by the sea, is being sold. With it go a generation of memories and the key to the death, many years ago, of fifteen-year-old Cecily, her aunt, a tragedy that no one ever discusses.
When she finds the opening pages of Cecily's diary, written the summer she died, Natasha discovers the family she idealised has secrets that have long been buried. But where is the rest of the diary?
Returning to the wild Cornish coast for the funeral of her beloved grandmother, Natasha has no idea of how things are about to change. This trip reunites her with her large and complicated family for perhaps the last time: Summercove, her grandparents' beautiful house by the sea, is being sold. With it go a generation of memories and the key to the death, many years ago, of fifteen-year-old Cecily, her aunt, a tragedy that no one ever discusses.
When she finds the opening pages of Cecily's diary, written the summer she died, Natasha discovers the family she idealised has secrets that have long been buried. But where is the rest of the diary?
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
126 people are currently reading
2371 people want to read
About the author
Harriet Evans
109 books1,200 followersI was born in London and grew up there. I was very bookish, and had a huge imagination which used to cause me to get rather anxious at times. Now I know it's a good thing for a writer to have. I loved musicals, and playing imaginative games, and my Barbie perfume making kit. Most of all I loved reading. I read everything, but I also read lots of things over and over, which I think is so important.
At university I read Classical Studies, which is a great way of finding out that the world doesn't change much and people make the same mistakes but it's interesting to look at why. I was at Bristol, and i loved the city, making new friends, being a new person.
After university I came back to London and got a job in publishing. I loved working in publishing so much, and really felt for the first time in my life that when I spoke people understood what I was saying. Book people are good people. I became an editor after a few years, working with many bestselling novelists, and in 2009 I left to write full time.
I've written 13 novels and several short stories and one Quick Read, which is an excellent way of getting people into reading more. I've acquired a partner and two children along the way.
In 2019 we moved to Bath, out of London, and I am very happy there. We live opposite a hedgerow, and I can be boring about gardening, and there's room for my collection of jumpsuits and all our books. We have lots of books. Apart from anything else they keep the house warm. xxx
At university I read Classical Studies, which is a great way of finding out that the world doesn't change much and people make the same mistakes but it's interesting to look at why. I was at Bristol, and i loved the city, making new friends, being a new person.
After university I came back to London and got a job in publishing. I loved working in publishing so much, and really felt for the first time in my life that when I spoke people understood what I was saying. Book people are good people. I became an editor after a few years, working with many bestselling novelists, and in 2009 I left to write full time.
I've written 13 novels and several short stories and one Quick Read, which is an excellent way of getting people into reading more. I've acquired a partner and two children along the way.
In 2019 we moved to Bath, out of London, and I am very happy there. We live opposite a hedgerow, and I can be boring about gardening, and there's room for my collection of jumpsuits and all our books. We have lots of books. Apart from anything else they keep the house warm. xxx
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 229 reviews
May 24, 2017
Dit was een verhaal wat ik makkelijk oppakte maar ook weer net zo makkelijk terzijde legde. Pas halverwege het boek werd het voor mij pas echt interessant en wilde ik door blijven lezen. Ik vond de stukken uit het verleden in het verhaal ook wat interessanter dan de stukken uit het heden. Uiteindelijk was het wel een mooie afsluiting van beide verhalen.
July 2, 2017
Quite simply some of the best writing that I have ever read.
Intriguing, inviting and engaging. Brilliant!
Intriguing, inviting and engaging. Brilliant!
November 5, 2011
I bought this book on someone’s recommendation, so had an inkling of the story. Had I seen the cover first, I’d be expecting a more fluffy romantic tale as the cover doesn’t convey the story inside at all.
Love Always is a fairly long book and bigger than most too, but then there’s a lot of story to tell as we get to read about two timelines – the present day and the early 1960s. I have to say of the two, I enjoyed the 60s story best and the author did a clever thing there by giving the characters a sort of BBC style of speech. I’m not convinced normal people actually spoke that way but it helped to define the different time periods and keep them quite separate.
The story starts with Natasha Kapoor catching the train to Cornwall for her grandmother’s funeral. Summercove, her grandparents’ family home, plays an important part in both stories and there are plenty of secrets surrounding life there with the family – past and present – being an eclectic mix. When Natasha is given part of a diary written by her dead aunt who died in 1963 aged 15 and whom nobody ever talks about, the mystery gradually unfolds
Love Always is a fairly long book and bigger than most too, but then there’s a lot of story to tell as we get to read about two timelines – the present day and the early 1960s. I have to say of the two, I enjoyed the 60s story best and the author did a clever thing there by giving the characters a sort of BBC style of speech. I’m not convinced normal people actually spoke that way but it helped to define the different time periods and keep them quite separate.
The story starts with Natasha Kapoor catching the train to Cornwall for her grandmother’s funeral. Summercove, her grandparents’ family home, plays an important part in both stories and there are plenty of secrets surrounding life there with the family – past and present – being an eclectic mix. When Natasha is given part of a diary written by her dead aunt who died in 1963 aged 15 and whom nobody ever talks about, the mystery gradually unfolds
June 23, 2011
This book is best read with a British accent in your head. It helps with the tricky British words like fags (cigarettes), jumper (sweater), fringe (bangs). It also adds a lot of character. What I enjoyed most about this book, besides the story which kept pulling me back in even when I really had other things to do, is how easily the family drama was a microcosm of world events. Martin Luther King Jr. was in a Birmingham jail for proclaiming that all men are equal regardless of race, class or religion while the Kapoors who were mixed race, were struggling with being treated equally. Each child responding differently to injustices at school and with their cousins.
At the same time, in London it was the Stephen Ward trial which I know nothing about, I'm afraid. What I gathered is that there was sexual exploits with prostitutes, lying to parliament and ultimately a scapegoat was chosen to play out on the media stage. Intriguing. One of the Kapoors is also chosen as a scapegoat for all that went wrong that summer and the following years while the guilty party kept the secrets.
The microcosm of politics is very subtle, mind you. I just liked it.
Natasha's life falls apart completely. The triangles of her life, work, family and social all crumble simultaneously. She's on the verge of bankruptcy, she discovered her husband is having an affair and realizes the marriage has been over for a long time, and she alienates a close friend, although she does still have her cousin, Jay and friend whose name I blanked on. Regardless, she is feeling utterly alone with the death of her grandmother and discoveries regarding her mother who has not been a prominent parental feature in her life, anyway.
Evans does a spectacular job with dealing in family dynamics. Children, feeling wronged by their parents, make conscious choices to not be like them and ultimately marry people like their parents, repeat history and eventually come full circle to make peace with their parents, family and history. She also explores spousal infidelity and contrasts different coping mechanisms through her characters.
I really enjoyed the story, the characters, the mystery and intrigue, the two time periods and the full circle. Very satisfying read.
At the same time, in London it was the Stephen Ward trial which I know nothing about, I'm afraid. What I gathered is that there was sexual exploits with prostitutes, lying to parliament and ultimately a scapegoat was chosen to play out on the media stage. Intriguing. One of the Kapoors is also chosen as a scapegoat for all that went wrong that summer and the following years while the guilty party kept the secrets.
The microcosm of politics is very subtle, mind you. I just liked it.
Natasha's life falls apart completely. The triangles of her life, work, family and social all crumble simultaneously. She's on the verge of bankruptcy, she discovered her husband is having an affair and realizes the marriage has been over for a long time, and she alienates a close friend, although she does still have her cousin, Jay and friend whose name I blanked on. Regardless, she is feeling utterly alone with the death of her grandmother and discoveries regarding her mother who has not been a prominent parental feature in her life, anyway.
Evans does a spectacular job with dealing in family dynamics. Children, feeling wronged by their parents, make conscious choices to not be like them and ultimately marry people like their parents, repeat history and eventually come full circle to make peace with their parents, family and history. She also explores spousal infidelity and contrasts different coping mechanisms through her characters.
I really enjoyed the story, the characters, the mystery and intrigue, the two time periods and the full circle. Very satisfying read.
September 4, 2011
As I read this book, I did so with a glorious British accent in my head. All while sipping a cup of tea, seaside, on the deck of my summer home. A taller, boobier, blonder, British-er version of myself.
All kidding aside, this book was beautifully written with characters that captured your heart, drove you made, and left an imprint that remained far after the last written word on the page. One of those books that is complex in it's plot but comes around full circle to leave you with a complete picture allowing you to understand each role set aside for the cast of characters you have just met.
Her life crumbling at every possible seam, Natasha Kapoor returns to her Grandparent's summer home for her grandmother's funeral. After the funeral, her grandfather hands her the diary of her aunt Cecily. The diary was written the summer Cecily tragically died on the grounds of the family summer home. The circumstances behind her death have long been a family secret. As Natasha reads the diary, she uncovers long lost family secrets of love, betrayal, and tragedy.
Somehow the written words of her dead aunt inspire the change she needs to pick up the pieces and move on. Natasha learns what really happened that fateful day and also realizes her family, her mother, her grandmother...none of them are who she thought they were. A tale of love, secrets, and complexity of family. Loved.
All kidding aside, this book was beautifully written with characters that captured your heart, drove you made, and left an imprint that remained far after the last written word on the page. One of those books that is complex in it's plot but comes around full circle to leave you with a complete picture allowing you to understand each role set aside for the cast of characters you have just met.
Her life crumbling at every possible seam, Natasha Kapoor returns to her Grandparent's summer home for her grandmother's funeral. After the funeral, her grandfather hands her the diary of her aunt Cecily. The diary was written the summer Cecily tragically died on the grounds of the family summer home. The circumstances behind her death have long been a family secret. As Natasha reads the diary, she uncovers long lost family secrets of love, betrayal, and tragedy.
Somehow the written words of her dead aunt inspire the change she needs to pick up the pieces and move on. Natasha learns what really happened that fateful day and also realizes her family, her mother, her grandmother...none of them are who she thought they were. A tale of love, secrets, and complexity of family. Loved.
August 12, 2011
This was hands down a fabulous book. Natasha Kapoor is at a crossroads with her jewelry business and personal life. The death of her beloved granny, a famous artist, sends her to the family home in Cornwall, called Summercove. As the family gathers, it's apparent that this extended group has a lot of secrets to share. As Nat heads back to London, she is given her aunt Cecily's diary, at least the part of it her grandfather found in granny's studio. Nat is told she resembles her Aunt Cecily, who tragically died in the summer of '63 as a fifteen year old. The vast number of characters--cousins, in-laws, friends--which I thought would be daunting at first, played out into their various roles very easily. Evans tells the story of Cecily's last summer eloquently via her school girl diary. The relationships of the present day are exquisitely handled as Nat begins to learn more about her mother's distance from the family and and learns a lot about herself as well. I will definitely pick up another one of Evans' novels again
January 24, 2018
Really struggled with reading it all the way to the end. The main character didn't feel realistic to me and I couldn't emphasize with her or her choices. Some of the dialogue felt too forced, at some points even ridiculous and too far fetched. Don't recommend reading this book, bit of a waste of time if I'm honest.
January 17, 2018
Very good. Dealt with the issue of how families can hold secrets for years and how they can come out eventually. Characters were developed very well and also how the story was revealed was well written.
March 17, 2011
Natasha Kapoor finds herself returning to the beautiful Cornish Coast to attend the funeral of her wonderful grandmother. Not only does she have to say goodbye to the one person in her life she was closest to but she has to face her complicated family. Summercove holds a lot of memories for the entire family and when Natasha returns she realises that she also has to say goodbye to the place she knew as her second home.
When Natasha’s grandfather insists she takes a piece of a diary which belonged to his youngest daughter Cecily the secret of her death begin to unfold. Cecily died at summercove when she was fifteen and the mystery has been covered up ever since.
Back in London Natasha’s world has fallen apart. Her husband is gone and her business is in ruins. She is completely lost and as she starts to read Cecily’s pages, it seems the family she thought she knew are unrecognisable.
If you picked up this book thinking it was going to be Chick Lit then you were wrong. The cover is extremely deceptive to the story contained within the pages. As the book switches from the 60’s to the 21st century you find yourself falling in love with who the characters used to be and who they have become.
Harriet Evens is an extremely clever writer. Just when you think you have got it all worked out you turn the page to find happily that you were wrong. This book was a pleasant surprise for me. Finding out people are not who you thought they were but its okay to love them anyway. This story stays true to life and the things that people have to deal with especially at the moment with the way the economy is. This book helps you to realise that you just have to deal with the messiness of life but there are plenty of good things waiting for you out there.
I didn’t want this book to end which in itself is reason enough to read it.
When Natasha’s grandfather insists she takes a piece of a diary which belonged to his youngest daughter Cecily the secret of her death begin to unfold. Cecily died at summercove when she was fifteen and the mystery has been covered up ever since.
Back in London Natasha’s world has fallen apart. Her husband is gone and her business is in ruins. She is completely lost and as she starts to read Cecily’s pages, it seems the family she thought she knew are unrecognisable.
If you picked up this book thinking it was going to be Chick Lit then you were wrong. The cover is extremely deceptive to the story contained within the pages. As the book switches from the 60’s to the 21st century you find yourself falling in love with who the characters used to be and who they have become.
Harriet Evens is an extremely clever writer. Just when you think you have got it all worked out you turn the page to find happily that you were wrong. This book was a pleasant surprise for me. Finding out people are not who you thought they were but its okay to love them anyway. This story stays true to life and the things that people have to deal with especially at the moment with the way the economy is. This book helps you to realise that you just have to deal with the messiness of life but there are plenty of good things waiting for you out there.
I didn’t want this book to end which in itself is reason enough to read it.
March 2, 2012
Family entaglements and the ties that bind
When an Anglo-Indian woman discovers an old family secret from her grandfathers it changes her perspective of her own identity. Natasha Kapoor loves visiting her grandparents’ home on the coast. She is enjoying a swinging London lifestyle that includes a career as a successful jewelry designer. She's also married and about to be divorced. When her grandmother dies and she visits her ancestral home in Cornwall for the funeral it sparks unanswered questions to a lifelong mystery.
Embedded in Natasha's family secret is her dead aunt Cecily who left the family many years ago. Cecily had died as a teenager and it is a loss that Natasha’s grandparents never quite got over. The long dead Cecily harbors a haunting specter in the dynamics of Natasha's family. Her curiosity is sparked when her grandfather gives her long-lost diary that Cecily used to chronicle the strange and complicated dynamics between her parents and siblings. Not only is Natasha left speechless by the contents of the diary but the sadness and betrayal of Cecily’s short life spurs Natasha to learn the truth about her own origins.
Everything that Natasha thought she was is turned upside down as she pieces together the details of Cecily’s forbidden love and risky choices. Evans weaves a tale of how we can learn from those who come before us. The discovery of Cecily’s life nearly half a century after death her offers a perspective that can help Natasha ease into a new future without her husband. Natasha’s unusual family is comprised both of traditions from two worlds and it is Cecily’s confusion and rebellion that reveals how much of the family is tied up in the past. Evans makes us wonder if Natasha can see past the pain and tragedy of Cecily to live out the rest of her life fully with the lessons learned from her aunt’s old diary entries.
July 13, 2011
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads & I loved it, loved it, loved it! A piece of it will stay with me always. This obviously isn't why I was drawn into the book (since it is towards the end) but it really was the icing on the cake for me.
The main character Natasha asks her grandfather if he will miss the home he is selling that he shared with his family for many decades. He taps his head and says "I have everything I need here. Have you ever heard of a memory palace?"......."You build a palace of memories. Each room in Summercove is in my head, filled with things I want to hold on to. I am not in the house anymore. It is in me."
This is a new favorite of mine.
The main character Natasha asks her grandfather if he will miss the home he is selling that he shared with his family for many decades. He taps his head and says "I have everything I need here. Have you ever heard of a memory palace?"......."You build a palace of memories. Each room in Summercove is in my head, filled with things I want to hold on to. I am not in the house anymore. It is in me."
This is a new favorite of mine.
May 13, 2015
If I could marry a book, this would definitely be an option.
Wow, this book. This book. I loved it so much, it was such a wonderful read. The characters were amazingly written, all flawed yet so lovable. I especially loved Natasha herself and Cecily, even though she's dead throughout the book. The family dynamic was fantasticly written. What I loved most is how in the end, all of their behaviours and ways of handeling things suddenly sound so logical and you can't really blame anyone for everything that happened.
The flashback to the summer of '63 were amazing and I secretly wish they could've been longer. But then again, I wish this entire book could've been longer!
Wow, this book. This book. I loved it so much, it was such a wonderful read. The characters were amazingly written, all flawed yet so lovable. I especially loved Natasha herself and Cecily, even though she's dead throughout the book. The family dynamic was fantasticly written. What I loved most is how in the end, all of their behaviours and ways of handeling things suddenly sound so logical and you can't really blame anyone for everything that happened.
The flashback to the summer of '63 were amazing and I secretly wish they could've been longer. But then again, I wish this entire book could've been longer!
April 23, 2015
Jeg kjøpte denne i boka i Sallysbury, England, sommeren 2011. Etter to-tre sider la jeg den fra meg og så aldri på den igjen. Over årene har jeg vært nær ved å både kaste den og gi den bort. Men for fem dager siden fant jeg plutselig ut at jeg skulle prøve meg på den igjen...jeg tror How I Met your Mother inspirerte meg, men nå kan jeg ikke huske hvorfor...
Etter coveret min versjon har å dømme så jeg for meg noe klissete romanse, men det var det faktisk ikke. Klisjeer og halv-dårlig språk var det, men interessante karakterer, så det blir en overraskende sterk treer. :)
Etter coveret min versjon har å dømme så jeg for meg noe klissete romanse, men det var det faktisk ikke. Klisjeer og halv-dårlig språk var det, men interessante karakterer, så det blir en overraskende sterk treer. :)
August 22, 2011
Two interconnecting stories, one about Natasha, who is going to her grandmother's funeral--and dealing with the fact that she's about to be divorced--and Cecily, who was Natasha's mother's sister, and who died in 1963 when she was fifteen. It's what I think of as proper UK women's fiction--a nice twisty plot, loads of family drama, and a love story to top it all off, and I'm glad that more of it is being published in the US.
June 6, 2020
THIS BOOK IS SO FRUSTRATINGLY TERRIBLE! AAAAARGH!
I tried and tried and tried and got close to the end but I can't stand it anymore. Natasha receives the diary of her aunt Cecily, dead at 15. She is told by her grandfather that their family is poisoned or some other thing like that and it seems that you will get to uncover some very serious s%$t.
Well, no, if anything, it is mightly shocking, but not even that. Except Natasha is behaving like it's the end of the world (I'd say from start to finish, but I won't ever finish this) and that it would have crushed the family to find out that her grandma did something questionably morale, but not illegal, 30 years ago. Natasha is also such a martyr about her husband cheating and she throws herself in her work except she doesn't really do much. In this time, Natasha's mum behaves like a teenager sulky about not being allowed to stay out late and doesn't talk about anything and fleds the country.
The dialogues are stalled and iritating, since no one talks like that, the drama is waaay too exaggerated, the characters make no sense and I really thought I can power through to the end but I gave up at 82% after Natasha says again how sweet her aunt she couldn't stand at the beginning of the book. Make up your damn mind and stop the drama!
There are so many books better than this, I'd have to be trapped on a desert island alone with this book and it would still be a few good months before I'd consider picking it again.
I tried and tried and tried and got close to the end but I can't stand it anymore. Natasha receives the diary of her aunt Cecily, dead at 15. She is told by her grandfather that their family is poisoned or some other thing like that and it seems that you will get to uncover some very serious s%$t.
Well, no, if anything, it is mightly shocking, but not even that. Except Natasha is behaving like it's the end of the world (I'd say from start to finish, but I won't ever finish this) and that it would have crushed the family to find out that her grandma did something questionably morale, but not illegal, 30 years ago. Natasha is also such a martyr about her husband cheating and she throws herself in her work except she doesn't really do much. In this time, Natasha's mum behaves like a teenager sulky about not being allowed to stay out late and doesn't talk about anything and fleds the country.
The dialogues are stalled and iritating, since no one talks like that, the drama is waaay too exaggerated, the characters make no sense and I really thought I can power through to the end but I gave up at 82% after Natasha says again how sweet her aunt she couldn't stand at the beginning of the book. Make up your damn mind and stop the drama!
There are so many books better than this, I'd have to be trapped on a desert island alone with this book and it would still be a few good months before I'd consider picking it again.
December 5, 2021
3.5 stars
This enjoyable piece of contemporary family life is the sort of book that would be good to read on holidays, when the reader has no time constraints and can plough through it at a leisurely pace. At 500 pages, it is a long but easy read.
Set in 21st century England, the story revolves around a dysfunctional family whose matriarch has died, and everyone is adjusting, jostling for attention, coping with emotions, thinking about the future. The main character, Natasha, not only has to deal with the grief of losing her beloved Granny, but also put up with her difficult mother Miranda. Her life hits rock bottom with the failure of her marriage to Oli in the same week.
There is an interesting narrative thread running throughout, in that Natasha and her close relatives are of mixed race. Granny was married to a Pakistani, and their children and grandchildren have experienced racism from the white Anglo side of the family, and from society in general. Always feeling discriminated against has had a psychological impact on all of them.
The other main narrative thread is that of the mystery which hangs over the family since 1963, when Cecily, sister of Miranda, died suddenly. Natasha is committed to finding out the truth, come what may. Through solving the puzzle of Cecily's death, Natasha hopes for healing in this deeply traumatised family.
This enjoyable piece of contemporary family life is the sort of book that would be good to read on holidays, when the reader has no time constraints and can plough through it at a leisurely pace. At 500 pages, it is a long but easy read.
Set in 21st century England, the story revolves around a dysfunctional family whose matriarch has died, and everyone is adjusting, jostling for attention, coping with emotions, thinking about the future. The main character, Natasha, not only has to deal with the grief of losing her beloved Granny, but also put up with her difficult mother Miranda. Her life hits rock bottom with the failure of her marriage to Oli in the same week.
There is an interesting narrative thread running throughout, in that Natasha and her close relatives are of mixed race. Granny was married to a Pakistani, and their children and grandchildren have experienced racism from the white Anglo side of the family, and from society in general. Always feeling discriminated against has had a psychological impact on all of them.
The other main narrative thread is that of the mystery which hangs over the family since 1963, when Cecily, sister of Miranda, died suddenly. Natasha is committed to finding out the truth, come what may. Through solving the puzzle of Cecily's death, Natasha hopes for healing in this deeply traumatised family.
June 25, 2019
Natasha Kapoor. Traumatized by the death of her grandma, Depressed by her husband's lack of interest in her. With her declining orders in the business and the boy next door in love with her.
Could she fall in love again?
Or it's never gone? Regardless of all the mistakes they make, considering all the troubles they'd put you in, accepting all the mistakes they make!
You still love them.
You love them because there is no explanation for it.
You just do.
Always.
A journey of knowing her mother and finding her father. Natasha is gonna break the barrier she has built around herself.
But, Was she ever in love with her husband? And the boy next door? Is she in love with him?
Well, find out in this amazing read by @harrietevansauthor who leaves you speechless while you'd know this is not your regular love story with a mystery. It is after all the love of the family that you live by all your life!
Could she fall in love again?
Or it's never gone? Regardless of all the mistakes they make, considering all the troubles they'd put you in, accepting all the mistakes they make!
You still love them.
You love them because there is no explanation for it.
You just do.
Always.
A journey of knowing her mother and finding her father. Natasha is gonna break the barrier she has built around herself.
But, Was she ever in love with her husband? And the boy next door? Is she in love with him?
Well, find out in this amazing read by @harrietevansauthor who leaves you speechless while you'd know this is not your regular love story with a mystery. It is after all the love of the family that you live by all your life!
December 10, 2020
Overall I enjoyed this book and found it a nice bit of light reading. I had gone searching for split time books and stumbled across this one. The title to me is a bit misleading, I was expecting it to be more of a soppy romance, but actually it wasn't really at all, just one about dysfunctional families with a mixed-race element
I liked the main character, who had come to multiple crossroads in her life and struggled to make decisions about the way forward and enjoyed being on her journey with her. I am surprised others stated that they found it hard going when I found it such an easy read, but often these things are based on how much you can relate to or like the characters. I can't say I related to them particularly, and at times the melodrama seemed too much, but I found them interesting which made me genuinely want to find out the end of the story.
I liked the main character, who had come to multiple crossroads in her life and struggled to make decisions about the way forward and enjoyed being on her journey with her. I am surprised others stated that they found it hard going when I found it such an easy read, but often these things are based on how much you can relate to or like the characters. I can't say I related to them particularly, and at times the melodrama seemed too much, but I found them interesting which made me genuinely want to find out the end of the story.
March 13, 2023
I am not sure how others might take it, but I felt a lot confused while coping up at this paralleled storyline. I think the last time I saw two storylines moving in parallel from different eras was while watching "Golak Bugni Bank Te Batua" movie, that's as far as one can compare it, as the book itself had a lot of learnings from the past as the pioneer character resembled with her relative of the past. The only reason I am giving this a higher rating is because it was a very unique concept which led to many positive outcomes during this storyline. But it just wasn't my style, I thought that this would be a vintage love story on the penennial era of british lifestyle, it turned out to be everything else but a love story that I craved for! Still a good recommendation to miss on your Sunday.
April 12, 2020
I gave this book three stars but just bearly pulling three stars. This book was so, so hard to get into. It took forever to read and not just cause it was completely out of my comfort zone. I found myself having to force myself not to skip lines or even pages to try and find were the book picked up. There was a large amount of this book I didn't have a lot of interest in but there was a small amount that I wanted to see how it progressed. Although most of the events were predicated some of it wasn't and was rather well played out. Although I couldn't relate to the characters individually I could the family placements and opinions were very well done in my opinion.
June 8, 2020
I’ve read so many excellent books recently that this one just didn’t quite cut the mustard. It’s a good story but it’s .... flat...Not sure if that’s the right word to describe it...but basically...The heroine is looking for a journal - she does nothing to actively seek it out yet it falls into her lap... I just think the story needed a bit more depth ... there should have been a few twists and struggles ... I was not kept at the edge of my seat ...maybe if I haven’t just finished The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley and The Promise by Ruth Saberton, I would have enjoyed it more. Those books really packed a punch whereas this was just missing something.
October 24, 2018
Disappointed
I knew that this was not a chic lit from other review, that's why I wanted to read it. Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. I felt that every character apart from Arvind was horrible no sympathy for any of them the whole family was dysfunctional, downright horrid. There wasn't any real twist just tbh just a boring story which in my opinion couldn't have been so much better. In fairness to the author it wasn't badly written,just think I will pass up reading anything else by her in future.
I knew that this was not a chic lit from other review, that's why I wanted to read it. Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. I felt that every character apart from Arvind was horrible no sympathy for any of them the whole family was dysfunctional, downright horrid. There wasn't any real twist just tbh just a boring story which in my opinion couldn't have been so much better. In fairness to the author it wasn't badly written,just think I will pass up reading anything else by her in future.
July 21, 2020
8.5/10
Really enjoyed this book.
I felt for the characters. Every single one. I felt I disliked some characters for a reason and not because they were meant to be “the bad one.”
This book is amazing at making you feel bittersweet, had it been any nicer of an ending it would have felt too sugarcoated, had it been anymore sad/unresolved I would have felt it was lacking.
I didn’t expect anything from this book and instead I got a wonderful read that I was emotionally invested in. Love love love
Really enjoyed this book.
I felt for the characters. Every single one. I felt I disliked some characters for a reason and not because they were meant to be “the bad one.”
This book is amazing at making you feel bittersweet, had it been any nicer of an ending it would have felt too sugarcoated, had it been anymore sad/unresolved I would have felt it was lacking.
I didn’t expect anything from this book and instead I got a wonderful read that I was emotionally invested in. Love love love
October 23, 2019
A complicated family
The setting is quite typical for a story with a Cornish connection but the author takes you on such a journey through one families’ complicated history that is far from typical.
A journey of discovery for the main character. A dash of love thrown in too. All in all a fabulous read.
The setting is quite typical for a story with a Cornish connection but the author takes you on such a journey through one families’ complicated history that is far from typical.
A journey of discovery for the main character. A dash of love thrown in too. All in all a fabulous read.
May 20, 2020
Really enjoyed the first half, but got a bit bored with all the present day stuff - I didn't really find Natasha very engaging as a character I'm afraid. The central mystery kept me reading though, but some of the resolutions weren't entirely convincing and there were some things that were left unaddressed
June 20, 2020
A topical book as the main family is mixed race, growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, so discussed racial issues surrounding that. Amongst that is the main ‘whodunnit, what happened’ storyline of which it I guessed the outcome about halfway through. 4🌟 as although it kept my interest, it was easy to work out the ending.
July 24, 2018
2.5 stars really. Didn't really get the relationship issues that made up the story. Couldn't understand the reasons for the conflicts. Great style of writing & how the past story & present intertwine though.
July 30, 2019
Enjoyable though got to be a bit long winded. Nice ideas with the diary and the ring but have read too much like it before. It wasn't difficult to imagine the settings and perhaps a four would have been a kinder score, three point five would have done it.
October 6, 2019
While a great chick-lit I ended up losing interest halfway through. I found the book to be too long. The storyline had some great potential but the amount of information provided made it harder to actually enjoy the book.
August 22, 2020
This book explores the relationship between a mother and daughter and a complicated family with secrets. The story is two-fold and it interweaves both stories as it affects the main character, Natasha. One of my favorite books of this year.
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