Er den 4. boka i Slottskrønikerene fra Irland. Boka kan leses selvstendig uten å lest de foregående bøkene, men tidligere slektsmedlemmer omtales likevel. Synes selv dette er den beste boka.
Dette er en gratisbok jeg fikk tilsendt og den overrasket positivt. Spennende handling og overraskende slutt.
Jeg leser en av mine favorittbøker om igjen nå, Vindens skygge av Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Den er virkelig bra. Ellers er det litt forskjellig, går gjennom mye i bokhyllene mine, har litt kjøpestopp for tiden. Været er som det er, men blir nok litt uteliv også.
God helg til dere alle.
About this book
When struggling actress Heidi has a life-changing accident aged 32, her world falls apart. Stuck in hospital and unable to walk, her only companion is Maud, the elderly lady in the bed next to hers. Heidi misses her flatmate, her life, her freedom - surely 32 is too young to be an amputee?
But when Maud's aloof but attractive grandson Jack pays a visit to the ward, Heidi realises that her life isn't over just because it's different. It might not look like the life she dreamed of, but it's the one she's got - and there's a lot she still wants to tick off her bucket list. With Jack at her side, will Heidi take the first step back to happiness? Or is there one more surprise still in store...?
"Start small, build your confidence and a new path or direction will follow"
Interessant, velskrevet, men litt for lite tempo og mye refleksjon/minner/tilbakeblikk innskutt, som dro ned fremdriften noe. Men likevel synes jeg dette er en god roman, som er en slags blanding av krim, psykologisk thriller og samlivsdrama. Les gjerne mer i bloggen
Dessverre skuffet denne , les gjerne mer i bloggen
Det er kanskje ikke helt uten grunn at Deborah Levy har vært kortlistet til Bookerprisen to ganger for det er ingen tvil om at hun kan dette med å skrive og skape dramatiske scener i romanene sine. Dette er en mørk og noe lunefull bok om depresjon, lidenskap, og ikke minst dysfunksjonelle forhold pakket inn i en roman som ved første øyekast ser ut til å være om en idyllisk ferieuke på den franske riviera. Vel så feil kan man altså ta!
Dette er ingen enkel bok å skrive noe om og jeg var lenge usikker på om jeg egentlig likte den, men i dagene som har gått etter endt lesing har romanen og flere av karakterene vokst på meg og jeg kan ikke annet enn å si at dette er en god bok.
Les gjerne hele omtalen min her.
Synopsis
Dronningsagaen: I nærheten av Skara i Vester-Gøtland bor to dronninger: den svenske enkedronning Gunnhild og den norske dronning Astrid, enke etter Olav den Hellige. Gunnhilds bokkyndige trell Kefse blir satt til å skrive ned dronning Astrids historie om hennes samliv med kong Olav, og her møter vi en annen person enn heltekongen fra sagaen. Trellen har en fortid som irsk stormann, men han opplever trelldommen som bot for synder i et ansvarsløst liv og skjuler lenge sin identitet.
Kongespeil: I denne romanen samtaler dronning Ellisiv med stesønnen, den senere Olav Kyrre, om kongen og hans bedrifter. Og fortellingen søker ned til en dypere forståelse av menneskene i én tid, i ett miljø - og i alle tider. Den har noe vesentlig å si om mann og kvinne, om makt, avmakt og ansvar, om krig og fred.
Runekorset: Eirik Raudes sønnesønn, Torkjell, kommer til Island for å gjenforenes med moren Gudrid, som forlot ham da han var 5 år.Han møter også sine halvbrødre og oppdager at det hersker fiendskap mellom disse to. I håp om at de vil forstå og tilgi hverandre forteller Gudrid om sitt mangfoldige liv - om hennes tre ekteskap, hennes reiser til Grønland og Vinland, hennes pilgrims ferd til Roma. Parallelt med denne historien skildres forholdet brødrene imellom. Romanen har brytning mellom hedenskapets skjebnetro, trolldom og hevnplikt og kristendommens kjærlighet og håp.
Synopsis
Having drawn comparisons to Gone with the Wind and Out of Africa, The Fever Tree is a page-turner of the very first order.
In London she was caged by society.
In South Africa, she is dangerously free.
Frances Irvine, left destitute in the wake of her father’s sudden death, has been forced to abandon her life of wealth and privilege in London and emigrate to the Southern Cape of Africa. 1880 South Africa is a country torn apart by greed. In this remote and inhospitable land she becomes entangled with two very different men—one driven by ambition, the other by his ideals. Only when the rumor of a smallpox epidemic takes her into the dark heart of the diamond mines does she see her path to happiness.
But this is a ruthless world of avarice and exploitation, where the spoils of the rich come at a terrible human cost and powerful men will go to any lengths to keep the mines in operation. Removed from civilization and disillusioned by her isolation, Frances must choose between passion and integrity, a decision that has devastating consequences.
The Fever Tree is a compelling portrait of colonial South Africa, its raw beauty and deprivation alive in equal measure. But above all it is a love story about how—just when we need it most—fear can blind us to the truth.
Synopsis
In the village of Lauscha in Germany, things have been done the same way for centuries. The men blow the glass, and the women decorate and pack it. But when Joost Steinmann passes away unexpectedly one September night, his three daughters must learn to fend for themselves. While feisty Johanna takes a practical approach to looking for work, Ruth follows her heart, aiming to catch the eye of a handsome young villager. But it is dreamy, quiet Marie who has always been the most captivated by the magic—and sparkling possibilities—of the craft of glassblowing. As the spirited sisters work together to forge a brighter future for themselves on their own terms, they learn not only how to thrive in a man’s world, but how to remain true to themselves—and their hearts—in the process.
Synopsis
Tempestuous and beautiful Wanda Miles, daughter of Ruth and Stephen Miles (or so she thinks), aspires to more than the life of a debutante, but the trouble is she doesn’t know precisely what she wants. Then her aunt Marie, the family’s renowned glassblower, arrives from Lauscha, Germany, and Wanda decides that learning about her ancestry may hold the key to her future. When Marie accidentally reveals a long-held secret about Wanda’s parents, Wanda goes to Lauscha to unravel the truth.
While Marie finds herself increasingly swept up in New York City’s bohemian social scene—catching the eye of a handsome young Italian in the process—Wanda explores a past she never knew in the village of her mother’s youth—and begins to build a life that she never expected.
A sweeping tale that takes readers from the small town of Lauscha to the skyscrapers of New York and the sun-kissed coast of Italy, The American Lady is a tribute to the enduring power of family and what we’ll do in the name of love.
Synopsis
Johanna, the oldest of the three Steinmann sisters, has successfully managed the family glassblowing business since her father’s death, and her sister Marie’s artistic gifts have made their wares unexpectedly famous. But now the livelihood of the town of Lauscha, Germany—known around the world as the “paradise of glass”—is in danger. The local glassworks is about to be sold, and rumor has it the buyer wants to make changes that will challenge glassblowing tradition.
Wanda, the daughter of the middle Steinmann sister, is freshly arrived from America and engaged to an ambitious local glassblower. Yet as soon as the bold young woman learns of the impending sale, she decides to do as her mother and aunts did—cast aside her expected role in order to save the day. With the help of a handsome bank clerk, she will take a daring risk with the villagers’ hard-earned money. Just like glass, though, love and commerce are fragile, and what begins as their last hope may just end in shattered dreams.
Synopsis
In mid-nineteenth-century Ireland, charming Kathleen and dashing Michael harbor secrets and dreams. Imagining a life beyond the kitchen and fields of the wealthy family they both work for, they plot to leave their homeland, marry, and raise the child Kathleen is secretly carrying. The luck of the Irish, however, is not on their side.
Soon, they find themselves swept up in circumstances they never could have fathomed. Kathleen is forced to marry against her will and immigrate to New Zealand. Michael is imprisoned for rebellion and exiled to Australia. As time passes and their new lives march on, they long for those stolen moments in the lush green fields of their native land. And they both still dream of escape, with no idea of how close fate will eventually bring them.
Synopsis
London, 1732: Nora Reed, the daughter of a merchant, falls hopelessly in love with her father's clerk, Simon. Despite their differing social class, the star-crossed lovers dream of a future on a tropical island - until tragedy strikes, and Nora must face a life without her soulmate. Hopeless, Nora enters a marriage of convenience with Elias Fortnam, a widower and sugar planter in Jamaica. Even without Simon, she is determined to somehow fulfill their tropical fantasy. But life in the Caribbean doesn't turn out as Nora had dreamt.
Nora is deeply shocked by the way plantation owners treat the slaves and decides to shake things up on her own sugar cane plantation - for the better. Surprisingly, her adult stepson Doug supports her in this endeavor when he arrives from Europe. However, his return also puts things into a state of turmoil - especially Nora's feelings.
Just as Nora seems to be settling into her role as lady of the house, one harrowing event rips everything from her but her life...
A gripping tale of love and hate, trust and betrayal, and a thrilling destiny set against the pristine beaches and swaying palmtrees of the tropics.
Synopsis
As Charlotte drew closer to the looming grey edifice that was to become her temporary home, she could not help but notice the secretive shuttered windows. Then she noticed the milkweeds...
Even a proper vicar's daughter can make a mistake...and now Charlotte Lamb must pay a high price for her fall. To avoid the prying eyes of all who know her, she hides herself away in London's forbidding "Milkweed Manor," a place of mystery and lore, of old secrets and new birth.
But once there, she comes face-to-face with a suitor from her past—a man who now hides secrets of his own. Both are determined, with God's help, to protect those they love. But neither can imagine the depth of sacrifice that will be required.
Sprinkled with fascinating details about the lives of women in Regency England, Lady of Milkweed Manor is a moving romantic drama about the redemption of past failings and the beauty of sacrificial love.
Synopsis
We’ll Meet Again…
When Ali inherits her great-aunt’s house she immediately moves her whole family in, despite the warnings that there is something strange about the place.
Unfazed Ali begins redecorating, going through the rooms, making each one her own with the help of her daughter, Kelly. But when under the wallpaper in Kelly’s new room they discover a scrawled message from 1944 Ali begins to question the history of the house as she knows it.
Her family has always seemed so picture perfect, not a blemish or a secret to be found. Yet, this discovery throws her into confusion and Ali begins to question exactly what she knows about her family and the mysteries they have kept hidden…
Synopsis
Ten-year-old Floriana is captivated by the beauty of the magnificent Tuscan villa that overlooks the sea just outside her small village. She likes to spy from the crumbling wall into the gardens, and imagine that one day she'll escape her meagre existence and live there. One day, Dante, the son of the villa's powerful industrialist owner, invites her inside. From that moment on Floriana knows that her destiny is there, with him. But as they grow up they cross an unseen line, jeopardising the very thing they hold most dear.
Decades later and hundreds of miles away, a beautiful old country house hotel on England's Devon coast has fallen on hard times. Its owner, Marina, advertises for an artist-in-residence to stay the summer and teach the guests how to paint. Rafael Santoro is charismatic and wise, and soon begins to pacify the discord in her family. However, Rafa is not who he seems. He has his own agenda. Whether to destroy, to seduce, or to heal, it is certain to affect them all.
Spanning four decades and sweeping from the Italian countryside to the English coast, this new story by Santa Montefiore is a moving and mysterious tale of love, forgiveness and the past revealed.
Synopsis
A missing child.
June 1933, and the Edevane family's country house, Loeanneth, is polished and gleaming, ready for the much-anticipated Midsummer Eve party. Alice Edevane, sixteen years old and a budding writer, is especially excited. Not only has she worked out the perfect twist for her novel, she's also fallen helplessly in love with someone she shouldn't have. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night skies, the Edevane family will have suffered a loss so great that they leave Loeanneth forever.
An abandoned house.
Seventy years later, after a particularly troubling case, Sadie Sparrow is sent on an enforced break from her job with the Metropolitan Police. She retreats to her beloved grandfather's cottage in Cornwall but soon finds herself at a loose end. Until one day, Sadie stumbles upon an abandoned house surrounded by overgrown gardens and dense woods, and learns the story of a baby boy who disappeared without a trace.
An unsolved mystery.
Meanwhile, in the attic writing room of her elegant Hampstead home, the formidable Alice Edevane, now an old lady, leads a life as neatly plotted as the bestselling detective novels she writes. Until a young police detective starts asking questions about her family's past, seeking to resurrect the complex tangle of secrets Alice has spent her life trying to escape.
Synopsis
“It is not just a ruby, as you say. It is large as a quail’s egg, still untouched and unpolished. And it is rumored to either bless or curse whomever possesses it.”
Camille Iverness can take care of herself. She’s done so since the day her mother abandoned the family and left Camille to run their shabby curiosity shop on Blinkett Street. But when a violent betrayal leaves her injured with no place to hide, Camille has no choice but to accept help from the mysterious stranger who came to her aid.
Jonathan Gilchrist never wanted to inherit Kettering Hall. As a second son, he was content working as a village apothecary. But when his brother’s death made him heir just as his father’s foolish decisions put the estate at risk, only the sale of a priceless possession—a ruby called the Bevoy—can save the family from ruin. But the gem has disappeared. And all trails lead to Iverness Curiosity Shop—and the beautiful shop girl who may or may not be the answer to his questions.
Curious circumstance throws them together, and an intricate dance of need and suspicion leads the couple from the seedy backwaters of London to the elite neighborhoods of the wealthy to the lush, green Surrey countryside—all in the pursuit of a blood-red gem that collectors will sacrifice anything to possess.
Caught at the intersection of blessings and curses, greed and deceit, two determined souls must unite to protect what they hold dear. But when a passion that shines far brighter than any gem is ignited, each will have to decide how much they are willing to risk for their future, love, and happiness.