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Madeleine

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    Madeleine's Book Log 2025

    in Book Blogs - Discuss your reading!

    Posted

    The Secrets of Harbour House by Liz Fenwick - following her father's death in a cycling accident, Kerensa returns to her native Cornwall to sort out his estate, help her grieving and ailing mother, and also wind up the estate of 2 women artists, who both died within a few weeks of each other, and whose work was little known, though when they did sell a piece it usually sold for quite a bit of money. Kerensa is fascinated by a portrait of a beautiful woman in the house of the title, and tries to find out more, especially her identity,and so we get the subject's back story, and the book follows two timelines, the present day and the mid 1930s, when we first meet one of the artists, Bathsheba (Sheba) Kernow, who travels on the Orient Express to Paris and Venice to follow in her late mother's footsteps. On the train she meets a woman who beguiles her, but it's when they meet again in Venice that their story really starts.  At  a time when such relationships were forbidden for both men and women, they have to be very careful, especially as Sheba's new love is married, to a cold controlling husband who is a poet trying to gain favour with Mussolini and Hitler, both of whom feature, thankfully briefly, i in thebook.  Meanwhile back in the present Kerensa's return to Cornwall isn't looked on happily by her uncle, who ran the family auction house with her father, or her partner Paul, who wants her back in London as soon as possible as he can't live without her, but once she starts to find discrepancies in her father's financial affairs, she has no choice but to stay in Cornwall to sort things out.  So the main themes of this book are family mysteries and dynamics, forbidden love and controlling men, and this was were the book fell down for me, for most of the male characters were so two dimensional I wanted to hiss whenever they appeared!  It was an OK read but not that convincing though the settings are lovely and the artistic references , to both real and fictitious writers and artists, were also interesting. 7/10

    What's the weather like?

    in General Chat

    Posted

    It's been bizarre weather, sunshine one side and torrential rain the other, Wednesday was particularly bad and it looks like tomorrow will be too, my walking group has a stand at the local community festival (outside of course!) and I'm hoping we don't get blown away as the forecast is even worse than it's been the last few days.

    Willoyd's Reading 2025

    in Book Blogs - Discuss your reading!

    Posted

    I read The Secret History nearly 20 years ago, also for a book group read, and I was also curious after hearing so much about it.  I did enjoy it, if that's the right road, but like you I also found it too long, maybe over-written at times, and agree that none of the characters were very likeable.  I remember at the time it felt a bit like a book of two halves, and I think I thought the 2nd half was better.  

    Your Hobbies, Collections, and Obsessions

    in General Chat

    Posted

    Yes now the nights are drawing in it feels like time to start knitting and crocheting doesn't it!  I've crocheted a couple of worry worms, I just need to sew the eyes on. I found a Youtube video by a nice lady and took a pic of the pattern which is very simple, and I'm finding it a good way of getting back into crocheting, and also using up odd bits of wool.

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