Make yourself at home in Hummingbird House with this heartwarming new novella.
In 1968, the summer of love seems long gone. Hummingbird House has a new batch of residents, and Betty is settled in a comfortable – though unexpected – form of domestic bliss. Life may not havee
Yet as the months go on, she realises she still has much to learn. With one tenant missing and another threatening to sweep her off her feet, she begins to worry that her happy home could fall around her once more.
In 2022, Betty has established a comfortable routine. She weeds the front yard. Listens to the radio, make cake. At the age of 83, she knows what – and who – she likes, plus just how much she can manage before her arthritis begins to complain.
She lives by simple rules gleaned from hard-learnt lessons:
Keep an open mind and a well-stocked pantry
Sometimes meddling is not such a bad thing
But when an old friend finally makes an overdue appearance, those guidelines start to take on a new meaning.
Just how much should we do for absent friends? And when is it right to take a chance on love?
Searching for Sandra follows the lives of the characters in books one and two of the HummingbirdHouse series – showing what happens next and the unexpected impact of friendships and neighbourly love.
To say that I was thrilled to have been given the opportunity to read and review the third book in the Hummingbird House Series, was a total understatement! I was so looking forward to reading the next part of the story, as well as relishing the opportunity to catch up with some friends from the previous books. I must confess though, that it was with feint tinges of guilt that I espied the list of characters at the front of the book; so very useful as a bit of a refresher; I always admire how authors seem to keep track of who is who, when their characters appear in more than one book, let alone in three – and as for when the book covers two such contrasting time periods………..well, I can but aspire to do better.
I must admit that it did seem a little strange, yet fun, to see Betty portrayed in her younger days.
I love the way that Hummingbird House almost seems like a being, made up of various constituent parts (residents); it felt important that vacant units were occupied by the right people, so as not to upset the equilibrium of the house.
Betty remains dogged by the painful memories of pregnancy (I am presuming unsuccessful pregnancies) and I did wonder whether the Hummingbird House residents both past and current served as surrogate children to Betty to some extent; they very much seems to be her family.
Can names be onomatopoeic? I don’t know, but what I do know is that Joy seemed to live up to her name and seemed to exude her namesake. She was also one of those annoying people that can pull off the kind of fashion choices that would make me and most other people look ridiculous – I am talking about wearing a scarf as a skirt. I know that I can’t see her, but the writing in this book was such that I just felt that she looked beautiful in her ‘Heath Robinson’ outfit.
I love the way the book’s family of eclectic characters was portrayed and I found myself genuinely caring about where Sandra was! It didn’t seem unlike her to go AWOL for a few days, but the longer she was gone, the more of a concern it became. This book certainly gave credence to various adages about friends that you choose being better than the family you are born with, on occasion. I found it fascinating, the way that the events of 1968 started to mirror those of the current day. The thing is though,did Sandra genuinely need help, or was she suffering from nightmares?
I absolutely adored Jonty’s answer to owning quite a few objects in both his home and work environments, expressing that it was ‘hard to resist a thing of beauty. And there was so much beauty in the world’. Despite the fact that the Jonty of today was an undoubted adult, I still found it incredibly distressing, that he felt the need to self analyse himself; Steady. Calm. Dependable. The antithesis of his Mother. I did so feel for him, when he went to his Mum’s home, looking for her in the present day, but my heart positively oozed for Ben in the way that he pushed ahead, ready to find anything unpleasant first.
For all the mirroring between the two different periods, I felt as though some kind of full circle was achieved and that seemed so very right.
When Cate Rivers leaves her husband in the middle of the night with their young daughter, Eliza, she has no idea what the future holds. Taking a live-in position at Hollow House on the Dorset coast, she determines to make a new life for her and Eliza.
But Cate’s new boss, fossil hunter Charles Thorner, could do without the problems of a couple of runaways under his roof. He’s got enough worries of his own, including a painful past which still holds him prisoner today.
As the two of them learn to work alongside each other, secrets are shared and a new closeness is found, but they soon discover that you can only hide from the past for so long…
The Way to the Sea is the latest heartwarming novel by the bestselling author of The Beauty of Broken Things and The Rose Girls.
Having enjoyed the Victoria Connelly books that I have read before, I was thoroughly looking forward to reading and reviewing this offering. I liked the cover, but it felt rather dark to me – as though the telling of this latest story might offer more murky undertones than I am used to.
I found myself on tenterhooks from the start of the book. I cannot claim to gave gone through what Cate and Eliza went through, yet the story was written such that I was afraid for the pair, and didn’t like what they were going through, one single bit. I confess that at times, I was having to remind myself to breath! The more we learn about the horrible, controlling behaviour of Cate’s Husband, the more I found myself both disliking him, and fearing for Cate and Eliza’s safety.
When we first meet Charles, Cate’s new employer, he seems just as dishevelled as his house, in a totally ageless kind of way; as a reader I initially had no idea whether he was thirty years old, or seventy – or somewhere in between. Regardless, he must be better to live with than Cate’s Husband! Ironically Hollow House has seen better days and it’s state us somewhat reflective of the work Charles does. is clearly troubled and one cannot help but wonder at what is bothering him, from his past. He did have a Wife and a Son, who don’t currently seem to be in the picture. One couldn’t help but wonder what happened to them. Ridiculously I found myself hoping they had ‘just’ left him, as opposed to having befallen some terrible tragedy. It did make me chuckle, when most folk would talk about the possibility of people having hidden depths, or waffle on about judging books by covers, yet Charles seemed to be quietly comparing Cate to a rock, and wondering whether or not chipping away at it a bit might reveal a beautiful fossil within.
Cate’s Friend Allie was a good Friend and Mother. She was also very accommodating with her ex, when he deigned to turn up. I admired the way that she put her Son’s needs and feelings above her own, and the way that she was happy to compromise with her Ex when it came to her Son, clearly recognising the wants of her Son, yet ready to,pick up the pieces when said Ex doesn’t turn up or fails to deliver in what seems to Jack to be a major way.
I did find myself pondering various questions:
What has happened to Charles’ Wife and Child?
Why is Charles so vehement in not wanting to take Eliza fossil hunting with him?
What happened to Eliza to cause her mutism? I presumed it was something to do with her Father, but I could (though I doubt it), of course be doing him a disservice.
Are Cate, Eliza and Allie, and even Charles, prepared for what seems like the inevitable?
I did feel for Cate and I thought her fears reflected those of many women in Britain today. I did however ask myself whether or not certain aspects of Cate’s life reflected that of Mary Anning in some ways. Far better perhaps to lose a letter and become a Cat. What a wonderful life, with no explanation needed for the sudden zoomies and running around like a deranged kitten! I did feel as though my heart missed a beat, when locals were gossiping about a lone stranger getting his car stuck in the mud. Cate actually felt sorry for him; I just hoped and pretend this really was a random stranger.
There can be no doubt in anybody’s mind, that dementia is a cruel, unrelenting disease. The author did however deal with the topic with empathy, and would perhaps provide anyone in the same situation as Charles with a little comfort. It must surely be good to know that you are ‘not the only one’ – that others are going through, or have gone through, similar issues.
The longer Charles spends with Eliza and Cate, the more he endears himself to me and indeed to them! It feels as though there is some kind of mutual healing cycle going on.
Allie struggles when her her ex turns up – of course he is full,of exciting stories to feed to their Son, Jack, but we know who will be left picking up the pieces when Craig gets the travelling equivalent of the munchies!
The more that we learn about what Cate and Eliza have been through, the more terrible her Husband The seems. Whilst this is a work of fiction, it is a terrible reality for all too many women, and if this book changes the course for just one woman, then it has done its job.
When Lin, Josie and Minnie left Miss Hamilton’s class at Middleton Ferris County Primary School, sixty years ago, they could only dream about what the future had in store for them. The one thing they knew for certain was that their friendship would thrive.
Years later and life hasn’t always been kind. Josie is still mourning the loss of her beloved husband Harry a year after his sudden demise. Lin is hoping to celebrate her fiftieth wedding anniversary withhusband Neil, but he’s suddenly keeping secrets and telling her lies, so she’s suspecting the worst. And as for Minnie, well she loves her life in Oxford academia, but with no family to call her own, she sometimes wonders if the sacrifices were all worthwhile.
So, when the ninety-year-old Miss Hamilton – or Cecily as she lets them call her now – glides gracefully back into their lives on her glamorous purple mobility scooter, the ladies are in need of inspiration and fun. And over their regular lunches, the friends start to dream of leaving the past in the past and embracing the future, because there’s nothing you can’t achieve with good friends at your side.
An exceptional tale about life; a group of special friends on a fantastical journey. A story hailing new life, interleaved with memories past. A story to teach us not to be judgemental and about the enormity of loneliness and depression and the respective battles to overcome them. Above all, a story about making the most of the company of strong women.
My attraction to this book was fairly multi faceted.
I love Judy Leigh’s writing
I found the cover appealing, with it’s ‘get up and go’ , whatever the weather suggestion
I find books with heroines that are not your stereotypical ‘Twirties’ beauty, most refreshing – I love books with, to quote one of our heroines, ‘Strong Women of a certain age’
I love reading books from the ‘Boldwood Stable’ -they seem to have captured the authors that I enjoy
I liked the map at the beginning of the book – I do find that a map at the start of a book helps me find my bearings somewhat! Typically for me, I was drawn to Custard Lane – what a fabulous name – there actually is a road near me called ‘The Custards’ and it houses a variety of homes with eminently suitable names, such as Apple Crumble Cottage.
I learned that life is a journey. Some choose to travel it alone, some end up alone through no fault of their own, but it is important not to judge or presume. Our heroines are travelling through life together for much of the time, branching off alone where necessary. Some look back on what was and compare to today, whilst others almost seem to think that life is too good to be true – in itself causing a certain amount of distress or even depression. Is this a genuine lack of anything, or more just a case of growing older? Despite what their personal lives may or may not lack, the three friends have each other and they owe it to themselves to grow old disgracefully if they so choose.
I found it quite enchanting the way that so many ‘children’ from the friends’ school days were still living in the same vicinity. The first chapter of the book about the friends’ formative years at school brought back a few memories, even if it’s a bit before my time. I do however remember how it was to be taught by a teacher that you really hit it off with – that to an extent shaped your future. It seemed that for our heroines in this book, Miss Hamilton was that teacher. I had total empathy with the way that she compared life to maypole dancing, the way the maypole ‘swung people around in its random dance, partners were exchanged, people danced in pairs, then alone, then they didn’t dance at all’. I guess this kind of sums up life.
Back to the present day, Josie seems to have suffered the heartache loss of her Husband, Harry. I loved her for how selfless she was – taking time to talk to and spend time with lone David Ellis on her cruise, when she too was suffering from loneliness. On the outside she is dealing admirably with her loss, but we do see a little more closely how she feels, when she speaks with Fergal and they talk about the loves they have lost. Despite their circumstances having been so different – Fergal’s wife suffered a long, hard, drawn out death, compared to Josie’s Harry going very quickly – the pair are united in their seemingly inconsolable grief, yet somehow seem to manage to carry on living from one day to the next. What strength both on the inside and the outside.
Lin seems to love life with her primary school crush Neil, even if she still can’t cook. Full marks to her though, for persisting with trying…….many similarly afflicted would have given up by now! Life seems good, but is she suffering from depression, or is her existing medication causing her to feel strange? She starts to worry that she is too dull to demand the attention of Neil, and that he will go off with another woman, but to my mind he seems far too much in love with Lin. Regardless, Lin can’t help but get stressed when she discovers that Neil is making secret trips without her, and lying to her to boot.
Minnie is still an academic at heart, even if she is no longer a lecturer, and will often be found with her nose in a book. I loved the way that she brought her friends wrapped books when they lunched. She has long defied her background and upbringing and has devoted her life to academia, but does she/ should she harbour any regrets? She certainly seems to have no shortage of potential suitors, for which she appears to have little or no time. She could be described as ‘calculating’ in her romantic endeavours. For Minnie life is perhaps like a game of chess; time well spent garnering information, waiting, watching, ready to make the killer move.
I really love that these three friends still meet up regularly after so many years, as the Silver Ladies’ Lunch club, with I guess the ‘Silver’ being a nod to their age, despite that fact that they all still seem to have a certain zest for life. It seems that their panacea is a nice cup of tea and perhaps a piece of cake – and in my opinion there’s not an awful lot wrong with that. I liked the fact that they weren’t precious about their gatherings and were happy to invite others to join them.
There were some little snippets of intrigue in this book:
What is Neil really up to when he keeps nipping off to ‘mend Jimmy’s bike’?
What is Neil planning for his and Lin’s anniversary?
What are Cecily and Jack ‘up to’?
Does Dickie really feel the need to spread around such ridiculous gossip about Cecily and Jack? I mean no disservice to folk of a certain age, but ‘really’…….
Why is Florence keeping quiet? It’s certainly fostering gossip in the village.
Why is Bobby Ledbury so keen on helping Florence?
Just who is Carole Frost?
I found it quite amusing when Miss Hamilton came on the scene again, as our heroine triumvirate and their peers from their school days seemed to almost morph back into awkward pre-teen mode. She seemed a ‘game old dear’ but really earned my respect with what she offered to do for Florence. Dangerous Dave also came into his own, with his somewhat surprising reaction to his Daughter Florence’s news.
Despite her porcine characteristics, Nadine was most certainly a character to behold. I could just picture her, when I read the passage about her getting into the groove with the May Day morris dancers. I could however understand Penny’s reluctance to embrace her existence however, although I would not stoop to Penny’s level of mentioning the hog roast.
Loneliness is a repeated theme throughout the book, from newly widowed Josie, to Gerald and even Florence. Each person seems to deal with their loneliness in their own particular way, from Minnie, practically being married to her books, to Josie, surrounding herself with friends. As each person deals with their loneliness (if, unlike Gerald, they are going to deal with it) in their own unique way, it serves as a stark reminder to us all, as to the fragility of life; how things can seem one way and then within a matter of seconds, life can change to such an extent, that it is never the same again.
This book was a massive story – yet more than a story – more of a lesson. It makes one think about life, what has been and what is to come. More than anything, it was a salutary warning to think twice and then again, before you allow anything less than positive to pass your lips, especially concerning a loved one; you never know when it might be your last moment with them, and nobody wants to live a life of regrets and ‘if onlys’.
Josie said ‘Friends show their love in times of trouble, so we share lunch as friends’. This was indeed a unique book about the utter joy that can be family and friends, but those relationships are what you make them, with everyone ultimately needing to contribute.
Please try this unique book for yourself, and as you read it, think about those around you who may be lonely, and what you might be able to do to alleviate that feeling. If just one person is left feeling better about themselves, then this book has done its job.
Sophie Fairfax knows that you don’t get to fifty without collecting some emotional bruises along the way. Having left the School of Knocks with top marks, she’s not just older, she’s wiser.
So, when boyfriend George proposes, Sophie says yes. After all, George is nothing like her charming but unfaithful ex, Teddy. Okay, George is a little boring – his favourite colour is grey – and there’s also the small matter of him suggesting Sophie is too old for a bikini and should buy a one-piece for their honeymoon on the Amalfi Coast, but so what?
When Sophie uploads a pic of her engagement ring to Instagram, she expects attention, but not in the form of Thomas Tabby Cat – a fake account – warning she’s betrothed to a cheater.
Rocked, Sophie suffers flashbacks to life with Teddy. She can’t go through that again. Bestie Sue suggests it’s the work of a jealous troll, but Sophie is rattled. Is there a love triangle and, if so, might it become a wrecktangle?
Sophie reckons there’s a way to find out. Sometimes, when searching for an enemy, you need to check your list of friends….
Having enjoyed Debbie Viggiano’s books before, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review this new offering. Having read the synopsis for this book I felt an immediate affinity to Sophie and just so hoped for a positive outcome for Sophie. Nobody likes a cheater and nobody deserves to be messed around by A.N Other. I was however instantly alarmed by the suggestion that Sophie was too old to wear a bikini on holiday! How outrageous! One must feel comfortable to wear whatever one likes, without the petty interference of the petty snakes in your life.
I did really like the cover of this book and liked the limoncello twist – far preferable to boring old lemonade, and it gives me the sense that this book is going to be anything but boring!
The book certainly started with a bit of a bang, when Sophie receives a communication saying from ‘Thomas Tabby Cat’ that her Fiancé is cheating on her. What a dilemma; is somebody playing games with her, or is George doing the unthinkable, having just proposed? One thing that I did think was suspicious, was that Sophie had nothing at her house that belonged to him; not even a toothbrush. I must confess that I did find it quite shocking that someone can send such a message on Instagram, yet the sender is able to keep their details secret! Regardless, this turmoil for Sophie was coming a little too close to her wedding for my liking! At least Sophie’s ex made her laugh, which is more than can be said for George!
So, is the only thing that George is guilty of, is being inordinately boring, or is there substance to the mystery message? Regardless, Sophie certainly needs to get a move on, if she wants to get to the bottom of the issue.
The more I learned about George, the less I liked him, particularly with his somewhat controlling behaviour towards Sophie, but who else doesn’t like George? Who is Tommy Tabby Cat? To be honest, by the time I was around a quarter of the way through the book, I disliked George more and more every time he ’spoke’ or was mentioned, and his friends Jackie and Graham weren’t an awful lot better. Everything about him is so grey, from his clothes, to his hair, to the decor in his house, and even his ruddy chest hair! I nearly expired when he announced that Sopishould carry a bouquet of grey silk flowers for the wedding! As for when George tries to tell Sophie that she shouldn’t be friends with Sue and Charlie……..well, words almost failed me. What on earth had Sophie been thinking of, marrying George!?
This book is rife with mystery.
We have the ubiquitous ‘Who is Tommy Tabby Cat’.
How does the Brighton fortune teller know so much about Sophie, George and Teddy?
What is Sophie’s secret from the past?
To say that the wedding was not without drama, would be an understatement. Said drama leads to Sophie being in Italy on her honeymoon alone. Can she rely on her inner voices to keep herself in check, or are they going to get her into trouble?
No person should ever have to go through what Sophie went through, so I felt excited for her at the idea of her spending a few days in Italy, even if the hotel was not quite what she had been expecting, in terms of quality.
Trust George to go cheap!
Once she has settled in the Amalfi Coast, Luca seems to provide just what Sophie needs, but what are his intentions? His actions most certainly seem to go way behind the usual hotel/patron relationship. One thing that does tickle me though, is the way that the people of Maiori seem to mirror those in Little Waterlow to an extent, when it comes to general nosiness, gossip and interest in other peoples love lives!
Sophie most certainly made one huge Amalfian mistake – becoming close to, to the extent of naming it – Bella the kitten. Sophie will, to want to leave that cat when she goes back to the UK! Point of note though – Sophie, what on earth are you doing, letting a sweet cat sleep on your bed?! It’ll be crawling with fleas!
Luca seems to like Sophie and she likes him, but is he too young, and if the local gossip is to be believed, is he capable of holding down a relationship? Do the pair of them just want to have a bit of fun? They seem to be doing just that when something from the past seems to change everything. Can the pair get their carefree friendship back on course? Will the respective arrivals of George and Ariana put paid to everything?
You will just have to read this thoroughly charming book for yourself to find out.
Clover Harrington might be sixty-one, but she’s still bossing it in the corporate world and can still run rings around her younger colleagues. And then she is made redundant….
Devastated and now suddenly the wrong side of sixty Clover doesn’t know what to do with her life or her corporate wardrobe! What does she wear if not red lippy and a power suit?! Rather than offer her any support, her partner, Jack announces he’s off on a golfing weekend, leaving Clover completely adrift.
Desperate to get away from it all, Clover decides to visit her cousin Zoe at her small taverna in the gorgeous Italian Lakes. There she can rest and recuperate and plan the next stage of her life.
Until Clover’s eighty-year-old mother, Eleanor decides to turn up for the holiday too! Instead of gentle rambles around the lake, Eleanor seems more interested in late night poker and swigging Prosecco and Clover can’t quite believe her mum is having more fun than she is. But as the saying goes – if you can’t beat em, join em!
The front page of this book declares it ‘A glorious romp that readers will adore (Judy Leigh – another absolute favourite of mine)’. If this book proves even half as much fun as my previous Maddie Please reads, then I know that I most certainly am guaranteed an absolute hoot of a glorious romp, that I will not want to put down. One of the things that I love about Maddie Please’s books is the fact that her heroines are not the stereotypical ‘twirties’ types found in much women’s contemporary fiction; indeed is the ‘Vintage’ in the title of this book a nod to that fact?
I immediately felt for Clover, in that her thoughts were so far from the real reason that she had been called in to see HR. Clover’s alternative view on reality made me chuckle at the thought of punting cheese triangles, although for me, it was perfect pole dancing triangles of gooeyness. As for Nick Crane and his ‘at your age……….’ – grgh….. I just wanted to throttle him.
I wasn’t too keen on Jack, Clover’s partner. My first impressions of him were that he was self centred and severely lacking in compassion, especially with his comments about ‘The Office’, after hearing that Clover had been made redundant. My impressions seemed proven upon Jack’s suspension from work, but he still didn’t seem in any way sympathetic towards Clover’s redundancy. He just seemed pretty much a ‘me, me’ Man who didn’t listen to his partner – or more accurately, ex partner. Good riddance to him as far as I was concerned.
I had great hopes for Ursula’s trip to see her Cousin Zoe in Italy, I just hoped that Ursula would come around to other peoples way ps of thinking and see her three months of gardening leave as the extraordinary gift that it was! Cousin Zoe and Paulo were certainly amazing hosts, and I felt as though Ursula could learn something from their simple, relaxed, beloved way of life. They lived up to their favourite saying, ‘felice come un cane al sole’. ‘We are as happy as a dog in the sun’. Indeed Zoe and Paulo as a couple were most certainly the polar opposite of Ursula, with the elegant, tailored clothing and the perfect , detailed regimen that was her life. Ursula no doubt had much to learn from Zoe and her partner, although there could actually be some reciprocal opportunities there too.
I loved how working in the kitchen in the most basic role was almost like a rebirth for Clover – back to basics and a chance to reevaluate her life and where she was going.
The dumping of Jack seemed such the right move, when we heard his messages on his return from his golf trip! If only he would ruddy listen! I did however agree with Zoe, in that Gio seemed a bit of a catch, and Clover’s exchange with Buffo certainly made me laugh, as did the mortifying changing room incident. I also enjoyed the way that Clover went from mature, astute business woman, to teenager with a crush, as soon as Gio appeared!
I genuinely liked the way that Clover seemed to grow into her Italian experience, becoming less and less wedged into ‘corporate’ mode; in fact she seemed to becoming an increasingly more pleasant person – not that she was ever in any way unpleasant! Ditching her work handbag certainly seemed evocative of Clover embracing a new, more relaxed way of life, as did getting her hair cut short, and abandoning the office wear, for a more relaxed look.
I adored Gio’s outlook on life, and his thoughts on his art blew me over ‘I like to paint things that are worth capturing, that please my imagination, that make me think’. He really was beginning to seem an ever increasing catch, but was there any possibility of any kind of romance between him and Clover? There seemed to be so any obstacles in their way – Clover just extricating herself from the relationship with Jack; Clover’s career uncertainty; the pair of them not just living in different countries, but one used to a very secluded lifestyle and the other used to living in a bustling capital city. One thing was however in no doubt; Gio was a truly kind and honest man, despite having led quite a life himself.
I enjoyed the numerous comical parts of the story, from Clover’s petty revenge on Nick Crane, to Gio’s devious cat!
Just when things are going so well between Clover and Gio, a rather ominous Mother shaped spanner in the works appears to upset what had been an increasingly happy equilibrium. (Although ultimately ‘Mum’ seemed to have somewhat of a renaissance of her own). Can Clover be happy with a new relaxed lifestyle, or will she need to go back to London? Can she fully embrace the apparent ‘healing’ powers of the wonderful Italian oasis to which she is becoming accustomed? The mere fact that she is learning to sleep properly again is surely testament to the village’s special powers. Can she use her experience help save her Cousin’s ailing business? One thing’s for sure, I was relieved that Clover hadn’t been involved with the ordering of the meat for the trattoria tasting evening!
One thing was however in no doubt. Unlike Clover’s Mother who ‘hadn’t read a nice book since 1997’, I was fortunate in this book, that I was gifted a really great read, which I urge you all to aim to read. To me it wasn’t just a book – a story – it was a journey, and a really beautiful one at that.
Eatwell Reads-Well 