Winner of the Romantic Novelists Association Award 2013: The Epic Romantic Novel
| Dearest Rose by Rowan Coleman | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Jo Heffer
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| Summary: Rose Pritchard has finally plucked up the courage to leave her bullying husband, Richard, taking her small daughter, Maddie, with her. Chasing a dream, they arrive in Cumbria where Rose hopes to find the only man who has ever shown her any kindness. Yet, as they settle to their new lives, will Rose be able to face up to reality and take the second chance that life has offered her? | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 440 | Date: September 2012 |
| Publisher: Arrow | |
| ISBN: 9780099551270 | |
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Rose has finally escaped. For years she has put up with her bullying husband and lived with the sadness of her mother's suicide after her father left when she was a young girl. Only once, when she was heavily pregnant with her daughter Maddie, did anyone show her any warmth and kindness and treat her like a human being in her own right. That person was Frasier McCleod, an art dealer who had been trying to trace Rose's father, John Jacobs,who happened to be a very exciting artist. Although she couldn't help him, Frasier sent a postcard to thank her and it is the village pictured on that postcard that she makes her way to nine years later when she can put up with her husband's cruelty no more.
Rose and Maddie move into the local Bed and Breakfast and soon settle into the village. As a stranger in a small place, she attracts a lot of attention particularly from the her new landlady's son, Ted. Life becomes more confusing when she discovers that her estranged father is living locally and also that he has a connection to Frasier, the man who gave her hope all those years ago. Amidst all the confusions though,both Rose and Maddie start to thrive and to look forward to their future together.
There follows a moving story as Rose rediscovers herself and also finds her father. This is a story about relationships, both good and bad, but always complicated. Rose has many issues to deal with, particularly her sense of abandonment due to her father leaving when she was young and the way she has allowed her husband to abuse her, both physically and mentally, due to her lack of self worth. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her and seeing her grow into a much more confident character as the story developed.
Although I felt that the story was a little slow to start with, it soon gathered momentum and turned into a gripping read. It has a good mix of humour, poignancy and tension and is well paced. Towards the end ,I did not want to put it down at all. There are some parts of the book that are quite sad, but overall this is an uplifting and enjoyable read. If you like reading about strong, interesting characters, you will definitely enjoy Dearest Rose.
Why not also take a look at Lessons in Laughing Out Loud
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