Walking on Sunshine by Giovanna Fletcher
Mike's wife, Pia, who he was with for seventeen years, has died. And whilst he is dealing with his grief, so are their best friends, Vicky and Zaza. But Pia left them all some 'rules' to follow, knowing that she was dying and that they would need help to carry on living. Whilst some of the rules are around practicalities such as clearing out her wardrobe, another one that Mike discovers one day encourages him to take one of their trips away, and Vicky and Zaza, struggling with their grief and their own life troubles, decide to drop everything in their own lives, and go along with him.
| Walking on Sunshine by Giovanna Fletcher | |
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| Category: Women's Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Ruth Ng
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| Summary: Though this deals with some dark topics, the overall feel of the book is ultimately heart-warming and uplifting. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 384 | Date: November 2021 |
| Publisher: Michael Joseph | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1405935609 | |
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The three main characters really come to life as you read. I liked that there were two women and one man, and it was interesting to see the dynamics of their friendship. Whilst Mike is dealing with having lost his wife, Vicky is struggling with losing herself, and Zaza is fighting her grief over her friend and taking out all her emotions on her fiance, Liam. Zaza was probably the character I liked least of the three, but only because I didn't really understand why she was behaving the way she was. She makes more sense as you go through the story, and by the end I was hoping for her to also have a happy ending!
I think the character of Vicky, stay at home, struggling mother of two, was the one that rang truest for me. Perhaps because it most closely matched my own experiences. The descriptions of what it's like to deal with toddler meltdowns, or the madness of a frantic school-run, where 'everything' seems to be conspiring against you getting to school on time, were painfully realistic, and I could remember back to days when I felt I had completely lost myself to being a mum, and wondered who I was anymore. It's really important to talk about these sorts of feelings, and I am sure Vicky's character will help other mums who are struggling.
I did feel that the first half of the story, where we see the aftermath of Pia's death and each character's day to day life, was more detailed, and somehow more satisfying than the trekking trip to Peru. Perhaps I was just expecting a lot more from the trip itself somehow? There was such a build up to it, and then when it came, it seemed to be over and done remarkably quickly! The trio do, obviously, go through some big emotions, but it didn't quite have the feel and tone I'd expected, and again it was mainly Vicky's experience that felt more rounded than the others. I think I was just expecting it to hit a slightly different note (perhaps to make me cry?) and it didn't, but it did sound like an amazing place to go to, as well as something of a physical ordeal to put yourself through!
Although many aspects of the book are quite dark, looking at grief and depression, the whole story is done with a light touch, so I didn't find myself feeling too sad as I read. And it all culminates in a really warm, happy ending. There isn't anything particularly revelatory about the book, and the story moves along as you'd expect, but there is nothing wrong with a book that unfurls as you'd expect, and often that's exactly what you want from a story. I liked all of the main characters, and I cared about what happened to them, and as a busy mum it was easy for me to read the story in bits of pieces, as you move from character to character, in fairly short chapters, through the story, making it easy to pick up and put down. There's a reason why her books sell so well, and this one was certainly engaging, and a compelling read.
You might also enjoy You're the One that I Want by Giovanna Fletcher.
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