View source for Never be Lonely by Pamela Fudge

{{infobox1
|title=Never be Lonely
|author=Pamela Fudge
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Women's Fiction
|summary=A well-written light summer read with characters you'll warm to and from a reliable author.
|rating=4
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|pages=224
|publisher=Robert Hale Ltd
|date=July 2011
|isbn=978-0709092537
|website=http://www.pamfudge.co.uk/novels.html
|cover=0709092539
|aznuk=0709092539
|aznus=0709092539
}}

There was a moment when Francesca Dudley wondered quite what she was doing in a church in Canada.  She'd barely recovered from the lengthy flight and here she was listening to people extol the virtues of Mitchell Browning, now deceased.  Francesca hadn't seen him since he left the family home when she was four and now, four decades later, she was coming to terms with the fact that her father  had still been  alive, only to find that he was dead – if you see what I mean.  Mitchell has not just left her fatherless though – there seems to be a whole tribe of people bereaved by his death and at least one of them doesn't seem all that keen that she should be there.

Franny has not just got problems in Canada, though.  Back in the UK she has problems with an ex-husband who can't quite come to terms with the 'ex' bit of ex-husband and is convinced that the more he's around Franny, the sooner she'll realise that the divorce was a mistake.  The trouble is that before long she won't be confident about just how far he'll go to try and win her back.  Then there's her mother and her stepfather. Her mother is convinced that she has cancer, but her stepfather thinks it's all a bit of a nonsense and she should just forget about it.  And then – to cap it all – Mum thinks that the divorce from Adrian was a mistake too.

About this time last year I picked up [[A Change For The Better by Pamela Fudge|another book by Pam Fudge]] without, I'll admit, any great expectations and was surprised and delighted when I read it through in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Characters you could warm to and a story line which kept me turning the pages all played their part.  It wasn't great literature – in many ways it was better than that – it was just a damned good easy-read story that was perfect for a sunny summer afternoon.

Well, this time the sun had got his rain hat on and it was slightly chilly but exactly the same thing happened.  I read a good story and I warmed to the characters.  I even wanted to hear more of the ex-husband but I suspect that Pam Fudge played him just right.  Any more of him and he would have turned into a caricature.  If you're looking for a deep book which you'll ponder over then this isn't the one for you, but if you'd just enjoy a good, light, well-written read then look no further.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag. We also have a review of [[It's In The Cards by Pamela Fudge]].

It's historical fiction but if you enjoy a good light read then you might also appreciate [[A Father For Daisy by Karen Abbott]].

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