Heartbreaking Archives

I was a huge fan of this author’s The Island Girls, so I was excited to see a new release.

Right off the bat, I have to say that this is one of my favorite books of the year.

I know, we’re only a few weeks in. But it was so well-written and interesting that I think it would be one of my favorites even if it were later in the year.

I do need to preface this review by re-stating that once I read an initial blurb about a book, I don’t go back and additional blurbs or other early reviews. I prefer to be surprised (as much as possible) by what I read, or at the very least, don’t want a roadmap of what to expect.

This usually works in my favor and this book is no exception. The first part of the book was especially interesting as two seemingly disparate storylines were introduced.

One is set in Rockland, Maine in October 2017 and the other is set in Mullaghmore, Ireland in July 1992. It’s obvious that they tie together somehow, but the author does a great job of slowly building the connections.

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To me, the gradual coming together of the two storylines reminded me of the way the tide comes in and out – fitting, I suppose, considering the focus on the ocean in this book.

Although I couldn’t entirely relate to Lily and her grief, the author wrote her in such a way that she was thoroughly understandable and sympathetic. I was instantly ready to take the journey right along side of her.

And what an interesting journey it was.

From the heartbreak of her loss to the family drama she unwittingly uncovered, everything was well-written and kept me engaged.

I especially liked the point that we don’t ever really know the history of the people closest to us, no matter how close we are. It’s impossible to know everything that happened before a couple got together.

This could be said for any relationship, I think. There has to be faith and trust, but I do believe that everyone keeps a part of their past from people. It might not be because of shame or embarrassment, but simply because it’s not relevant anymore.

I don’t know how I would exactly classify Connor’s “secret” but I would say that Lily learned a lot about life in her search for the truth about her husband.

I very much enjoyed this book from beginning to end and I look forward to reading more from this author.

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Author Bio:

I’m an Irish author who’s been writing novels and plays for nearly thirty years. My first novel, Beatrice was published in August 2004 which was a bestseller in Ireland. This was followed by A Small Part Of me in 2005, I Remember in 2008, The Adulteress in 2010, The Secret Loves of Julia in 2012, The Gravity of Love in 2018, and The Island Girls in 2020.

I currently live in Edinburgh in Scotland, and I am one of the founders of Aurora Writers’ Retreats, and part of the wellness hub The Space To BE.

If you like stories written from the heart, historical with contemporary timeslip, family mysteries and secrets and always always a love story set against evocative landscapes from all over the world, you might like to pick up one of my books. My aim is to tell women’s stories from the past and present and to give voice to those who are rarely heard.

As anyone who has read this blog even in passing knows I read a lot, and historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. Many of the books often have “heartbreaking” or “unforgettable” in the taglines.

This is one of the first ones in recent memory where the story actually lives up to the “heartbreaking” part. Even though anything having to do with war is tough to read, this one was especially so.

I thought the entire set up, from present time to the past was well done. The way that Helen and Laura found “clues” to their mom’s past little by little felt natural, especially in light of what that past entailed.

I think Daisy is illustrative of many people who lived during WWII. Their experiences were so harsh that they don’t want to talk about it, and even hide it. My mom said her father was that way when he came back from the South Pacific; she knew that he had changed, but he never talked about the things that he had seen and done.

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What makes Daisy’s situation unique, of course, is that she was a young girl and wasn’t actually “in” the war in the truest sense. However, she was a victim of it just the same. In some ways, her experiences were harsher than some others possibly were.

I have studied the program that sent children who were evacuated from the cities to farms for safety, but it honestly never occurred to me how that could be manipulated. The author did a fantastic job of relating the issues in a realistic way that really hit home.

In war, you can’t always rely on people to have the best interests of children in mind. That’s a sad realization.

Aside from the situation itself, Daisy had a very hard life (really, because of the situation as well). It seemed at one point that the hits just kept on coming. There were a few passages that were difficult to get through. I felt so bad for her.

But I thought the way that Helen and Laura bonded over discovering their mother’s past was heartfelt, and I particularly liked how learning about Daisy’s history shined light on their perceptions (especially Helen’s) of their relationship with Daisy. That was a great touch to include.

This book was extremely well-written. I learned a lot and it made me think. That’s all I can ask for in a historical fiction novel. Don’t miss this one.

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Author Bio:

Ann Bennett was born in a small village in Northamptonshire and now lives in Surrey. Her first book, A Daughter’s Quest, originally published as Bamboo Heart, was inspired by her father’s experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway. The Planter’s Wife (originally published as Bamboo Island) a Daughter’s Promise and The Homecoming, (formerly Bamboo Road) are also about the war in South East Asia.

Ann is married with three grown up sons and works as a lawyer. For more details please visit www.bambooheart.co.uk