Secrets, lies and a few home truths. A magnificent family saga in the tradition of Elizabeth Jane Howard's CAZALET CHRONICLE. (which I read and loved back in the early 1990's when they were published)

Synopsis:Amazon.co.uk
The Harrison family gathers as usual for Christmas in their big Sussex house - a tight safe world of festivity and family ritual. This year, however, outside realities are pressing hard: Pamela and John, married for four decades, know that time is catching up with them. And trouble is brewing in the lives of their four children. Cassie, the cossetted youngest, is in the throes of an affair with a married man; Elizabeth, her awkward older sister, is struggling with a faltering second marriage; Peter, the eldest and designated inheritor of Ashley House, is beginning to meet resistance to such a prospect from his career-orientated wife. Only Charlie, the charming and carefree younger son, and his wife Serena, seem truly content, with nothing to worry about except their adolescent twin girls and the simpler teething troubles of their toddler. Everywhere the scent of change is in the air. Yet, change, when it comes, strikes in the form of a tragedy of the most unforeseeable and devastating kind. The family, so apparently secure, begins to unravel. And secrets, past and present, are exposed, laying bare the fragility of human happiness and the myriad faces of love in an imperfect world.

A novel about family relationships with a huge cast of characters I had become quite fond of them by the time I finished the 534 pages. It was an undemanding read but unusually for me rather a slow one, I managed to read a month (chapter) a day! The novel follows the life of a family and those around them for one year from a December early in the 21st century to the following November. The Harrison family are the protagonists of the story. Pamela and John are the parents and live in Ashley House the rambling family home in the depths of Sussex. Weekends, holidays and other special occasions see their children Peter, Charlie, Elizabeth and Cassie gathering together at the family home along with their spouses and offspring. Every member of the family struggles with problems and or secrets in their lives as the apparently secure and happy unit starts to unravel exposing them all to the frailty of life and love.
By coincidence just after I finished reading this I received a present quite unexpectedly of the sequel ‘The Simple Rules of Love’, so I can look forward to many more hours with the Harrison family.

I am going to ask a Bookcrossing friend of mine if she is interested in this one. I think she might enjoy it?

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

As I thought Melamura has expressed an interest in this title, so passing it on to her later this evening when we meet up for a Pizza in Viterbo.

Happy reading

LindyLouMac

A fairly enjoyable but slow read. I found it a little long but quite a good family saga.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Dear Finder of this book

I'm so glad it has found a home with you. I hope you enjoy reading it and that you might take a few moments to jot down here what you thought about the book, or about finding it, or about bookcrossing.

You don't have to join or sign up or anything to bookcrossing to leave a comment here but if you do join, you will receive emails to alert you when others make a journal entry for this book and track its travels across the world. If you decide to join bookcrossing now that you have discovered the site, I'd be delighted if you would mention me - Melamura - as the person who introduced you to the site.

Happy reading

Melamura

Will be released sometime during December, somewhere in the UK.

Really good holiday read!