Its my stop on the final day of the blog tour. I've got my violin out..
Detangling the plot:
An unexpected letter. An unlikely friendship. A chance to start again.
Ever since she first picked up a violin, Hope Sullivan dreamed of going to music college, joining an orchestra and travelling the world with her best friend Janey. But when her parents were killed in a car accident on the way to one of her recitals, she gave it all up to look after her younger sister, Autumn. Ten years later, Janey is living their dream on her own, Autumn is flourishing as a doctor and Hope's life is smaller and less musical than ever.
Arnold Quince had the happiest of lives - until he lost his beloved wife Marion. Once the life and soul of the village, he withdrew into his grief and pushed all his friends away. Now, five years on, he is sick, lonely and just counting down the years until he can be with Marion again.
When Hope and Arnold are pushed into writing to one another, neither has any idea how much their life is about to change.
About the author:
Juliet Conlin was born in London and grew up in England and Germany. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Durham. She works as a writer and translator and lives with her husband and four children in Berlin. She writes in both English and German. Her novels include 'The Fractured Man' (Cargo, 2013), 'The Uncommon Life of Alfred Warner in Six Days' (Black & White Publishing, 2017), 'The Lives Before Us' (Black & White, 2019), and 'Sisters of Berlin (Black & White, 2020). Subscribe to Juliet's newsletter, NOTES FROM BERLIN, www.julietconlin.com/notes-from-berlin.
Bobs and Books honest review:
Hope and Janey's friendship kicks off at Primary school age, and its a delight to see them grow up and see their friendship blossom. They both seem a bit immature until Hope's parents tragic accident when Hope grows up fast.
I love the form of this. Its a blend of emails, letters, newspaper articles and I picked up the story very quickly. Its great that you can see the story unfold without any prose.
Arnold and Hope's unusual friendship is totally adorable and I think its the first time either of them expose their true feelings for their own grief. They both trust each other, believe in each other and support each other despite having never met. I think both are lonely and therefore 'get' each other.
This is really heart warming, takes a good few turns as Hope and Janey's life continues. I like how many years you live through with these two truly lovely characters. This ends with a feel-good factor.
Out now. Buy link:
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