Books, Life and Everything welcomes you to this stop on the Blog Tour to celebrate the publication of The Many Colours of Us by Rachel Burton. First, here's a little about the book:
What if your life was built on lies?
Julia Simmonds had never been bothered about not knowing who her father was. Having temperamental supermodel, Philadelphia Simmonds, as a mother was more than enough. Until she discovers she’s the secret love-child of the late, great artist Bruce Baldwin, and her life changes forever.
Uncovering the secrets of a man she never knew, Julia discovers that Bruce had written her one letter, every year until her eighteenth birthday, urging his daughter to learn from his mistakes. As Julia begins to dig deeper into the mysterious past of her parents, opening up a history she’d never have imagined, but as she discovers the truth she needs to decide if she is willing to forgive and forget?
My Thoughts
Rachel's debut novel is a warm and accomplished novel with a cast of interesting and varied characters and quite a lot to say about family ties. From the start, Julia finds that all her preconceived ideas about who she is get turned on their head with the news of who her father actually was. As she tries to come to terms with this news, she finds that her other relationships and friendships are reevaluated.
In Julia, we have a sympathetic and likeable central character. We discover that beneath the surface, she has insecurities and self-doubt. At the centre, there is a romance but there is more to the story than that, Aspects of family relationships are an important part. How far should family duty and obligation override everything else? What exactly constitutes family? There are many secrets to uncover.
With well drawn characters and an engaging plot, this is an enjoyable read. Well paced, I read it over two days - the perfect start to my holiday reading.
In short: family secrets and warm, engaging characters.
About the Author
Rachel Burton has been making up stories since she first learned to talk, prodigiously early. In 2013 she finally started making one up that was worth writing down. She has a BA in Classics and an MA in English and has never really known what to do when she grew up. She has worked as a waitress, a legal secretary, a yoga teacher and a paralegal. She never quite made it to law school.
She grew up in Cambridge and London but now lives in Leeds with her boyfriend and three cats. The main loves of her life are The Beatles and very tall romantic heroes
Thanks to the publishers, HQ Digital and Jenny at Neverland Tours for a copy of the book and a place on the Tour.
Check out the rest of the Tour!
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