I have great pleasure to welcome you to the celebrations for Chris Penhall's debut novel, The House That Alice Built.
Home is where the heart is …
Alice Dorothy Matthews is sensible. Whilst her best friend
Kathy is living it up in Portugal and her insufferable ex Adam is travelling
the world, Alice is working hard to pay for the beloved London house she has
put her heart and soul into renovating.
But then a postcard from Buenos Aires turns Alice’s life
upside down. One very unsensible decision later and she is in Cascais,
Portugal, and so begins her lesson in ‘going with the flow’; a lesson that sees
her cat-sitting, paddle boarding, dancing on top of bars and rediscovering her
artistic talents.
But perhaps the most important part of the lesson for Alice
is that you don’t always need a house to be at home.
My Thoughts
This was a breath of fresh air in the midst of Autumn. Transported to Portugal, there are some fine descriptions of the scenery and local life there. There are some vividly portrayed characters, especially Alice herself. It is easy to empathise with her as she tries to escape from her ex, Adam's, selfishness and control. Kathy, her friend, has her best interests at heart and at times feels like her guardian angel.
As Alice slowly digs within herself and find reserves she did not know she had, it is great to see her creativity begin to blossom. I did find Adam to have a whiff of the pantomime villain about him. As Alice learns to stand on her own feet, she finds friendships to support her. This is just the novel to help you escape from the cares of everyday life. A debut novel, it is enjoyable and confident writing.
In short: A slice of Portugal to banish the winter.
About the Author
Chris Penhall is a freelance writer and radio producer.
Her book, The House That Alice Built, won the Choc-Lit
Search for a Star Competition 2019.
Born in South Wales, she has also lived near London and in
Portugal, which is where The House That Alice Built is set. It was whilst
living in Cascais near Lisbon that she began to dabble in writing fiction, but
it was many years later that she was confident enough to start writing her
first novel, and many years after that she finally finished it! She is now
working on her second.
A lover of books, music and cats, she is also an
enthusiastic salsa dancer, a keen cook, and loves to travel. She is never
happier than when she is gazing at the sea.
Chris has two grown up daughters and lives in the Essex countryside.
Chris is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association.
Catch up with the rest of the tour
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