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A Dash of Christmas Spirit by Susan Buchanan #Review

  Welcome to Susan Buchanan for Book 5 in her Christmas Spirit series, A Dash of Christmas Spirit which was published on September 22nd! There is also a giveaway for you. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. CAN LARA ADD A SPRINKLING OF MAGIC THIS CHRISTMAS? Jacob introduces ever tastier treats to the Sugar and Spice cafe’s menu as the Christmas Spirit knits her magic into the lives of those finding this Christmas tough. Florence is struggling to make ends meet and afford the present she knows her son wants for Christmas. Her ex-husband flaunting his new girlfriend and their baby isn’t helping her mood. Widower Jude feels a failure as a father to his two young children after the tragic death of his wife The move to Winstanton was meant to make life easier. Can he learn to carve out time to build new friendships and give himself the chance to grieve? Rachel’s boss has given the promotion he promised her to the man twenty years her junior, whom she trained. S...
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The Carer by Deborah Moggach #Review


Today I am delighted to feature Deborah Moggach's novel, The Carer. 

From the bestselling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Tulip Fever, a deliciously funny, poignant and wry novel, full of surprising twists and turns:

James is getting on a bit and needs full-time help. So Phoebe and Robert, his middle-aged offspring, employ Mandy, who seems willing to take him off their hands. But as James regales his family with tales of Mandy’s virtues, their shopping trips and the shared pleasure of their journeys to garden centres, Phoebe and Robert sense something is amiss.

Then something extraordinary happens which throws everything into new relief, changing all the stories of their childhood - and the father - that they thought they knew so well.

My Thoughts

This is a fabulous read. It led me up the garden path, right through the back garden and back again and I failed to pick up on its great surprise. Written in two parts, you see life through James' children's eyes and then in the latter part, realise what the true picture actually is.

    You realise in the end that it is an examination of human relationships and marriages, and the damage that people can inflict without thinking. Phoebe and Robert have to take a long hard look at themselves and re-evaluate everything they thought they knew. Full of quiet menace at the start, you find that there is a heart-warming side to the story. The characters are shown in subtle relief and relationships exposed. Class and intellectual snobbery are thrown into the mix, as well as ageing, treachery, betrayal and whether one should accept a bit less in life if it makes you happy.

In short: A social comedy to savour.

About the Author

 
Deborah Moggach, OBE is an English novelist and an award-winning screenwriter. She has written nineteen novels, including The Ex-Wives, Tulip Fever, These Foolish Thing, Heartbreak Hotel and Something to Hide. She lives in London.

You can follow Deborah here: Goodreads 

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Deborah Moggach and Tinder Press, and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours  for an advanced copy of the book and a place on the event.  

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