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Floating Solo by Shelley Wilson #Review

  Fancy taking a leisurely boat ride along a beautiful Warwickshire canal? Floating Solo by Shelley Wilson was published by Hillfield Publishing on November 5th. Are you single? Have you lost your confidence when it comes to travelling? Would you welcome a few weeks away to find that missing spark? Climb aboard the Creaky Cauldron for an adventure like no other! Budding entrepreneur Kat Sinclair wants to grow her quirky solo narrowboat holiday enterprise but faces rejection at every turn. Until a Hollywood film crew gets in touch with the potential to change her business, dreams, and love life forever. 'Enemies to lovers' 'Small town romance'   My Thoughts   You can't help but fall under the spell of life on the canals when you read this story. Kat has big dreams for her business but seems to lack confidence to put it into action. Her Floating Solo holidays are very successful for her clients and many use the experience to sort out their thoughts and plan their ...

Tasting Sunlight by Ewald Arenz translated by Rachel Ward #Review #Giveaway

 

I am delighted to feature Tasting Sunlight by Ewald Arenz on the blog today. This German bestseller has been in the top ten for over three years and sold over 400,000 copies in Germany alone.  It will soon be turned into a major movie. I also have a great giveaway with the chance to win a print copy of this novel. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.  

Teenager Sally has just run away from a clinic where she to be treated for anorexia. Sheā€™s furious with everything and everyone, and wants to be left in peace.

 

Liss is in her forties, living alone on a large farm that she runs single-handedly. She has little contact with the outside world, and no need for other people.

From their first meeting, Sally realises that Liss isnā€™t like other adults; she expects nothing of Sally and simply accepts who she is, offering her a bed for the night with no questions asked.

That night becomes weeks and then months, as an unlikely friendship develops and these two damaged women slowly open up ā€“ connecting to each other, reconnecting with themselves, and facing the darkness in their pasts  through their shared work on the land.

Achingly beautiful, profound, invigorating and uplifting, Tasting Sunlight is a story of friendship across generations, of love and acceptance, of the power of nature to heal and transform, and the goodness that surrounds us, if only we take time to see itā€¦


 My Thoughts

What a distinctive story this turned out to be. It is a deceptively simple story but as you read it, you discover layers of meaning, through the characters, the setting and the depiction of the healing power of Nature. Centred around two unlikely characters, you see friendship stir  and understanding grow. Set in rural Germany, you meet Sally, a young teenage runaway who has been admitted to a clinic as she has had anorexia. Liss, a solitary middle-aged farmer, recognises in Sally, the vulnerabilities she felt as a young girl and allows her to stay.

    Liss and Sally are desperate to be left alone. Of course, you realise that somewhere out there, people will be hunting for Sally. Rachel Ward has translated the novel so skilfully and the writing flows as Liss introduces Sally to the workings of the farm. There are some wonderful passages describing the tasks which have to be done. You feel that Nature and the environment offer both women healing and the space to recover.  As you find out, both have a complicated past which they have tried to escape from. Both have felt the pressure of  loss of freedom. There is so much admire in the novel which despite a sense of foreboding, is an uplifting and inspiring read.

In short: Prepare to be enchanted by beautiful writing

About the Author

 


Ewald Arenz, born in NĆ¼rnberg in 1965, studied English and American literature and history. He is a teacher at a secondary school in NĆ¼rnberg. His novels and plays have received many awards. Ewald lives near FĆ¼rth with his family.

You can follow Ewald here: Twitter  |  Website 

Book link: Amazon UK (published June 23rd- pre-order link) 

Thanks  to Ewald Arenz, Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour/

Check out these great bloggers!

 

Giveaway ( UK only)


 



To win a print copy of Tasting Sunlight just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!

  Closing date is June 19th 2022 and there is one winner.


*Terms and Conditions ā€“UK only.  The winner will be selected at random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winnersā€™ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
 


 

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