We are returning to France for another great summer read by Gillian Harvey . The Village Cafe in the Loire was published by Boldwood on July 12th. High-flyer Becky Thorne cannot believe what she’s being told. She doesn’t need to be signed off for burnout! Life has been a bit chaotic lately, that’s all. As if dealing with her enviable job and permanent meddling from her mother aren’t enough, she’s also inherited a café in the Loire from an estranged great-aunt, complete with sitting tenant who refuses to budge. But nobody stands in Becky’s way! Ignoring her best friend Amber’s advice, she decides to storm over to France and sort the tenant out. Then she can finally get the café sold and jump back on the career ladder. What she doesn’t count on is the tenant being Pascale, who is six feet of tall, dark, handsome and extremely grumpy about her plans for change. Not to mention the village and the secrets it holds about her past. Becky’s path to succes...
Dashboard Elvis is Dead by David F Ross #Review #Giveaway
Today I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour to celebrate the latest novel by David F Ross, Dashboard Elvis is Dead. You can read my reviews of some of Dacid's previous novels here Welcome to the Heady Heights | There's only one Danny Garvey.
I also have the chance to offer a great giveaway to win a print copy of Dashboard Elvis is Dead. For details on how to enter, see the foot of this post.
Renowned photo-journalist Jude Montgomery arrives in Glasgow
in 2014, in the wake of the failed Scottish independence referendum, and it’s
clear that she’s searching for someone.
Is it Anna Mason, who will go on to lead the country as
First Minister? Jamie Hewitt, guitarist from eighties one-hit wonders The
Hyptones? Or is it Rabbit – Jude’s estranged foster sister, now a world-famous
artist?
Three apparently unconnected people, who share a devastating secret, whose lives were forever changed by one traumatic night in Phoenix, forty years earlier.
Taking us back to a school shooting in her Texas hometown,
and a 1980s road trip across the American West – to San Francisco and on to New
York – Jude’s search ends in Glasgow, and a final, shocking event that only one
person can fully explain…
An extraordinary, gritty and tender novel about fate and destiny, regret and absolution – and a road trip that changes everything…
My Thoughts
I can honestly say that I found this to be quite a challenging read. In part, this was because direct speech was not punctuated. However, once I put that to one side, I had to admire the author's original writing style and distinctive authorial voice. It is quite a gritty read, which moves through the decades and weaves together different storylines which seem to be brought together at the end.
One of the aspects I enjoyed the most was being able to recognise certain actual events which had a profound effect on everyone. Starting just after the Scottish Referendum in 2014, this gave it a contemporary feel and made you think that this could all happen. The novel was taking place in our world. You are taken to some down to earth places, with drugs, gun crime, poverty, racism all in the mix. Jude is living with a massive guilt which she is trying to escape from. As you follow her journey, you can't begin to see how it is going to end up. The end is devastating (no spoilers) and you can't help but sit back and admire such meticulous and detailed work.
In short: gritty, elusive, challenging.
About the Author
David F. Ross was born in Glasgow in 1964 and has lived in Kilmarnock for over 30 years. He is a graduate of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art, an architect by day, and a hilarious social media commentator, author and enabler by night. His debut novel The Last Days of Disco was shortlisted for the Authors Club Best First Novel Award, and received exceptional critical acclaim, as did the other two books in the Disco Days Trilogy:The Rise & Fall of the Miraculous Vespas and The Man Who Loved Islands. David lives in Ayrshire.
Book links: Amazon UK
Thanks to David F. Ross and Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Check out the rest of the tour!
Giveaway (UK only)
To win a print copy of Dashboard Elvis is Dead, just Follow and Retweet the pinned tweet at @bookslifethings Closing Date is December 21st 2022 and there is one winner. Good luck!
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