BOOK DESCRIPTION
London, 1968.
Lily’s dreams of a better life for her family are shattered when her teenage daughter refuses to give up her illegitimate child. It doesn’t help that Lily’s husband, Jack, takes their daughter’s side.
Taking refuge in her work at a law firm in the City, Lily’s growing feelings for her married boss soon provides a dangerous distraction. Will Lily be able to resist temptation? Or will the decisions made by these ordinary people lead them down an extraordinary path that could destroy them all?
Mine – a powerful story of class, ambition and sexual politics.
This compelling drama is narrated from the perspectives of Lily,her husband Adam and her boss and lover Leonard and is mainly set between the years 1968 and 1969 although the narrative does move forward in time to 2009 towards the end of the story. The late sixties were a time of change here I Britain, a time when women started to stand up for their rights and demand more respect. But it was still a male dominated world full of sexism, judgement and control where the little woman was expected to stay at home,look after the kids and make sure hubby's tea was ready and waiting for him when he got home from work. It was the time of The Beatles, On The Buses, the brilliant Carry On films and Crackerjack (I remember watching that when I was younger) A time when we laughted at films and sang along to songs that contained sexual innuendos,a time where there was no such thing as snowflakes (apart from the ones that fell from the sky) As a reviewer,I am expected to be honest about the book that I have read and the character's within the story and I will be honest and admit that I struggled a lot whilst writing this review due to this being a true story that is about the author's life,family and relatives. I really don't want my opinions to upset the author's feelings in any way so if I do then I sincerely apologise. I really didn't like Lily very much,not just because she had an affair but for various other reasons as well. I had mixed feelings about Adam there was aspects of his character that I liked and aspects that I didnt. I felt a lot of sympathy for Beverley, yes she had made a mistake that was going to affect her for the rest of her life and her behaviour did at times come across as selfish but she was only young and she did appear to be trying to sort her life out but it very often seemed as she couldn't do anything right in the eyes of her mother (boy, do I know how that feels) Poor little Caroline was just a innocent child who loved reading her Puffin books and going to Brownies and who's young life was shattered into thousands of tiny pieces due to 're actions of the adults who were supposed to take care of her and make sure her world was safe and secure. I didn't like Leonard or his stuck up wife either but I couldn't help feeling a tiny bit of sympathy for him towards the end of the story. His feelings for Lily were obviously genuine whereas I was never sure about her motives for getting involved with Leonard. Did she genuinely love him or was he just a pawn in her quest for what she insisted was a better life with money and big houses. The secondary characters were all vivid individuals with their own personal character traits and personalities,I actually ended up surprising myself by liking a character who I originally thought was a bit of a pompous,lecherous snob.
This true life personal account of events in this author's life is a well written,enthralling drama that is a tragic tale much like the story of Romeo and Juliet which is the ballet performance that Lily and Leonard attended during the story. I don't usually enjoy reading love stories but once I started reading this book I found myself captivated by the author's words and couldn't put the book down, I actually read the whole book in one sitting. I can imagine that this was a very emotional book for the author to write and I would like to thank her for sharing her story and wish her all the best for the future. I really enjoyed this book and would happily read more of this author's books in the future.
AUTHOR BIO
Alison has been a legal executive, a registered childminder, a professional fund-raiser and a teacher. She has travelled the world – from spending a year as an exchange student in the US in the 1970s and trekking the Great Wall of China to celebrate her fortieth year and lots of other interesting places in between.
In her mid-forties Alison went to university part-time and gained a first-class degree in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and an MA in the same subject from Oxford Brookes University, both while still working full-time. Her first book was published a year after she completed her master’s degree.
Mine is a domestic drama set in 1960s London based on real events in her family. She is the only person who can tell this particular story. Exploring themes of class, ambition and sexual politics, Mine shows how ordinary people can make choices that lead them into extraordinary situations.
Alison teaches creative and life-writing, runs workshops and retreats with Imagine Creative Writing Workshops(www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk) as well as working as a freelance editor. She is a member of the Society of Authors and the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
She lives in Somerset, within sight of Glastonbury Tor.
Social Media Links –
Websites: www.alisonroseknight.com
www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk
www.darkstroke.com/dark-stroke/alison-knight/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/alison.knight.942
Twitter: @Alison_Knight59
PUBLICATION DATE: 25th November 2020
Purchase Links
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08JQF4JQT
US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JQF4JQT
INVITATION TO AN ONLINE BOOK LAUNCH: On Saturday 28th November 2020, Alison will be joining four other authors for a joint event via Zoom called Darkstroke Defined: The five writers will talk about their new books, read extracts and answer questions. For your free ticket, go to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/darkstroke-defined-tickets-125793372363
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