BOOK DESCRIPTION
Diana and her sister Antonia are house-sharing spinsters who have never got over their respective first loves. Diana owns a gift shop, but rarely works there. Antonia is unemployed, having lost her teaching job at an all girls’ school following a shocking outburst in the classroom after enduring years of torment. Diana is a regular at the local library, Antonia enjoys her “nice” magazines, and they treat themselves to coffee and cake once a week in the village café.
Naomi lives alone, haunted by the failure of her two marriages. She works in the library, doesn’t get on with her younger colleagues, and rarely cooks herself a proper meal. Secretly she longs for a Boden frock.
When a body is discovered in the local quarry, all three women’s lives are turned upside down. And when Diana’s old flame Gill turns up unexpectedly, tensions finally spill over and threaten to destroy the outwardly peaceful lives all three women have carefully constructed around themselves.
Helen takes us back to the fictional Shropshire village of Morevale in this, her brilliant second novel which exposes the fragilities and strengths of three remarkably unremarkable elderly women.
Our experiences as adults are very likely shaped by events in our childhoods and early adulthood. Memories are heavily influenced and based on feelings we had surrounding those events and experiences. The problem with memories is that their clarity and true details fade and become muddled as time passes and what we remember now is possibly not a true account of the events at the time.
This is the enchanting story about the struggles of three elderly women to move on from their first loves and the mistakes of their pasts. To do this they also needed to learn to give and accept forgiveness and the need for change. But each woman was stubborn,opinionated and set in her ways,will they each be able to accept that sometimes change is the only way that we can let go of the past and move forward into a brighter, happier future?
The chapters of this character driven story alternated between the perspectives of sister's Diana and Antonia and librarian Naomi who lived in the fictional Shropshire village of Morevale. The village had a olde worlde vibe to it, like it was trapped in a time warp, the sort of place were everyone attended church on a Sunday and were the residents were quick to gossip and pass judgement on others. The place was reminiscent of the setting for a Agatha Christie book or film with its friendly vicar, village fate, mysterious bones uncovered in the nearby quarry and hidden secrets and lies.
Despite there being understandable reasons behind each woman's demeanour and behaviour,I can't say that I thought any of them was very likeable for multiple reasons especially Antonia. But, this didn't stop me from experiencing some feelings of sympathy for each of them at certain points in the story and I will be honest and admit that my opinions on Diana and Naomi had changed a bit by the time I got to the end of the book.
This is a beautifully written,captivating read, the multiple layers of the story unfolding like the petals of a blossoming flower, gradually unfurling until they revealed the beauty that was hidden within. When you think about it,the title of this book is a very clever metaphor when you take into consideration the old bones that were found in the quarry and the old bones of the three main characters. A very enjoyable read and very highly recommended.
About Helen Kitson:
Helen lives in Worcester with her husband, two teenaged children and two rescue cats. Her first poetry collection was nominated for the Forward Best First Collection Prize. She has published three other poetry collections and her short fiction has appeared in magazines including Ambit, Feminist Review and Stand. She holds a BA (Hons) in Humanities.
Helen's debut novel The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson was published in March 2019. Her second "Morevale" novel, Old Bones, will be published on 16 January 2021.
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Published by Louise Walters Books in paperback and digital formats on 18th January 2021
Purchase Links:
Louise Walters Books: http://bit.ly/37dpwKM
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2LPuDKI
Foyles: https://bit.ly/3pdjamn
Waterstones: http://bit.ly/3660WMc
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/365gdwN
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