BLOG TOUR: The New Woman by Charity Norman

I am very excited to welcome Charity Norman to my blog today. I am a huge fan of her books, she is not afraid to tackle difficult issues and she does so with great care and empathy. I think Charity's latest book, The New Woman is her best yet and I was lucky enough to be able to ask her some questions about the writing process involved: 

1.     Where did the idea for The New Woman come from?

I was volunteering on a telephone crisis line and a number of our callers were transgender. I spoke to some really amazing people who’d been through terrible times. It struck me just how common this is, and how misunderstood. Then I became friends with a transgender woman who I find inspirational, and her insights helped me to glimpse what she and others had been through. The more I learned, the more I felt this had to be my next book.

2. The book is clearly well researched, how did you go about it?

This did take a lot of detailed research – it’s complex subject and I really had to try and get it right. I talked to transgender people and their families and friends. I read books, articles and blogs; I watched videos and visited forums, followed relevant sites on social media, and was kept up to date with stories: some tragic, some uplifting. I thought I had some knowledge before I began, but it wasn’t until the research was underway that I really began to understand Luke’s despair, and the immensity of the choice he faces. I had to be careful not to dump all of that research into the novel – most of it went unused.

3. The Livingstone family is torn apart by Luke's revelation, did you have a clear idea about their reactions or did they develop and change as you were writing the book?

I had some idea how each might react, but writing character is quite a fluid thing – they don’t always react as you expect, and sometimes they aren’t the people you thought they were. It’s very like getting to know a person in real life. They have complexities and hang-ups that don’t emerge until they’re faced with difficult situations.

4. Are you working on a new book? Can you tell us anything about it?

Oh yes; the first draft is almost finished. It’s set in New Zealand, and is about a young English backpacker who gets herself tangled up in a cult. The research has been chilling but fascinating. You wouldn’t believe what’s out there! It’s my latest obsession.  

Thank you so much to Charity for answering my questions, I have popped my review of The New Woman below, it is out now so go and get your copy!  

What would you do if you found out that your husband, your father, your son- was not who you thought? Could you ever love him again?
Luke Livingstone is a lucky man. He's a respected solicitor, a father and a grandfather, a pillar of the community. He has a loving wife and an idyllic home in the Oxfordshire countryside. Yet Luke is struggling with an unbearable secret, and it's threatening to destroy him.
All his life, Luke has hidden the truth about himself and his identity. It's a truth so fundamental that it will devastate his wife, shatter his children, rock his community and leave him outcast. But Luke has nowhere left to run, and to continue living, he must become the person- the woman- he knows himself to be, whatever the cost. 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Pages: 374

I have read all of Charity Norman's books and I didn't think she could get any better but The New Woman is her best yet.

Luke Livingstone has been living a lie his whole life; his children are grown up and he is now a grandfather, it's time he told the truth. But the truth will devastate his wife Eilish and Children Simon and Kate. Yet he is prepared to tear his family apart in order to live the rest of his life as a woman. Ever since he can remember he has thought of himself as a female but he has tried to hide the truth. He truly loves his wife and children but will they ever be able to forgive him?

This book was outstanding; I felt like I was constantly in awe of how well Charity Norman handled such a complex and sensitive subject. Each chapter is told from either Luke, Eilish's, Kate or Simon's perspective which was brilliant as we got a complete picture of the turmoil this family goes through. Luke and Eilish were my favourite characters; despite Luke's lie they had been happily married and in love. Luke's revelation shatters Eilish but she can't stop loving her husband and we follow her as she comes to terms with what it means for her marriage and family. 

As with all of this author's books, the research undertaken shines through. This all makes the story so much more believable and I also felt as though I learnt a lot about a subject I hadn't really thought about. 

Charity Norman is so, so good at taking a normal, identifiable domestic situation and blowing it apart. Her books always make me think about how I would react in the same situation. She makes you think deeply about family, relationships and love. Her characters are always pushed to their limits with varying results. 

Charity Norman is a fantastic author and I highly recommend The New Woman, it is such a good read and one that will give you plenty to think about. 

Book Review: Before I Go by CoLleen Oakley

Her time is running out.
How can Daisy ensure that Jack will live happily ever after?
On the eve of what was supposed to be a triumphant 'Cancerversay' with her husband Jack to celebrate three years of good health, Daisy suffers a devastating blow: her doctor tells her that the cancer is back, but this time it's terminal.
Death is a frightening prospect- but not because she's afraid for herself. Terrified of what will happen to her brilliant but charmingly helpless husband when she's no longer there to take care of him, she stumbles on the solution: she has to find him another wife.
With a singular determination, Daisy searches for Jack's perfect match. But as the thought of her husband with another woman becomes all too real, Daisy is forced to decide what's more important in the short amount of time she has left, her husband's happiness or her own?

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Pages: 320

This book is heartbreaking but such an interesting read. I have read a few books where the main character is dying from Cancer but I think this one is the most honest.
Daisy is due to celebrate being clear of cancer for three years when her oncologist delivers the awful news that her cancer has returned and it is terminal. Her life expectancy has been reduced to months and there is nothing she can do. Daisy focuses on her husband Jack and what will happen to him once she has gone. She decides that she needs to find him a new wife so that he won't be on his own. But is she really strong enough to find her own replacement and what if Jack ends up loving someone more than her?
I really like Daisy and she goes through so, so much in this book. As you would expect, her emotions are all over the place; anger, sadness, relief, jealousy are just a few that are explored. There were times that I wanted to shout at her to just enjoy the time that she has left instead of looking for Jack's new wife. But then I had to think how I would react in that situation, knowing you only have a few months left to cram in as much as you can.
I couldn't dislike Jack as he was sc
arily like my own husband. I think it's a shame in a way that we only get the one chapter from Jack's perspective as it would have been interesting to read more about his reactions to Daisy's behaviour and illness.
Colleen Oakley doesn't hold back too much on the physical effects of Daisy's cancer and it's obvious that this book has been meticulously researched. She does not bog you down with detail but instead shows you the procedures and medications that Daisy has to endure and how they affect her.
This book is obviously incredibly sad but I have to say that I was very impressed by the level of humour that the author included in the book. The funny moments mainly occurred between Daisy and Jack but they were entirely believable and much needed.
Before I Go is a book that will make you think about how you would behave in such a situation. But more importantly it makes you take stock of how lucky you are and how that can be taken away so quickly.
Colleen Oakley has written a very interesting, highly emotive debut novel and I was very impressed.

Many thanks to Allen & Unwin for sending me a review copy, Before I Go is out now! 

Book Review: The Tea Chest by Josephine Moon

Kate Fullerton, talented tea designer and no co-owner of The Tea Chest, could never have imagined that she'd be flying from Brisbane to London, risking her young family's future, to save the business she loves from the woman who wants to shut it down.
Meanwhile, Leila Morton has just lost her job, and if Elizabeth Clancy had known today was the day she would appear on the nightly news, she might at least have put on some clothes. Both need to start again.
When the three women's paths unexpectedly cross, they throw themselves into realising Kate's magical vision for London's branch of The Tea Chest. But every time success is within their grasp, increasing tensions damage their trust in each other.
With the very real possibility that The Tea Chest will fail, Kate, Leila and Elizabeth must decide what's important to each of them. Are they willing to walk away or can they learn to believe in themselves?

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Pages: 354

The Tea Chest by Josephine Moon is a charming read. Kate Fullerton is the lead character who finds herself unexpectedly owning half of a business. It is a business that she is passionate about but Kate has been working at The Tea Chest as the head designer and she knows nothing about running a business but in her heart she knows she wants to make it work. Kate has to leave her home and family in Australia and fly to London to set up a whole new store. She ends up employing three other women, Leila, Elizabeth and her sister Victoria. She has
to trust these women to help her fulfil her vision and keep the company going.
I found The Tea Chest a little difficult to get into at the beginning as I felt that it took a while for the main characters to come together but once they did I was completely captivated by the story. All four women are extremely likeable characters and they each bring their own individual story lines which add up to a very interesting read.
Josephine Moon must have spent a lot of time researching tea; tea is one of my favourite things so I really enjoyed that aspect of the book, reading about the many different blends and ways to prepare it. I felt that this information made the story much more realistic and believable, I totally believed in The Tea Chest as a business and wanted it to succeed.
The Tea Chest is a heart warming read, I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

Many thanks to the lovely Sam at Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of this book to review. 

Book Review: The Railwayman's Wife by Ashley Hay

In Thirroul in 1948, people chose their dreams through the books in the railway's library. Annika Lachlan searches for solace after her life is destroyed by a single random act. Roy McKinnon, who found poetry in the mess of war, has lost his words and his hope. Frank Draper is trapped by the guilt of those his treatment and care failed on their first day of freedom. All three struggle with the same question: how now to be alive?

The Railwayman's Wife is superbly written. I felt as though Ashley Hay's writing was very visual, she describes things in great detail, down to the way light falls on an object. It is quite cinematic as it is so easy to conjure up images of the world created on the page.
The book is very much about love and loss. Annika Lachlan endures an awful tragedy at the beginning of the book and she knows her life will never be the same again. Entering into her new life, she encounters Roy McKinnon and Dr Frank Draper, both returned from war, they are almost mourning their old lives as due to what they have seen and experienced, life will never be the same for them either.
Ashley Hay writes in the present tense which I don't usually enjoy but in this instance it just added to the vivid feel of this book. You feel as though you are right there, experiencing the story with the characters.
The Railwayman's Wife is a thought provoking and interesting read. This is Ashley Hay's sixth book and I found her writing style to be particularly accomplished, I would highly recommend this author.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 4.5/5

Pages: 320 

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Thank you very much to the lovely Sam at Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of this book, The Railwayman's Wife is out on January 2nd!

Book Review: The Son-in-Law by Charity Norman

On a sharp winter's morning, a man turns his back on prison. Joseph Scott has served his term. He's almost lost everything: his career as a teacher, his wife, the future he'd envisaged. All he has left are his three children but he is not allowed anywhere near them.
This is the story of Joseph, who killed his wife, Zoe. Of their three children who witnessed the event. Of Zoe's parents, Hannah and Frederick, who are bringing up the children and can't forgive or understand Joseph.
They slowly adjust to life without Zoe, until the day Joseph is released from prison...

Charity Norman just gets better. I very much enjoyed her first book, After the Fall but I think that The Son-in-Law is her best yet.
Joseph Scott leaves prison, the only thing he has been thinking about, focusing on, is seeing his three children, Scarlett, Theo and Ben. But does he have the right to see them? Will they want to see him? The last time they saw him they witnessed Joseph kill their mother, Ben was in Zoe's arms as she fell to the floor.
We follow the family as Joseph tries to re-stablish contact. The readers discovers the events leading up to Zoe's death. How Zoe's parents, Hannah and Freddie have cared for the children. How their lives will never be the same again and the way this impacts on their individual futures.
Each chapter is told from the perspective of either Joseph, Hannah or Scarlett so we always get their different view point of the same events. Each character in this book is conflicted and broken, they all loved Zoe and would do anything to have her back but they all know that is not possible.
Scarlett and her brothers are incredibly angry at their father and maybe a little frightened but he is still their Dad. They want to see him but they feel disloyal to Hannah and Frederick who have cared for them and loved them so well.
Hannah and Frederick will never forgive Joseph for taking their daughter and they are prepared to fight him all the way but they also have to remove their feelings and emotions and only consider what is best for the children. But how can they hand over their precious grandchildren to the very man who killed their daughter?
Charity Norman has written a really intricate story that explores the many ties that hold a family together.. The ending had me in tears as it is so clear that everyone wants the children to
be happy and so sacrifices have to be made.
The Son-in-Law is a fantastic read. I think that Charity Norman's book gives you a lot to think about which is one of the best things about reading. The writing style is engaging and you will be gripped from the very beginning. I am already looking forward to Charity Norman's next book.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Pages: 304

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Many thanks to the lovely Sam at Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of this book to review, The Son-in-Law is out now!

Blow Tour: Book Review of Grace Grows by Shelle Sumners PLUS author interview

Like many young women, Grace Barnum's life is a precarious mix of sensible choices and uncomfortable compromises. She dutifully edits children's textbooks that she fears amy be more harmful than helpful. She is engaged to a patent attorney with whom she has a reliable relationship. She's wary of her fascinating father, a renowned New York painter, and she prefers her mother slightly drunk.
Always organised, always a planner, Grace carries her life around in a handbag- that is until the responsibility challenged Tyler Wilkie shows up, with his warm eyes and a smile that makes Grace drop things. Worst of all, her he writes tender, loving, devastating songs- about her. Tyler reaches something in Grace, something she needs, but can't admit to. Something she wants but won't succumb to. Falling in love with him would ruin everything. And yet..

Wow! I loved this book! Grace Grows is a love story about Grace Barnum and Taylor Wilkie. After watching her parents divorce, Grace wants nothing more than a reliable, dependable man who will give her a safe and surprise free relationship. That is until she meets Tyler Wilkie; he's a musician and about as unreliable as you can get. But Grace cannot ignore him, she finds him intriguing and it seems that she really opens up when she spends time with him. They start off as friends but it soon becomes obvious that they could have more than that. However, this goes against everything that Grace has ever wanted, she has to face up to the person she is and the person she could be or she could risk losing the one man who can truly love her.
The book is written from Grace's perspective so it feels very personal and as the title suggests, Grace Grows, she changes so much throughout the book. Tyler loves her as she is as he can see the true Grace, she just needs to see this for herself.
Tyler Wilkie is a fantastic character who I completely fell in love with! I loved the songs he writes for Grace which are included throughout. He has nothing to hide and no agenda; he loves Grace and has never hidden that fact. He cannot understand why Grace puts up so many barriers but he will not give up on her.
Shelle Sumners has a fantastic writing style, I found her characters entirely believable and at the end of every chapter I wanted to know more. The intensity of Grace and Tyler's relationship makes for a great story, it is romantic without being cliched which I think is very difficult to achieve.
I highly recommend Grace Grows, the story will capture you and you may just fall in love with Tyler too!

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of the book, Grace Grows is published on 1st March.

As part of the Grace Grows blog tour, I was invited to ask the lovely Shelle Sumners some questions so here you go!

1.     I completely fell in love with Tyler Wilkie, where did your inspiration for this character come from?

Tyler Wilkie first popped up in my subconscious in an early morning dream. I didn’t know his name yet, but I did know that he was a musician. He was with a woman at a waterfall. They were in love, and something important was going to happen to them there.

A few months prior to this dream, I’d gone with my husband, Lee Morgan, to a few New York City clubs. He’s an actor and musician and had been writing a lot of songs and was just starting to play them in public. Also, we and our daughter had visited waterfalls as tourists in the Pocono Mountains. Obviously, all of these things—music, water, the Poconos, New York, love--converged in my psyche and demanded an outlet!

2.     Grace changes so much throughout the book, did you have it all planned or did some things develop during the writing process?

Early on, I had a good sense of Grace’s challenges and how she needed to grow and change. I had about three-quarters of the story outlined, but many new ideas and realizations came to me as the writing progressed.

3.     I loved the musical aspect of the book and I have listened to all of the songs listed at the end of the book whilst reading! Does music play an important role for you when you are actively writing?

I don’t usually listen to music when sitting at the computer writing. I need silence in order to think! However, while I was writing Grace Grows, I listened to music nonstop during my 30-minute daily drives to and from work. Many, many ideas for the story and snippets of dialogue occurred to me then. I kept a notepad and pen on the passenger seat so that I could pull over and write them down immediately.

Music has been hugely important to me all my life, though I never learned to read music or play an instrument. I sometimes wonder if music might have become my creative outlet, if I’d developed those abilities.

4.     As I am a little bit nosy, can you describe a typical writing day?

Over the years I’ve done much of my writing while also working full-time. I wrote Grace Grows whenever I could fit it in, usually on the weekends and for a few hours after work each day. My husband helped by making dinner a lot of the time, so I could sit at my desk and focus and be productive.

5. Grace Grows is a great book and I really enjoyed your writing style. Are you working on anything at the moment that you can tell us about?

Thank you so much! I am currently revising another novel, very different than Grace Grows. It’s a love story, too, but set in south Louisiana, in an antebellum house with ghosts and other kinds of history and mystery. And I also have started writing a sort of “spin-off” of Grace Grows, a novel about Tyler Wilkie’s beautiful, wild twin sister, Beck.

After the Fall by Charity Norman selected for the Richard and Judy Spring Book Club

After the Fall by Charity Norman which I reviewed last week has been selected by the 2013 Richard and Judy Spring Book Club. I think this is very exciting and well deserved, After the Fall was the first book that I have read by Charity Norman but I fell in love with her writing and story telling style. I have popped a few details about the book club below and also my review of After the Fall!

- After the Fall will be the featured title in the week of 4^th March.

- An exclusive interview with Charity Norman is available as part of the Richard and Judy podcast series which readers will be able to immediately download by scanning the QR code in the back of their book.

- The first chapter of After the Fall is available to read for free by visiting       www.whsmith.co.uk/bcchapters

- Other titles in the Spring Book Club include Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Gold by Chris Cleave.

In the quite of a New Zealand winter's night, a rescue helicopter is sent to airlift a five-year-old boy with severe internal injuries. He's fallen from the upstairs veranda of an isolated farmhouse, and his condition is critical. At first, Finn's fall looks like a horrible accident; after all he's prone to sleep walking. Only his frantic mother, Martha McNamara knows how it happened. And she isn't telling. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
Tragedy isn't what the McNamara family expected when they moved to New Zealand. For Martha, it was an escape. For her artist  husband Kit, it was a dream. For their small twin boys, it was an adventure. For sixteen-year-old Sacha it was the start of a nightmare.
They end up on the isolated east coast of the North island, seemingly in the middle of a New Zealand tourist campaign. But their peaceful idyll is soon shattered as the choices Sacha makes lead the family down a path which threatens to destroy them all. Martha finds herself facing a series of impossible decisions, each with devastating consequences for her family.

This book is going to be very difficult to review as I don't want to give the plot away but I have to stress that it was a fantastic read.
Martha and her family move to New Zealand because Kit, Martha's husband is drinking heavily after seeing his company collapse. New Zealand offers him a chance to pursue his painting ambitions and offers Martha and the children a new life on the other side of the world. Sacha is Kit's step-daughter and a doting sister to her twin half brothers, Charlie and Finn. The move to New Zealand affects Sacha in a way that none of them saw coming and her actions put her whole family in danger.
We know at the beginning of the book that Finn has had a fall; he has a head injury and lies in a coma. Martha has explained that it was an accident but her inner thoughts, expressed in the book, suggest otherwise.
Charity Norman flits back and forth between the past and the present. We learn of the events leading up to Finn's fall and the then the immediate aftermath.
The plot is extremely intriguing, I really couldn't decide what had happened and Charity Norman keeps up the tension and mystery throughout.
Sacha is a difficult character and I still haven't decided what I think about her. I felt so much empathy for Martha though as the book really made me question how I would react to my own daughter in the same situation. There were times when I could really feel Martha's desperation to make everything right and her fear that it is all out of her control.
After the Fall is a particularly gripping read. I have Charity Norman's first book sitting on my shelf so I am really looking forward to reading more by this great author.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of the book to review, After the Fall is out now.

The lovely Charity Norman is also on Twitter, simply follow @CharityNorman1

Book Review: After the Fall by Charity Norman

In the quite of a New Zealand winter's night, a rescue helicopter is sent to airlift a five-year-old boy with severe internal injuries. He's fallen from the upstairs veranda of an isolated farmhouse, and his condition is critical. At first, Finn's fall looks like a horrible accident; after all he's prone to sleep walking. Only his frantic mother, Martha McNamara knows how it happened. And she isn't telling. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
Tragedy isn't what the McNamara family expected when they moved to New Zealand. For Martha, it was an escape. For her artist  husband Kit, it was a dream. For their small twin boys, it was an adventure. For sixteen-year-old Sacha it was the start of a nightmare.
They end up on the isolated east coast of the North island, seemingly in the middle of a New Zealand tourist campaign. But their peaceful idyll is soon shattered as the choices Sacha makes lead the family down a path which threatens to destroy them all. Martha finds herself facing a series of impossible decisions, each with devastating consequences for her family.

This book is going to be very difficult to review as I don't want to give the plot away but I have to stress that it was a fantastic read.
Martha and her family move to New Zealand because Kit, Martha's husband is drinking heavily after seeing his company collapse. New Zealand offers him a chance to pursue his painting ambitions and offers Martha and the children a new life on the other side of the world. Sacha is Kit's step-daughter and a doting sister to her twin half brothers, Charlie and Finn. The move to New Zealand affects Sacha in a way that none of them saw coming and her actions put her whole family in danger.
We know at the beginning of the book that Finn has had a fall; he has a head injury and lies in a coma. Martha has explained that it was an accident but her inner thoughts, expressed in the book, suggest otherwise.
Charity Norman flits back and forth between the past and the present. We learn of the events leading up to Finn's fall and the then the immediate aftermath.
The plot is extremely intriguing, I really couldn't decide what had happened and Charity Norman keeps up the tension and mystery throughout.
Sacha is a difficult character and I still haven't decided what I think about her. I felt so much empathy for Martha though as the book really made me question how I would react to my own daughter in the same situation. There were times when I could really feel Martha's desperation to make everything right and her fear that it is all out of her control.
After the Fall is a particularly gripping read. I have Charity Norman's first book sitting on my shelf so I am really looking forward to reading more by this great author.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of the book to review, After the Fall is out now.