BOOK REVIEW: The Girl at the Window by Rowan Coleman

A house full of history is bound to have secrets...Ponden Hall is a centuries-old house on the Yorkshire moors, a magical place full of stories. It's also where Trudy Heaton grew up. And where she ran away from…Now, after the devastating loss of her husband, she is returning home with her young son, Will, who refuses to believe his father is dead.While Trudy tries to do her best for her son, she must also attempt to build bridges with her eccentric mother. And then there is the Hall itself: fallen into disrepair but generations of lives and loves still echo in its shadows, sometimes even reaching out to the present…A hauntingly beautiful story of love and hope, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Memory Book and The Summer of Impossible Things

Publisher: Ebury Press

Pages: 464

I have had The Girl at the Window by Rowan Coleman sitting on my kindle for a while and I am so pleased that I have finally got round to reading it. This book is fantastic, I could not put it down. Coleman takes the reader to Ponden Hall, the house is hundreds of years old and steeped in Bronte history. It is where Emily drew her inspiration for Wuthering Heights and she and her sisters spent a lot of time there. Trudy has not been back to Ponden for years but her childhood home calls her when she tragically loses her husband. Taking her young son Will, Trudy returns to her mother and the house that has been such a huge part of her life. As she tries to provide some stability for her devastated son, Trudy begins to sense that the house has a secret to divulge. She remembers seeing apparitions as a child and her father always told her the stories of the resident ghosts but what if these were more than purely imagination? Trudy and her mother begin to search Ponden’s many hiding places, all they know is the secret is linked to Emily Bronte and the tale she wanted to tell of one of the house’s tragic figures. 

The Girl at the Window is truly captivating, Rowan Coleman weaves her story beautifully, it almost creeps up on you and suddenly you are totally engrossed and cannot stop turning the pages. I am a huge Bronte fan and I found this aspect of the book fascinating, I loved hearing about Emily’s inspiration for Wuthering Heights and the three sisters links to Ponden Hall which I have to admit I had never heard of. I have visited the Parsonage at Howarth so I could vividly recall this when it is featured in the book but it really renewed my interest in these truly inspiring women.

I had not expected the book to be quite so spooky but I was so impressed with the way that Coleman built the tension up and there were many moments where I felt like I was holding my breath. It was so reminiscent of the atmosphere created in Wuthering Heights, I shall definitely be having a re-read again. At the heart of this story is a mystery about two women, Emily and Agnes. One known the world over and one not heard of before. Coleman expertly ties these two characters together and it was so interesting to see Trudy piecing the clues together whilst learning so much more about these two females who are a big part of her family history. 

The Girl at the Window is high up on my list of favourite books I have read this year. I will be getting a copy of The Vanished Bride which Rowan Coleman has written under the name of Bella Ellis, it is the first in a new series of Bronte mysteries and I cannot wait to read it! 

BOOK REVIEW: The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman

If you could change the past, would you?
It is only after her mother's death that Luna begins to discover her secrets.
While in New York to settle the estate, something impossible happens to Luna. She finds herself in 1977, face to face with her mother as a young woman, in the week that changed her life forever.
If time can be turned back, can it also be rewritten? Luna becomes convinced she can save her mother from the moment that will eventually drive her to suicide.
But in doing anything- everything to save her mother's life, will Luna have to sacrifice her own?

Publisher: Ebury

Pages: 400

Rowan Coleman writes beautiful books and I think The Summer of Impossible Things might just be my favourite. I felt very different to her other books due to the time travel element but the author's talent at drawing out deep emotions from her characters shines through.
Luna has lost her mother to suicide, devastated, she and her sister travel to New York to settle their mother's estate. Whilst there, Luna finds herself travelling in time to 1977, to a time when her mother was blissfully happy. Once Luna comes to terms with the idea that she can time travel and that she is not going mad; she realises that she may be able to alter the past. What if she can prevent the event which triggered her mother's depression which led to her suicide? But what if stopping that event means that Luna won't exist? Is she prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice?
It's tricky to review this book without spoiling the plot so I shall try and be very careful. If you can go along with the idea of time travel then you will love this book. I really enjoyed the parts of the book set in 1977 and how Luna has to fir into a different time and  being with a very different version of her mother.
Rowan Coleman uses Luna's ability to time travel to explore the idea of love and sacrifice. Luna loves her family, it is clear to see through her relationship  with her sister. She loved her mother and would do anything to change how her mother had felt. She is given the chance to alter the events of her mother's life and she has to decide if she is prepared to lose her own life in order to do so.
The Summer of Impossible Things is brave, thought-provoking and beautifully written; Rowan Coleman shines yet again.

Many thanks to Ebury for allowing me to review this book via Netgalley.

BOOK REVIEW: The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman

The name of your first born.
The face of your lover.
What would happen if your memory of these began to fade?
Is it possible to rebuild your life?
Raise a family? Fall in love again?
When Claire begins to write her memory book she already knows that this scrapbook of mementos will soon be all her daughters and husband have left of her. But how can she hold on to the past when her future is slipping through her fingers...?

Publisher: Ebury

Pages: 375

Rowan Coleman knows exactly how to pull on your heartstrings and The Memory Book is a fantastic and emotional read.
Claire has early-onset Alzheimer's which is completely terrifying as she doesn't know which part of her memory will go next. Some parts disappear but then come back whereas others are lost forever.
Her devoted husband Greg buys her a memory book to write stuff down and stick things in; it is useful for her but she knows it will also be vital for the two daughters she will be leaving behind. Claire also knows that she has a lot to sort out right now; she wants to spend as much time as possible with her youngest daughter who's only three but there is definitely something wrong with her eldest daughter Caitlin and she wants to help her while she still can.
Having had a family member with Alzheimer's, I felt that Rowan Coleman tackled this subject head on but with a great deal of sensitivity and care. She captured the loss of control so well, Claire is almost a prisoner in her own body and mind, there are moments when she is fully aware of what is happening to her and she is so angry and frustrated.
 The Memory Book for me was very much a book about motherhood. Claire's role as a mother sits alongside the relationship she has with her own mother and through it we see the ways in which this relationship changes as we grow up and have our own children. Claire is fully aware that she is almost child-like again to her mother due to the nature of her condition and ultimately that is distressing for them both. Claire is terrified of the impact of her illness on her daughters and that really resonated with me. I know now as a mother that my attitude to illness is totally different; my first thought when ill is how it will effect my daughter and the idea of having a serious illness terrifies me but for her sake rather than mine.
The Memory Book is beautifully written. Rowan Coleman is so wonderful at tackling difficult and sensitive issues whilst delivering characters you can completely invest your emotions in. I highly recommend this book.

Book Review: Dearest Rose by Rowan Coleman

'You are a remarkable woman and you deserve all the happiness, contentment and love in the world. I, for one, know that I have never met anyone quite like you.'
When Rose Pritchard turns up on the doorstep of a Cumbrian B&B, it is her last resort. She and her seven-year-old daughter Maddie have come to the village of Millthwaitein search of the person who once offered Rose hope.
Almost immediately Rose wonders if she's made a terrible mistake- if she's chasing a dream- but she knows in her heart that she cannot go back. She's been given a second chance- at life, and love- but will she have the courage to take it?

Dearest Rose is an extremely emotional and interesting read. Rose Pritchard is running away from Richard, her abusive husband. She has taken Maddie, her seven-year-old away from everything she knows so Rose knows that she has to make the upheaval worth it.
Rose finds herself in the small village of Millthwaite in the Lake District. The only reason she has for coming here is an encounter with an art dealer who was looking for her father John, a famous artist. . Rose feels an instant connection to Frasier, the art dealer and she has carried the memory of him with her for years. Whilst she is looking for Frasier, Rose is shocked to discover that her father is living in the village. A father who abandoned Rose and her mother without a backward glance. What does she have to say to him and will he even acknowledge her as his daughter?
I was very impressed by just how much Rowan Coleman packs into this book. We have Rose's terrifying and damaged relationship with her husband; the strenuous relationship with her father and finally her interest in Frasier. It's so easy to become completely gripped by this book as the story lines weave in and out of each other and there is plenty to hold your interest throughout the book.
One of my favourite parts of the book was Maddie. She is a very complex child and highly entertaining. Maddie is the reason that Rose has run away and she is also the reason that she cannot go back to Richard. Maddie may also hold the key to Rose's relationship with her own father.
Rowan Coleman tackles the issue of domestic abuse head on. I felt like she really explored the whole situation. We discover Rose's early life and how she comes to be in such an awful marriage and why she stays for so long. Rose is determined to keep away from Richard and to keep Maddie safe but his presence is felt throughout the book and you gain a real insight into his controlling behaviour.
Dearest Rose is a really interesting book which I highly recommend. The story is absorbing and the characters believable. Rowan Coelman has a very inviting writing style and this had me starting a new chapter again and again in order to learn more of the story.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5