Today I am pleased to share with you my review for this latest instalment of The Guernsey Novels from Anne Allen. Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to take part and for my copy of the book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Book Description
1862 Young widow Eugénie faces an uncertain future in Guernsey when her husband dies at sea. A further tragedy brings her to the attention of Monsieur Victor Hugo, exiled on the island and living in his voluptuous house only yards away from Eugénie. Their meeting changes her life and she begins working for him as a copyist, forming a strong friendship with both Hugo and his mistress, Juliette Drouet.
2012 Doctor Tess Le Prevost, born in Guernsey, now living in Exeter, is shocked to inherit her Great-Aunt’s house on the island. As a child she listened to Aunt Doris’s tales of their ancestor, Eugénie, whose house this once was, and who, according to family myth, was particularly close to Hugo. Was he the father of her child? Tess doubts it, but inheriting the house allows her to make a fresh start in her beloved island.
Will she discover the truth about Eugénie and Hugo? A surprise find may hold the answer as Tess embraces new challenges which test her strength – and her heart.
My Review
This is a fantastic read that I enjoyed from start to finish and I couldn't put down.
This book covers a dual timeline. Both stories are told well and go into great depth of the histories within Guernsey. Both of the stories are woven so well together and make for a very strong and addictive read.
It's 1862 and Eugenie is in mourning over the death of her beloved husband further to this she is in for even more sadness after having a miscarriage and losing her husbands baby too. It is while she is suffering this that she is found by Monsieur Victor Hugo and his mistress Juliet Drouet. They take her back to the house, nurse her back to health and help her to overcome the tragedies within her life. Once she begins to get stronger Hugo offers her a job working for him as a copyist, this proves to be great antidote to her sadness over her losses and gives her a fantastic opportunity to work with Monsieur Victor Hugo and help her build a relationship with both Victor and his mistress Juliette.
It's 2012 and Tess Le Prevost is shocked to find out that she has been left the house of her great aunt Doris on the Island of Guernsey, where Tess grew up. She decides to visit the house and is shocked by the dilapidated state of it. Tess is excited to look at this as the opportunity of a new start and decides to move back to the Island. Within a few weeks she has managed to sort herself out a job as a Doctor on the Island, moved out of her flat in Exeter and got the house being given a much needed renovation. Tess is excited to find out some of her history from her aunts house and to find out if she is a descendent to the great Victor Hugo and if there was a relationship between him and Eugenie to whom the house belonged to.
This is a fantastic story. It is the first book I have read in the series however I feel it is able to be read as a standalone book. I enjoyed reading the history within Guernsey and I feel it has clearly been very well researched. Both of the stories are very strong and are able to keep you engrossed in the book and want to learn more.
I feel both of the characters are are similar, They are both strong women who are able to overcome difficulties in their lives and both have to find confidence to be independent, their stories however are set over 100 years apart so the difficulties that face are different. I really enjoyed getting to know what the island was like in 1862 and then being able to compare it to island life in 2012.
This is the first book I have read in this series and I am now looking forward to reading the others in the series.
Purchase Links
All the other 6 titles in The Guernsey Novels are only 99p/c across all ebook retailers until 15th April while The Inheritance is only £1.99/$2.99 until that date.
Here's the link for all titles on Amazon:http://Author.to/AnneAllen
Trailer https://youtu.be/iHD6YrBzoP4
About the Author
Anne Allen lives in Devon, by her beloved sea. She has three children, and her daughter and two grandchildren live nearby. Her restless spirit has meant a number of moves which included Spain for a couple of years. The longest stay was in Guernsey for nearly fourteen years after falling in love with the island and the people. She contrived to leave one son behind to ensure a valid reason for frequent returns.
By profession, Anne was a psychotherapist, but long had the itch to write. Now a full-time writer, she has written The Guernsey Novels, six having been published and the seventh, The Inheritance, is due out in 2018.
Social Media
Website - www.anneallen.co.uk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnneAllen21
Giveaway
Giveaway to Win a copy of The Inheritance and a notebook (Open Internationally) 1st Prize – Signed copy of The Inheritance and notebook
2nd Prize – E-copy of The Inheritance and notebook
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and I hope you enjoyed my review.
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