A complete 'one off!' A highly original and irresistible novel which drew me in from the very first chapter.
Set after the second world war, the novel focuses upon the lives of twin sisters, who although quite different in character, combine their skills to create a successful cosmetics business. Neave has developed a joy of books nurtured through reading aloud as a child to an elderly neighbour whereas Lily's beauty makes her highly attractive to men. When Lily disappears, Neave is determined to leave no stone unturned until she discovers her sister's whereabouts.
There is so much that I enjoyed about this novel. The characters were beautifully defined and I especially appreciated the contrast amongst the twins' family members. I followed the ups and downs of their lives with enormous interest never knowing quite where the plot might lead.
The parallels between the main storyline and Neave's obsession with her illicy copy of 'The Pirate Lover' is extremely clever and I loved dipping between the two and envisaging how this might reflect upon Neave's own romantic life.
Although the early episode of Mr Boppit's demise was quite moving, I found the later links with Lily rather irritating and did not feel that it added anything to the plot. Perhaps it was intended to inject some humour which many readers will appreciate, but it just didn't work for me.
However, this minor irritation did not deter me from recommending this novel to others and I shall certainly seek out Pywell's previously successful works.
An unusual and interesting story about sisterly love and how it transcends the differences between them, their lives, their separation and ultimately even death itself.
This rather unusual and interesting novel is based in a small town in Massachusetts at the end of World War II. It tells the story of twin sisters Lilly and Neave, who share a deep attachment despite them being polar opposites in looks and personality. Lilly, a beautiful, glamorous, extrovert likes the boys more than would be deemed appropriate for a respectable girl. Neave, a plain bookworm, prefers her romance between the pages of a novel rather than between the sheets. Her favourite story ‘The Pirate Lover’ is interwoven throughout the novel and does add to its interest. In fact, some readers may prefer this straightforward ‘bodice-ripper’ to the complexity of the main story itself. The difference between the girls don’t stop them building a successful cosmetics business together and the love and loyalty they share comes to the fore when Lilly disappears and Neave is absolutely desperate to find her. The story does at times become a little scary and somewhat confusing but there is plenty of love, romance and humour to make it a very enjoyable read.
Not my usual choice of genre, found the multi strands of narrator confusing at times, leading to a lack of the detail I wanted in each strand of the parallel stories.
Not my usual choice of genre, the precis caught my imagination and sounded like something I would enjoy. I was however disappointed with the depth of detail at times. With essentially three different strands, two narrators in turn interspersed with a ‘book within a book’ telling a parallel tale of good and bad brothers, I found the flow I look for impeded at times. The sections narrated by a dead dog were somewhat unconvincing. I was engaged enough by the story to want to read to the end and see what happened to these characters but was on the whole disappointed by this book which did not, for me, live up to its promise.
This original and unique book tells the story of two sisters from their childhood in post war Massachusetts, though the building of their successful cosmetics business.
This complex novel tells the story of sisters Neave and Lilly from their childhood in post second world war Massachusetts, to the success of their cosmetics business and eventually to the repercussions from the marriage of Lilly and Ricky. In between this narrative are sections from a romance novel that Neave reads throughout her life which has parallels to her own. There is also a third element that is quite strange, but becomes clear towards the end of the novel.
I did enjoy the book as it is a change from the norm, but can't honestly say I would rush to read another Sharon Pywell novel. The book would have been more enjoyable if it simply focused on the story of Neave and Lilly as this part was humorous, well structured and deeply moving.
Slow start but stick with it. The author gives us interesting characters and a tense second half. Not your typical romance novel.
The book started slowly and I felt was quite mixed up. There is a lot going on here jumping back and forth also I felt the first half of the book didn't flow well. If I wasn't reading it in order to do a review I might have given up on it which would have been a shame as the latter half was definitely better.
Once Lily and Neave were adults and had started their business I felt the book dramatically improved and in fact it became quite tense and I really got swept along by the tale.
The author developed the characters of Lily and Neave well making the most of their relationship as well as that of the rest of their family. The Boppitt character was unusual to say the least but sent my imagination into overdrive.
Overall I would recommend this book to others. Not a typical romance novel but an interesting take on relationships.