BOOK REVIEW: The House on Willow Street‏ by Cathy Kelly

CATHY KELLY - The House on Willow Street‏.
*pic from Easons.ie*

I mentioned the other day that I had read another book on my holidays. So I said I had better tell ye about it before I forget about it!! I dunno where my heads at lately!!

But anyhu, lets crack on shall we.

The blurb

Tess used to be happy with her lot: she lives in the idyllic Irish coastal village, Avalon, with her teenage son, Zach and nine-year-old Kitty, and works in the local antiques shop. Her only regret in life is that everything went so horribly wrong with her first love. Then her marriage falls apart and her first love returns to Avalon.

Suki, Tess’s sister, fled Ireland years ago to marry politician Kyle Richardon, but when Suki discovers that a biographer is planning to tell all, there is only one place she can go to ensure that her secrets stay hidden.

Danae is the village post mistress in Avalon and she’s worked very hard to make sure nobody knows where she came from or who she is… Her past is her business and that’s the way she would like to keep it.

In Galway, Mara sits with a smile glued to her face at a wedding; she only wants to ask the groom one thing: why did he tell her he loved her? Needing to put her past behind her, Mara packs up her life and gets ready for a fresh start.

Can these four women lay their pasts to rest? Or do they need to look back before they can begin to live for the future?

Are you a fan of Cathy Kelly? I am I must admit, I like the way she deals with serious issues throughout her books but puts a personal twist on them, so you can relate and almost live through it with the character, be it happiness, sadness, heartache, bereavement, illness, family issues etc.

There were a lot of different stories and issues going on in this book but the issue that stuck with me was domestic violence, it was fantastically detailed and outlined. I could feel the fear and the hatred pouring from the pages as I read. But it wasn’t heavy to read if that makes sense?

I don’t want to put you off reading this. You should.

I read this on my sun lounger in Spain, so it is a thoroughly enjoyable, easy, happy (for the most part read) and light book to read. I love the fluffy happily ever after kind of story, but I also like the characters to have a strong solid background and an obstacle in their way, there still needs to be something happening throughout for it to hold my attention.

Me being a nosey witch by nature. I love that you learn about the character in the present but it gives you glimpses into their past, so you know why they have put walls up and why certain subjects are touchy and also who went out with who and who doesn’t get on etc etc. ;life is in the detail and I love that Cathy Kelly takes all the time to let us get to know all the main characters properly.

I don’t want to spoil the book, as I think the blurb tells you enough to make you want to buy this book.

I was intrigued as to the secrets these women held and how they were connected but the ending was not really what I expected. I wanted more of the love story, so I made up my own after ending..(shush)

Have any of you read this? It’d be great to discuss a few bits about it.