Review: 'Henry and Rachel' by Laurel Saville (2013)

Brought to live with the George family as a child, all anyone knew about enigmatic Rachel was that she worked hard, making herself indispensable to the plantation. And she remained a mystery until the day she disappeared…even to her husband. Especially to her husband.

Henry was Rachel’s opposite—gregarious where she was quiet, fanciful where she was pragmatic. After years of marriage, Rachel left Henry and their oldest son without explanation and set off on a steamer for New York City with their other four children. Was her flight the ultimate act of betrayal or one of extraordinary courage? Eight characters connected by blood and circumstance reconstruct Rachel’s inexplicable vanishing act.

Thanks to Sarah Hall Productions, I received a review copy of Laurel Saville’s historical novel ‘Henry and Rachel’, which was published on the 15th of October 2013. I hadn’t read anything by Laurel Saville before, but the fact that the novel is based on real letters written by her own family, more specifically her great-grandparents, sparked my interest. I even received a folder with some extra background information on Laurel Saville, her family, and the novel, which only made me more curious to read the novel and find out more.

After his first wife died in childbirth, Henry was devastated and did not see himself falling in love with someone else. However, as soon as he lays eyes on Rachel, he is captivated by her. Rachel was brought to live with the George family, but she has always been the quiet and pensive type, hiding in corners and not making herself noticed. The two end up together, but their marriage is not a happy one. One day, Henry and his oldest son come home to an empty house; Rachel has taken the four other children with her and has left to go to New York. This novel tells the story of what exactly happened, and how things turned out this way for Henry, Rachel and their family.

Henry and Rachel’s tale is at the core of this novel and is told from the perspective of eight characters that each play a significant part in the story. The background setting is an island in the West Indies in the early twentieth century, a time in which race and class distinction played important roles. The basis for a fascinating and strong narrative is definitely there, but unfortunately somehow this did not result in an intriguing read I did not want to put down. This probably partly had to do with the fact that I thought that Rachel, one of the main characters of the book, was really difficult to read. She’s a distant woman, who eventually decides to flee to New York in order to give her children a better life including an education, but throughout the story I found it difficult to decide whether I liked her or not. Next to her, there weren’t any other characters I specifically liked or disliked, so I kind of missed an emotional link with the people at the core of this novel.

It’s really too bad that the novel is not heavy in plot, because Laurel Saville’s way of writing is captivating. I wasn’t surprised to find out that she has won several awards with her specific lyrical voice, and I’m quite curious to read more of her work. I am positive that others will enjoy ‘Henry and Rachel’, it’s an atmospheric and undoubtedly well-written novel, but personally I wasn’t able to connect with the characters and had expected more, based on the blurb and background information.

Rating:6/10

Interview with author Melanie Jones!

  

Today I'm delighted to welcome author Melanie Jones to 'A Spoonful of Happy Endings' to talk about her novel 'L'Amour Actually', what inspires her, her second novel, and to give some tips for aspiring writers! 

Can you tell us something about your novel, ‘L’Amour Actually’?

L’Amour Actually follows the trials and tribulations of a young twentysomething woman who moves to France on a whim and a prayer. With no knowledge of life there, apart from the experience of a dreadful school exchange trip to Paris, she sets off  with a suitcase full of dreams and inappropriate footwear.  With only the English Channel to separate them, life can’t be too dissimilar to the UK can it? The reality, of course, is rather different.

You incorporated part of your own life experiences in the book, can you tell us more about that?

I’ve been lucky enough to have led a very full life and I seem to be the sort of person that things happen to so I had a wealth of funny stories which I incorporated into the book. Some of them were changed slightly, some of then were recounted exactly as they happened. A few times during editing a comment was made that some things seemed a bit far-fetched. They were always the stories that were completely true. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction

If you had to pick one thing you love most about France, what would it be? 

I think it would have to be the night markets and fetes that are held in the summer. Long tables would be put out in the square and everyone would sit together to eat and drink. Local food producers  would have stalls selling everything from paella (we were in the old Occitan area where the Spanish influence is strong), local wines and cheeses, often some sort of creole cooking. On a beautiful, balmy night you couldn’t be anywhere better. Our village’s Bastille Day fete was always brilliant. It’s featured in L’Amour Actually.

What made you decide to start writing your own novel about your experiences? 

When I lived in France I started a blog. It was my dad’s idea and it was really just done as a record of my life for my friends and family. Within a few months it was getting a thousand hits a month (and not all of them were my mum!). People seemed to like what I wrote. I had always wanted to write a novel. I’d tried a few times in the past but never got very far. When I moved back to England, I was approached by an agent who wanted me to write a ‘counter-intuitive’ book about life in France. I had to go and look up counter-intuitive! In the end, I decided to write more fictional account of my life in France because that way I could be more inventive with the characters but more importantly, not upset anyone. People don’t generally like to be written about.

There’s a great mix of characters in the novel. Besides Mel, which character did you most enjoy writing about and why? 

Tracey, definitely. She’s a great character and I had so much fun with her. She is the only character in the book who is completely fictitious and she sprang into my imagination almost fully formed.  She gave me a great opportunity for some fabulous storylines.  All the other characters were inspired by some of the people I knew in one way or another.

Do you have any plans for a next novel? If so, can you give us a sneak peak about what it will be about?

Yes, the second one is underway. Although I have had lots of requests for another book about France, maybe even a sequel, I don’t want to be a ‘one trick pony’. Writing about France is easy for me and I want to challenge myself a bit. The next book is about a women in her 40s who finds herself suddenly single when her husband leaves her. She has to rebuild her life and decides she wants to track down all the people who were, in some way, important in her life at some point; all the people who left handprints on her heart. It will involve lots of travel so it gives me another opportunity to put down some of the funny things that happened to me when I was an air stewardess.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? 

I’m asked that question a lot and my answer is always the same. Get your story down. It’s very easy to get caught up in re-reading and editing every time you open your laptop but that means that the story doesn’t get written. There’s plenty of time for editing once you’ve finished it but if you never finish it… And don’t get too wrapped up with planning. Everyone writes differently, I’m a ‘seat of your pants’ writer. I know where the story starts, a few points along the way, and where it ends but everything else that happens is just as much a surprise to me.  Each November I do a thing called NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month, where you challenge yourself to write 50,000 words between 1st and 30th November. It’s great for training yourself just to write. L’Amour Actually would probably never have got finished if it wasn’t for NaNoWriMo.

And last but not least, if you had to describe ‘L’Amour Actually’ in just three words, which words would you pick?

I’ve cheated a little bit and taken the three words that appear most frequently in my Amazon and Goodreads reviews: Hilarious, touching and brilliant. My own would probably be romance, suspense and humour.

Thanks to Melanie for taking the time for this interview! :) Be sure to check out her fabulous novel 'L'Amour Actually' on Amazon by clicking here!

Review: 'L'Amour Actually' by Melanie Jones (2013)

After one particularly bad day at work, marketing executive and confirmed city girl Melanie Jones decides to give up her old life in search of something new and simpler in South West France. With little knowledge of the country, even less of the language and just the memory of a disastrous school French exchange and a few day trips to Calais, she embarks on her adventure with a suitcase full of optimism and not a little bit of naivety. After all, how different can life in France be? After a series of adventures with skirt-ripping tractors, handsome twin farmers, celebrity not-quite-beens, unusual toilets and a bonkers ex-pat community, all topped up, of course, with lashings of rosé, Melanie begins to discover that her new life in France isn’t quite what she’d thought it would be.

I have to admit, I’ve never really been a big fan of France. I love croissants as much as any other person and Paris is a gorgeous city, but besides that the country just doesn’t really do anything for me. I don’t know why exactly, because whenever I spot a chick lit novel set in France, I immediately get excited. Suddenly the promise of French-speaking men, vineyards, and the rural countryside offers a new world to get lost in, and I can’t wait to get stuck in the story. When Melanie Jones contacted me about reviewing her novel, ‘L’Amour Actually’, I straight away loved the title (which obviously reminded me of the amazing film ‘Love Actually’), and after seeing the pretty cover and reading the interesting blurb, I was really looking forward to reading about Melanie’s French adventures!

London city girl Melanie Jones one day decides to do what many people dream of doing but then never dare to actually take the plunge: she gives up her life in the UK to travel to the south of France and start anew. Without a job, without speaking French, and without any family or friends around, Melanie finds herself at the start of a new adventure. However, things already start off slightly different from what she originally expected, and soon Melanie realises life in south west France might be a bit too different from her comfortable life in London... Will she decide to simply see her trip as a well-needed holiday or is she truly ready to start over and give rural France a chance?   

After reading the first few chapters of this novel, I realised I had already fallen in love with its heroine, Melanie. First of all, I admire her for daring to change her life drastically by giving up her job and following her heart to the south of France to start afresh. Next to that, the fact that Mel wears high-heeled Louboutins on her trip to the French countryside, manages to end up in a ditch, and rips her skirt while trying to step down from a tractor in a not too embarrassing way... She had me laughing out loud before I had even read the first 50 pages, so I knew I was in for an enjoyable read. Next to a lovely heroine, ‘L’Amour Actually’ has a great cast of characters at its core, including hunky farmer Julian (and his twin brother... oh, yes!), reality TV singer Tracey Tarrant (who turns out to be Mel’s not so friendly neighbour), and several other diverse but fascinating people. 

Part of the book is based on Melanie Jones’ own experiences as an expat in France, and it includes quite a few embarrassing, but extremely funny situations. Mel is trying to find a place in a new community; trying to fit in somewhere where she doesn’t know the language, doesn’t have a job, and doesn’t have any friends or family around her to make her feel at home. This plotline resulted in numerous great scenes, which made me want to continue on reading and discover what situation Melanie would find herself in next. ‘L’Amour Actually’ is a funny, thoroughly enjoyable escape read which will make you laugh out loud, and I personally can’t wait to read more of Melanie Jones’ stories!   

Rating:8,5/10