- Paperback: 544 pages
- Publisher: Pan; Main Market edition (28 Nov. 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1529029651
- ISBN-13: 978-1529029659
Synopsis
The past
A lonely and imaginative child, Julia loves her family’s beautiful and wild Cornish home with all her heart. But, marked by dark troubles, she enters her adult years determined to leave and seek a new beginning in London. It’s there she meets the handsome David. They fall in love, but when Julia becomes pregnant, even he can’t stop the terrible echoes of the past from ringing in her ears. The only sound to be heard above the noise is the old Cornish house, calling her home . . .
The present
For Julia’s adult children, Alex and Johnnie, the house hides the history of their family within its walls. For Alex, it is full of memories of her late mother. For Johnnie, it is the house that should have been rightfully theirs after Julia died but has been stolen from them instead. With their father now lying in a hospital bed, time is running out for Alex and Johnnie to uncover the secrets of what happened to their mother all those years ago. Can they discover the truth before the house closes its doors to them forever?
Review
I have loved reading Lulu Taylor books over the years, but I have to admit its been a while since I last picked up one of her books. So, I decided this years I would read her new winter book A Midwinter Promise, and I’m glad I did as it have made me fall in love with her books again and find those that are lurking on my shelves. A Midwinter Promise has a split timeline between the present where Alex and her brother Johnnie receive the news that their father has had a stroke and is not expected to recover. This event makes them assess their relationship with their father and their stepmother Sally who they blame for their difficult relationship with their father and for the sale of their mother’s family home Tawrey. The second timeline takes us from the 1980’s to 1990’s and tells the story of Julia, Alex and Johnnies mother who died when they were young children. Alex and Johnnie need to understand their mother’s story in order to deal with the present and their father’s illness and their relationship with him and their step-mother.
A Midwinter Promise is a book that once you sit down to read it you won’t be able to put it down. Lulu Taylor’s writing is magnetic and pulls you into the story and won’t let you go until you read the last page. Her description of Tawrey in beautiful Cornwall makes it sound idyllic; the stunning gardens, the many rooms, the window seat for reading and the family mural on the walls. Tawry becomes a character in itself in the book, it is a place of comfort and healing for Julia as she becomes an adult, for Alex and Johnnie it is a place where they can remember their mother and a place that captures their mother’s spirit. Lulu Taylor doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, including mental health, addiction, and multiple miscarriage which are all treated with empathy and knowledge.
What really drew me in was Julia’s story. From a childhood where she felt lonely and had to cope with her mother being very unwell during her pregnancies. Her aunt and grandmother weren’t particularly loving, but she did have her half sister Lala who came to visit during the holidays and who became an important part of her life. I really felt for her, her addictions and mental health which gave her a fragility and the sense of needing to be cared for and that had such an impact on her life. What this part of the story opens up is Julia’s relationship with her husband David, her love for her children and the ever present spectre of Sally who became stepmother to Alex and Johnnie. I found this part of the book beautifully written, and absolutely compelling to read.
A Midwinter Promise is a heart-warming story of loss, love, family and motherhood. The characters and their feelings, lives and worries are very realistic and relatable which makes you empathise with them. This is such a beautiful and captivating read and I’m looking forward to catching up with more Lulu Taylor books that are on my shelf; Simply stunning.
I would like to thank Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for my copy of this book in return for my honest review.
