The Barn of Buried Dreams by Chrissie Bradshaw

 

• Paperback: 389 pages
• Publisher: Independently published (28 Sept. 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1719995176
• ISBN-13: 978-1719995177

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

Erin and Heather Douglas are struggling. Their mother’s death has left a void in their family and everyday life has side-lined their dreams. Erin has buried herself away in the family home and left her stage career. By hiding away, she is avoiding the pain of returning to London and the acting world where her ex-fiancé is enjoying success and a new relationship. When she meets charismatic Texan Jackson McGee, she wrestles with her feelings for him. Should she trust another man?Heather is juggling babies, work, a rocky marriage and running on wine. An overheard conversation makes her ask, would Mark cheat on her?Can the sisters help one another to face their fears, dust off and revive those dreams and find joy in life?

 

Review

I reviewed Chrissie Bradshaw’s first book A Jarful of Moondreams a couple of years ago so was very excited to receive a copy of her new book to read and review. The Barn of Buried Dreams stays in the beautiful Northumbrian countryside but this time the plot centres around the Douglas sister’s as they cope with life after the death of their mother. In this book Chrissie tackles some very serious issues with great empathy and understanding;  grief, post natal depression, miscarriage and alcoholism. These issues fit seamlessly in to the story of sisters Erin and Heather and their family.  It was nice was to see Chrissie included a couple of the characters from the first book, seeing where they are now in their lives.

As characters and sisters Erin and Heather are at very different places in their lives, Heather has a toddler and gave birth to a new baby after her mother died.  She has gone back to work as a journalist when the baby is only two months and has  started drinking to cope with her grief and disappointment with her life.  Erin is an actress in London but came  home  to Magpie’s Rest to look after her mother.  After her mum dies she finds herself at a loss of what to do.  The end of a relationship sees her with a house full of her mum’s things plus the furniture her ex has sent to her.  She can’t see a way out and is drowning in her grief, and feels alone as her sister and brother are not much help due to their busy lives.  The upside to this book is the gorgeous Texan Jackson McGee who walks into Erin’s life just when she needs it, but  ‘the course of true lover never did run smooth’.

The Barn of Buried Dreams refers to the Douglas family home of Magpie’s Rest, a place of happy memories for Heather, Erin and Fraser, a place they can feel close to their mum.  Magpie’s Rest gives both sisters a place to think, to take a look at their lives and work out where they want to be and what they want to do.  It is a place where we see the best and worst moments, the highs and the lows of the sisters lives as they tackle their daemons head on and come out the other side stronger.

The Barn of Buried Dreams is a wonderful, life affirming read.  It may tackle some difficult subjects but there is love, romance and humour that make this a pleasure to read.  The characters are engaging and relatable and the setting of my local Northumbrian countryside is the best setting there could be.   I also enjoyed the inclusion of the dog Bracken; I know Chrissie, and like me she is a huge dog lover.  This really is a fabulous read and I highly recommend it to those who likes women’s and romantic fiction.  I can’t wait for Chrisse’s next book.

 

If you enjoyed my review please share it with others.  I also recommend Chrissie’s first book A Jarful of Moondreams and you can learn more about that on my blog.