It’s Friiiiiiiiidaaaaaaay! Happy ‘nearly the weekend’ day. Today I am delighted to welcome another brilliant book blogger to damppebbles to share the R3COMM3ND3D2019 book love – the lovely Sarah Swan of Sarah’s Vignettes. If you haven’t discovered Sarah’s blog yet then you must. It’s absolutely gorgeous!

So, what is #R3COMM3ND3D2019? It’s about sharing the book love. It’s a chance for authors and book bloggers to shout about three (yes, *only* three) books they love. They can be written by any author, in any genre and published in any way (traditionally, indie press or self-published). But there is a catch. All three books must have been published in 2019. To make things interesting I have added a couple of teeny, tiny rules this year which are; 1) the book must have first been published in 2019 and 2) special editions and reissues do not count. I like to keep you lovely people on your toes. 😉

Here are the three books Sarah recommends…

The Girl at the Window by Rowan Coleman
The Girl at the Window is the first novel by Rowan Coleman that I’ve read and what an introduction it is to her writing! It is simply stunning, from it’s elegant cover to the very last page.

The Girl at the Window is a hauntingly beautiful story about love and hope, set in and around Ponden Hall in Yorkshire. There are two stories told: historical and present day. Each story is so intricately and delicately woven together, they flow seamlessly.

I loved everything about this book but what really impressed me the most was Rowan Coleman’s author voice. It has a gentle, softly spoken nature to it – one I’ve not experienced before. It’s tender almost, holding our hand as we travel on Trudy’s journey with her. It’s sensitive to all of the characters stories, both past and present.

Whilst immersed in this story, I laughed, I cried, my heart pounded several times, but most all, I loved. A brilliant book that I cannot recommend enough!!
Sarah’s Review of The Girl at the Window

The Path to the Sea by Liz Fenwick
I am a huge fan of Liz Fenwick’s work, having read and reviewed the majority of her books and was absolutely bowled over last year by One Cornish Summer (one of my books for #R3COMM3ND3D2018). I was curious to see where she was going to take her writing next and The Path to the Sea was another accomplished book from Liz Fenwick.

The Path to the Sea is a beautifully told dual-time story told from three generations points of view, alternating between past and present over one weekend in August.

Although the story is told from the three women’s points of view, there are 5 voices in total because of the time-slip. Each voice is so distinct that I am sure that if I had opened the book at any page, I would have been able to identify which of the women was telling their story. That’s clever.

There is a depth to this story that is new to Liz’s writing. On the surface, this is a multi-generational love story. Underneath, it is a story of love, loss, guilt, acceptance, forgiveness, and the result of what happens when you choose one path over another. This coupled with the rich detail and research I mentioned earlier, really do show what a talented storyteller Liz Fenwick is.

A Liz Fenwick story would not be complete without a house and the Cornish coastline, both of which are characters in themselves. Liz Fenwick’s sense of place is perfect and it is evident that she has thoroughly researched the setting. No detail is left unturned – Liz has captured everything! Her rich description of Boskenna, a gorgeous house sitting on a cliff, looking out to St Austell Bay, its gardens and the coast transported me right into the story.

Cornwall, secrets, families, houses and a historical strand. I loved it!!
Sarah’s Review of The Path to the Sea

The House on the Edge of the Cliff by Carol Drinkwater
Rich description of Provence, family drama, intrigue, mystery, passion, loss coupled with what happens when the past and present collide and some twists and turns thrown in, all make The House on the Edge of the Cliff a compelling and gripping read from start to finish.

I really enjoyed the historical elements to this story. The House on the Edge of the Cliff is set around the Paris student riots of May 1968. From the detail that goes into these scenes, it is clear that Carol Drinkwater has researched this period to an inch of its life. I learnt a great deal about France’s history when I studied in Paris for 3 years, so I really appreciate these parts of her books as well as the present day France. It feels like coming home.

I love Carol Drinkwater’s novels and one of the things I enjoy about her storytelling, is her ability to write as though she is looking down the lens of a camera, capturing every aspect of the scene in front of her. Each sound of a cicada, perfume of a flower, crack on the wall of the house is described so vividly, I was transported to that moment.

Pure escapism!
Sarah’s Review of The House on the Edge of the Cliff