These are my favourite reads from August:
Rowan Coleman - The Girl at the Window
An excellent, tenderly written novel with historical connections and ghostly threads. Trudy has returned with her eight-year-old son Will to seek solace in her childhood home. Ponden Hall is in Yorkshire, near the Bronte sisters' home village of Haworth, and is believed to be the inspiration for Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Trudy is overwhelmed with grief because Abe, her doctor husband, has been lost on one of his humanitarian trips in the jungles of Peru. But she needs to face her mother who has always kept her at arm's length. Will misses London and his beloved father. As the three of them begin an edgy and raw existence together, Trudy meets Marcus, an attractive local historic buildings expert who's captivated by Ponden and eager to help with its restoration. As Trudy bonds with the house again, ghosts of the past resurface, including Ponden's Bronte connection. There are wrongs to be righted, and hearts to mend. The story is captivating as all the layers of the past and their influence on the present are uncovered. Beautifully written.
James Maxwell - A Girl from Nowhere
Taimin grows up on an unforgiving two-sun planet. When his parents are brutally murdered by rovers when he's a boy, he suffers injuries that lame him permanently. His aunt Abi raises him alone and teaches him how to survive. When he's nineteen he tames one of the big four-legged wherries, which he's able to ride so he can range further. The land is peopled with other hostile sentient beings apart from humans. Years later, when Abi is killed by the warlike bax humanoids, Taimin decides to head off to search for the mythical White City. There, humans are rumoured to live in luxury and ease, and he believes they would be able to heal him. On the way he encounters other humans also searching for the city, and meets the girl Selena for the first time. She's a powerful farcaster, though untrained. They strike up a bond, but Selena's powers mean that many seek to own her, and they are torn apart. But what is the truth that lies behind the white walls of the city? The two young people must strive to find each other, and in their search they grow to learn that all is not what it seems in this barren land. The author has created a fascinating world filled with interesting characters, and an intruiging plot.
Susanna Scott - The Winterfell Stone
Annie has taken a year off from her stressful job, and has rented a cottage in the Yorkshire village of Winterfell. The place gets its name from the local standing stone, which has a rich and ancient history connected to the villagers. But they're prevented from approaching the stone, situated on land owned by a local farmer. Annie is fascinated by the story, and as the weeks go by, becomes caught up in the villagers' campaign to gain access. She also discovers that there's a lot more to the locals than she originally thought. There are all her elderly neighbours, plus the starchy librarian, Minerva, and the deliciously attractive local university professor, Kit. But Annie has the habit of putting her foot in it, and first meetings don't always go well. Written with humour and kindness, this is a warm and satisfying read.
