"I'm sorry, Mrs Wentworth, but you shouldn't be here," the grey-haired porter said, reaching out gently to take the young woman's arm. He could see she was in shock, her face pale and her body trembling.
Helen looked up at the damaged facade of the Victorian mansion block. The building where she'd started her married life with so many hopes and dreams had fared badly: several window panes were missing and the red brickwork was chipped on the first floor. "I need to collect a few things," she pleaded. "I promise to be careful ..."
***
1939. After the sudden and tragic loss of her husband, Helen is returning home to her mother’s house in Biggin Hill, Kent – the one place she vowed she’d never go back to again.
Alone and not knowing where to turn, Helen finds herself joining the local women’s sewing circle despite being hopeless with a needle and thread. These resourceful women can not only make do and mend clothes, quilts and woolly hats, but their friendship mends something deeper in Helen too. Lizzie is a natural leader, always ready to lend a helping hand or a listening ear. Effie has uprooted her life from London to keep her two little girls away from the bombing raids, and the sewing circle is a welcome distraction from worries about how to keep a roof over their heads and about her husband too, now serving in active duty overseas.
When the reason for Helen's husband's death comes to light, her world is turned upside down yet again. The investigating officer on the case, Richard, will leave no stone unturned, but it’s not long before his interest in Helen goes beyond the professional. As she pieces together old fabrics into a beautiful quilt, will Helen patch up the rifts in her own life?
***
I am going to make a confession. Prior to lockdown I very rarely read books of this genre. I am not sure why. I like historical fiction and mysteries, and who does not enjoy a bit of romance in their life?
During lockdown, when everything familiar in life was tipped on its head, I found comfort in this kind of book. One that was entertaining to read, did not demand too much from me and was comforting to boot. For me, lockdown was not the time to attempt to work my way through the Russian classics. Rather, it was the time to read something that made me feel safe, as though I was snuggled down in a comfy pair of slippers and did not have to think about the scary world outside my front door.
Although lockdown has now finished and life is partially back to some kind of normality (for the moment at least) I find I am still enjoying this comforting genre of books. This one, even more so as it centres around a sewing circle. As a quilting novice myself, this book hit all the right buttons for me.
I was gripped from the first page of this book. Helen, who is the main character, is both charming and lovable, and I was rooting for her from the very beginning. Ms Everest skilfully draws all her characters in a way that makes them very real. I was sorry when I finished reading this, and I had to leave Helen behind as she felt like a good friend by the end of the book.
Written in a way that the reader can see who we should and should not trust, there was also enough mystery to make this an interesting narrative.
This is the first book I have read by Elaine Everest and I only stumbled across this as there was a discount voucher in The People's Friend magazine, a publication I also became addicted to during lockdown. I am now looking forward to reading other books by this author, and am certain I will continue to do so even when lockdown, and it's many restrictions are but a distant memory.
About the Author:
Elaine was born and brought up in North West Kent, where many of her Sunday Times bestselling historical sagas are set. She has been a freelance writer for twenty-three years and has written widely for women's magazines and national newspapers, with short stories, serials and features. Her non-fiction books for dog owners have been very popular and led to broadcasting on radio about our four-legged friends. Elaine has been heard discussing many topics on radio including her Kent based novels, canine subjects, and living with a husband under her feet! She was BBC Radio Kent’s short story writer of the year, a runner up for The Harry Bowling Prize, and winner of Myrmidon Books novel writing competition.
When she isn't writing, Elaine runs The Write Place, her successful creative writing school in Hextable, Kent. She hopes one day soon to have another old English Sheepdog and still keeps in touch with many of her dear friends from her days in the show ring.
Elaine lives in Swanley, Kent with her husband, Michael, and their Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Henry.
(photo and bio information from the authors own website: https://www.elaineeverest.com/about)
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