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Publisher:
Harper Collins |
Release
Date: April 2004 |
ISBN:
006012918 |
Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Paperback |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Fiction /general |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Barbara Buhrer |
Reviewer
Notes: |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
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WindFallen
By Jojo Moyes
Lottie Swift
was born in London's East Side and as a child was evacuated during
World War II to the English village of Merham. Eventually, the Holden
family took her in for good. In her late teens with her best friend,
Celia Holden Lottie takes to visiting Arcadia, a magnificent art
deco house on a seaside cliff. Arcadia is presently the home of
an exotic clan of Bohemians. When Lottie and Celia are caught misbehaving
with the Arcadians, Celia is sent off to business school in London.
She returns at the end of school with a fiancé, Guy. From
her first glance at him, Lottie believes Guy is her destiny. The
two find compatible tastes in the life of the people of Arcadia.
Lottie must decide whether to betray Celia, no longer her best friend,
or to hide her feelings for Guy.
Half a century
later, Daisy Parsons, an interior designer, is hired by a London
developer to make Arcadia into a fashionable hotel. Daisy's lover
and partner has left her after their baby is born. She arrives at
Merham, determined to raise her child and put her life to rights.
Lottie is now an embittered matron who has ignored the townspeople.
She befriends Daisy and offers to act as the baby's nanny.
During the renovation
of Arcadia, Daisy uncovers a mural painted by the former inhabitants,
which depicts scenes of Arcadia's past. This revives painful memories
for Lottie that she must reconcile.
This is a beautifully
written saga of lost loves, opportunities missed and friendships
in turmoil. The characters, both past and present, are well portrayed.
The writer has probed inside the two women ( Lottie and Daisy) to
understand their bond and discover what motivates them.
This is a deep thoughtful
and thoroughly provoking story.
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