I thought it was a good read. I knew that ending wouldn’t be a happy one because we all know that there have been many deaths over the years from an asbestos-related diseases. Even today, it seems to be happening. Vincent seems to be a loner all through his young life and is the only son of a very unhappy couple. After his mother’s death, his sole companion is his childhood friend, a neighbour and love-interest, Alice. To me, Alice’s character seems to be either manipulative or just unaware of Vincent’s true feelings. In the end, Vincent cannot face the fact that he is responsible for Alice’s illness. There is no way out for him so it was a sad ending for all concerned.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, seeing it as a commentary on life in Britain. The characters and events are believable and it’s easy to get caught up in their stories. I particularly liked the market scene. Vincent seems to straddle the two worlds of war and post war. Unhappy with school, with the domestic abuse he witnesses, he wants more, he believes he deserves more and is willing to put in the hard yards to get it. He is also straddling the two worlds of adolescence and adulthood and this is highlighted in his desire for Alice who is in a relationship with Frank. His head for figures gets him a job in a local mill where both Alice and Frank work. Vincent’s climb up the ladder of management is meteoric; he has his office, car, golf club membership, seemingly everything but Alice. He is prepared to stop at nothing in order to secure a future with Alice, but one decision he makes has such huge repercussions that he can no longer continue with the lie too many, the lie he has been telling himself. I think this book would make a great TV series.

Very enjoyable - there was a lot for me to relate to. Working class Northern lad growing up post-war, ambitious to better himself. Plus, my grandma was a weaver in the mill between the wars, and my grandad was an overlocker.

I like the way that as Vincent gained experience, he was shown to gradually become more suspicious of the dangers within the mill. He was conflicted between speaking up about the dangers or keeping quiet to keep people in jobs. He began to realise that the asbestos probably was very dangerous, but for a long time he was in denial. Do you call out the danger, close down the mill, and put everybody out of work? As he was sucked further in and promoted to a well-paid job that gave him a good lifestyle, he saw the corruption, the backhanders, the rule breaking. But by then he was almost part of the establishment and had a lot to lose if he'd become a whistle-blower. He was warned often enough that Cooper was ruthless and not to be trusted; but Cooper had a life that Vincent wanted, and so he didn’t challenge him.

I thought more could have been made of Vincent's Indian adventure. It interested me but didn't have much impact on the story after Vincent returned home. Also, I expected Frank's character to be developed differently. Vincent went from jealousy of the slightly older and more experienced man who stole Alice away, to merely despising him. Frank turned out to be a poor husband, who showed little interest in his children. But he never seemed to have any suspicions about Alice and Vincent's true feelings for each other over the years. I thought Frank would probably come to grief in some way, or Vincent would find a way to get rid of him, but it didn't happen. The accident at the mill in which a worker died during the installation of a new loom seemed to be another event which happened but didn't have much bearing on the story.

There were plenty of clues along the way about the asbestos affecting Alice's health, a sad ending, but it made sense. A person who is not at heart 'bad', turning a blind eye to something, then becoming a party to it, then making a poor decision about something else and before we know it, they've dug themselves into a hole that they can't get out of.

I have read the book from last month and did enjoy it. I was reluctant at first but soon got into it and found it interesting from a historical perspective. I surprised myself at how much I took from it. I found it easy to read but I did think the relationship at the centre of the story was a little farfetched. Does anyone hold a candle for someone that long? Apart from that I enjoyed it.

A portrayal of a Lancashire mill town in the 40s and 50s, realistic from a historical perspective, but the characters were not endearing. Life in the Lancashire weaving community stereotypically, but probably accurately, portrayed. Vincent achieved his goals of money and status but didn't achieve personal happiness. Alice was always going to be the victim of the asbestos lie. Weak ending for Vincent, not consistent with his strong, personal character.

I find it hard to articulate what I did not like about this book. It felt contrived. The author had something to say and his characters were moved around like puppets to further the story. I did not find sympathy with any of the main protagonists to keep my interest in their doings. I finished the book and the author can write and tell a story but……….I do not wish to be too harsh. Historically it is a true telling and evoked many memories but some details did not ring true.

I really enjoyed the book. It was easy to read and I liked the characterisation and the story. A 5* review was put onto Amazon late last night when I finished it.

I enjoyed the book as it brought back many memories as my dad and grandad worked at Hayes' Mill from leaving school up until retirement. Reading the book was like a trip down memory lane. To be honest you could see exactly what was going to transpire so it was more like waiting for things to go wrong rather than wondering what was going to happen. Overall, I did enjoy it.

I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to read, the characters were credible and the storyline interesting. I hadn't previously read anything by this author but was impressed.

This is a thought provoking novel commenting on the social and cultural period post war. It is the story of combining ambition of the protagonist, Vincent, determined not to be like his father, with his enduring love for Alice. I enjoyed the various moral dilemmas Vincent faced throughout the novel, showing his basic humanity interlinked with his need to succeed. Definitely a page turner.

Perhaps the most likeable point from this book is its descriptions of mills and the jobs done by mill workers as it reminded me of my childhood. I didn’t think the characters were rounded, they felt more like cardboard cutouts. It’s as if they didn’t lead the story but rather the story was written around them. They weren’t believable, didn’t seem to have an authentic voice and seemed stereotypical, especially Frank. Did the writer think ‘I need a mill, a mill girl, a pregnancy and scandal and corruption?’ As for the plot, it was obvious early on what would happen and it was hard to be sympathetic as it read as a literary cliché.

This is the story of Grace a 14 year old girl, set in the 1845 Irish Famine. Unable to feed all her children, and fearful that Grace has come to the attention of a man who exploits her, her mother cuts off all her hair, dresses her in male clothing and sends her out into the world. Each chapter covers a different stage of her journey. The wandering, the labouring, decline into crime, people she meets, illness, arrival in a religious cult. Grim subject matter but well written in sometimes challenging but beautifully constructed prose.

It’s not a good day for Gail Baines. She loses her job as a teacher, or did she resign and go? Her daughter is getting married the next day, Gail didn’t get an invitation to the spa day organised by the groom’s mother and to make matters worse, her ex-husband turns up, with a cat and wants to stay. Her daughter tells her about something her soon to be husband has done and Gail and Max are made to face their own past mistakes. Tyler uses sharp humour in this portrayal of family life but she is also aware of the need for sensitivity as her characters negotiate their way around the past and rebuild their connections.

Stripped back narrative. A man of few words, pages of single word conversations. Easy read. The rise and fall of Istrán from humble beginnings in Hungary to wealthy business owner and back to obscurity in Hungary. Each chapter is a different era in his life. Worth a read.

Inspired by David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, Kingsolver’s book is a reminder that great poverty is not confined to Victorian England. The book might be bleak and overly long but it is still stunning and wonderfully written.

I love Maconie’s sharp satire and how he allows his northern roots to shine brightly through his writing. Where, what, who is Middle England? From the spas of Leamington and Bath, to the roundabouts of Slough, the greengrocer shop belonging to the father of a certain former Prime Minister, Maconie searches for answers. Brief encounters at railway stations and on trains bring a bitter and deserved condemnation of Beeching. Talk of motorway services give Tebay the thumbs up and Hilton Park and Charnock Richard a big thumbs down. En route he devours many a tea and scones, fish and chips and even has a few pints in the pubs of Morse’s Oxford. The book looks at a sense of place and their famous sons and daughters, culture through food and music, the landscape and often the seedy side of a location. It’s an interesting and informative read and Maconie made me laugh out loud and think quite deeply which is no mean feat.

George has been recently widowed and is deeply moved on seeing a public health burial where there are no mourners or flowers. He gets a group of people together, a florist, an undertaker, the owner of a second hand shop and a work colleague and creates ‘The Light a Candle Society’. Their aim is to make sure that lonely funerals are a thing of the past. The unexpected kickback are his self-reflections and he has to decide what to do with them.

1920 Tartuffe, a fictitious artist, lives as a recluse in Provence with his niece. The niece invites a journalist to visit. He is, surprisingly, allowed to stay provided he is the model for a painting. A relationship develops and secrets are revealed. Themes of coercion and control but ultimately the niece breaks away.

This is the first book in the Detective Jane Rizzoli series and she is investigating the deaths of women who show signs of ritualistic torture and death at the hands of someone with surgical skills. Does she solve the case before any more murders are committed?

“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…”

Grace Winters has had enough of her job as a teacher and on her retirement, she discovers that a long ago colleague has left her a ramshackle house on Ibiza. Grace abandons her careful life and heads to Spain, without a plan or a return ticket. Her friend died in an accident, so it seems, but Grace wants to learn the truth. Why does a very wealthy man want to buy a rock off Ibiza’s coast and turn into an exclusive spa hotel? What strange new gifts does Grace develop after going scuba diving for the first time? Is all lost or does Grace, along with a few others, save the day? A healthy dose of magical realism for those who like the genre but if you’ve been to Ibiza, you can recognise some of the places mentioned.

This is the third in a trilogy comprising Life Class and Toby's Room but it can be read as a standalone book. The 3 books cover the time between WWI and WWII and Noonday focuses on the Blitz. It evokes that period so well and is a believable retelling of the emotions and reactions to the mayhem and destruction of bombing. The family tensions - the same whether 1930 or 2026 - are well evoked and the people come alive. A short but good read.

Maryte walks life on the tightrope between the old ways, now considered to be pagan, and the new Christian ways. It is the old ways that help her get through the death of a son and a husband but to survive, she must go to church and be seen to take part in the Mass. She inherits her husband’s bee hollows but poor weather and a new duke, who raises taxes, conspire to make her doubt her sanity and the safety of the village. Her eldest daughter wants to leave the restrictions of isolation but deadly goings on make her stay and search for the truth. Will mother and daughter overcome adversity?

A Christmas Day murder is carried out as two dinner guests meet under the mistletoe. Can Detective Vanloo and Canon Daniel Clement solve the case? An easy read for cold winter days.

This is the sixteenth and final book in the Merrily Watkins series. Watkins is the Deliverance Minister for the Hereford Diocese and has repeatedly helped the police to solve murders involving elements of the supernatural. There is nothing more to be said here as no spoiler alerts are allowed!