Disappointing
Following the glowing reviews given by other readers, I disregarded the unappealing packaging to this book and gave it a try. Unfortunately, despite an interesting premise, what could have been a gripping and enjoyable read, turned out to be mediocre and predictable. Any twists or turns in the plot were ruined by heavy foreshadowing. I would be unlikely to read another book by this author.

READ THIS BOOK!!
A couple of days ago I came back from my holiday, though I was more upset about getting to the last page of a Perfect Revenge by Annabel Dilke. I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK ENOUGH!!!!! As soon as I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. This is an absolute page turner and Dilke creates a world I completely lost myself in. I had no idea that the twist at the end was coming. The plot is so clever and thrilling, though I won't give anything away here. I knew all the characters so well at the end, I was sad to say good bye to them. They carry you along through a tale that is dramatic, romantic and a real page turner! I am very tempted to read it again straightaway!

MORE BOOKS FROM THIS WRITER PLEASE!!!

Disappointing
I had high expectations for this book - the other Amazon reviews are glittering - so I was more than a little dismayed to find it a big let down. Quite simply, I found the writer's style to be clumsy (i.e. awkward use of adverbs such as 'very brazenly') and the plot rambled on dreadfully until, in the final pages, it fizzled out in one of the biggest anti-climaxes I've experienced in fiction. I persevered with the story in the vain hope that it would suddenly improve and contain some startling revelation. However, one of the so-called twists was embarrassingly obvious and the other was so under-developed as to be meaningless. Give it a miss!

WHY DO I TAKE NOTICE OF THESE REVIEWS..???!!!
WHAT A GOD AWFUL BOOK ! FROM PAGE ONE I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE DRONING-ON-DRAG-EVERYTHING-OUT-AS-LONG-AS-YOU-CAN-AND-MAKE-IT-ALL-AS-DIFFICULT-AS-POSSIBLE-TO-UNDERSTAND BOOKS ! TOO MANY PEOPLE INTRODUCED TOO SOON AND I HAD TO KEEP GOING BACK TO SEE WHO THE HECK THEY ALL WERE, A SIMPLE DINNER GOING ON FOR A WHOLE CHAPTER WITH CONSTANT DESCRIPTIONS OF EVERY ROOM ( AND DESCRIPTIONS OF DECORATOR`S LADDER, OPEN PAINT TINS, PAINT BRUSHES AND WORK TOOLS ETC ETC ---COULD HAVE JUST SAID THE DECORATORS ARE IN - WE GET THE PICTURE ANNABEL....) SHE HAD SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT EVERY ROOM AND CONTRADICTED HERSELF ON A FEW OCCASIONS - I JUST GOT THE IMAGE IN MY MIND AND THEN SHE ADDED SOMETHING TOTALLY OUT OF CONTRAST. TALK ABOUT CHANGING ROOMS !! I DON`T KNOW WHERE THIS ANNABEL DILKE GETS OFF BEING DESCRIBED AS A GREAT AUTHOR - SHE`D DO BETTER AS A TOUR GUIDE I THINK.
HARD WORK THIS BOOK AND DEFINATELY NOT RECOMMENDED BY ME - IN FACT I`M ANGRY WITH MYSELF FOR BUYING IT.

SO IF YOU DO JUST BUY ONE BOOK THIS YEAR, DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR AND DON`T MAKE IT THIS ONE....

A new author to love
This book was recommended to me by Amazon based on my previous purchases of Clare Chamber's books (In A Good Light, Learning To Swim, The Editor's Wife, incidentally all rollicking good reads) and having read the other reviews I thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad that I did and am now eagerly awaiting delivery of her other books.

I found this to be a gripping read and the plot moves seamlessly from the past to the present. The hatred between the two families is totally gripping and I was reading well into the small hours desperate to find out WHAT caused the rift in friendship. As a previous reviewer mentions their are some great twists in this story, likewise one I guessed and one I didn't.

The characters are very well drawn and utterly convincing, the differences in class and status and how this affects the peoples behaviour both during the war years and then back in the present is genuinely moving.

If you are looking for a good read, a real page turner with characters you can care about and you like books with a really satisfying, but not obvious ending, then buy this now.

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