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It’s
been seven months since Sybil’s husband-to-be ran off with her twin sister,
leaving her humiliated and heartbroken at the altar of their Star Wars themed
wedding. Life since has been a struggle and when it seems she’s made a
monumental mistake at work she realises she needs a break. Her best friend has
just moved to the picturesque village of Tindledale and before she has time to
think twice she’s on the next train out of London. Here she’ll find a
close-knit community who rally around in times of need but aren’t too keen on
outsiders. It soon becomes clear that not only can she heal her own broken
heart but make a real difference to the locals too.
This
book is every bit as cosy and predictable as it sounds, although Brown does add
in a few mysteries to keep you turning the pages and to round out some of the
supporting characters. Unfortunately, I had trouble getting into the story, partly because of
the frequent poor quality of writing and annoying habit of using phrases such as ‘does a laugh/snort/smile’ rather than simply saying a character smiled.
The dialogue is at times stilted and unnatural and occasionally leaves you
feeling lost. The over the top comparisons with London rely on exaggerated
stereotypes and quickly began to grate.
However,
once you’ve got used to the writing and are far enough in that it becomes
unnecessary to continue to add background information, often wedged in
awkwardly, it becomes quite enjoyable. Sybil befriends the elderly owner of the
local haberdashery shop and takes great pleasure in helping to spruce things
up, having a long held dream of making a living from her craft. She soon finds
herself settling in, making a big impression over one long weekend.
Predictably, there’s also a new love interest but this is a subtle thread and doesn’t
dominate. The focus is on the friends she makes and the knitting project that
brings them all together. It’s great to see the mental health benefits of
activities such as knitting portrayed so enthusiastically.
Sybil
is both narrator and protagonist and although she does naturally dwell on her
disastrous wedding, a lot of events are passed over quickly. It is mentioned
that a number of other characters have experienced trauma but they put a brave
face on and very little is made of their stories – some threads feel
superfluous as they have no impact on the story itself and nothing is made of
them after the initial mention. As the first in a series set in Tindledale
however, it’s very possible they are developed further in other books. Despite
its flaws, you do find yourself being swept along and ultimately rooting for
things to turn out well. The chatty writing style makes you feel as though a
friend is recounting a series of events to you, making for an easy read for
when you’re looking for some feel-good entertainment.
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