LEEFDALE by Michael Murray
http://amzn.eu/4Dt2Sd4
Sharon guards a dark family secret.
Barbara is fighting to save her marriage.
Zoe is trying to sort her life out.
Louise is desperate to be recognised for who she truly is . . .
Unaware of the profound effect it will have on her and the rest of the village, estate agent Sharon Makepiece arranges the sale of Leefdale's Old Rectory to Dylan Bourne, an art therapist and professional artist.
The Old Rectory is the finest house in Leefdale. Its renowned gardens are crucial to village plans for winning the Magnificent Britain Gardening Competition for the fifth consecutive year.
Barbara Kellingford's father, Major Howard Roberts, is chairman of both the parish council and the Magnificent Britain sub-committee. While Barbara struggles to hang on to her husband, a top Tory politician, her father is embroiled in a bruising struggle of his own with the new people at The Old Rectory.
Zoe Fitzgerald is a drama therapist. Her role is to change lives, yet it's her own life which needs to change most.
Louise Makepiece is determined to realise her dreams. But first she has to force her mother to leave Leefdale!
Dylan Bourne's new job is killing his Art. And his romantic obsession seems to be affecting his judgement.
Barbara Kellingford knows that time is running out to save her husband's political career.
Meanwhile, the tabloids are circling.
Barbara is fighting to save her marriage.
Zoe is trying to sort her life out.
Louise is desperate to be recognised for who she truly is . . .
Unaware of the profound effect it will have on her and the rest of the village, estate agent Sharon Makepiece arranges the sale of Leefdale's Old Rectory to Dylan Bourne, an art therapist and professional artist.
The Old Rectory is the finest house in Leefdale. Its renowned gardens are crucial to village plans for winning the Magnificent Britain Gardening Competition for the fifth consecutive year.
Barbara Kellingford's father, Major Howard Roberts, is chairman of both the parish council and the Magnificent Britain sub-committee. While Barbara struggles to hang on to her husband, a top Tory politician, her father is embroiled in a bruising struggle of his own with the new people at The Old Rectory.
Zoe Fitzgerald is a drama therapist. Her role is to change lives, yet it's her own life which needs to change most.
Louise Makepiece is determined to realise her dreams. But first she has to force her mother to leave Leefdale!
Dylan Bourne's new job is killing his Art. And his romantic obsession seems to be affecting his judgement.
Barbara Kellingford knows that time is running out to save her husband's political career.
Meanwhile, the tabloids are circling.
LEEFDALE by Michael Murray
http://amzn.eu/4Dt2Sd4
AMAZON REVIEWER
Michael Murray is a superb story-teller. His descriptions are luscious and his characters totally believable. Even the least attractive elicits some sympathy, whilst the favourites are allowed to have flaws and double standards. The staff of the inclusion unit exercise their responsibilities with excellent care and insight - even Major Roberts' gardening tips could prove useful to any amateur gardener. "Leefdale" is well-researched and beautifully balanced, often leaving the reader not quite sure what to expect next. A very good companion volume to "Magnificent Britain". Can't wait for his next book!
Michael Murray is a superb story-teller. His descriptions are luscious and his characters totally believable. Even the least attractive elicits some sympathy, whilst the favourites are allowed to have flaws and double standards. The staff of the inclusion unit exercise their responsibilities with excellent care and insight - even Major Roberts' gardening tips could prove useful to any amateur gardener. "Leefdale" is well-researched and beautifully balanced, often leaving the reader not quite sure what to expect next. A very good companion volume to "Magnificent Britain". Can't wait for his next book!
AMAZON REVIEWER
Leefdale is an intriguing novel full of interesting and convincing characters whose past lives and relationships are revealed during one eventful summer in a village in rural Yorkshire. There are multi-layered stories of love and attraction but also of deceit, double lives, conflict and intolerance. The setting and characters are well written and the themes are interesting and complex. Highly recommended.
Leefdale is an intriguing novel full of interesting and convincing characters whose past lives and relationships are revealed during one eventful summer in a village in rural Yorkshire. There are multi-layered stories of love and attraction but also of deceit, double lives, conflict and intolerance. The setting and characters are well written and the themes are interesting and complex. Highly recommended.
AMAZON REVIEWER
At over eight hundred pages long, this certainly is value for money, and a read I'd thoroughly recommend to those who really like to get stuck into a good immersive novel.
I suspect many of us are attracted to village life, where everyone knows their neighbours. The author lifts the curtains and reveals the reality. Even those closest to us can be hiding secrets, presenting a persona.
To visiting tourists, all in Leefdale seems as quiet and tranquil as the village pond. But still waters run deep, and beneath the surface lurks all kinds of murkiness. Like a stone hitting the pond's surface, a bunch of well meaning folk working with difficult youngsters move into The Old Rectory. This causes a ripple effect, and the fascination here is watching how those ripples play out.
Story lines intertwine; some sadder than others, one is completely desperate, almost exasperatingly so in a how did anyone dig themselves into a hole that deep manner, while the Major sometimes made me cringe, other times I wanted to shake him, and occasionally I laughed at his antics, especially his newsletters. The author Michael Murray had me believing in all of them, and totally engrossed in their lives.
A rich rewarding read, five easy stars.
At over eight hundred pages long, this certainly is value for money, and a read I'd thoroughly recommend to those who really like to get stuck into a good immersive novel.
I suspect many of us are attracted to village life, where everyone knows their neighbours. The author lifts the curtains and reveals the reality. Even those closest to us can be hiding secrets, presenting a persona.
To visiting tourists, all in Leefdale seems as quiet and tranquil as the village pond. But still waters run deep, and beneath the surface lurks all kinds of murkiness. Like a stone hitting the pond's surface, a bunch of well meaning folk working with difficult youngsters move into The Old Rectory. This causes a ripple effect, and the fascination here is watching how those ripples play out.
Story lines intertwine; some sadder than others, one is completely desperate, almost exasperatingly so in a how did anyone dig themselves into a hole that deep manner, while the Major sometimes made me cringe, other times I wanted to shake him, and occasionally I laughed at his antics, especially his newsletters. The author Michael Murray had me believing in all of them, and totally engrossed in their lives.
A rich rewarding read, five easy stars.
