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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my favorites in 2004,
By
This review is from: Blackthorn Winter (Hardcover)
BLACKTHORN WINTER by Sarah Challis
January 19, 2005 One of my favorite books read in 2004 was BLACKTHORN WINTER by Sarah Challis. I can't say enough about this novel. The characters, however, was the driving force behind this book, although the center of the story was Claudia Knight's life as she tried desperately to begin a new one in a village called Court Barron. She does everything including change her last name, in the hopes that her neighbors will not know who she is, or discover that her husband is Roger Baron, the man who was recently sent to jail for a financially related crime. While Claudia does her best to start a new life as a single woman, she also has to deal with her two adult children. Her daughter continues to defend Roger, even though he's in jail and has also had an affair with a woman he would rather be with than his own wife. Her son is in India and emotionally and physically is as far from Claudia as he will ever get. She does have a true friend in her sister-in-law Minna, who supports Claudia through phone conversations and communications through the lawyer, David. Hiding her true story from the neighbors is a 24-hour job. She doesn't know how long she can keep up this charade, especially with the newspapers that often cover Roger's story on the front page. As she builds a new life for herself, she slowly gets to know the neighbors, and the story unfolds. Challis does a great job developing the characters and their various relationships, and it is the relationships and the personalities that make BLACKTHORN WINTER a delight to read. This book is highly recommended by the Ratmammy.
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A winning story,
By
This review is from: Blackthorn Winter (Hardcover)
Claudia Barron was living the high life in London with good clothes, a nice home, and social friends but it all came to an end when her husband was arrested and sent to jail for fraud. Claudia was being hounded by the newspapers and photographers so she decided to leave London and head off to the small Dorset village of Court Barton to start a new life. She changed her name to Claudia Knight, rented a small cottage, and got a job at a local school as a cook. She is trying hard to keep her past life a secret but circumstances beyond her control are forcing the truth out.
Blackthorn Winter is a special treat to read if you are a fan of Maeve Binchy or Rosamunde Pilcher. The first chapter is a little bit confusing because of how it opens but stick to it, you will not be sorry.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sarah Challis Weaves Endearing Characters Into Charming Village Tale,
By
This review is from: Blackthorn Winter (Hardcover)
This was my first Sarah Challis novel and I found her delightful characters living in a charming English village completely captivating. Readers who are enchanted by Rosamunde Pilcher and Marcia Willett will find Challis to be an equally enjoyable writer to spend time with.
Claudia Barron has led a glitzy and glamorous life in London. Alas, her well-known husband has recently been splattered across the tabloids, convicted of fraud, and exposed as an adulterer. Humiliated, Claudia flees to an inconspicuous village and hopes to live anonymously and detached from fair-weather friends. Even though she changes her name, her reclusive behavior causes mumblings in the village and before she can say "no comment" she has been thrust into a cast of characters as endearing as any you would want to meet: Julia Durnford, her nosey parker neighbor who manages every detail of the village; Peter, Julia's milquetoast husband; their daughter Victoria who is feeling the pangs of being the left-out and lonely teenager at boarding school; Jena, the ten-year old gypsy who runs free; and Valerie, the semi-alcoholic neighbor to whom Claudia can reveal her secrets. Add to this mix, Claudia's visiting adult children: the lively Lila who flies in from New York and Jerome, the brooding son who returns from India with a secret too devastating to share. And finally, there are the two available men who catch Claudia's eye---will she succumb to the sexy and suave Anthony Brewer or be stabilized by Chris, the straightforward widower with four daughters? Cozy and comforting, this is a most appealing novel I was sad to see end.
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