Tag: contemporary fiction

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Distorted Days by Louise Worthington. Do check out the posts of my tour buddies, Julie at A Little Book Problem and Gina at Insatiable Readers. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the tour and to the author for my review copy.

About the Book

“If she could speak to them, she would say they have exploded her heart, released firecrackers through her senses. She wishes she could call the police, the ambulance, the fire brigade, to arrest and anaesthetise and waterboard the bastards.”

So what happens when your husband runs off with your best friend? When you discover the dead body of an old man halfway through your delivery round? When your house is burgled and you get beaten up? Doris, Andy and Colleen are about to find out. They’re also about to discover that you can find friendship and support in the oddest of places…

Heart-rending, humorous and above all authentic, Distorted Days is an exquisitely written account of the ways in which life can knock you off our feet – and how you can pick yourself up again. If you’ve experienced the fickleness of fortune, this is a book that you’ll never forget.

Format: ebook (164 pages)                        Publisher: PublishNation
Publication date: 28th November 2019 Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Find Distorted Days on Goodreads

Purchase links*
Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

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My Review

In Distorted Days the reader follows the fortunes (or misfortunes) of a series of characters connected in one way or another: working in the same place, shopping in the same supermarket, living in the same street.
Given some of the subject matter, I can’t say Distorted Days is laugh out loud funny – with the notable exception of Doris’s rude nicknames for her husband, John, and (former) best friend, Lisa! However, there are certainly moments of – at times, black – humour and some acute observations about how people interact in real life, such as Doris’s preparations for her telephone calls with her mother.

The writing has some quirky touches such as the repetition several times of certain paragraphs in those chapters written from the point of view of Doris. At least, I’m assuming that was deliberate on the author’s part and not just an error with my copy!

As the characters encounter unexpected challenges in their lives – infidelity, bereavement, unemployment, depression, addiction – the interest comes from seeing how they face up to them and how the social connections they’ve made grow from passing contacts to something deeper and more valuable.

In three words: Poignant, insightful, quirky

Try something similar: The Widow’s Mite by Allie Cresswell

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About the Author

Louise is the author of Distorted Days and Rachel’s Garden of Rooms. The Entrepreneur will be available later in 2020. ‘The Thief’, a short story published by Park Publications, is available to download from her website.
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Before writing full time, Louise worked mainly as an English teacher after getting a degree in Literature and later, studying business and psychology at Masters level. Louise grew up in Cheshire and now resides in Shropshire.

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Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Widow’s Mite by Allie Cresswell. Do check out the posts by my tour buddies, Nicola at Short Book and Scribes and Em at Radzy Writes.

My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the tour and to the author for my review copy.

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About the Book

Minnie Price lives in an impressive, gated mansion on a superior street in an affluent area of town. But in spite of the apparent comfort of her surroundings she has barely enough to keep body and soul together. She has retreated to a single room where she subsists on things bought as cheaply as possible or – better still – picked up for nothing. Her friends and neighbours are oblivious to her plight, too occupied with their do-goodery to see the need underneath their noses, while her unfeeling step-children do all they can to wrest from Minnie the little that she has.

Then one day, a caller arrives with what seems to be a life-line; a fund of money left behind by Minnie’s late husband of which her step-children know nothing. It is hers – legitimately hers – if only she can jump through the complex logistical hoops to release it.

Format: ebook (317 pages)                    Publisher:
Publication date: 6th February 2020 Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Purchase links*
Amazon.co.uk| Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Widow’s Mite on Goodreads

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My Review

The Widow’s Mite is the follow-up to The Hoarder’s Widow but you needn’t worry if, like me, you haven’t read the first book as The Widow’s Mite works perfectly well as a standalone read.

The Hoarder’s Widow introduced the reader to recently widowed Maisie Wilde, coping with the impact of the death of her husband, Clifford. She reappears in The Widow’s Mite and the book continues her story alongside that of Minnie Price, also recently widowed.  The author shows real insight into the little things that can trigger moments of grief following a bereavement – an object, an anniversary, a familiar scent or a reminder of places visited together.

Besides both being widows what Minnie and Maisie have in common is, with a few notable exceptions, rather unpleasant grown-up children. Poor Minnie particularly suffers in this regard and, like me, you may give a little cheer when comeuppance seems possible. However, the two women’s financial positions couldn’t be more different.  Maisie has been left well-provided for; Minnie most definitely has not leaving her prey to unscrupulous individuals.  Again, the author is particularly good at depicting the frugality to which Minnie is driven and exploring with compassion Minnie’s feelings about the actions she takes as a result.

Although their stories are told in alternating chapters – Minnie’s in the past tense and Maisie’s in the present tense – it is through mutual friends that they eventually come together.  There are some great characters among those friends and some fun moments during their trips together.

The Widow’s Mite demonstrates you can never know what’s going on behind closed doors but that there is always room in the world for generosity.

In three words: Engaging, poignant, insightful

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About the Author

Allie Cresswell was born in Stockport, UK and began writing fiction as soon as she could hold a pencil. She did a BA in English Literature at Birmingham University and an MA at Queen Mary College, London.

She has been a print-buyer, a pub landlady, a book-keeper, run a B & B and a group of boutique holiday cottages. Nowadays Allie writes full time having retired from teaching literature to lifelong learners.

She has two grown-up children, two granddaughters, two grandsons and two cockapoos but just one husband – Tim. They live in Cumbria, NW England. The Widow’s Mite is her tenth novel.

Connect with Allie
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