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Loading... The Family Treeby Ilsa Evans
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Everybody has a book in them, or so the saying goes. For Kate Painter - wife, mother, freelance editor and aspiring writer - it's just a matter of finding a spare five minutes, a little peace and quiet... and something to write about. When her cousin Angie announces she has a room to let, Kate's spur of the moment decision to move temporarily out of the family home and in with Angie takes everyone, not least her husband and teenage children, by complete surprise. Yet Kate's sure that in this room of her own, she'll finally be able to write the novel she's always wanted to. But it doesn't happen so easily. Writer's block, dirty laundry and emergency babysitting duties all conspire against her. Amid the endless distractions, Kate is drawn into exploring the story of her family: her less than normal childhood with Angie on the family farm, her father's recent death, and the mystery behind Angie's enigmatic, absent mother. As the months pass, Kate writes her novel. And while it will never be the bestseller she had envisioned, it's the story Kate weaves for herself and her family that is the ultimate triumph. No library descriptions found. |
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While most of the focus is on day to day family life – the bickering that goes on between teenagers, and low level marital discord, some fairly meaty issues are brought in when the central character researches her family history, and there were some quite gripping sections in the middle. This element of the plot blows itself out quite early, though, and domestic matters regain supremacy.
I enjoyed the book for its accessibility – it’s rooted in reality, and light without being hopelessly predictable. There is gentle humour with the occasional laugh out loud moment (I liked the pencil case, and the ‘liquorice incident’). At times, though, the writing felt a bit laboured. I haven’t seen much of this author’s work in the UK though I would certainly read her again if I did. Hoping for a bit less mastication next time. ( )