Skip to main content

The Faerie Tree - Jane Cable



How can a memory so vivid be wrong?

I tried to remember the first time I’d been here and to see the tree through Izzie’s eyes. The oak stood on a rise just above the path; not too tall or wide but graceful and straight, its trunk covered in what I can only describe as offerings – pieces of ribbon, daisy chains, a shell necklace, a tiny doll or two and even an old cuckoo clock.
"Why do people do this?" Izzie asked.
I winked at her. "To say thank you to the fairies."

In the summer of 1986 Robin and Izzie hold hands under The Faerie Tree and wish for a future together. Within hours tragedy rips their dreams apart.

In the winter of 2006, each carrying their own burden of grief, they stumble back into each other’s lives and try to create a second chance. But why are their memories of 1986 so different? And which one of them is right?
----------

I have fairly eclectic tastes when it comes to reading but probably what underlies my reading choices most is a mystery.  I wouldn't put this book into my usual choice category, but it did seem to have an air of mystery about it and I hoped the romance element wasn't going to be too prevalent. The title indicated to me that it was going to be a stretch of the imagination with tales of folklore and such like - how wrong could I have been.......

Wow - what a surprise this book was. I found it totally enthralling, tried to keep reading even when my eyes were closing - it takes a great book for me to do that. Right from the start of the book when Izzie sees a tramp and recognises him as someone she once knew I was hooked on so many different levels. 

The story that unfolded from both the perspective of  Izzie and that of Robin (the tramp) was truly amazing. I felt that I wasn't reading a work of fiction at all, so strong were the character voices and their actions that I felt like I was just watching it all happen in front of me.

It is said that there are three versions of the truth "what I think happened" what you think happened" and "what actually happened" and that I feel sums up this very clever book. There are a few twists - there is some romance, but not in a chick lit or Mills & Boon way! Basically it's a cracking story with a difference and one that I will not forget for some time. Whilst originally The "Faerie Tree" element of the book didn't appeal to me - I found myself drawn into the tales and intrigued by the beliefs.

As they say - "never judge a book by its cover" and I am so glad I didn't do that with this book as I would have missed an excellent read.

I had heard of Jane's first novel The Cheesemakers House but never got around to reading it - so many books so little time! - however, I think after this fabulous book I really must make time to read it soon.

My thanks to Netgalley, Jane Cable and Troubador Publishing for supplying a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Comments

Post a Comment

Those leaving a comment on any post on this blog do so in the knowledge that their name and blog link are visible to all who visit this blog and by providing their comment they have published their own personal details on this blog and also consented to our use of that personal information for that specific purpose.

Popular posts from this blog

No One Would Do What The Lamberts Have Done - Sophie Hannah

  Description The twistiest murder mystery you are ever likely to read? A story about a family that does the unthinkable in order to save the life of one of its beloved members? Both? Or something else altogether? You'll have to read until the very last word in order to find out… You think it will never happen to you: the ring of the bell, the policeman on the doorstep. What he says traps you in a nightmare that starts with the words, 'I'm afraid…' Sally Lambert is also afraid, and desperate enough to consider the unthinkable. Is it really, definitely, impossible to escape from this horror? Maybe not. There's always something you can do, right? Of course, no one would ever do this particular something – except the Lamberts, who might have to. No one has ever gone this far. Until Sally decides that the Lamberts will… 'An incident involving a dog in a small village escalates to an all-out conflict, turning neighbour against neighbour, and culminating in murder. Bu...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Dilemmas of Work Women - Fumio Yamamoto

  Description The classic Japanese bestseller published in English for the very first time -  a darkly funny and relatable book portraying the lives of five women 'Witty, wise and thought-provoking' Cecelia Ahern 'Crackles and pops with humour, empathy and intelligence' Lisa Owens, author of  Not Working 'So brilliantly written that I kept trying to memorise sentences in order to repeat them to people later' Roxy Dunn, author of  As Young as This Izumi  needs to get a job. Haruka  needs to stop talking about how she once had cancer. Katō  needs to get through a shift at the convenience store without being harassed. Mito  needs to break up with her boyfriend - or marry him. Sumie  just needs somewhere to live. In this classic Japanese bestseller, published in English twenty-five years after it took Japan by storm, the lives of five ordinary women are depicted with irresistible humour and searing emotional insight. Review A collection of short ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins

Description THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER. YOU DON'T KNOW HER. BUT SHE KNOWS YOU. Rear Window  meets  Gone Girl , in this exceptional and startling psychological thriller Review I must be one of the last people to read this book. I did apply for a review copy but unfortunately wasn't successful. I then waited for the book to come down in price which it didn't - so I decided I would buy it and read it straight away! I'm sure it will be a film and before anyone gives away what happens I felt I really needed to get it read, so it jumped the TBR queue. There is not much plot outline from the publisher as you can see in the description above, so there wasn't a lot to go on when I began to read the book. First of all the book jumps around date wise - past and present and also between the main characters. I did have a little trouble remembering who was who and which time frame we were in - but that soon settled down. I also had to re-read the beginning because I th...
3 comments
Read more