Review: The Echoes of Love

Title: The Echoes of Love

Author: Jenny Ashcroft

Publisher: 5th October 2022 by HarperCollins Australia

Pages: 469 pages

Genre: historical fiction, World War II, Crete

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

Under the Cretan sun, in the summer of 1936, two young people fall in love…

Eleni has been coming to Crete her entire life, swapping her English home for cherished sun-baked summers with her grandfather in his idyllic shoreside villa. When she arrives in 1936, she believes the long, hot weeks ahead will be no different to so many that have gone before.

But someone else is visiting the island that year too: a young German man called Otto. And so begins a summer of innocence lost, and love discovered; one that is finite, but not the end.

When, in 1941, the island falls to a Nazi invasion, Eleni and Otto meet there once more. But this time Eleni has returned to fight for her home, and Otto to occupy it. They are enemies, and their love is not only treacherous, but also dangerous. But will it destroy them, or prove strong enough to overcome the ravages of war?

An epic tale of secrets, love, loyalty, family and how far you’d go to keep those you love safe, The Echoes of Love is an exquisite and deeply moving love letter to Crete – one that will move every reader to tears.

My Thoughts

You know how it goes. There are certain authors whose writing speaks to you, touches you, leaving its indelible mark. Jenny Ashcroft, for me, is one such author. I have read every book she has written and, without fail, each one has been five stars. Jenny has written tales that have not only taken me to such far off places as Egypt, Singapore and India but writes with such heartfelt, pure emotion that it stays with the reader long after turning the final page. 

‘You make me feel, not alone.’

The Echoes of Love is another such novel. This one is especially poignant as it regales a tale very close to Jenny’s own heart and family. With such strong emotional connections (Jenny visited Crete each summer as a child) it is clearly evident throughout her tale. It’s a story written from her heart which ensured it touched mine. It is so cleverly written that not until the final few chapters does Jenny place down the final puzzle piece that ensures the tears will flow. With timelines before, during and after the war, each section is interconnected by an extract from a research interview conducted in 1974, between an interviewer and someone known only as “subject seventeen”. The reader is left guessing who ‘seventeen’ might be.

‘She didn't think about much at all.

She simply breathed.

It was her favourite breath of the year,

The breath that truly started summer for her.

The breath when her monochrome world shifted fully into colour, and her loneliness gave way to belonging.’

Jenny’s research on the historical aspects of life on Crete during Nazi occupation is incredible. As she does so well, period, place and people are accurately presented. There is a cast of characters that each bring something special that provides an overwhelming depth to this tale. It is, however, the two leads of Eleni and Otto, that are so moving. This is such a beautiful love story that I found myself at odds with my zeal to consume this book being in direct conflict with my desire to savour each word, thought and emotion.

‘In the space of a night, the summer ahead, so predictable, had .... pixelated, into unknowns: the endless possibilities.’

This truly complex story will immerse you to the life in Crete - the sun lavished fun days by the beach before the war and the terrible haunting days of the Nazi occupation during WWII. Herein lies you will read of atrocities from truly evil individuals, to the heroism of the resistance, to the final act of brutal betrayal. For an author to consistently provide five star ratings is something special - there most certainly is magic within each line with words floating off each page. 

‘He hated what he'd become, what he did, but he wanted his life; the chance at a future that held none of this in it, where he built houses rather than threw grenades at them.’

Every read of Jenny’s has been for me such an evocative and sensory experience, filled with characters that speak to me on many levels; stories that draw you in and leave you sitting in reverie long after the final page has been turned. Once more I am in awe of how Jenny masterfully weaves a sense of time and place, heart and soul into her characters concerning the circumstances they find themselves in. The Echoes of Love will take you on such an unforgettable journey, you simply would not want to miss it.

‘We need to get to the other side’.

‘You think there'll be one?'

‘I do,’ she said. ‘I have to. And I want you there, with me…’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Under the Golden Sun

Title: Under the Golden Sun

Author: Jenny Ashcroft

Publisher: 24th November 2020 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 390 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

How far would you travel to find home? A captivating and sweeping historical love story, set against the raw beauty and epic expanse of a cattle station in rural Queensland from the much-loved Jenny Ashcroft.

Wanted: companion to escort a young, orphaned child home to Australia.

All expenses as well as passage covered.

Interested parties to apply without delay to 32 Williams Street, Belgravia.

Rose Hamilton is in desperate need of a fresh start. There are so many reasons she should ignore the advertisement: the war, those treacherous seas, her family, her fiance... but she cannot help herself. Within weeks, she is boarding an enormous convoy, already too attached to five-year-old Walter Lucknow.

But rural Queensland, and the cattle station home of Walter's parents, is not as either of them were told to expect. Rose cannot leave this little boy she's grown to love until he is happy, and she knows the key to this is Walter's wounded fighter pilot uncle Max. But how will she ever part with Walter? And what if he isn't the only reason she wants to stay?

Perfect for fans of Kirsty Manning, Dinah Jefferies, Victoria Hislop and Natasha Lester. 

My Thoughts

Jenny came on my radar with her first novel, ‘Beneath a Burning Sky’ and by her third novel, ‘Meet Me in Bombay’ I was completely under her literary spell. If you are a historical fiction fan and have not come across any of Jenny’s books, then I am here to tell you, you are missing out! I have been to Bombay, Egypt and Singapore. So imagine my delight to discover that her latest offering would be in my very own backyard, Australia.

For an author to consistently provide five star reading over four books is something special - there most certainly is magic within each line with words floating off each page. Every read has been an evocative and sensory experience, filled with characters that speak to you on many levels and stories that draw you in and leave you sitting in reverie long after the last page has been turned. Once more I am in awe of how Jenny masterfully weaves a sense of time and place and heart and soul into her characters concerning the circumstances they find themselves in.

‘I miss who you used to be. God. She pressed her forehead to the window pane, closing her eyes, a tear rolling down her own cheek. She’d missed her too. And she hated, hated, remembering. So impossible, though, to ever, truly, forget.’

On this occasion it is Rose and her strength to brave the unknown, with a little five year old boy's (Walter) hand held ever so tightly in her own, as they traipse across the globe. There is one passage, towards the end (no spoilers) when Rosie and Walter had me reaching for a tissue to wipe away tears and my husband concernedly frowning and asking if I was okay. That is the power of words and stories that Jenny is capable of.

‘But she didn’t want to leave him either. Not tomorrow. Not ever.  She didn’t want to leave any of them. She didn’t want to leave Australia. Somewhere along the line, this land, with its lush beauty, its peace and gigantic sky, had come to feel like her home, too. ‘Then just stay,’ said Esme. ‘Stay ... ’

 ‘I can’t,’ Rose said.

Jenny’s research and attention to detail is spot on. From life in war torn London, to the frightening journey across the oceans during a war, to station life in outback Queensland - I can feel everything from the ocean swell to the blazing heat of the summer sun in Australia. Each of the characters bring so much to this tale - from fatherly Lionel, to wild yet sad Esme, to the stoicism and solidity of Max ... and don’t even get me started on poor, sweet Walter. Yet it is Rosie - strong, resilient Rosie - who is at the very heart of this tale. You will laugh and you will cry.

‘Esme pulled a face at them both. Bugger me.’

Jenny is an incredible writer of historical fiction and, as I noted way back with her first book, whether or not historical fiction is your thing it doesn’t matter for this is so much more than that. Escape to an often harsh and unforgiving time, to a family that needed to rebuild itself and to a belief in being true to yourself in order to find your one true path. ‘Under the Golden Sun’ will take you on such an unforgettable journey, you simply would not want to miss it.

‘Rosie, we all have a past, it exists within us, and whilst forgetting may be impossible, learning to live with what is gone is so often essential to enjoying whatever is yet to come.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Meet Me in Bombay

Title: Meet Me in Bombay

Author: Jenny Ashcroft

Publisher: 26th November 2019 by Hachette

Pages: 370 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: India, historical fiction, historical romance, world war II

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

Bombay, 1913

Madeleine Bright is spending New Year's Eve wishing she were somewhere else. Her voyage to India to visit her parents should have been a great adventure, but that was before she had no choice except to stay.

Then at the stroke of midnight Maddy meets Luke Devereaux, and as the year changes so do their lives - forever. Bold and charismatic, Luke opens her eyes to the wonders of Bombay, while Maddy's beauty and vivacity captures his heart. Only her mother disapproves, preferring the devoted Guy Bowen as a match for her daughter.

But while Maddy and Luke are falling in love, the world is falling apart. War is on the horizon, and soon it's a question of when Luke will be called to fight, not if. They'll be continents apart, separated by danger and fear of the unknown, but bound by Luke's promise that they will meet again in Bombay...

MEET ME IN BOMBAY is a story of fierce love set against the exotic and colourful world of colonial Bombay and the tragedy of the First World War.

My Thoughts

Jenny Ashcroft ... thank you! Three for three! I have had the privilege of reading all of Jenny’s books and cannot recommend them highly enough to lovers of historical fiction. Each read has been evocative, transporting the reader to some distant and exotic time and place. This time, British India and Bombay of the early 20th century. 

"Are you waiting for me though, as l am waiting for you?

Are you thinking of me, in this moment?                           

He set down his pen, and sank his aching head in his hands.     

Are you even there at all?"

Meet Me in Bombay is superb historical fiction as Jenny is the master at moulding together place, time and feeling. At the heart of this story is the love of a lifetime between Maddy and Luke but of course, all of this is sadly at the start of 1914. So unfolding over a lifetime is their journey set against the background of war and the backdrop of Bombay.  The bulk of the read is sequential from their initial meeting with small jumps in the timeline to soldiers recovering from amnesia or shell shock, or in many instances, not recovering at all. This is a wonderful story of love and separation that, even though you may know where it is going, you will be compelled to follow along to the inevitable conclusion. 

Once again Jenny has written a tale that ticks all the boxes for me: exquisite writing, complex characters, a beautiful love story in an exotic, tropical setting. Filled to the brim with everything from the brutality of war, to passionate soul connections, to tragedy, heartbreak and finally hope - this is such a compelling read that it will stay with you long after you have turned the final page. 

"I want to sleep. When I sleep, I dream. And my dreams are all I have left of that other world. The one I know I once belonged to, with you.”  

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher Hachette Australia.

Review: Island in the East

Title: Island in the East

Author: Jenny Ashcroft

Publisher: 2nd November 2017 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 416 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

Set in 1890s and 1940s Singapore, the stunning Island in the East is a story of love, sisterly rivalry and the true cost of betrayal. Vivid, authentic and utterly beautiful, it's the perfect read for fans of Victoria Hislop, Fiona McIntosh and Kate Morton.

1897: twenty-year-old identical twins, Harriet and Mae, born from a scandalous affair, have spent their lives slighted by gossips. They've carried each other through the loneliness, believing that together they can survive anything. But then their mysterious benefactor sends them to Singapore to live with his relative, the watchful David Keeley, who will choose one of them to marry. In the tension of David's house, a distance opens up between the twins, but it is only when they meet the handsome Alex Blake that their relationship truly fractures, resulting in a life-shattering betrayal with devastating consequences . . .

1941: Ivy, an intelligence officer with the women's naval service and carrying her own ghosts from Blitz-torn London, is posted to wartime Singapore and arrives to the looming threat of a Japanese invasion. Nothing can prepare her for what's waiting on the island - not the unexpected love, nor the strangers from her grandmother, Mae's, past, and the shocking secrets that now echo down through the generations.

With a sizzling love affair playing out against this epic family drama, Island in the East is evocative, atmospheric and romantic historical fiction at its very best.

My Thoughts

Jenny Ashcroft’s debut novel, ‘Beneath a Burning Sky’, I gushed about - it was brilliant! (Review found HERE). It was historical fiction at its best and so much more. So when Jenny’s second book comes along, of course I am all over it - but how could it possibly be as good? Well I am here to tell you that it is - and perhaps it’s even better! Jenny has gone to the next level (if that was at all possible) and taken on an ambitious dual timeline narrative that delivers in every aspect - rich in detail, setting and drama.

‘Island in the East’ is sensational reading - such a beautifully written heartbreaking tale full of drama and emotion that I found it hard to put down. This book surely cements Jenny Aschcroft as a superior author with a talent to create riveting drama with complex characters in luscious settings. A timeslip narrative set in Singapore that moves between the story of Mae and her twin sister Harriet in the late 1800s; and Mae's granddaughter, Ivy, who  is posted to Singapore during the war in 1941. One of the things that sets this dual timeline apart from others, is the strong familial connections as Mae and Ivy are living together initially in London at the beginning of the novel. When Ivy arrives in Singapore, she has no idea that her grandmother had ever lived there. The mystery and tales of both, life at the turn of the century and then during the war in Singapore, are rich and enticing. I had never really read much about the Japanese invasion of Singapore and it was rich in detail that was a real eye opener.

This book ticks all the boxes for me: exquisite writing, complex characters, two beautiful love stories for both the twins and Ivy (Alex and Kit will make your heart beat faster) and an exotic, tropical setting. Filled to the brim with everything from the brutality of war, to passionate soul connections, to heartbreak and betrayal, to tragedy and hope - this is such a compelling read that it will stay with you long after you have turned the final page.

‘Don’t waste time,’ Alex said, voice kind, but with that sadness in it. ‘You never know how much you have.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release