Book Review: The Taste of Air by author, Gail Cleare

One phone call, and your life turns around instantly.

Family drama doesn't always mean what you think it does, or does it. I was completely impressed and immersed by these characters that were so wonderfully, and carefully, crafted. Secrets and revelations and the consequences due to choices, even with the best of intentions, come to light and play out consistently throughout this story's pages and will keep you wanting more.

This novel delivers it all; it's engaging, believable, heart warming and captivating. My only wish is that the story continued on, as I was sad to see it end. A wonderful read that you're sure to enjoy.....

Thank you once again to Gail Cleare, as well as, Red Adept Publishing and NetGalley for bringing this story to light for me, and so many others.

5 Stars

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I read this book in 2 nights and felt it was well written!
This is a book that takes place in New England. A daughter learns her mother has been living a double life. The family dynamics swirl and shed some light on some big issues. The sisters learn new things about their mother that they didn't know. I felt this was a wonderful novel of mothers and daughters.

I was given ARC in exchange for an honest review. Very well written!

This book was an interesting read in that it told the story from the viewpoint of the three Reilly ladies. It was a great way to have the story unfold while getting to the big secret.

The Taste of Air is such an incredible novel about a mother, her two daughters, and all of the most important people in their lives. Nell and her sister Bridget think that their mother, Mary has been safely and contently living in an assisted living community since after their father passed, but when Nell receives a call that her mother is hospitalized in a small town in Vermont, everything changes. After Nell's arrival, she learns of a completely separate life that her mother had and never told neither, Nell or Bridget, about. But as Nell and Bridget start putting together the puzzle pieces of their mother's life, they each discover a new level of happiness that they never imagined. 

Mary is one of the most remarkable characters that I have read about. In her younger days, she was young and feisty as she went to Vietnam as a nurse, engaged to Nell and Bridget's father, and ready to make a difference in the world. Later in her adult life, her daughters observed her as a kind and loving mother and a devoted wife. Little did they know, Mary had a second life that, although unconventional to some, was full of friendship, love, and family. In some ways, I hated that she never told the girls herself, but the slow uncovering of Mary's secrets are what made this such an addictive read. 

Nell and Bridget were close sisters, yet different in so many ways. Nell was quieter and used to a routine with her husband and children, whereas, Bridget was spunkier, on her third marriage, and longing for a piece of her past that she was forced to give away. When Jake and Adam were introduced into the novel, I immediately loved Adam but struggled with Jake. I could tell that beneath his drunken, rough character there was a man with a broken heart - but it took me a while to truly appreciate him. 

The Taste of Air had aspects that I expected, as well as, things that completely surprised me. This wonderful novel is full of warmth, laughter, happiness, tears, and confusion all wrapped into a perfect package. I fell in love with Mary's flashbacks where Gail Cleare bared the innermost secrets of this woman's soul, and as her daughters continued to learn more about their mother, I especially loved seeing them go after and embrace their own happiness. 

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this novel in exchange for my honest review.

A really nice book that I enjoyed reading. The idea of a woman choosing to keep a place, a secret haven for herself far away from her home is certainly incredible. I especially liked reading Ellie's back story, she was I feel, such a well framed character. But that's just it... I liked the book in parts, it simply wasn't connecting with me as much as I would have liked it to.

This was a wonderful book about three women, a mother and two daughters, and the complex and very different lives that they led. From the call that would change all of their lives, to the discovery of a hidden life led by the mother, the impact for all of the women would be life changing. The character development, along with the descriptions of the serene area of the lakeside cottage, have you so immersed in this storyline that you frankly do not want to put the book down, or the story to end. I highly recommend this book to not just women, but to men as well. This book provokes our reflection as to the motives that bring us down certain roads in life...and is it the path we should choose? I was given this book for an honest review and am happy to be able to give my opinion—this is a great book and you should definitely read it!

This book was a slight detour from my usual read as the central theme was not romance but family and their interactions with each other.Mary,the mother of two daughters Nell and Bridget, has led a double life that her adult daughters happened to stumble upon when she became ill and admitted to hospital.The author provided many clues that, in their subtlety pointed to the truth of the situation and circumstances that occured over the span of several decades.The plot revealed that even when you have spent a lifetime with someone you may never get the full picture, and people can and do control how much you know about them.The relationships, as incredible as they turn out to be, were expertly woven together and as the story unfolds the pieces of the puzzle started to fit .Mary,in her deceit still came off as a lovable character, while others were somewhat detestable.The side stories about the daughters did not detract from the main theme, but provided another level to the book. The author showed how one decision can change the course of not just one life but the lives of others you associate with.While I'm not a fan of most stories that flit back and forth in time, this format worked as it made you anxious to read on and delayed the big reveal.I was treated to this ARC by Netgalley and am happy to post my unbiased review.

Thank you, Gail Cleare , for the honor of reading your wonderful book.
This is the story of three women. Nell, Bridget, and their mother, Mary. The chapters are each devoted to the lives of each character and also has time hops back to Mary's story. I like this type of writing which develops the background as I read the book. There is a mystery to be solved by Nell and Bridget that involves their mother. She has a secret they never knew about.
This story had me involved right away and I read most of it in one sitting because it was so good. I HAD to find out what Mary was keeping from her family and why she was in a place she was never expected to be. This book had me involved with each character. I felt I wanted to be there and help
find the answers. I didn't expect some of the answers that were found at all!
Gail Cleare has a beautiful writing skill. There are several passages that I highlighted that really brought meaning to me.
"Maybe if we let life take its course instead of fighting so hard to change things all the time, it will help us face the future," Bridget said."
"Tears were rolling down her cheeks and the hysterical giggles had turned to sobs as she grabbed a handful of tissues and filled them with a tiny percentage of her pain and disappointment."
"Life swept them all along as one day led to the next in a fast-forward blur. Nell's plans and dreams for her life were melting into a mist like last night's rain on the maple leaves."
This passage is especially what wrapped it up for me.
"Life is short. Be happy. That was it, the nutshell version.
This is a touching story. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you Gail Cleare and Netgalley.

I loved this book! Gail Cleare wrote a powerful, emotional and heart felt novel. As I read it, I kept wondering how all the threads would come together., and in the end they did, beautifully! I fell in love with that cottage in that small town in Vermont., wondered about the handsome neighbors, as well as Nell and Bridget's marriages. This is a true feel good book! Perfect for a summer read, or for that matter, anytime of the year./ Thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial Publishers. for the perusal....it's a wonderful Romance novel!

A lady in assisted living leading a quiet retired life. Two daughters who love their mother but who lead busy lives themselves. When a call comes from a hospital with the news that their mother was admitted with acute pneumonia, both girls are extremely perplexed. Vermont is several hours away from where their mother lived. How did she get there? Was she involved in an accident?



Nell goes hoping to find answers. What she uncovers is a life led by her mother going back decades. A life unknown to their father, unknown to them. Their mother had friends, a community of people who loved and supported her throughout this period and how she was able to keep this a secret is something they couldnt figure out.

The premise of the story was an interesting one. I expected there to be much more of interest in Mary's secret life. It was more mundane than that. Having being a carer for a husband with Alzheimer's this was a bolt hole for Mary but it started long before that. For Mary it started when her marriage went through a dull and bad patch and she needed a place of her own. She obviously never wanted to be a burden to her children and this was the way she sought to keep her life on an even keel.

I went into the double life expecting much more drama than there was! Nell and Bridget were two girls who accepted with equanimity the life of their mother, and understood why she did it the way she did.

Interesting story.

I just now finished this book and what a wonderful read! A well written and absorbing contemporary story about a mother's secret and how a significant decision made in her early adulthood made one couple very happy and and went on to multiply the love in her own children's lives after her death. No spoilers, just read this lovely book. It will leave you feeling very peaceful and positive as it did me. A true pleasure. Strongly recommended.

Mary Sullivan a US Army nurse, met Jake Bascomb in war time Vietnam. She was engaged to Thomas Reilly at the time but he was missing in action, presumed dead. It was six months since Tom had been MIA and even though Mary kept hoping he would be found alive, she knew he probably wouldn't. Jake Bascomb was an ambulance driver ferrying injured soldiers to the base hospital and struck up a friendship with Mary. Jake had met Virginia earlier but once he met Mary, he knew he had lost his heart. They could no longer deny their attraction to each other and so started a relationship. But then Tom was found and Mary knew she had to honour her promise to marry Tom and so she and Jake parted ways, Mary to return to Tom and fulfil her promise to marry and Jake to return home to marry Virginia.

If only life could be that simple.

So many secrets had been kept over many years, Mary's two girls Nell and Bridget lived reasonably happy lives but Thomas was not the same man he was before the war and therefore life was not how Mary would ever have guessed it to be.

Mary had not one but many huge secrets and when she became ill and the hospital in Vermont rang to notify Nell that she was needed, Nell was confused as to how her mother would be in a hospital many hours away from where she was supposed to be and here is where one of the biggest can of worms would be opened and the secrets would slowly begin to unfold.

This was a wonderful book involving two families and is one I would definitely recommend. The story flowed well and even though it kept reverting back to different times, it was easy to understand and follow. It was a book I thoroughly enjoyed.


Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book really captured me from day 1 and didn't let me go until the final page! The plot and characters were very memorable and believable.

The Taste of Air is a fabulous and intriguing story about choices and consequences, secrets and revelations. Two sisters find out that their elderly mother is in the ICU of a Vermont hospital when they believed her to be living in a Massachusetts retirement home. The secret choices of their mother are revealed, spurning the daughters to examine their own life choices. The characters are real; they are genuine, imperfect and likable. Their lives, though messy at times, are touching. You will be pulled into this book right away and will be grateful that you were.

I waited a bit before reading this book, I was still having thoughts and feelings and wasn't ready to put them down, but here it goes. I was on the fence about my feelings for the book and I still am - there were parts of this book that I completely adored, but then there were parts that were just ok for me.

I LOVE mother/daughter/sister relationship books. This one had all of the above and it was busting at the seams. I love a book that explores birth order and how that affects each person if many different ways. I love when the children of a parent don't know everything about their parent and upon learning the truth they have to rethink everything they knew. We put parents in a bubble and when they act outside of that bubble, it makes you question more than just the parent and their actions!

Part of the reason that this book was just so so for me was I recently read a book where there were secrets between mother and daughter and the mother had an injury and couldn't talk so the daughters had to find out the information themselves - it felt like a repeat of a major plot point. Without reading that book first, I would have liked this one a smidge more.

So to say it a little more concise, I would read another book by Gail Cleare, but I would definitely read the synopsis and make sure I was ready for the ride.

A mother hiding a secret. Two daughters confused and wondering what was the secret. A sacred home away from the daily life of Mary Ellen Reilly has been long hidden from her two daughters, Eleanor and Bridget, and failing health has let the secret out.
This is a wonderful book about how the impact of choices made long ago can resurface and to change lives and affect future

This was a fascinating novel, making me wonder what I would do if I discovered my mother had had a double life. Very well written with believable characters, and not confusing at all given that it was told from three points of view and weaving back and forth from past to present. Being a New England gal at heart, I loved the visual descriptions of Vermont as well. Highly readable, very engrossing.

4.5 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by Gail Cleare, this is the first book I've read by Ms. Cleare and look forward to ordering her other novels.. This was a well-written story about a mother(Ellie) and her daughters(Nell * Bridget). The daughters are under the impression that mom is in an assisted living facility in MA but she ends up in the ICU in Vermont. The story which takes place in the past and the future proves how history and choices have a way of repeating themselves and you realize that life is short. I would highly recommend this book, especially for a mother and daughter to read together at the same time & take time to reflect.

Slightly mysterious an full of unexpected turns, this captivating novel examines family relationships, secrets and exposing and trusting ourselves and our families for real and meaningful insights. Wonderfully written and totally enjoyable to read. Thank you for the opportunity to have read this book prior to publication.

This is a wonderfully written book about family secrets. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and highly recommend it.