Ruth is pregnant.
She is also single and the father, Amos - a trombone player from her orchestra doesn't know! And she is really not sure she wants to be pregnant!
She is shipped off by Chritian parents to the country, to live with twin uncles on their farm.
She soon settles in and the story takes many twists and turns before a satisfactory ending.
A really nice easy read which I highly recommend!

Unfortunately I was unable to get in to this story and had to put it down, however, I'm sure it is a highly loved book and appreciated by the right readers.

A wonderful read with charming characters and an engaging plot!! I look forward to reading more by this author.

A rather delightful, splendid read.

Ruth Robinson, a woman in her thirties, is alone and pregnant and can't decide if she should keep her baby. Her disappointed religious father, worried what the neighbours might think, is relieved when she goes to stay with her uncles who live in a remote rambling house called Applegarth out in the sticks.

Ruth has fond memories of holidaying at Applegarth as a child. In this book, her life changes and she develops an eccentric extended family which help to see her through the tough times. The quirky adorable characters, each one drawn with warmth and wit, are guaranteed to make you smile. Applegarth itself, so shambolic and with its array of animals, only adds to the charm. Though somewhat stereotypical, the majority of the characters soon developed a certain amount of depth and appeal, for me. Ruth, for all her shortcomings, was easy to cheer on and have hope for. Packed to the brim with gentle humour, this story was also surprisingly moving. As someone who enjoys character-driven fiction, I certainly had a few characters here to marvel and worry over! With its very impressive dialogue, Ruth Robinson's Year of Miracles by Frances Garrood is a worthwhile and highly recommended read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Sapere Books via NetGalley at my own request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

What a delightful read!
Meet Ruth.
An unemployed, newly homeless musician with an additional bit of baggage, apart from her violin and luggage... an unplanned pregnancy!
Ruth is torn between roughing it and traipsing, cap in hand to her religious parents, who cannot accept her unmarried pregnant state, on top of the fact that she followed her heart to make music her career.
She is shipped off to her eccentric twin uncles who live on a farm and proceeds to settle into a quiet life... until the Virgin Mary is discovered on the side of a hen house!
The fun that followed this discovery, alongside trying to track down the father of her baby, making friends with the pole dancing daughter of the harridan housekeeper, learning to love the animals, and discovering new family, kept me reading from cover to cover.
Do I recommend?
Well, yes. Yes, I do!
A great book for any time of the year, not just a summer page-turner!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Sapere Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a light hearted read with great characters and story line.
There is plenty of humour and although far fetched in places, makes for a good holiday read.

Ruth Robinson’s Year of Miracles is the fourth novel by British author, Frances Garrood. At thirty-six, Ruth Robinson is still hopeful of a life partner, but finding herself single, pregnant, jobless and (temporarily) homeless does not seem to auger well for the immediate future. Her parents have never understood her love for music nor her (obviously insecure) career choice (violinist) and, when she turns up needing a place to live, at least for a while, her father (religious, strict and expertly killjoy) is disappointed in his daughter and worried only about what their church friends might think.

He arranges accommodation with Ruth’s maternal uncles in the country and her mother (doormat) goes along with it. But the seventy-four-year-old twins, Silas and Eric, are delighted to have her, and make her welcome even if their housekeeper, Blossom (cranky and irritable, with copious Catholic disapproval) doesn’t.

Although she has nothing but happy memories of her childhood summer vacations at Applegarth, adult Ruth is surprised to find that she doesn’t mind the social isolation and the lack of connectivity (no internet or mobile reception), and begins to quite relish the farm chores, the fresh food and the company of her eccentric uncles. Silas is a budding taxidermist, while Eric is hell-bent on disproving Noah’s Ark. A bit of busking in town with Mr. Darcy, the dog brings in welcome funds.

But then their peaceful existence is disrupted. Initially it is Blossom’s discovery and enthusiastic promotion of an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary that has a stream of pilgrims flocking to their chicken shed. Later, Applegarth becomes a refuge for various family members and acquaintances, putting them under further stress. And of course, an elderly gentleman, however fit and healthy, is more likely to succumb to a medical condition, to the distress of his twin.

What a cast of quirky characters! Apart from those already mentioned, there’s an absent trombonist, a pole dancer, a jobless young man with an affinity for animals, a gay godfather figure and a retired piano tuner seeking a parent. And Applegarth, with its animals, fowl and shambolic house adds to the charm. While they may start off a little stereotypically, most of the characters soon develop depth and appeal. And Ruth, for all her flaws, is easy to cheer for.

The story is separated into trimesters with a description of foetal development prefacing each of these. Regular sources of humour are Eric’s ongoing discoveries of successive complications in the logistics of the Ark, and Silas’s preoccupation with all matters medical, including a purely academic interest in his own. The dialogue is quick and clever, and the plot does include several miracles, even if they are of the very human variety. Funny and heart-warming.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Sapere Books

Ruth Robinson's Year of Miracles by Frances Garrood is a light read, looking at how Ruth has ended up living with her uncles, pregnant, with her Anglican parents unhappy, and the Catholic cleaner ecstatic that the Virgin Mary has appeared on the back of the hen house.



There are lots of different characters in here, with the eccentric twin uncles, who like to play up to an audience, and Amos, father of the child, last seen somewhere in the world!



I thought this was OK, but had problems with some aspects, like Amos being uncontactable due to changing mobile numbers, and that being misplaced. To me, it felt a little forced, and in this day and age where everyone has social media, email (especially for a musician looking for a job), and mobile phones, a bit unlikely.



Ruth Robinson's Year of Miracles was published on 9th August 2018, and is available on Amazon to buy on Kindle and on Waterstones to pre-order the hardback, which is coming out on 16th May this year. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!



I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Sapere Books (the publishers) for this book.



Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

I really enjoyed this book with lots of laugh out loud moments, Ruth goes to live with her adorable eccentric uncles and their crazy cleaner,while she comes to terms with her pregnancy. Her parents also have to move in after a house fire and they all have to deal with the image on the hen house. Brilliant reading.

Very lighthearted and enjoyable to read. Though it seems hard to believe with an unplanned. baby on the way and parents who are less than supportive. I didn’t expect to enjoy this when I started reading it but I did.!!

An heartwarming, entertaining and enjoyable book. It made me laugh and was the perfect read for a lazy afternoon.
It's well written, the characters are fleshed out and likable and the setting is very nice.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This was enjoyable but I didn’t enjoy it as much as a lot of other chick lit, bit slower and didn’t pull me in as much as these usually do. Still a nice read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Such a fun summer read! I really enjoyed reading this light, fun book!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

An enjoyable, funny read. This is a real feel good book. It is a laugh out loud funny story that is wonderfully written and full of lovable believable characters. This story is about family, love and new beginnings and I definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A cute, lighthearted tale ..... nothing that’ll keep you up all night with, but probably worth the read. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity!

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
First time reading this author a very enjoyable light hearted read rather crazy in parts good story line but got rather lost sometimes an nice easy read

A delightful read full of fun and eccentric characters, wit and warmth. Frances Garrood does it again with this authentic gem, she has a talent for writing with such warmth and honesty you cannot help but fall in love with all of the characters you come to know. You gain friends and family and go through every emotion along with them. Couldn't recommend enough!

Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this novel to fans of contemporary novels. It was well-written and interesting novel.

This book was exactly what I needed for my bedtime reading. It was like being a fly on the wall in this family's life and watching the soap opera unfold as they went about their day to day life.
I really liked the character of Ruth and really felt for her, especially with her parents and their views. Uncles Silas and Eric were charming and I could imagine these eccentric older folk living life their way out in the sticks.
I enjoyed the community element of this story and how their house atttracted all sorts of 'waifs and strays' but despite most of them having no shared history, they all participate in daily life together.
The drama was not overstated or 'overdone' and seemed to be a natural part of the ups and downs of an ordinary group of people's lives. It was a delighful read.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. A real heart warming summer read. Poor Ruth how I felt for her but could not put this down.