Fabulous story again by Tricia Stringer. One of my favourite authors I can count on her again and again to entertain.

3.5 stars rounded to 4
Table for Eight by Tricia Stringer is the story of eight people who dine each evening aboard a cruise ship. Their lives, interactions, relationships, longings are all explored as they cruise from Australia around the Pacific Islands.

There is Ketty - a business owner who has a small fashion house - she is a mature woman just turning sixty five. As well there is her friend Josie and Josie's brother. It turns out that he has his eye on Ketty, but are his reasons above board?

As well there is Jim, still grieving the loss of his wife, Celia and Maude - two women sharing a cabin who are bowling buddies, and as well a father, his daughter and her hubby. Together they make up the table of eight. As the days go by, all kinds of developments take place in the confined spaces of a cruise ship.

I liked that these people all got a chance to confront their lives and take steps to make adjustments, some more than others. I liked the way friendships developed, and that Ketty who is really the catalyst for happenings, also was able to have some resolution as well.

If you have been on a cruise ship I think you'll picture well the daily life on the ship, if you haven't perhaps you'll find yourself looking forward to one.

I absolutely enjoyed every page of this delightful book.

Tricia Stringer writes with warmth and heart and all her characters have a ring of authenticity - they are people we could meet anywhere at any time.

I particularly enjoyed the travelogue parts of the book, visiting some South Sea destinations, in just enough detail to make you think "that sounds interesting".

Tricia develops her characters well and even grasping whiney Christine adds interest to the mix, as does the slightly outrageous Maude.

This is a good read and I fully intend reading another of Tricia's books.

This is the first book of MS Stringer’s that I have read and I need to remedy that, this is a fabulous story, a story set on a cruise ship sailing out of Sydney and as it happens I read this one while on a cruise that sailed from Sydney, this is the story of fashion designer Ketty Clift, who has sailed on quite a few cruises and makes friends with the people she shares her dinner table with, more than friends really she has such a generous nature that she helps people, but this cruise on the Diamond Duchess opens up a lot of memories for Ketty this time.

Ketty’s designer company in Paddington Sydney is struggling to make ends meet these days you see Ketty prefers the personal touch with her customers rather than the online business that seems to be taking off and she is just about to celebrate her sixty fifth birthday and she is treating herself to a cruise, on one of her favourite ships, she has enjoyed many cruises over the years and made many friends, this time around there is someone on board that she has not seen in many years, someone who caused big changes in her life, can they overcome wat happened or will Ketty learn more about this man that meant so much to her.

While Ketty is dealing with her own problems she is always there for the friends at her table, the grieving widow, the divorced wife trying to prove something, the spoilt daughter firstly trying to rekindle her marriage and win her father over, the older man who falls for the fun loving Lady. All of these people come together different personalities but together they all discover things about themselves and each other while travelling around the beautiful Island in the Pacific.

I really enjoyed this story it was moving and the characters so real, the descriptions about the ship were fabulous and bought memories of the places I have visited back to me, but I loved the friendships that were developed the help that they gave to each other and Ketty is just such a beautiful person, this is a story that I highly recommend, it really is a page turner, thank MS Stringer for a fabulous story.

Having finished this book I feel like I have just got back from a cruise and met a lot of new people. This story revolves around Ketty, a fashion designer who is about to turn 65 and treats herself to a cruise, her favourite way to holiday. At dinner she is seated at a table for eight and meets a group of people, each carrying their own baggage. As they all get to know each other some ugly untruths surface that bring several very personal issues to a head. Jim is a grieving widower, literally feeling at sea on the cruise, Christine is her Daddy's princess and expects everyone to jump when she snaps her fingers, including her husband Frank.
This is a story that is well told and enjoyable. One annoyance was the characters of Celia and Maude who are 'bowls friends' on the cruise, I kept picturing a couple of 70+ ladies with blue rinses, but they were in fact much younger, being in their early to mid-fifties. I could not shake the 'older image' of these two so at some points the characters seemed to not ring true.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA HQ for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was set in the present time mostly on board the cruise ship Diamond Duchess. Ketty Clift is on a ten day cruise of South Pacific Islands. She is assigned a table that seats 8 people. Christine and Frank are a young couple cruising with Christine’s father, Bernard. Maude and Celia are cruising together. There is also Jim who is cruising on his own.
Ketty tries to make everyone happy but soon finds they all have secrets and hidden agendas. This novel was about relationships, families and cruising.

“What would life be like without the anticipation of another cruise?”

Table for Eight by Australian author Tricia Stringer is a most enjoyable read, especially for those of you who have any interest in cruising - either been or wishing to venture on one. Having cruised myself, I simply adored reading about so many aspects that were familiar to the cruising holiday. Everything from the running of the ship, to activities (both on and off board), to the people you would meet. I felt so many happy memories come flooding back, so for that reason alone, it is worth the read. Alternatively, if you have ever contemplated cruising then this will provide you with great insight into how things might look and feel.

“You two should walk up to the little church at the top of the hill,” Ketty said. “The church is interesting and the view amazing.”
(Lifou - New Caledonia)

On this particular cruise, you follow all the members from one particular dining table, thus, ‘Table for Eight’ and what they encounter on their South Pacific adventure. Each of them are there for a variety of reasons and it turns into far more than just a holiday. Through their interactions with each other, many may find their lives upturned and ultimately changed.

What you have here is a really moving tale: strangers (some not so) who find themselves placed together with the trials and tribulations and really, the baggage that they bring with them, and how the insights of these other strangers and the circumstances they find themselves in, may shed new light on their life story. Most of the characters belong to an older generation and that is where the baggage comes into (pardon the travel pun - unintentional). They have lived through so much and this may be their opportunity for a second chance.

This truly was a delightful read that left me with that feel good, happy sigh. If you are looking for light and easy escapism (maybe a cruise to the South Pacific?) then be enticed by this tale of love and laughter, trauma and tears, reflection and resolution.

“They both stared out into the night, cocooned in the warm tropical air and lulled by the soft sounds of the waves against the hull.”


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.

4.5***** This book was slow to grow on me, but all of a sudden I was completely absorbed in the lives going on on this cruise ship. The characters were all so different, there were a few at the beginning that I wasn't keen on but throughout the story all but one grew on me and I was delighted in following their journey. Ketty was a wonderful character who bound everyone together and throughout the cruise underwent some changes she had not expected, I was really hoping for a particular outcome for Ketty and by the end of the book I was happy to see that Tricia Stringer had fulfilled my wishes. All of the characters underwent many changes on board the ship and most learnt their lessons and formed new friendships. The ending of the book was perfect and left me with a smile on my face and hope for all the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia & MIRA for a copy in return for an honest review

Ketty Clift has been owner of Ketty Clift Couture for over 30 years, a small establishment where she prides herself on a personalized dressmaking service. Unfortunately she is now having a hard time making ends meet and frighteningly she may have to put off some of her loved staff. Being a regular on many cruises, it’s too late to cancel her cruise on the last voyage of the ‘Diamond Duchess’, so she decides to enjoy it as best as she can.

The title of ‘Table for Eight’ centres on the patrons at Ketty’s dining table on the cruise. We are introduced to each person, with their back story, demons and dreams. It covers a lot of ground with grief, jealousy, marriage issues and more but not in a heavy way. I found this story to be enjoyable and light, perfect for a holiday read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC to read

Stepping aboard the Diamond Duchess at the dock in Sydney, Ketty Clift felt the familiar excitement of embarking on a cruise. Ketty had been on quite a few over the years, and although leaving her business, Ketty Clift Couture, in the hands of her staff for the next ten days, Ketty knew she needed to consider her business’ future. This cruise was the final for the Diamond Duchess, and probably Ketty’s as well.

Ketty was greeted at the dining room that evening by maitre d' Carlos, now a dear friend, as she had met him on previous cruises. She was delighted Carlos was also onboard the Diamond Duchess. After settling her at a table for eight, Ketty wondered who she would meet this time; who would benefit from her special brand of care in the next ten days as they cruised the South Pacific. Celia, Christine, Bernard, Frank and Jim were at the table on the first night, to be joined by Josie and Leo the following night. Josie was familiar, as Ketty had met her on previous cruises, but it was seeing Leo that shocked her to the core…

As the days passed both at sea and docked at South Pacific islands, the grief of some and bitterness of others came to the fore; friendships were made, fun and new experiences were enjoyed. But Ketty felt out of sorts. Some things weren’t going as she had expected. Could Ketty sort out what was troubling her – as well as help the other members of her table for eight?

Table for Eight by Aussie author Tricia Stringer is a moving story of strangers coming together on a cruise ship and the trials and tribulations that affect each and every one. The characters are of the older generation, so have the experience of life behind them. But still, there is grief, strength, second chances and the hope of the future which ripples through them all. An absolutely delightful, feel good story which I thoroughly enjoyed (and having also cruised the same area, it felt wonderfully familiar), Table for Eight is another winner for this author in my opinion, and one I recommend highly.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for my honest review.

A fun read that sees Ketty, a fashion designer, go on a cruise from Sydney to the South Pacific islands. This is the last voyage of her favourite ship, the Diamond Duchess, and possibly her last cruise as well as her business isn't doing so well. Her old friend Carlos is maitre d' in the dining room and he seats her at a table with eight people, hence the book's title. Her dining companions are a varied bunch, all with their own reasons for cruising and some with their own agendas. As we meander through the tropical islands we get to know them and their foibles very well, laughing, loving and often cringing along side them, (as well as eating, drinking, partying, etc).
I really enjoyed this book, especially as I have cruised the area myself and it was fun to read about the ports I'd visited. Tricia Stringer really brings the characters to life, and we have a very vivid sense of cruising, which I found to be authentic. Most of the characters are flawed, but likeable, with a couple of exceptions, one of which I wanted to throw overboard! All in all a wonderful, warm book that I feel most readers would enjoy. My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia, HQ & Mira for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.