Member Reviews
I expected this book to be a drama set in present day only, but it was lovely to realise that two story/timelines were occurring simultaneously!
This is the first book that I have read by Jane Corry and I really enjoyed her writing style. I found the setting and characters endearing and the mysteries came together well.
I think Nancy, the main character, was a refreshing change. She shows that it's ok not to have everything together even when you're a little older. I thoroughly enjoyed following her journey.
Thank you so much Penguin General UK for allowing me to read this book in advance of its release.
Wow this book was brilliant, such a good read , I could not leave it down, absolutely loved it. The story was so good and so many twists and turns and such a brilliant intriguing physiological thriller I wanted to read it in one go. Up to the very last page was still shocks. Would really highly recommend this book to everybody. A must read.
This is hard to review, the writing is great with an interesting plot and complex characters. However I found this almost too complex and convoluted with a mix of timelines and the story jumping straight in I felt quite confused at times and didn't really know what was happening or how things added up. Saying that, the twists were good and there was a feeling of suspense but I don't think it was fully the book for me.
I found this a complex story over several time zones, examining guilt as felt by several key characters. I enjoyed that war time story looking at the impact of the war on a small coastal town.
As the family history is unravelled the relationships develop and the small down becomes home for the characters in the different times, in spite of the small problem of a murder!
A good read from a somewhat different perspective.
Recommended
Coming to find you is a psychological thriller set in the present day and during the Second World War. Nancy runs from London to the family seaside home after a traumatic court case, but her past comes after her. While events unfold for her, we also learn about the residents of the home during the Second World War and their heartbreaking experiences.
This is a rollercoaster of a novel and I was unsure of the direction it was taking several times. It was a little bit over the top for my taste but fans of the genre will enjoy it.
This book is such a mishmash of genres, it’s hard to tell where it fits in. It’s essentially about a double murder, and what happened’ ‘that night’.
I have read to 65% but I’m not sure I care enough to finish it. I’m completely bogged down in the detail of the internal musings of both central characters. The plot lines are full of holes, it’s so implausible and contrived in places, and neither of the two main characters, Nancy or Elizabeth are particularly well-drawn. They both make some really bad choices, then react feebly when their choice goes disastrously wrong. The story line jumps back and forward from WW2 to ‘The night of the Murder’ with sometimes only half a page of the alternating story in between. It was not confusing, just very irritating.
I have read many dual timeline novels, but rarely one as poorly executed as this one. The two stories simply do not hang together at all.
I may skim-read to the end, just to find out the why, and what happened to whom. Disappointing.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.
A twisting page turner, murder, mystery, secrets and a beautiful home. As Nancy is laying low in her grandmothers beautiful old home, someone knows her secrets. This is a brilliant page turner and sure to be a best seller. One of the best books of this year so far.
A well executed dual narrative where the plots weave nicely together.
As always the author describes characters and setting in great detail.
Lots of tension and suspense. I enjoyed it.
Not my usual type of book, but I enjoyed this thought provoking read. It has three story lines from different decades centre around a large house in Sidmouth. The three are intermixed throughout the book and this is not a technique I usually like, preferring straight timelines, but in this case it certainly works.
A number of very strong female characters are featured in this well written book.
The description of the Sidmouth area are detailed, so much so that they made me want to visit.
Wow this is a dark and twisted story about a young woman whose life is thrown into a nightmare when her stepbrother is sent down for killing her mother and step father. As she escapes to her families holiday home it appears the past just won’t leave her alone and people are still trying to find out if she really is an innocent as she claims and why won’t her step brother leave her alone even from jail. As she tries to start again a mystery from her families past is also being uncovered and Nancy may not have the happy ending she has dreamed of.
I’m a big fan of Jane Corry and this book did not disappoint! Kept me on the edge of my seat and could not put it down. I really enjoyed the story going between the past and present and the different characters involved. Would recommend! 4 stars ****
The story begins with Nancy being told to get away from the press after the conviction of her step-brother for the murder of her mother and his father. She goes to Tall Chimneys, a family property on the coast to lie low. There is clearly more to the events of her parent’s deaths than she has admitted. Alongside this, we have Elizabeth’s story of living in Tall Chimneys during WWII. She has an unpleasant husband, two evacuated children and their teacher and a friend who is in a secret group preparing to defend the country in case of invasion. The two stories eventually link up, of course. I found myself gripped to begin with but the second half didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I found the second part with her step-brother a bit over the top although I had sympathy for Nancy’s feelings of betrayal. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.
So excited to get this book as I have loved all her previous books. This one doesn't disappoint. Dual timeline- WWII and present day. I loved both. No confusion. One wasn't better than another. Nancy did try my patience and I felt like shaking her at times. This wasn't knit one, purl one, this was a full on Arran jumper with multiple colours. Tall Chimneys links both threads with Elizabeth in WWII and Nancy in the present day. Reminded me a little of David Olusoga's History of a House. The house was a character in its own right. Well paced, great writing, believable characters all lead to a very satisfying conclusion Top notch and Jane Corry has now become an author I will buy without even knowing the blurb
The story switches between the present day tale of Nancy whose step-brother is convicted of killing his father and her mother and the tale of Elizabeth during the Second World War. Both tales are set in Sidmouth. At first I wasn’t sure that the switching between the periods was going to work but in the end I thought it worked well. There’s parallels between both sets of events and similarities between the characters of Nancy and Elizabeth.
The book captures the atmosphere of war-time with the fear of a German invasion and there’s plenty of dramatic incidents, mystery and twists in both time periods.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Penguin for an ARC in return for an honest review.
I have mixed feelings about this one. It was well written, but the two plot lines made it feel as if I was reading two separate books. I enjoyed the WW2 mystery set in Devon, but I felt the present day crime story was much too contrived and implausible. I couldn’t gel with Nancy at all, and the ‘horrible thing’ that happened to her when she was 15 wasn’t very nice but I think her feelings about it were a bit over the top. For me, this book started off really well but then suddenly went downhill and I lost interest. Not as gripping as I’d hoped, sorry, but thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the electronic copy.
Coming to Find You by Jane Corry
Sidmouth in Devon find itself the beautiful town setting of Coming to Find You. Superbly blending the present day characters with those in war torn Britain in WWII.
Nancy returns to the charming boarding house, which had been her Grandmother’s home, to escape the events of the Farmhouse and subsequent trial.
All is not as it seems, who went missing from the area in the war, who survived? Perhaps Vera can help or was she too young? Lots of relationships unfold.
A good read and definitely recommended.
Thank you to Jane Corry, Penguin Random House, Jane’s Team and NetGalley. In return I have given an honest and unbiased review.
This is a tricky one for me to review, in part because I really don't want to give away any spoilers, so need to be very careful what I mention, and also because this was a dual timeline novel, with one of the timelines being during WW2. Now I'm not a fan of history / historical fiction, nor do I like it appearing as half a book, when there is absolutely no way I could have realised from the blurb and my knowledge of the author's previous books.
In all honesty had I realised it was dual timeline, I wouldn't have opted to read this in the first place, but I tend to read everything this author writes.
With that out of the way, let me also state that I thought it was a really good book, both timelines really interesting, although it really took me a while to work out why we had to have the past bits! And it does make sense.
The writing is certainly up to Jane Corry's normal excellent standard and it was really engaging. There are sections of high drama, at times I was scared for Nancy, and others I was reminded of the atrocities our ancestors lived through.
I found I couldn't put the last quarter or so of the book down and actually feared that I would miss my stop on the tube as I was so absorbed in the story.
Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
This novel has everything I want in a holiday read - a contemporary crime drama plus a family mystery that transcends generations - and I virtually finished it in one setting. There are elements which are just a bit too contrived and it all falls far too neatly into place towards the end but I did enjoy the south coast location and the friendships Nancy built with those around her.
I have read a few of Jane Corry’s books and this was another great read.
At first I was apprehensive at the fact that the book went back in time and I didn’t know if this would fit with the story. However I really enjoyed the way the book slipped back and fore between 2 eras and found the story of Elizabeth so interesting.
I loved the fact that the book kept you guessing and unsure if some of the characters were trustworthy or not.
A brilliant, gripping read I would definitely recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin UK and Jane Corry for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.
Tall Chimneys, a large Regency house in Sidmouth, Devon is the main setting for a story which covers two periods, WW2 and the modern day. The periods are connected by the people who lived there, with the modern heiress having scant knowledge of her roots and relations in those war days. She is an heiress because of a dreadful event that caused the death of her mother and step-father, with her step-brother being sentenced to prison for his hand in their murder. It's a flip flop novel (not my favourite) which alternates between war days and the present. However, Jane Carry handles it rather well and she kept my interest up all the way through. There are similarities between the two periods within the story and slowly these are revealed to Nancy, the new owner of Tall Chimneys. I found the novel very entertaining but a little far fetched in places.