This is a heart-warming story filled with so many emotions as a group of people join together for a writing class at the local library, this group all come from different backgrounds and some have some major problems but together maybe they can find what they need.

Vivian Molloy has been happily married for over thirty years to Dave, when they retire early, Vivian, doing this for the man she loves because covid has changed his job so much she does love teaching at the high school but when after they attend a choir concert on the Gold Coast he abandons her. Life changes dramatically for her, when she is offered the chance to teach a writing class to adults at the local library although hesitant she takes it on.

Marilyn loves reading and often pops into the library to borrow books her home life is not always good, partner, mother and grandmother reading takes her away from life for a while, when the librarian Cathy invites her to write reviews and then attend the writing class she is very hesitant but with a push from a friend she takes on the class.

Sienna a young single mother is doing her best to create a new life for her and her nine month old daughter but escaping her past is not easy for her, her spirit has been broken will she find it again joining in with this class?

Oscar a divorced man father of one, is in Tasmania house sitting for his sister Oscar lives in Melbourne but has no job now and he wants to be able to better his writing skills to apply for jobs will he succeed?

There are other students in the class who also add to this beautiful story as they all get to know each other they encourage and support each other in so many ways seeing them all build confidence and make decisions and what’s more become friends was so uplifting. I loved getting to know the characters, I was turning the pages and cheering them on. I do highly recommend this one, MS Campion has taken some issues and handled them so well and yes some of it was a bit tough but written so well, many thanks for a story that will stay with me for a long time to come.

My thanks to Hachette AU and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

The Writing Class was an engaging story featuring a diverse group of characters brought together by a writing class hosted at the local library. Set in Tasmania, Australia, the book beautifully captured the essence of life in the town, making me feel immersed in its charm.

Vivian: A retired school teacher navigating challenges in her marriage. Initially hesitant to lead the writing class, she grows to love it and her students.
Sienna: A young, new mother trying to rebuild her life after escaping a domestic violence situation. She’s been undermined for so long that her confidence is shattered.
Oscar: Visiting from the mainland to house-sit for his sister, Oscar is recovering from long COVID and searching for a sense of normalcy.
Marilyn: An older woman with grown children, one of whom still lives at home. Her husband is far from supportive, leaving her wanting something more fulfilling.
I loved how these unlikely companions grew to treasure their Friday class, forming meaningful friendships, supporting one another, and finding personal growth through their shared experiences. The sense of community was heartwarming, and it was uplifting to see each character gain something valuable from the class.

While the story included some dramatic moments, their resolutions felt a bit rushed. However, overall, it was a wonderful, heartwarming read that celebrated the power of community and connection.

EXCERPT: Under normal circumstances, Vivian Malloy would never have dreamt of driving forty kilometres out of town to do her grocery shopping. With a perfectly good supermarket on her own doorstep, anyone would think she was mad driving to Ulverstone. Not that she minded the drive up the coast on a good day. There was nothing quite like the view from where the highway rose out of Devonport and scooped round the downhill bend where the Bass Strait revealed itself, stretching out to the horizon in all its sparkling glory. Today, however, a low gloomy sky hung over the ocean. Rain wasn't far away. February was still summer, of course. She just hadn't got out of the habit of thinking the season came to an end with the start of a new school year.
In the supermarket, Vivian pushed her trolley round the vegetable stands. Cauliflower was on special, but she didn't need a whole cauliflower. The last one had blackened in the fridge, like a lot of things, neglected and past their sell-by date. On the radio, the presenter was asking a local author what advice he'd give tohis younger self. His answer was something trite about self-belief. If anyone asked Vivian right now what advice she would give to her younger self, it would be to think hard before taking early retirement, and to know that despite what your marriage vows might say, parting could come well before death.

ABOUT 'THE WRITING CLASS': Vivian Molloy hardly expected to retire early from teaching, but for her husband, Dave, she'd do anything. But when Dave abandons her after a weekend away, she returns home to their picturesque town in Tasmania, shell-shocked and alone with nothing to fill her days.

When an old colleague tries to rope her into teaching a writing class at the local library, Vivian is hesitant. How can she teach with her life falling apart? But it is the people she meets that help her remember who she is. Marilyn, tough-as-nails, has a secret passion for reading and a complex family life. Sienna, a young single mother, is trying to outrun her painful past. Quiet Oscar is housesitting for his sister, retreating from the mainland after losing his job.

As the writing class becomes a refuge and strangers become friends, its members will face decisions that will change their lives, and come to realise that when one door closes, others open in its place.

MY THOUGHTS: The Writing Class is a tender, heartwarming novel about a disparate group of strangers forming bonds and learning to trust again.

The main character, Vivian, is in crisis mode. Her husband, after leaving to see an ill friend, informs her that he needs a break from her and simply doesn't return. In shock, ashamed and embarrassed, she withdraws into herself, pushing away her friends and acquaintances who are concerned for her. But somehow, she finds herself coerced into teaching a writing class at the local library.

Her students turn out to be an interesting lot, having joined up for various reasons, but most of them are in crisis too. The large number of backstories becomes more than a little overwhelming and I do believe this would have been a better book had the story concentrated on Vivian and only one or two of the class members with the remaining characters being more background.

The beautiful Golden Retriever on the cover, Dog, features in the story, belonging to one of the characters, Oscar. Another dog, Sandy, also plays a part.

Having said that, I did enjoy this read, my first by this author, and I will be looking for more from her. The Writing Class demonstrates that everyone has a story, but it takes bravery and self-belief to share it; and that we should not hesitate to stretch out a helping hand where it is needed. Sometimes the offer of friendship is a lifeline.

I was interested to read, in the acknowledgements, that her inspiration for this novel came from having been asked to deliver a ten-week writing program at Devonport Library in Tasmania. The project was put on hold due to the advent of Covid and so she turned it into a novel.

⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheWritingClass #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Esther Campion is from Cork, Ireland and currently lives in north-west Tasmania. Esther and her Orcadian husband have lived in Ireland, Scotland, Norway and South Australia. They have a grown-up daughter in Adelaide and the two youngest at home in Tassie with an over-indulged chocolate Labrador and two horses, which Esther firmly believes are living proof that dreams really can come true.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hachette Australia and New Zealand for providing a digital ARC of The Writing Class by Esther Campion for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

The Writing Class is another engaging story from Esther. Set in the beautiful Australian state of Tasmania, the tale is about a group of people from all walks of life coming together for a writing class at their local library.

There is something for everyone - the couple who suddenly separate after thirty years marriage, the newly divorced man who is house sitting for his sister, a young mother and her baby escaping domestic violence and a woman from a dysfunctional family seeking to make connections.

It is these individual stories that make Esther’s books so relatable and so very relevant. A community of people gathering and working together and it is through these interactions that they are able to make lasting changes to their own life journey.

The story revolves around Vivian Malloy, a retired Educator, whose husband his recently left home under very unusual circumstances. Vivian is given the opportunity to teach an adult writing class at the local library and there she meets a number of damaged people, some living quite endangered lives.

I enjoyed many parts of this book but the overall impression I had of it was being overwhelmed by the sheer number of characters, each of whom had their own story to tell. To me Sienna was the main character amongst the classmates and the book would have been more cohesive without bringing the backgrounds of the others into the narrative at all.

Still a well written book which will appeal to readers of contemporary fiction who enjoy a story about current day issues.

The Writing Class is set in Tasmania, Australia, not long after Covid restrictions have been lifted, and is a page turner. The story centres around Vivian Malloy. Just before Covid struck, Vivian’s husband of thirty odd years, David, convinces her to retire so they can travel around Australia together; of course these plans end when the lockdowns start. The book opens with the couple travelling to Queensland for an awards night. However David doesn't return to their hotel room that night and a distraught Vivian returns to Devonport alone.

Vivian can’t work out what has gone wrong, she thought their marriage was good. She is embarrassed about the situation and avoids people for a few weeks until she bumps into an old work associate who asks her to run a ten week writing course at the local library. Vivian decides to accept as she hopes it will distract her from worrying about David. The class are a mixture of ages, literacy and nationalities.

As the course progresses the students bond and learn to trust each other and start to help each other overcome various issues both in and out of the classroom. Vivian remembers how much she loved teaching and starts to get her confidence back. The back stories of the students, which are just as front and centre as Vivian’s, cover contemporary issues such as marital abuse, bullying, inability to read and write, long covid, alcoholism and slave labour. All the subjects were handled compassionately, as were the friendships that were forged as problems were overcome.

This is my first book by Esther Campion and it was beautifully written with amazing characters who I all cared for. I could not put the book down until I was satisfied everyone was going to be better off at the end of the book than they were at the beginning. I am certainly going to look up her other books as I love her writing.

Vivian Malloy was originally from Ireland, but loved her home in Tasmania. When she was approached by Cathy from the library, asking her if she would run a writing class, Vivian was sure the answer would be no. She was in a bad place as her husband of thirty years, Dave, had left her, living in mainland Queensland, leaving Vivian alone, wondering what had happened, and what had gone wrong. Sienna was living in a shelter with her baby Daisy, after finally escaping the clutches of her brutal partner, Rory. She was nervous, checking over her shoulder continually, while her case worker Jess, assured her they would take care of her and Daisy. Oscar had been bullied at school because of his inability to read and write, and Marilyn was constantly trying to keep the peace between her drunk of a partner, Frank, and their sons. These slightly damaged people, and a few others, came together on a Friday for the writing class, with Vivian as their teacher.

Gradually these completely different people came together, made friends and learned as Vivian encouraged them. They gained confidence in themselves, and slowly their lives changed for the better. Vivian's life improved as well, going from her being reluctant to go to the library on a Friday, to looking forward to it each week. What would be the outcome for them all at the end of the 10 week course?

The Writing Class is an excellent contemporary novel by Aussie author Esther Campion which I enjoyed very much. I did have a little trouble keeping all the characters right in my head, but that soon settled. Set in Tasmania, a beautiful part of the Australian countryside, there were special stand out characters who I was cheering on, pleased to see where their lives were headed. The beautiful dog on the book cover is Dog, owned by Oscar, with a wonderful story behind him. I've enjoyed the past 3 novels by this author that I've read, and this one was no different. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Hachette AU for my digital ARC to read and review.

Firstly, I do love a good book set in Tasmania (I am bias) and also a book about life and second chances/new beginnings. I enjoyed this book found it an easy book to read. I also enjoyed the friendship between Vivian and her new friends and found the characters to be so real and brought some joy and heart to the story.

I also enjoyed the library (as I love my library) and all it can do for people, to learn, enjoy and even make new friends. This book is so true to life and I have no problems reading it in just a couple of days. Although at first I thought it might be too long, once I started reading and I delved into the world in this book it seemed I had finished it in no time. I do like that in a good book. A wonderful, charming and heart-warming read.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Vivian Molloy's husband urges her to retire from teaching, and he’s keen to travel Australia and then Covid ends their plans. The borders open and they attend the Festival of Singing in Queensland and Dave has been a bit distant lately and Vivian hopes a holiday will rekindle the spark.

When Dave doesn’t return to their room on the last night, and Vivian has to go home to Devenport alone, she’s upset and embarrassed and very confused. While grocery shopping in another town, Vivian bumps into an old work colleague Cathy and she asks her to teach a writing class at the library, at first Vivian is hesitant and she decides to give it a go and it will take her mind of her marital problems. The members of her writing class are attending for a variety of reasons, and a mixture of ages, ethnic groups and circumstances.

Marilyn looks forward to visiting the library once a week, to get away from her useless partner Frank and she loves to read romance novels. Sienna is a young single mother, she’s a victim of domestic violence, and she's scared and lost her confidence. Oscar is house-sitting for his sister and brother-in-law, he was retrenched from his job in Melbourne, and he’s suffering from long Covid and needs to improve his literacy skills to find a new job.

Vivian remembers how much she enjoyed being an educator and gets back into the grove, she doesn’t bombard her students with too much at once, and it’s an inclusive environment. The lessons become an outlet for Vivian and her class, here they can write down how they feel and talk to others, friendships and bonds are formed and confidence grows.

I received a copy of The Writing Class by Esther Campion from NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand in exchange for an honest review. A well written and uplifting narrative about how everyone has a story and they need a way to express themselves and share it, being brave and taking risks, helping others and forming meaningful connections.

Five stars from me, the characters are wonderful and I cheered them on and felt sad when they did, and a great teacher can be an inspiration and libraries are a hub for many communities and they provide much more than reading material. I highly recommend The Writing Class and the author’s previous novel A Week to Remember.

The “Writing Class” is a book that kept growing on me the further I read. I got to know several of the members of the class better over time, until they felt more like friends and acquaintances, rather than characters in a book.

Vivian opens her heart to new friends and experiences by starting to say “yes” rather than “no” when given the opportunity and this leads to previously unimagined help and healing at a difficult time in her life. Marilyn would fit well writing reviews of her favourite romances on Bookstagram; and Cathy and Jess both captured my heart with the glimpses of their stories. I would love to read more about Jess and her work, and more about Cathy who sees needs and meets them, both while dealing with their own struggles.

Sienna’s story is heart breaking and one that sadly many people are familiar with; her experience with domestic violence is one that needed to be told. Oscar and dog somehow became my favourite characters as did his increasing interest in his sister’s cleaner and the amazing storyline that developed there.

So much happens within this book, and all set around Devonport and the local area in Tasmania which made it extra special to read. I’ve only spent a short time in this area but it was enough to have some sense of where things happened including the visit to Home Hill (which i only glimpsed from the outside). Something about knowing the setting a little, and imagining it, added an extra dimension to my appreciation of this story.

It would be such fun to read the book that was launched at the end of the writing class, and to take part in something similar. The book also provided a good avenue for exploring learning difficulties and also the challenges people speaking English as a second language can face in so many formal and informal settings.

Overall this story was both challenging and delightful, and captured events so perfectly by the author, who is a gifted storyteller. With thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Australia and New Zealand for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my review; due for release Nov 27 2024.
(4.5/5 stars)