Stevie‘s review of Rainy Day Sisters (Hartley-by-the-Sea, Book 1) by Kate Hewitt
Contemporary Women’s Fiction published by NAL 04 Aug 15
While I’m wary of many books about British people in British locations written by non-Brits, I do have a major soft spot for books about us written from the point of view of a knowledgeable outsider. That’s certainly the category this author falls into, given the amount of time she’s lived in this country, not to mention the fact that I’ve previously enjoyed the women’s fiction she’s written under another name. The author’s love of an area of the country I haven’t visited for far too long shines through, and she very adeptly imparts the experience of someone visiting for the first time from another country as well as that of a less recent incomer to the village.
Lucy moves to the Lake District almost on a whim after her half-sister offers her a place to stay and recover following a disastrous critique of her art show from their famous mother. Juliet, meanwhile, has been running a bed and breakfast in the remote village of Hartley-by-the-Sea for some years, but keeps herself rather aloof from the local goings-on. She has enough local connections, however, to find Lucy a temporary job at the local school (I wondered briefly how they negotiated the Disclosure and Barring paperwork while Lucy was still in the US, but then got swept up in the story and assumed a little handwavium had been involved).
Lucy and Juliet have very different characters and the chapters alternate their points of view, which gave great insights into both of their reactions to the various situations they find themselves in – often through the contrasts between Juliet’s strong sense of order and Lucy’s more chaotic lifestyle and personality. While Lucy’s not the ideal candidate for a job as the local primary school’s receptionist, she turns out to be very good at befriending, helping, and encouraging the children through their various issues – a skill that extends to the daughters of the school’s headmaster. She also makes friends with a number of the adults, and encourages Juliet to socialise, leading to low-key romances for both of them.
This story is really about the sisters forming a connection, though; while their relationships with the two new men in their lives assume a fair deal of importance at various points in the book, it’s how the women respond to each other and to their mother that really drives the story. Juliet feels rejected, while the much younger Lucy is unsure whether she can ever live up to their mother’s aspirations and expectations.
I had my suspicions about why Juliet and her mother had never bonded, although the aftermath of the big reveal took me by surprise. The ending leaves a lot of loose ends that I’m keen to see wrapped up in future books, although I’m glad that it didn’t cram in too many resolutions that might each take a book apiece to properly sort out. All in all, a lovely story about a place I wish was real so I could visit it for myself. As it is, I may have to pop over to the northwest at some point soon to try and figure out the author’s inspiration for the settings and events of this delightful tale.
Grade: A
Summary:
Welcome to Hartley-by-the-Sea in England’s beautiful Lake District, where two sisters who meet as strangers find small miracles tucked into the corners of every day….
When Lucy Bagshaw’s life in Boston falls apart, thanks to a scathing editorial written by her famous artist mother, she accepts her half sister Juliet’s invitation to stay with her in a charming seaside village in northern England. Lucy is expecting quaint cottages and cream teas, but instead finds that her sister is an aloof host, the weather is wet, windy, and cold, and her new boss, Alex Kincaid, is a disapproving widower who only hired her as a favor to Juliet.
Despite the invitation she offered, Juliet is startled by the way Lucy catapults into her orderly life. As Juliet faces her own struggles with both her distant mother and her desire for a child, her sister’s irrepressible optimism begins to take hold. With the help of quirky villagers, these hesitant rainy day sisters begin to forge a new understanding…and find in each other the love of family that makes all the difference.
Read an excerpt.
