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sslovesbooks_1's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely one of my favourite books of the year. What a great story of love and loss and betrayal and kindness. Loved it completely
portybelle's review against another edition
4.0
Her Last Promise is a story told in two different time, a format I always enjoy. In the present day, Tara has received a letter from a solicitor saying that someone has been trying to track her down for years. She has been left the key to a safety deposit box and a letter. The contents of both, while being a total shock to her, may help solve the mystery of what happened to her mother, Violet Skye. In the thread of the story told in the past, there are multiple narrators including Violet and Tara. Violet was a was a beautiful and talented singer and when the opportunity arises to travel abroad, she takes it, hoping to improve life for herself and Tara. However, she never comes back and Tara has never known what happened to her.
Well, who wouldn't want to be sent a mysterious letter from a lawyer? I was immediately intrigued as to what was in the letter and the safety deposit box, something which isn't revealed straight away. What was the connection to the family in Spain? Why hadn't Violet ever come back or made contact again leaving poor Tara all on her own at such a young age? There were so many questions which I was eager to find out the answers to.
While Tara is most definitely a likeable character and I so wanted her to get resolution about what happened to her mother, I have to admit that Violet and Alf were my two favourite characters. Life wasn't easy for Violet but she always looked out for her daughter and wanted the best for her. She was fiercely protective and determined that Tara would have the best chance in life. With her talent, she could clearly have gone far but all she ever wanted was to provide for her daughter. When I eventually learned more about her life, I was admired her even more.
Alf was an absolute sweetheart. He was a shopkeeper who took Violet and Tara in when they were in desperate need. It proved to be a mutually beneficial arrangement as Alf was quite a lonely person. He had a daughter but she never seemed to pay him much attention and he was always making excuses for her. She certainly came across as rather heartless at the various points of the book where she featured.
If I have one quibble with this book it is that I would actually have liked it to be a bit longer. I felt that it ended just a bit too soon for me, that I would like to have known more about what happened next for all the characters. Who got their happy ending, who got their comeuppance? Personally I would have liked the epilogue to be about Tara than the character featured. I will just need to decide for myself what happened next and perhaps that's exactly what the author intended!
I found Her Last Promise to be an enjoyable read which was often moving and sometimes surprising. With the secrets and mysteries from the past waiting to be solved, it is an intriguing read throughout.
Well, who wouldn't want to be sent a mysterious letter from a lawyer? I was immediately intrigued as to what was in the letter and the safety deposit box, something which isn't revealed straight away. What was the connection to the family in Spain? Why hadn't Violet ever come back or made contact again leaving poor Tara all on her own at such a young age? There were so many questions which I was eager to find out the answers to.
While Tara is most definitely a likeable character and I so wanted her to get resolution about what happened to her mother, I have to admit that Violet and Alf were my two favourite characters. Life wasn't easy for Violet but she always looked out for her daughter and wanted the best for her. She was fiercely protective and determined that Tara would have the best chance in life. With her talent, she could clearly have gone far but all she ever wanted was to provide for her daughter. When I eventually learned more about her life, I was admired her even more.
Alf was an absolute sweetheart. He was a shopkeeper who took Violet and Tara in when they were in desperate need. It proved to be a mutually beneficial arrangement as Alf was quite a lonely person. He had a daughter but she never seemed to pay him much attention and he was always making excuses for her. She certainly came across as rather heartless at the various points of the book where she featured.
If I have one quibble with this book it is that I would actually have liked it to be a bit longer. I felt that it ended just a bit too soon for me, that I would like to have known more about what happened next for all the characters. Who got their happy ending, who got their comeuppance? Personally I would have liked the epilogue to be about Tara than the character featured. I will just need to decide for myself what happened next and perhaps that's exactly what the author intended!
I found Her Last Promise to be an enjoyable read which was often moving and sometimes surprising. With the secrets and mysteries from the past waiting to be solved, it is an intriguing read throughout.
gloriamitchell821196844's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
strawberrymivvy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I do find this author's books fairly formulaic, but interesting enough given both their historical period, and their location (I'm a local lass!). They will never make it as high fiction but are an enjoyable read, and this was more of a favourite than others I've read.
Told through dual timelines (1970s and present day) and dual locations (Spain and Northern England) we don't really know how they will connect until the latter part of the book.
Tara had a loving, if impoverished, upbringing with her single Mum until her early teens; now she is a single empty nester, close to her dying grandmother. Leo and Matteo in rural Spain are living a hard-working life, Leo just managing to make a commitment to the love of his life. Tara receives a letter which turns her life upside down, and changes everything she believed about her Mum.
Very easy reading, with a conversational style, but an interesting enough premise
Told through dual timelines (1970s and present day) and dual locations (Spain and Northern England) we don't really know how they will connect until the latter part of the book.
Tara had a loving, if impoverished, upbringing with her single Mum until her early teens; now she is a single empty nester, close to her dying grandmother. Leo and Matteo in rural Spain are living a hard-working life, Leo just managing to make a commitment to the love of his life. Tara receives a letter which turns her life upside down, and changes everything she believed about her Mum.
Very easy reading, with a conversational style, but an interesting enough premise
nursenell's review against another edition
4.0
Violet is a single mother who enjoys a close relationship with her daughter Tara. When Tara is 14 Violet leaves on a whirlwind trip to the continent with her new found love, a sugar daddy kind of guy who seems a little too slick to Tara, who seems more mature than her mother. That is the last Tara sees or hears of her mother until almost 40 years later she receives a letter from an attorney in London. This leads to her being given a key to a safety deposit box and there she finds evidence that will lead her to learn what happened to her mother.
This was a good book, the ending seemed a little rushed to me but all in all, a good read.
This was a good book, the ending seemed a little rushed to me but all in all, a good read.
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
5.0
Visit the locations in the novel
if it’s a heartbreaking mystery you’re after then this is it! Imagine never knowing what happened to your mother or where she is now. Then you receive a key and letter explaining some of what you have always wondered. Next, you have to take a trip to Spain to find out the real and whole truth.
Prepare for some emotional upheaval with this read!
F you haven’t read a Kathryn Hughes novel up until now, you are in for a treat. Even if you have read one, you are in for a bigger treat than normal with this novel set in Spain.
The central crux of the novel is a woman searching for her mother. They were close and lived together before she disappeared and years later, Tara wonders what caused her mother to simply vanish. Why hasn’t she been in touch? Why has no-one found her? Then she receives a letter which could answer all of those deep burning questions and more…
This was a fascinating read for me. New beginnings, old secrets and more were mixed to perfection. Stories about families are always complex and this one more so than most. The relationship between mother and daughter is warm and inviting, her loss is devastating and the very idea that she may now be found….unthinkable. This is a story with heart and soul and with two timelines and voices which work well. Locations flit from London and Manchester and of course Spain.
The story flowed back and forth with a great buildup about Tara’s mum career as a singer. The story thread about the Amethyst Club was really interesting and evoked another time and place very well. So why should mum Violet then go missing? Imagine then having to go and live with your grandmother, and then receiving a letter from someone in Spain who says they have answers….
Talk about heartbreaking and heartrending! The writing here is full of compassion and empathy and draws you in from the start.
I did hope to find out more about Tara and Violet at the end as the ending felt vague compared to what the story had been built up to until then. It didn’t spoil what was a lovely and interesting story though. Plenty of time for reliving the lovely writing and scene setting and imagining it into your own conclusion though.
A final note – that cover is gorgeous!
lmiddy04's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars - This story hooked me in and I loved the different story lines being told simultaneously. It got a bit confusing with all the details and seemed like the author lost their way for a while, but things were tied up in a neat bow by the ending. It was a clever story - a young girl (now grown with her own son) receives a letter that may lead her back to her long lost mother. The journey and the backstory are unique and I love how it all tied together. But, it seemed to drag about halfway through, which lost my interest, but picked back up towards the end. Overall, an okay read.
kimberlykaye23's review
5.0
There is nothing stronger than a mother’s love. As the story evolves, it is apparent that Violet was doing everything she could to protect her daughter and give her a better life. An accident changes the course of everything, and yet 40 years later Tara travels to Spain and finds Violet. Such a great, story that left me in tears. It wasn’t until the end, that all the characters came full circle. Poor Leo! He saved Violet and she saved him. Will definitely recommend to friends!