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A review by portybelle
Summer on a Sunny Island by Sue Moorcroft
5.0
Summer on a Sunny Island? I don't think many of us are going to be experiencing that this year. Yes, I know that Britain is an island but you know what I mean. Luckily, you have this book to whisk you off to Malta and spend a few sunny weeks in the company of Rosa and Zach and some of their friends and family. I feel like I've had a personal tour of Malta with an expert guide. Sue Moorcroft's love of the island and her knowledge really shine through and bring the island and its people to life.
Rosa is getting over a break-up from Marcus when her mum suggests she comes to Malta with her as she researches recipes for her new cookery book. Zach meanwhile is spending time of the island renovating a relative's house and trying to stay out of trouble. Not that he's a bad lad - far from it - but trouble just seems to find him! Both have parents who were children of army families who spent some of their childhood in Malta, just like Sue Moorcroft herself.
I found it rather poignant that early in the book Rosa makes herself a playlist of Zumba videos so she can still do some dancing which is one of her passions in life. She enjoys this connection to home but notes that it wasn't the same as being with her friends and I think we can all relate to that right now. And I think we can all empathise with Zach when he unexpectedly has his entirely family living with him in one apartment!
Sue Moorcroft is skilled at creating complex characters and has excelled again with Rosa and Zach. They both are moving on from their old lives, but just when they are settling into a new life and considering new possibilities it seems that their pasts may catch up with them and throw a spanner in the works. That makes it sounds like there was something really terrible they were both trying to leave behind but that's not what I mean. However, their past responsibilities and connections may mean they can't move on, that their options and possibilities may be taken away. These dilemmas make Zach and Rosa seem so much more than just characters but real people with real problems to resolve.
I can't talk about this book without mentioning the food. Rosa's mum Dory is something of a celebrity chef and is in Malta working on recipes for a new book. And oh my goodness did they have my mouth watering! Fresh and vibrant sounding dishes that I could almost imagine tasting! I really feel we almost needed a supplement to the book with some of the recipes included.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Malta with Rosa and Zach and as always found that Sue Moorcroft has written a thoroughly absorbing and uplifting story with great characters and in such a fabulous setting. Summer on a Sunny Island is the perfect escapist read to have you dreaming of summer holidays and sunny shores when we perhaps can't experience those in real life for a while.
Rosa is getting over a break-up from Marcus when her mum suggests she comes to Malta with her as she researches recipes for her new cookery book. Zach meanwhile is spending time of the island renovating a relative's house and trying to stay out of trouble. Not that he's a bad lad - far from it - but trouble just seems to find him! Both have parents who were children of army families who spent some of their childhood in Malta, just like Sue Moorcroft herself.
I found it rather poignant that early in the book Rosa makes herself a playlist of Zumba videos so she can still do some dancing which is one of her passions in life. She enjoys this connection to home but notes that it wasn't the same as being with her friends and I think we can all relate to that right now. And I think we can all empathise with Zach when he unexpectedly has his entirely family living with him in one apartment!
Sue Moorcroft is skilled at creating complex characters and has excelled again with Rosa and Zach. They both are moving on from their old lives, but just when they are settling into a new life and considering new possibilities it seems that their pasts may catch up with them and throw a spanner in the works. That makes it sounds like there was something really terrible they were both trying to leave behind but that's not what I mean. However, their past responsibilities and connections may mean they can't move on, that their options and possibilities may be taken away. These dilemmas make Zach and Rosa seem so much more than just characters but real people with real problems to resolve.
I can't talk about this book without mentioning the food. Rosa's mum Dory is something of a celebrity chef and is in Malta working on recipes for a new book. And oh my goodness did they have my mouth watering! Fresh and vibrant sounding dishes that I could almost imagine tasting! I really feel we almost needed a supplement to the book with some of the recipes included.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Malta with Rosa and Zach and as always found that Sue Moorcroft has written a thoroughly absorbing and uplifting story with great characters and in such a fabulous setting. Summer on a Sunny Island is the perfect escapist read to have you dreaming of summer holidays and sunny shores when we perhaps can't experience those in real life for a while.