We Are All Made Of Stars by Rowan Coleman

We Are All Made Of Stars

By Rowan Coleman 

Warning. You are going to need a lot of tissues for this one.

‘We Are All Made Of Stars’ is a very emotional read. It is largely set in a hospice where people are facing the end of their days, so death and its coming are a significant theme. But it is also about love and, in particular, about finding love in impossible places.

It’s also about how the way we experience the world is different at night under the moon and the stars, from how it is in the full light of the sun. And about how people (and cats) can turn up in our lives just at the moment they are most needed.

We follow three overlapping story strands throughout the book. Stella is a nurse working nights at the hospice, sharing her house in shifts with a husband who has come back from Afghanistan so damaged she fears she can’t reach him. Hope is a young woman with CF. She knows her life is fragile, but can she reach out and make the most of it? And Hugh is just lost. What will it take to help him find himself again?

As well as these main storylines we get glimpses of the lives of some of Stella’s patients through the ‘last letters’ she writes for them before they die. Letters from husbands to wives, from fathers to sons, from lovers to those they’ve loved and lost a long time ago. Some are as short as a page, but they encapsulate the lives of the senders perfectly in their last moments.

So yes, it is about death and loss on one level, but it’s also about finding love and fighting for it. And about how we find the light - by looking up.

You will cry, but you will also be left feeling very grateful for the life and the love that you have. I highly recommend this skilfully written and achingly beautiful book. But don’t forget the tissues.

Thanks very much to the publishers for a review copy of this book.

You can find out more here.

The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman

The Memory Book

By Rowan Coleman

‘The Memory Book’ is a beautiful, though sometimes painful read. Its portrayal of a woman falling apart as a result of early-onset Alzheimer’s is spot on and heartbreaking.

Based on the premise and the blurb, I thought this book would have me in tears by the end, but in fact it had me crying from about page 50 onwards.

Throughout the book we follow the narrative of Claire – who has just had her worst fears about her medical condition confirmed – and Caitlin, her daughter. Caitlin, it turns out, has plenty of problems of her own to grapple with as well.

We are also shown the contents of the ‘Memory Book’ – a notebook bought for Claire by her husband Greg to try to help her keep hold of the things she can still remember. Through this book we also get to see the thoughts of Greg and of Claire’s mother.

In some ways the story is tragic, but it is written with such humour and compassion that it is also uplifting. As a reader, whatever else you feel for Claire, you won’t feel pity.

And that is the genius that shines through in the writing of this book. We get to see into Claire’s life as it slowly falls apart and the portrayal of her Alzheimer’s-related memory lapses are portrayed so realistically that as the reader you feel like you are experiencing them with her. And yet her personality and strength assert themselves so strongly that they defy you to feel sorry for her.

The ending of the book leaves a few questions unanswered, a few things unsaid. And that is as it should be. One mystery though is solved in the most beautiful and unexpected way – cue for more tears.

Whatever you are left feeling about the ending, and whatever you think happens next in the story of Claire and those who love her, one thing is certain - Claire will still be there.

Thanks very much to the publishers for a review copy of this book.

You can find out more here.

Woman Walks Into A Bar by Rowan Coleman

Woman Walks Into A Bar

by Rowan Coleman

A while ago I did a post about Rowan Coleman releasing 'Woman Walks Into A Bar' in order to raise money for Refuge.  You can see that post here.

I've since read the book and just wanted to tell you a bit about it.

'Woman Walks Into A Bar' is the story of Sam, a woman who has survived an abusive relationship and is now looking for love again, aided and abetted by her friends and her daughter. Can she find love again, and will she need to face up to her past first?

In that sense it is a story of abuse, surviving it, and rebuilding your life. But it explored a lot of other issues tied up with abuse as well. An important theme was self esteem and all the ways this can be knocked, leading to vulnerability. I found this one of the most fascinating aspects of the story.

I also loved Sam's relationship with her daughter, Beth, and the way she watches over her - looking out for signs that she may also suffer a blow that will knock her self esteem and make her vunerable. The family relationships between these two, and Sam's own mother are delightfully drawn.

So as well as being for a great cause, this book is also a fabulous read that covers some really important issues, but still manages to be upbeat and entertaining.

As an added extra, you also get a taster of Rowan's upcoming novel The Memory Book, which looks heartbreakingly good. I can't wait to read that one!

You can find out more about 'Woman Walks Into A Bar' here.

Dearest Rose

By Rowan Coleman

Having loved Rowan Coleman’s last book, ‘Lessons In Laughing Out Loud’, I was thrilled to receive a review copy of ‘Dearest Rose’. This is a very powerful book which explores some extremely dark themes, and will keep you gripped to the very end.

Rose and her daughter Maddie are on the run, and this novel is the story of what they are on the run from, and to. The home situation that has become so unbearable that Rose can’t take it any more is slowly revealed, and we also find out what Rose is looking for and are kept in suspense about whether she will find it or not.

There are some beautiful moments in this book. I found the story of how Maddie gets to know her grandfather, John, particularly touching. The two of them find a companionship through a shared love of art which is beautifully told and gives the novel a gorgeous sense of warmth.

‘Dearest Rose’ is very much a book about strong women. From Rose herself, who turns out to be stronger than she thinks, to her friend Shona, who goes through hell and survives, her landlady Jenny who turns out to be a bigger support than Rose could have imagined and a woman from Rose’s past who turns out to be the last thing she would have expected, all are real, gutsy female characters.

The novel also has a love story running through it. It’s hard to say too much about that without spoilers. So I won’t! But you won’t be disappointed.

As well as the interactions between the various interesting and believable characters in the story, art and the landscape play an important part in the novel as well. John’s paintings, and the landscapes he often includes in them, are pivotal to the story and add to the great atmosphere of the book.

I love Rowan’s writing and really enjoyed this book. It does include some very difficult subject matter and definitely doesn’t shy away from the darkness of its themes. Overall though, it is ultimately an uplifting story, which tells of friendship, courage, redemption and love.

A fantastic read.

Thanks to the publishers for the review copy of this book.