Tag: A Summer of Surprises and an Unexpected Affair

A beautiful book of memories in my handbag

Please see my blog at jessiecahalin.com

 

A Summer of Surprises and an Unexpected Affair

Jan Ellis

I will buy a beautiful book of memories from Eleanor’s ‘crumbly bookshop’ and place it in my handbag because I am also ‘addicted to books’.

 

 

Click to buy on Amazon

Imagine a delicious dream of a bookshop, tucked away in a British seaside town, bursting with friends, family and loved ones. Order some tea and warm scones as you listen to Eleanor chat about life, former lovers and romance.

Alternatively, join Eleanor and her sister as they raise a glass ‘to the people we love and the people we don’t know we love because we haven’t met them yet.’

If you haven’t guessed, this is a very satisfying, cosy book about love.
However, it examines the way in which love develops at a more mature age.  It makes you reflect on how we are shaped by previous relationships.  As I meandered through Eleanor’s life, I was constantly wondering if she would be tempted.  Jan Ellis captures the raw infectious fever of the first love and explores this from the mature character’s perspective; this was refreshing and insightful.  I listened to the inner voices of the characters and considered their questions, doubts and secrets.  Above all, I adored the message that love shapes, moulds and makes the person, but you must open your heart at any time of life.  Love has the power to transform us, and Ellis writes:

‘She had gone into the water as a rather staid middle-aged woman and came out feeling invigorated and daring.’

The book explores the landscape of emotions and memories that imprint on our experience.  I enjoyed the anticipation, the excitement, the guilt and the realisation of the characters. The book is also fun and the characters are great company.  Who doesn’t want a best friend like Erika who can keep you grounded, or a sister like Jenna to help you to consider the options?  Perhaps you too could also tolerate a mother who loves life and wants to prompt you to do the same.

I enjoyed this book as it breezed through the events. The author’s style is controlled, succinct and teases the reader into the sequence of events.  The characters feel like friends, and the natural dialogue places the reader in the heart of the events.  I love the way that Jan Ellis threads nuggets of wisdom and observations into a light-hearted, entertaining read.

If you stay at home then put the kettle on and grab some cake, or get your passport and find a suitable bistro with tempting treats.

 

Please read this and all my other reviews on My Reading.

Mysterious Parcel from Jan Ellis

I received a mysterious parcel from Jan Ellis

On Saturday, I received a mysterious parcel.  It contained: cough sweets, keys, some out of date Boots vouchers and a copy of An Unexpected Affair.  My husband looked at me quizzically, until he read Jan Ellis’s guest post. You are invited to solve the mystery.  Read on, if you would also like to receive a parcel.

 

 

 

Inside Jan’s Handbag

‘…the usual flotsam and jetsam that managed to accumulate in her handbag…’

When Jessie asked me to write about the contents of my handbag, I thought, What a great idea. Which one shall I choose? The smart, black bag that makes me feel like a grown-up or the less smart into which I can comfortably cram a Jack Russell? Then I looked inside a couple of the bags that lurk by the front door and decided that it wasn’t such a great idea after all. Who wants to read about my dusty cough sweets and out-of-date Boots vouchers? Years ago, I had a friend who found a manuscript and a pork chop in hers. Now, that’s impressive and clearly worth sharing with the world.

Step inside of Eleanor’s bookshop for a mystery

Then I remembered that one of handbags had made a guest appearance in An Unexpected Affair, a novella featuring Eleanor Mace and her Devon bookshop. As this was the first fiction I’d written since the tender age of seven, I thought I’d better stick to what I knew best. Hence the contents of Eleanor’s bag:

 

Extract

‘…she stomped up the road to the campervan, ruffling her hair…’

Stepping onto the sunny street the wind whipped across her face as she stomped up the road to the campervan, ruffling her hair. By the time she had been to the bank and the post office, and walked the short distance to the vehicle, she was completely dishevelled. She peered at her reflection in the wing mirror, unsuccessfully trying to dislodge strands of hair from her sunglasses as she dug in her bag for the keys.

“Damn and blast it,” she said to no one in particular. It was, she decided, one of the perils of approaching middle age that you spent a great deal of time talking to yourself.

She was crouched on the pavement, unpacking the usual flotsam and jetsam that managed to accumulate in her handbag when she saw a pair of slightly scruffy deck shoes appear at her side. Above them two tanned knees descended from a pair of khaki shorts.

“Are these what you’re looking for?” Daniel Pearce stood there with the keys to her van in one hand and an old-fashioned string bag in the other. “You must have dropped them as you left the shop.”

“Gosh, yes, thanks,” said Eleanor, hastily stuffing the used tissues, old lipsticks, broken biros and dog chews back into the dark recesses of her bag where they belonged and rising to her feet. Daniel was standing between her and the sun, causing her to squint, despite the glasses.

“I’ve come down to get some fish for my father,” he explained, waving the shopping bag in the air. “It’s Friday. Fish day,” he added with a frown.

Coming from London, Eleanor had initially found it odd that you could only buy certain products on certain days. Sure, the supermarkets stocked the usual range of pre-packaged goods, but if you wanted the best local produce, you went to the weekly market behind the library.

“Mackerel,” he added.

“How lovely.”

[ends]

You are, I’m sure, agog to find out whether Eleanor and Daniel end up sharing a fish supper after this unpromising encounter or whether their relationship turns out to be as messy as those cough sweets. Fortunately, one lucky reader is going to find out!

Would you like to receive a parcel from Jan Ellis?

Win a free copy of A Summer of Surprises and an Unexpected Affair

It is my pleasure to present you with an opportunity to win a free copy of A Summer of Surprises and an Unexpected Affair.

Either express your interest using the comment function via this blog post, or look out for the tweet @BooksInHandbag.

See my reviews of A Summer of Surprises and an Unexpected Affair and The Bookshop Detective.

About Jan

Jan Ellis began writing fiction by accident in 2013. Until then, she had led a blameless life as a publisher, editor and historian of early modern Spain. She fell into fiction when a digital publisher approached her to write a history book, then made the mistake of mentioning romcom, which sounded much more fun. Jan’s stories have small-town settings with realistic characters who range in age from young teens to eighty-somethings.

About the books:

A Summer of Surprises and an Unexpected Affair and French Kisses and A London Affair are published in two paperback volumes by Waverley Books. The ebooks (Endeavour Media) are available on Amazon. The Bookshop Detective is a paperback original.

Contact Jan Ellis at:

Follow Jan on Facebook and Twitter @JanEllis_writer
www.janelliswriter.com

 

Please see all my Guests’ Posts at Mail from the Creative Community and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.