Finding Verity by Jenny Loudon, her debut, was first published in November 2017 – as so many books do, it emerged without any fanfare, and I only discovered it two years later when the author tentatively suggested it was a book I might enjoy. And my goodness, she was right – it was one of my 2019 Books of the Year. In February 2020, her second novel Snow Angels slipped into the world so quietly I almost missed it – it took me almost a year to discover it, but it was another book I entirely loved. Browsing on Twitter the other night, I noticed that both books are currently FREE for kindle – but will return to full price after today, so you’ll need to move quickly – and wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to an author whose work I’d recommend incredibly highly.
Let’s take a closer look at both books (just click on the titles for the buying links) – and I’ll share my earlier reviews once more…
An unhappy woman. An unfinished romance. A sense that time is running out…
Verity Westwood is a successful London businesswoman whose husband is handsome but selfish. When Edward Farrell, a nomadic American journalist from her past, returns unexpectedly, she is swept by the irresistible desire to fulfil her dreams of working as an artist, like her famous father before her. After being caught in a storm on the Cote d’Azur, she vows to change her life.
What she does not foresee is the struggle involved, the ultimate price she will pay, and the powerful force of enduring love that changes everything.
And one more time for my review…
The premise of this book is one of the most relatable possible for an older reader – where have the years gone, and is it too late (or simply wrong) to want to follow your dreams. Verity probably settled for second best – the beige husband, the raising of her family, the building of a successful interior design business, the cracks in both her happiness and her marriage papered over. There were other possibilities when she was young – the heady excitement of her first meeting with free spirit Edward, the widening of her possible horizons, the endless possibilities – but she made her choices, and lived within them.
But she’s now approaching 50, and it’s her time again. The nest is finally empty, she still has dreams and the means to change her life – the home in the country she’s wanted for so long, the opportunity to find out whether she has the talent to make her way as the artist she always aspired to be, the possibility of that second chance she feels she now deserves. But she might not be brave enough – and the obstacles might prove too many.
In many ways, this is a romance, but a particularly powerful and moving one – the presence of Edward ebbs and flows as he keeps his distance and lives his less conventional life, but the electricity when his path and Verity’s cross is palpable, the emotional content quite wonderfully handled. There is a wider cast of well-drawn characters – the co-workers, the chance meetings, the supportive friends – but it’s Verity and her pursuit of her escape who constantly draws the eye, sympathetic and relatable.
But I was impressed by the realness of the two primary male characters too. Husband Matt could well have been one-dimensional and the “hate” figure, but he’s much more than that – behaving very badly at times, but real and recognisable. And Edward too – he’s more than just unattainable and forbidden, with considerable complexity to both his background and his emotional responses.
The writing is superb – literary in many ways – with vivid settings, filled with quite exceptional descriptions of the natural world that permeates the story and excites Verity as an artist. But there’s also a cleverly managed narrative drive that made it a surprisingly compelling read. There are moments of lightness, and humour – those slices of life that make the whole feel so real – and others when you feel at your core the frustration, the despair, the sheer impossibility of anything changing.
I thought it was quite stunning… and I’m particularly impressed that this is the author’s debut. I’ll be looking forward very much to seeing what Jenny Loudon does next.
And this was what she did next…
An accident. That’s all it was.
Amelie Tierney is working hard, furthering her nursing career in Oxford. She has a loving husband and a small son, who is not yet two. She jogs through the streets of her beloved city most days, does not see enough of her lonely mother, and misses her grandmother who lives in a remote wooden house, beside a lake in Sweden.
And then, one sunny October morning, it happens – the accident that changes everything and leaves Amelie fighting to survive.
Set amid the gleaming spires of Oxford and the wild beauty of a Swedish forest, this is a story about one woman’s hope and her courage in the face of the unthinkable.
And I was every bit as blown away…
This book starts gently – a young family living their lives, a happy marriage, a young child (Bertie) who’s the focus of their lives – as Amelie goes out early to pound the pavements of Oxford on a sunny morning. Amelie’s mother Kerstin plans to visit that day, escaping her lonely life – but Amelie needs to complete some work for her nursing course, and cheerfully waves everyone off for a day out at a wildlife park. And then the unthinkable happens… and Amelie’s life is changed for ever.
Her grandmother Cleome lives alone in the wilds of Sweden – a remote cottage, on the shore of a lake, deep in a forest – and Amelie can think of nowhere better to heal herself nor anyone else she’d rather be with. Grieving is a slow process, and the book’s pace matches that – against the dramatically changing seasons, the two women work through their anguish, sometimes experiencing the depths, but also finding moments of joy and lightness in their time together and the love that’s ever present in their close relationship.
Their isolation isn’t complete – there are neighbours and friends, meals out – and the healing process begins. Amelie becomes close to Tarek, a Syrian refugee whose life experiences have parallels with her own – and amid all the beauty of book’s natural world we experience first-hand the prejudice of some of the neighbours to the new arrivals, and their experiences in a country where they’d hoped to find peace, sanctuary and welcome.
There’s far, far more to the story than this – one of the perils of trying to capture a story in a few words – but what entirely blew me away was the way the whole book made me feel. The way the natural world becomes part of the story is quite exceptional, the author’s descriptions entirely transporting you to this alien and unfamiliar environment. We first arrive in the depths of winter – the life-threatening extreme cold, the drifts of snow, the lake (always referred to as “she” – an ever-changing presence) dark and forbidding, the forest impenetrable – and then move into the heat of summer, the ticks and teeming insects, the lake now a place for swimming, the barbecues, feeling the burn of the sun.
Grandmother Cleome – a touch eccentric maybe, with a few secrets of her own, and a quite wonderful character – is entirely in tune with the environment, respecting its magic and traditions, and I thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of being allowed to share the special moments. There are times of absolute ordinariness – Amelie’s cleaning frenzies, walking the dogs, feeding the chickens, the barbecues, the conversations with friends, the sometimes unwelcome intrusions of the outside world – but there are other moments of absolute magic as the natural world plays its part in the long process of healing.
The emotional authenticity is breathtaking throughout – when Amelie hurts, I hurt too, but although the story often moved me to tears I could entirely recognise that ebb and flow of grief. And the relationship between Amelie and her grandmother is intensely moving – this really is a book overflowing with love. And please don’t let me give the impression that the misery is unrelenting, the book is a perfect balance of light and shade – and becomes wonderfully uplifting, a tale of hope and fresh beginnings, the grief and loss never forgotten (as it never should be), but with a real possibility of hope and happiness for the future.
A totally inadequate review, and I’ve struggled to find the words – but I really loved this book, found it totally unforgettable, quite beautifully written, and deserving of so many accolades that as yet haven’t been forthcoming. Very highly recommended – and so many others would love this very special book every bit as much as I did.
Would you believe that Finding Verity has only 38 ratings on Amazon – and the three that are other than a much deserved five stars have no accompanying reviews. And Snow Angels? Well, that has only 14 – all five stars apart from one four star, again without a review. It saddens me so much that others haven’t had the immense pleasure of discovering Jenny’s books – hopefully, offering them for free for a short while might do something to change that. Do give them a try – if you enjoy the books I do, I promise you won’t be disappointed. But please remember, to take advantage of the free offer you do need to download them TODAY!
About the author
Jenny Loudon is a British novelist whose work includes Snow Angels, a moving and uplifting tale of recovery after loss, and the bestselling love story Finding Verity. She read English and American Literature at the University of Kent in Canterbury and holds a Masters in The Modern Movement. She lives with her family in the English countryside.
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Fab reviews! I’ve downloaded both. No clue when I’ll get to them, though x
Thank you Anne. I have downloaded them and sent the links to my mum as well x