I’m really delighted today to be helping launch the blog tour for The Village Vicar, the latest book from Julie Houston, and to share my review: due for publication by Aria Fiction on 19th January, it’s available now for pre-order as an ebook (for kindle, and Kobo) and in paperback. My thanks to the publishers for my tour invitation, to Amy Watson for her ongoing support, and for my advance reading e-copy.
Goodness, I was so looking forward to another visit to Westenbury! Have you read Julie’s lovely books before? You’ll know by now that I’m an unashamed fan of her writing. I discovered her a little later than some, with Looking for Lucy back in 2016 (you’ll find my review here, along with an interview) – I so enjoyed that one, and she then really confirmed her place on my favourite authors list with A Village Affair (review here) and then Coming Home to Holly Close Farm (review here). Her next one, Sing Me a Secret (review here) was just perfect – and thoroughly deserving of the prize for Popular Romantic Fiction at the RNA’s 2021 Romantic Novel of the Year awards. And the wonderful books have kept on coming – I thoroughly enjoyed A Village Vacancy (review here), A Family Affair was equally delightful (here’s the review), and her last book A Village Secret (review here) had that same mix of observational and situation-driven humour and exceptional poignancy that she always does so very well.
So, let’s take a look at her latest…
Fans of Katie Fforde, Phillipa Ashley and The Vicar of Dibley will love this heartwarming and witty new novel from Julie Houston.
Three devoted sisters… One complicated family.
When Rosa Quinn left her childhood home in Westenbury, she never expected to return over a decade later as the village vicar. But after a health scare and catching her boyfriend cheating, Rosa jumps at the chance to start over and live closer to her triplet sisters Eva and Hannah.
But Rosa’s isn’t the only old face in the village, and when her role in the parish throws her into the path of her ex, she begins to wonder if she’s made a terrible mistake. Meanwhile, Eva and Hannah face their own troubles, as secrets about their family threaten to emerge.
Can Rosa make a life for herself in Westenbury? Or will the sisters discover you can’t run away from the past?
As the book starts with an advert – distinctly contemporary – for Westenbury’s new vicar, it might come as something of a surprise when the book’s action begins in 1984, with artist wild child Alice returning from a stay in Paris and continuing to act rather unconventionally (and a tad recklessly) at home, despite her strict vicar father. I’ve noticed that some other early reviews mentioned that made them feel the book was slow to start – but no, I most certainly didn’t. It’s all wonderfully told, and gives the foundations for the story that then unfolds in the present day about the Quinn triplets – now in their late 30s – as one of them, Rosa, returns to her childhood home to take up her post as Westenbury’s new vicar.
It’s a big change for her – she’s been through a massive health scare, has walked away from her high-flying career, and also suffered the most painful end of a relationship that involved a considerable measure of betrayal. But her decision was made easier by the prospect of being closer to her sisters – Eva and her husband have a young family and a very successful dental practice (their marriage though, might have become a little stale), and Hannah has a career working with young offenders (although her private life – an ongoing affair with a married man – is rather less rosy).
The book then moves into the territory you might have expected from the author’s books – the sisters’ lives, the relationships between them, the start of Rosa’s time in her new parish, and the waves caused by the arrival in the village of a hot new dentist to work at Eva’s practice. And there are more waves to come – the news that there’s another new arrival in the village, and it’s the one person that Rosa hoped she’d never cross paths with again. And in the background, there’s always the story of the triplets’ unusual parentage – and it’s one I won’t spoil – that goes on to take the story in a direction I really wasn’t expecting, and I really, really loved it.
This book was filled with so many of those wonderful set pieces that I love about the author’s writing – sometimes very funny, sometimes emotional, and some (aargh – that confrontation in the church!) that make you gasp. The characters are so beautifully drawn – and not just the three sisters whose lives you’re drawn into, but the whole supporting cast – and the relationships between them, especially that special bond of sisterhood (and across the generations), wonderfully handled. Some of the characters are gloriously quirky – particularly Eva’s mother-in-law Azra, taking over her home, replete with some great one-liners that strongly reminded me of the Lithuanian lollipop lady I so loved in the author’s earlier books. And then there are the ones that totally capture your heart – for me, that was certainly Bill, the Marquess of Stratton.
There’s a developing romance in the mix too – well, there is a hot dentist after all – and it was a slowly developing one that really engaged me emotionally. The humour, I thought, was perhaps dialled down a little compared with the author’s earlier books – a little more gentle, but perfectly judged, still with more than a few laugh-out-loud moments. But the story-telling – that was quite superb, perfectly paced, shocks and surprises aplenty, and with one of the most satisfying and uplifting endings I could have possibly wished for. Yes, it was a book I really loved – and highly recommended by me.
Praise for Julie Houston:
‘A warm, funny story of sisters and the secrets they keep’ Sheila O’Flanagan
‘Warm, funny and well written, with a page turning plot, this book has everything! I loved it!’ Katie Fforde
‘Julie Houston at her best – heartfelt and hilarious’ Sandy Barker
‘Laugh-out-loud hilarious and heartwarming!’ Mandy Baggot
About the author
Julie Houston lives in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire where her novels are set, and her only claims to fame are that she teaches part-time at ‘Bridget Jones’ author Helen Fielding’s old junior school and her neighbour is ‘Chocolat’ author, Joanne Harris. Julie is married, with two adult children and a ridiculous Cockerpoo called Lincoln. She runs and swims because she’s been told it’s good for her, but would really prefer a glass of wine, a sun lounger and a jolly good book – preferably with Dev Patel in attendance.
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What an absolutely fabulous review, Anne!! You are a star!! Many, many thanks!!
My absolute pleasure, my lovely! x