Solomon's Pond is about living through the twists and turns of growing older, caring for ailing parents, and the challenges of an uninspiring career. The book has its origins in Celtic Christianity. It is set up so that readers can drop in and out at any time and still follow the story. It is divided into three main parts: Body, Mind and Soul, with all of these seemingly relating to what is happening in a woman's life, including her career, going from bad to worse.

I was unsure about this book when I started reading it as I found the names of the characters rather distracting. However, as I progressed through, I appreciated it more and understood more why the names were used. I think it would have been better to stick to one mythology but this is m personal opinion. As a sufferer of mental ill health, this aspect of it was interesting and actually there as a lot in it that resonated with me more than a lot of 'self-help' books which I have come across which I feel are generally very superficial and behavioural rather than spiritually based. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the spiritual side of mental health. There is a good story running through it and the character of Loki was well named and very easy to visualise, I think many of us have come across people like that in our working lives. There is some great descriptive writing which generally made it easy to see characters and the story. ( )

Not a book I would normally read and it took me a while to get in to but once I did I enjoyed it. Theres lots of really good quotes and positive messsages that it certainly makes you think! Some great life lessons to be learned! ( )

I had no real idea what to expect from this book.

The back of the book suggested this was a novel but the introduction told me that I was about to receive eleven ‘lessons’; that this book was for “those who feel discontent with their lives.

I am content with my life and I don’t feel that I need any lessons but I pressed on nevertheless – old dog, new tricks and all that kind of thing.

Initially, I was pleasantly surprised and I was quite enjoying the novel. Sadly, this did not last and it began to feel that I was being preached to and not in a gentle way.

I am confused by the use of names. Olympians, muses, Norse Gods & etc. What is Solomon’s Pond? Does it refer to the Wisdom of Solomon? If there’s no meaning, why bother?
As an aside, does the author know who Zeus and Hera were? What their relationship was?

I’m also confused by Thalia’s discovery of “what she is suffering from”. It suggests that she has been suffering all along but as far as I can see, it stems from an event quite far on in the narrative. There is cause and effect. Again I am left confused.

I hope that this book helps some people, I really do, but I feel it is too disjointed. I like the idea of putting self help into a novel that people can identify with but, in my opinion, it hasn’t been done very well.

I enjoyed Zeus and Hera. Loki wasn’t strong enough to be true to character (if, indeed, that was intended). And on a personal note I really did not like Thalia’s relationship with her vehicle and I got fed up of references to Jada.

In conclusion, it simply wasn’t for me. It frustrated more than it satisfied me. I was more invested in Zeus and Hera than in Thalia. There were also some minor errors which, given everything else, niggled more than they should have.






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Sarah Coyne has written the spiritual journey of Thalia. The reader is in her head has she muddles through work and life and weighs up decisions. We meet her as she drives to Wales from south-east England as her father has been taken ill on the ferry from Ireland. He survives but is poorly and needs continuous care. Meanwhile Thalia's job becomes more stressful as she is sucked into her ambitions to move up the further education college ladder. Her boss takes advantage of her repeatedly and piles more responsiblity on her shoulders while taking the credit. The novel covers around three years or so and Thalia finds herself also becoming ill. Thalia looks for help from her parents, particularly her father, and her friends and tries to implement it. She tries to find something special in every day, she tries to make her own path through life but these things are increasingly difficult as she battles with migraines and vertigo and a high work load. The dialogue alternates between simple chatting to meaningful lectures. Inside Thalia's head the narrative is sometimes muddled and it seems to take her a long time to see what she needs to do. An interesting idea for a novel. ( )