Poor Emma, she sure lived in a village filled with bitches and bastards. People can be so cruel, but then they can be so kind too and not ask for anything in return. It kind of reminded me of the Catherine Cookson stories, her heroines always have a hard time before finding their way and luck.

Emma is 15 when her parents die and the crappy village she lives in does not make things better. She is on her own, but she is strong and wont let anyone push her around. That is what I liked about her, her will do go on and try. Even if I had run away and lived in the woods, cos I just could not take all those people talking behind my back. She tries to build a new life and that is not easy.

The romantic interest is Seth, he does try to do his best by her, but when he stands up someone always pulls him down (his family is horrid.) These two does not have an easy way to each other and sometimes I wondered if they ever would end up together (I will of course not tell you). It's a love that grows and matures. Other people in the book are of course Seth's horrible father and brothers. And Matthew who shows up like a knight in shining armor. He was one of the nice ones.

I really can't say more as a few years go by and things happen in the book. There is heartache, happiness and it's a story about a courageous young woman.

Conclusion:
It's a book that promises drama, romance and even a mystery behind the scenes. After a bit of a heartbreaking beginning the book just flows on and is truly easy to read.
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To Turn Full Circle by Linda Mitchelmore

Emma Le Goff finds herself orphaned before her 16th birthday, both her parent’s dead in mysterious circumstances and the heartless landlord Reuben Jago turfs her out of the tied cottage the family were living in. His son Seth attempts to help Emma to the best of his ability but when the mysterious fisherman Mathew Caunter comes to Emma’s rescue things were bound to become complicated. Set in a small Devon fishing harbour in 1909, the scene is set for this debut novel from Linda Mitchelmore, the start of a trilogy.

Choc Lit always seems to find the very best of storytellers and this is no exception. Within the first chapter you love Emma, the reader is undoubtedly on her side. You feel her loss, and the unfairness of life. As the observer into this small community you are hooked, you can almost smell the fish, the salt air and hear the waves crashing against the beach such is Mitchelmore’s gift for storytelling.

Mitchelmore gives you enough for the vivid picture and experience, but not too much so that the reader loses interest or the thread of the story. Mitchelmore has the writing talent to capture the required emotional essence that can be compared to Jane Austin and the ability to paint a scene in words that Thomas Hardy would have found acceptable. Mitchelmore’s trilogy will do for the social history of this period the same as what Charles Dickens did for the 1800’s, such is the strength and accuracy of her story lines and description of events and surroundings.

Ultimately this is a delightful, page turning novel that makes the reader want more of Emma Le Goff et el, and although difficult to put down, I found myself not wanting to finish it, because then it would be the end and I wanted Emma to be part of my day, everyday. In conclusion, a wonderful epic novel that will become a timeless classic.

Published by Choc Lit: release date 7th June 2012
The Commuting Bookworm 11/05/12 ( )