Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?
BCW ~ All of the above, but I think of myself
as a reader first and foremost.
(side note from Jill - Barbara's third book will be out this summer, so she is definitely an author too!)
(side note from Jill - Barbara's third book will be out this summer, so she is definitely an author too!)
Title of Fiction book and year it was published (doesn't have to
be a new release)
The Catalpa Tree (2005: Irish Penguin.)
Author name
Denyse Devlin
Type of book
Women’s fiction with a dark edge
What is it about this book that pulled you in?
BCA ~ The tag line: “A story about love, loss
and surviving them both”
Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you?
BCW ~ Oh
my goodness, yes. The Catalpa Tree has
been one of my favorite novels for ten years, and the hero, Oliver Sayle, still
lives in my head.
When
the reader meets Oliver, he’s waiting to tell his best friend’s
fourteen-year-old daughter, Jude, that she’s been orphaned. Sitting in the
office at Jude’s Catholic boarding school, squirming as the senior nun watches
across the desk, Oliver is trying not to feel intimidated. And he’s desperate
for a cigarette. That was the moment I fell in love with him.
Oliver
is Jude’s legal guardian. They’ve always been close, but everything changes
once they’re thrown together through grief and tragedy. Oliver has his own
family, and a young son, but Jude has no one else. As Jude grows into a
desirable young woman, they test each other constantly.
And
this is why I Iove The Catalpa Tree:
It peels back the layers of a messy, complex relationship, going deeper and
deeper into every twist and turn, every conflict. It’s impossible not to get swept
up in the turmoil of this emotionally gripping page-turner. You cheer, you cry,
and when you put the novel down, you have to know where these characters are
ten, fifteen, twenty years into the future.
Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?
BCW ~ Yes! It’s a wonderful window into an incredibly
complicated relationship.
Anything else you want to tell us without giving
away too much of the plot?
BCW ~ Read it. Read it now. And fall in love
with Oliver and Jude and the glorious settings in France, under the catalpa
tree. Did I mention that it’s beautifully written?
If author or writer, your social media links:
Website: http://www.barbaraclaypolewhite.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bclaypolewhite
JHA ~ Thank you so much, Barbara, for recommending a novel I'd never heard of, but one you've told me was a big influence in your writing career! It sounds wonderful, and is now on my TBR list!
Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book? If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!
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Sounds like my favorite type of book. I love gripping relationships that make you want to know more.
ReplyDeleteI tried to comment, Laura, but Google ate my message. The great thing about this book is that just when you think you've figured out what's going on between the 2 main characters, the author peels back another layer.
ReplyDeleteHow did you stumble across this novel and author, Barbara? Has the author written other novels?
ReplyDeleteI found this novel the best way: by mistake. I was visiting my mother England and went into the local W H Smith, which had the buy-two-get-one-free deals I love. I was on the hunt for English/Irish authors I couldn't find in America and there was THE CATALPA TREE. The tag on the cover--about surviving love and loss--pulled me in immediately. Denyse, an Irish writer, writes under the name Devlin and Woods. I've read everything of hers--in no particular order: Hopscotch, If Not Now, Like Nowhere Else, Overnight to Innsbruck. Her Woods' novels are darker and more literary, but the reason I love her more commercial line--written under Devlin--is because they have that literary edge. She's a stunning writer.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the typos. I'm multitasking badly today!
DeleteThanks for letting us know she has other novels out there, Barbara!
DeleteThis is an intriguing plot and becoming an orphan and all that means is compelling and frightening. It's definitely going on my list. And for me literary and dark are the best.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Beth. The plot souns very intriguing. So many possible plot twists!
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