Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Among the emerald hills of the Lake District sits the village of Thimblebury and Wordsworth Cottage, its garden bursting with wildflowers. It is the perfect place for village nurse Ottilie to make her brave new start…
Ottilie Oakcroft never thought she’d live in a place like Wordsworth Cottage. Nestled close to the river, her new home in the tiny village of Thimblebury means all her patients are just a stone’s throw from her front door. As they drop in for cups of tea and cosy chats she ignores all the jobs on her to-do list and gets to know her new neighbours.
Yet maybe keeping busy is just what Ottilie needs, even if she’s barely had a minute to unpack her suitcase. Heartbroken after the death of her husband Josh, as she offers advice and hot soup from her kitchen to the villagers who clearly need a helping hand, she starts to feel part of a community again.
But disaster strikes when a terrible storm causes the river to burst its banks and flood Ottilie’s ramshackle cottage. She has sunk every penny she has into what she’d hoped would be her forever home, and now she’s faced with the prospect of losing it.
But the villagers have other ideas. They can’t bear to lose Ottilie and they make a plan to save her house. Leading the effort is handsome Heath, and as he rolls up his sleeves to get involved in the repairs, he and Ottilie start to open up to each other. Ottilie tells him about her loss, and he shares the pain of a marriage that ended in heartbreak for him.
Ottilie hasn’t talked to anyone like this since Josh’s death and while it scares her, a tiny grain of hope begins to grow. Could Heath be the man to make her feel life is worth living again – not just for her patients, but for herself?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of A Helping Hand for the Village Nurse to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
I really hope that A Helping Hand from the Village Nurse is the first in a new series from Tilly Tennant because I adored this warm, engaging read from the first word to the last. I didn’t want to leave the characters or setting behind once I had reached the final page so that’s why I am desperately hoping that there will be much more to come from them in the future. Tilly Tennant is a machine when it comes to writing I feel like it was only the other day that her Lifeboat Sisters trilogy was published and now here she is with a new book. Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining. In fact it’s all welcome as I really enjoy her books. Sometimes publishing books so close together or several books a year the quality of the writing may suffer but that’s not the case here at all and dare I say it as much as I loved the Lifeboat Sisters series I think these new characters and setting edge it out for me ever so slightly. This was a fabulous read and just the genre and story I needed as a break in between reading lots of historical fiction. I devoured it in two sittings but really wish it could have gone on for much longer.
The story introduces us to Ottilie Oakcroft who is a nurse and married to a police officer named Josh. From the tone of the first few pages I could tell what was to come and to be honest I was ever so slightly reluctant to read on as I didn’t want the inevitable to happen. But of course it did and my heart broke for Ottilie. Josh is brought into the A&E of the hospital where Ottilie works. He has been injured in what turns out to be more than a scuffle with someone he was investigating. Ottilie had been looking forward to celebrating their ten year anniversary and had a very exciting present in store for Josh. But all her hopes, dreams and aspirations are shattered as Josh passes away. Even from the very first chapter you could tell the depth of love that Ottilie had for Josh and vice versa and it was truly heart-breaking for her. I just wanted to reach in and embrace her in a hug and tell her that everything would be ok but that it would take time. Bereavement, grief and desolation become big themes throughout the book, but it never ventured into dark and brooding territory. Instead, it was dealt with in an expert and sensitive way that allowed light and shade to be found throughout the book at the most opportune of times.
Six months after the loss of Josh and Ottilie still hasn’t gotten used to her new status as a widow. But now she is leaving her old life behind and searching for hope and clinging onto any shard that she can. Ottilie is emotionally vulnerable but being brave in taking a new step and starting a new job as the community nurse in the Lake District village of Thimblebury. ‘She couldn’t have known how it would tear open a wound in her soul that felt as if it would never heal, how it would force a chasm between a new reality and a past she wasn’t willing to let go of that might never be bridged’. That’s exactly what holds Ottilie back throughout the book. On a professional front she does very well. It was a joy to see her immerse herself in village life, getting to know her patients and the villagers but on a personal level she was stuck in the past and couldn’t move forward. There was something preventing her from doing so and until it could be resolved she was still terrified that something could happen. ‘She tried to move forward a little every day, and she often convinced herself that she had, but the grief was always there filling the dark spaces, showing itself whenever she dared look?’
The descriptions of the village and surrounding areas were incredible and instantly made me wish that Thimblebury was real. There was a real cosy feeling about it and that everyone would come together and be there for each other in times of trouble or strife. I loved how Ottilie threw herself into her work and made many new friends including Victor and Corinne, Geoff and Magnus, Chloe and Stacey and of course Lavender and Fliss at the surgery. They all had their own little stories which only added to my overall enjoyment of the book. But I think the friendship that Ottilie formed with Flo was very special. She was quick witted and sharp and lived in the village all her life but old age was starting to creep in on her. This friendship lead to Ottilie meeting her grandson Heath. Heath was a bit standoffish and had a big chip on his shoulder as past hurts in relation to his marriage were eating him up but still that was no excuse to be rude to Ottilie as he sometimes was.
I desperately wanted her to find happiness but I questioned could anything happen with Heath given his brusque personality. To be honest I don’t think Ottilie was really ready to move on and nor should she have been put under pressure to do so given the deep love she had with Josh. I think she was torn between a rock and a hard place. Loyalty to Josh and not forgetting his memory but also she knew how young she was and that she had plenty of life left in her and could easily get back in the game. All that it would take was time, patience and courage. ‘It was liked a locked door. I can see the rest of my life on the other side, but the key’s missing and I can’t get through. So I’m stuck here, watching it drift away from me, further and further the longer I stall’. When the time was right she would know and find that person and place that would be the best fit for her. But when a storm hits the village and her beautiful cottage is destroyed she questions whether Thimblebury and the friends she has made are right for her.
Ottilie was a people pleaser. Often doing what she thought others wanted of her rather than what she felt was right for her. Yes, she was practical, staid, reliant and sensible but she was also cautious and I think she needed to throw this feeling to the wind and embrace the changes that were coming her way. Not to be afraid of them and yes if she did have some small feelings for Heath that act on them. Break down his barriers. Get to know him. Discover what makes him tick and see could she find the true Heath that was surely lurking somewhere. But is Ottilie brave enough to take the risk? There are certainly many troubled waters to navigate and missed opportunities and crossed wires to overcome before Ottilie can attempt to find the happiness that had been snatched from her.
A Helping Hand for the Village Nurse was an absolute delight of a read and should come with a warning that you will not get any work done once you start reading it. I certainly didn’t. A glorious setting, brilliant characters, lots of little problems interspersed with moments of joy and magic and a romance that gently simmers. This had everything I love in a book in this genre and I know it will please both old fans of and new readers to Tilly’s wonderful writing.
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