Emma's Review: The Gingerbread House by Kate Beaufoy

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Life in the Gingerbread House is no fairy tale...

When Tess agrees to move into her aged mother-in-law’s idyllic country cottage, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to escape the distractions of the city and start work on a novel. However, life in the Gingerbread House is no fairy tale. Tess is utterly unprepared for the reality of caring for Eleanor, who suffers from dementia.

Feeling increasingly isolated, she struggles to cope as Eleanor fluctuates between violent mood swings, child-like dependency and moments of heart-wrenching lucidity. Meanwhile, Tess’s teenage daughter Katia is helpless to intercede; in the end she can only watch as things fall apart and a tragedy even closer to home surfaces.

Amazon Links: Kindle or Paperback

Author Interview: Kate Beaufoy

I'm sure many bookworms across the world could reel off a whole list of names if they were asked for their favourite authors, and for Emma and I it is definitely the same, and one author who would be pretty top of our lists would be Kate Thompson/Kate Beaufoy.  

Both of us have read all of her Kate Thompson books and fell in love with her Kate Beaufoy Liberty Silk novel last year so when we were asked to be part of the Another Heartbeat in the House blog tour we jumped at the chance to ask Kate a few questions.   

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest novel Another Heartbeat in the House?
It tells the story of two women from two different eras – the 1930s and the 1840s. Edie and Eliza are bright, independent and ambitious, and their lives intertwine in a way that turns out to have life-changing consequences for both of them. 

How did the title Another Heartbeat in the House come about? 
I found the house in a remote beauty spot, overlooking a lake. It was derelict, and for sale. As I wandered through the silent, empty rooms I could hear my own heartbeat, and I became keenly aware of the fact that other pulses had quickened, raced, and slowed to a halt within those walls 150 years ago  

What inspired you to tell the story in this way, through a hidden memoir?  And how hard was it to write the narrative in this way? 
I had toyed initially with the idea of letters or a journal rather than a memoir, but because I wanted something that had been composed with a view to posterity rather than just jotted down in a hurry, I opted for the latter. The narrator harbours dreams of becoming a published author, so I gave her what I hope is an elegant and humorous voice. I immersed myself in the literature of the 19th century (Austen, the Brontes, Thackeray), and once I was comfortable with the vernacular, I went for it like a greyhound out of the traps. Writing Eliza was a joy! 

Blogiversary Giveaway #2: Win a copy of Liberty Silk by Kate Beaufoy

The second of today's blogiversary giveaways is for a copy of Liberty Silk by Kate Beaufoy which was one of my favourite books read this Summer so I have bought a copy for someone else to hopefully fall in love with it too.

One beautiful dress is the key to three brave women’s destinies…

France 1919: Jessie is celebrating the last heady days of her honeymoon. But when her husband suddenly disappears she finds herself bereft. Until a chance encounter thrusts her into the centre of the intoxicating world of Parisian high life.

Books Read: Kate Beaufoy - Liberty Silk

One beautiful dress is the key to three brave women's destinies.

France 1919: Jessie is celebrating the last heady days of her honeymoon. But when her husband suddenly disappears she finds herself bereft. Until a chance encounter thrusts her into the centre of the intoxicating world of Parisian high life.

Hollywood 1945: Lisa has come a long way from her quiet, unassuming life in London and is taking Hollywood by storm. But all that glitters is not gold, and as the smoke and mirrors of the lifestyle she so longed for shatter around her there are some secrets she can never escape.

London 1965: Cat, headstrong and independent, drawn to danger and passionately opposed to injustice, has no idea of the legacy that precedes her. Once past secrets are unveiled, she has the chance to find out what liberty really means...

An evocative story of survival, betrayal and the invincibility of love.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback