#Blogtour The Time of Cherries by Michael S. Hollington.

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Time of Cherries by Michael S. Hollington.

About the Author

Michael S Hollington qualified as a chartered surveyor. After spells in the City, Belgium and North America he spent the bulk of his career in Hong Kong, selling buildings on behalf of clients. He lives in London with his wife, Sarah. The Time of Cherries is his first published novel.

About the book

Burgundy, 1861. - Christine ‘Kiki’ Vellay, the daughter of vineyard workers, is forced to marry an older man in exchange for a piece of land. He abuses her. Seduced by a young naval cadet she plots to run away. When her husband is killed during the attempt, she finds herself wrongly accused of his murder. 

Kiki is on the run. - On reaching Paris in disguise, Kiki discovers she is pregnant and takes on various jobs to survive. When her child is stolen from her, she begins a desperate attempt to find him. Her story takes her from imprisonment in the infamous Conciergerie, to a chateau in the Loire, back to Paris under siege – as a spy – during the Franco-Prussian war, culminating in a dramatic conclusion in the final bloody week of the Paris Commune.

A story of resilience in the face of immense hardship, The Time of Cherries is a gripping account of a woman’s instinct and longing for her child.

Review

Her story is very much one that is part of a bigger picture when you are born a woman, beholden to the decisions made by the men who control your fate, and always subject to the derision of the those who keep the patriarchy alive and well. There is little room for self-choice or development and certainly not enough for personal and emotional fulfilment. Is this even a thought in her mind when Kiki engages with Junius?

Is there any part of her that realises one step will lead towards heartbreak and betrayal. To a tearing of her heart, as she navigates the turbulent world around her whilst seeking her child. Staying alive becomes a task upon itself as the country is swept up in a conflict, which makes her personal sorrow seem secondary.

I wonder if this is the last we shall hear of Kiki and her quest to right the wrongs done unto her, and perhaps in equal measure to the country she lives in. Will the last chapter indeed be the last or will we be privy to the possible difficulties of the aftermath of both the political state of France and her personal life. Is it really just a question of picking up where wounds were inflicted with no thought to the pain they may cause or will the end of her journey be the beginning of one filled with mistrust and doubts?

It's a story of perseverance, of love and seduction, of conflict and lies, and ultimately one of survival as Kiki fights to reunite with the person she holds closest to her heart. Historical fiction meets romance and saga in this engaging read.

Buy The Time of Cherries at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Book Guild Publishing Ltd, pub date 4 Aug. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.