#BlogTour The Love Child by Rachel Hore

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour The Love Child by Rachel Hore. It's a contemporary read, a story about love and the way certain bonds are there even if they aren't visible to the naked eye.

About the Author
Rachel Hore worked in London publishing for many years before moving with her family to Norwich, where she teaches publishing and creative writing at the University of East Anglia. She is married to the writer D. J. Taylor and they have three sons. Her latest novel, Last Letter Home, was a Sunday Times bestseller and a Richard and Judy Book Club pick for 2018.

Follow @Rachelhore on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit rachelhore.co.uk, Buy The Love Child

About the book
One young mother's ultimate sacrifice. One child's desperate search to uncover the truth . . .

London, 1917
When seventeen-year-old Alice falls pregnant, she is forced by her father and stepmother to give up the baby. She simply cannot be allowed to bring shame upon her family. But all Alice can think of is the small, kitten-like child she gave away, and how the father, a young soldier, so beloved, will never have the chance to know his daughter.

Meanwhile, Edith and Philip, a couple unable to have children of their own, secretly adopt a baby girl, Irene, given up by a young unmarried mother. Irene grows up knowing that she is different from other children but no one will tell her the full truth. As two extraordinary stories intertwine across two decades, will secrets long-buried at last come to light?

Review
It's quite normal for an adopted child to feel different, especially if they are unaware of the fact they are adopted. A lot of them feel as if something isn't quite right. That there is something missing. Outsiders often don't understand their need to search for their roots in an attempt to learn more about where they came from. Why rock the boat?

I think in Irene's case the feeling of not belonging is multiplied tenfold by the rejection and lack of love she feels from her adoptive mother. There is no bond and no instinct to protect and cherish. Obviously Irene hopes deep inside that her biological mother will make up for what she lacked as a child.

What becomes clear in the story, due to the time-frame it is set in, is how we all take the information flow of the late 20th and 21st century for granted. Given enough information and access to resources you can find anyone who has left a digital footprint. Whereas the search in this book is hindered by lack of records, finding people who know the truth, and then being able to locate someone with only the bare minimum of information.

The other side of the adoption coin is the woman who was forced to give up her child, and subsequently told to keep it a secret for the rest of her life. Alice turns her heartbreak and all the pain, and uses that internal drive to succeed in a career dominated by men.

Hore shows the invisible bond between the two women, who are meant to connect, despite the circumstances that drive them apart. It's a sensitive subject written with gentle and understanding voice. It's a contemporary read, a story about love and the way certain bonds are there even if they aren't visible to the naked eye.

Buy The Love Child at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK; pub date 5 Sept. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion

I can't help but think that is one of the many wet dreams men in the middle of a mid-life crisis have, especially the whole 'sex with no strings with another man's wife while he is there looking on' scenario. Yeh, no that was a wee bit out there, but hey anything goes right. Well nearly anything.

Adam is a middle-aged bloke in a comfortable relationship with Claire and has the liberty of working at his own pace for only half of the year.

Clearly the grass isn't green enough on his side of the fence though, which leaves him vulnerable to ghosts of the past.
When an ex reconnects he finds himself falling into an emotional trap. He quickly crosses the line from innocent banter to outright flirting. Before he knows it he is cheating emotionally.

Things come to a head with his partner and all of a sudden he is on his way to meet his long lost love and her hubby. The rest is a roller coaster of emotions and expectations.

Playlists in stories are very much an en vogue feature of our era. It's not really my cup of tea. The occasional musical reference for an important moment is fine, but being bombarded with music can interfere with the story. It can be detrimental to the flow. Saying that, I do think Simsion manages to create the perfect balance, perhaps because two of the main characters are singers/musicians. Every moment between them is captured in time with a specific melody and/or song.

It is the unapologetic romp of a middle-aged man who wants to have his cake and eat it too.

Buy The Best of Adam Sharp at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old by Hendrik Groen

Although the story is witty and infused with a strong layer of sarcasm, it also made me quite sad to think that in the end our lives are reduced to such banality. One is treated with a lack of dignity and compassion, which quite frankly is simply appalling.

The identity behind the pseudonym Hendrik Groen has been a bit of a mystery for the last few years. I can imagine quite a few old age pensioners being eyed suspiciously by inhabitants and management teams in care homes. The Volkskrant seems to be think it is a particular gentleman nearly a few decades shy of being an octogenarian.

The truth is it doesn't really matter because Hendrik Groen is nearly all of us when it comes to being an elderly person in western society. In quite a few European countries the birthrate is now so low that in a few decades there will be more elderly citizens than younger ones. There couldn't be a better reason to re-evaluate the way the older generations are taken care of.

In that sense I believe Groen's diary is making some very valid points, albeit ones mixed with a good portion of irony, humour and current events.

There is a special emphasis on euthanasia and having the choice to die. Dying with Dignity has become a hot topic in the UK, with many people campaigning to allow the terminally ill, the incurable and those who don't wish to live in constant pain, to be able to choose to die. Giving them a voice and a choice before they become too ill to be able to make a decision.

With the story being set in Amsterdam (original language Dutch) it is laden with references to Dutch traditions, holidays, food and places, which I personally enjoyed because I used to live in the German/Dutch border region.

I hope, if I am ever unfortunate enough to end up in care home that treats me like a number and a potential profit margin, I will have the good fortune of making a band of friends like Hendrik's gang of rebels.

I wonder what he will write about in his second diary?

Buy The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.