But I Smile Anyway…

I haven’t been totally vegetized over the holiday… Plenty of reading went on and I made a teeny dent in my TBR pile!

One set of books I read were by the extremely talented Judith Barrow. Visit her blog here!

I have always loved stories that were based during the war years. It comes from the fact that my mother loves these kinds of family sagas too, and so when I ventured into more grown-up fiction, these kinds of stories were on my mother’s bookshelves, rather than the chick lit, which I am also a bit partial to!

Well, Judith’s books are exactly the kind of stories my mum would love!!!!

Pattern Of Shadows

My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Judith Barrow has spun a fantastic tale about a northern family in the grips of the war, with some extremely sensitive, yet relevant to today issues.
My heart went out to the protagonist, Mary, and all she had to endure, from an awful boyfriend to loving one of the ‘enemy’, rape and coping with the pregnancy of her unwed sister. All this and dealing with her troubled parents, and a brother who was not only an objector to the war, but struggling to come to terms with homosexuality.
A meaty read and I was very glad to see there was a sequel!

Goodreads review – here

Amazon review – here

Changing Patterns

 My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was happy to be able to read the continuation of the Howarth family’s situations.
Mary and Peter appeared to be happily settled, but with the death of her brother Tom, a whole host of secrets are brought to the surface. Certain truths are uncovered which create situations where they all feel that things will never be the same again.
I really enjoyed how Judith Barrow took the different threads from the original story, and continued to weave another gripping chapter in the story of Mary and her family.

Goodreads review – here

Amazon review – here

Living In The Shadows

My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Taking a step further into the later years of Mary, and the Howarth family, we meet the various children, and nephews and nieces.
The events of the past have a knock-on effect on the children of the family, and old secrets are unearthed again.
I really enjoyed the whole series of books, and look forward to more from Judith Barrow!

Goodreads review – here

Amazon review – here

Secrets

My rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A short spin-off book with some stories about the minor characters from the Howarth family saga – It was a wonderful way to add some context to the characters we learned a little about in the three book series.

Goodreads review – here

Amazon review – here

And I am excited to read the prequel, A Hundred Tiny Threads, which charts the story of Mary Howarth’s parents.

It has also been chosen as The Welsh Books Council’s  BOOK OF THE MONTH in January 2018!

Visit Judith’s Amazon page here to get all her books!

I’m sorry if my reviews are rather simplistic, but I read for enjoyment, not to find technical issues with books, and if a story reaches my heart, and makes me want to keep on reading, it is a good book!