The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club by Sophie Green

Today I have a wee review for my stop on the blog tour, check the poster above for the other stops, everyone has different content.


The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club by Sophie Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 432

Publisher - Sphere

Source - Review copy


My Review

Books bring them together - but friendship will transform all of their lives. Perfect for lovers of The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and The Little Paris Bookshop.

In 1978 the Northern Territory in Australia has begun to self-govern and telephones are not yet a common fixture. Life is hard and people are isolated, but these five women find a way to connect.

Sybil, the matriarch of Fairvale Station, misses her eldest son and is looking for a distraction.

Kate, Sybil's daughter-in-law, is thousands of miles away from home and finding it difficult to adjust to life at Fairvale.

Sallyanne, mother of three, dreams of a life far removed from the dusty town where she lives with her difficult husband.

Rita, Sybil's oldest friend, is living far away in Alice Springs and working for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

And Della, who left Texas for Australia looking for adventure and work on the land, needs some purpose in her life.

Sybil comes up with a way to give them all companionship: they all love to read, and she forms a book club. As these five women bond over their love of books, they form friendships that will last a lifetime.

Warm-hearted, comforting and richly told, this is the perfect feel-good read for book lovers everywhere.



My Review

Set in 1978 in Australia, where life and the times are very different from there here and now. We focus mostly on the four ladies of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club and how the book club comes to be and what it means to the ladies. Sybil brings them all together, with her best friend Rita who works as a nurse in the Flying Doctor service. Sybil's daughter in law Kate, from England and Della from Texas and a working hand. Each in need of friendship and finding it from joining the book club. As we delve into the book we find out a bit more about each of the ladies and how the books bring them together closer, a book with family and friendship very much at the heart of it.

A genteel book, not something I normally go for but I am really happy I was sent this one to read. The ladies are very different from each other, Sybil has never recovered from the rejection of her son and always pines over him. Rita has never had time for much bar Sybil and her job, Kate misses back home and her doubts of being a good wife. Della, from a family that either takes her for granted or expects more than she can give she finally breaks free and comes to Australia.

I loved the description on the scenes in this book, Australia is not a country I have ever been to, would love to but the actual distance not to mention the bugs, ooft just no! Reading about how the seasona affect not just the land but the impact on those living and working on it was really interesting. The relationships, family values and traits of each character all engage the reader, well it did for me. My complaint would be, despite it being a relatively large read there was some parts that cut short or left you hanging without full insight. To be fair, lots of people don't mind some intrigue, I like to know all the ins and outs so that would really be my only complaint.

If work hadn't got in the way I would have probably read this in one sitting, it covers many issues presented for the setting and timeline. Racial issues, social expectations of woman and their roles, love, loss, grief, friendship and much more. 4/5 for me this time, if you want a read that takes you to a different location, gives you a variety of characters you want to read more and more off and just a wee escapism this one is absolutely for you. My first dance with this author, most assuredly won't be my last, a wee delightful book!

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