Lesley Pearse

Kitchen-sink drama at its best, this is a timeless tale of sibling love, family ties, melodrama, sexual depravity, and loyalty. Too real and raunchy for Barbara Cartland, but also too realistic and well written for a host of other chick-fic writers, It’s no wonder Pearse has a host of titles on the best-seller list.

Twins Maisy and Duncan Mitcham are sent to live with their grandmother in the country when their mother is committed to an asylum: they miss their mum and distrust their father, show more but soon love the freedom and friendliness of the countryside.

Except Duncan vanishes. Is he one of the murdered boys found in the woods, or did he run away? Daisy doesn’t believe he has died, and keeps looking for him, with dangerous consequences. Exciting, enthralling, excellent. show less

Back in 1995 I was working in Sheffield city centre. The bookshops were a magnet to me and I visited them several times a week. At the top of the escalator in WHSmith were three chunky books by an author new to me: Lesley Pearse. They immediately caught my eye and I couldn't resist giving them a go. I read Charity first, Lesley's third book, and then went back and read Georgia and Tara. I was absolutely absorbed in the ups and downs (perhaps rather more of the latter) of the eponymous show more characters and went on to devour every book this wonderful author has produced. Now, over thirty years since Georgia was published, Lesley Pearse has written her autobiography and it's instantly clear where so much of her inspiration has come from.

The Long and Winding Road is utterly compelling reading, as gripping as Lesley's novels. It takes us back first of all to the 1940s and the tragic death of her mother. After a stint in an orphanage she was able to return home but the remainder of her childhood was never easy and she escaped as soon as she could. I was astonished at the volume and variety of all the jobs and homes Lesley had. I think she moved more times than I had hot dinners! She was so courageous though, picking herself up and dusting herself down after each setback and letdown, bringing up her family and eventually becoming the bestselling novelist loved by so many readers.

I enjoyed this book so much. It's quite conversational in tone which made it easy to read and it's a tour through the music and fashion of the decades from the point of view of a woman who never let herself be held back. It was so wonderful to read about the life of one of my all-time favourite writers, the heartbreak and the joy, the sadness and the fun, culminating in a beautiful and heartwarming final chapter. It's a fabulous read. show less

Deception is Lesley Pearse's 30th book. What an achievement! She's been a favourite of mine since the beginning and I think that Deception is the best of her most recent books. It has what I love about Pearse's books: the tough upbringing, the family dramas, and a thumping good storyline.

This is a dual-timeline story which opens with Alice on her way to her mother's funeral. When a man approaches her and says he's her real father, Alice is horrified but as she starts to uncover Sally's show more secrets she realises that there was so much that she didn't know. Interspersed with Alice's story in 2015 is that of her mother from childhood onwards. Both threads are absolutely engrossing. I particularly enjoyed how Alice discovered details from her mother's life that she would never have known had she not met that stranger at the funeral. Pearse weaves the two stories together seamlessly and to brilliant effect.

Deception is a book that I didn't want to put down. I raced through it, finding it so easy to read but also gritty and gripping. I liked the social aspects of down-at-heel London, to Bristol and Devon, over the course of 40 or so years. Sally had quite a life and it made for fascinating reading.

Once again, Lesley Pearse has produced a page-turner of a book with strong female protagonists who have to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get on with it, and a whole range of other enthralling characters which combined to make this a thoroughly absorbing read. I really loved it. show less

This was a most compelling read of a difficult chapter in British history - the first convict transport to Australia and the travails suffered by Mary Broad Bryant and her fellow convicts. Author Lesley Pearse, through her extensive historical research, has put soul into a well-documented person of history. Pearse's writing is fine and highly descriptive without being flowery. Her writing calls to the reader's senses as they smell the sweet tropical plants of "Down Under" as well as the tang show more of the sea mist or that horrendous odor wafting up from deep within the ship's hold. They see the flagging convicts with their vacant visages as well as the encouraging dawn of a new day. One hears the angry voices of native islanders, the roiling surf of a stormy sea and the harrowing cries of hopeless convicts. One feels the tender touch of a caring friend and the horrific grip of a would-be rapist. Mary had been a foolish young woman who embraced her lot in life, yet inspired courage, engendered compassion and managed to survive the transport experience. Pearse has held nothing back. This is a horrific and yet amazing true story which needs to be told again and again. I for one am richer for having spent these hours with Mary, an amazing woman of history.

I am grateful to author Lesley Pearse and publisher Agora Books for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone. show less