Imogen Clark

I'm only 15% through this book and I'm setting it aside. Normally, I'd persist for a little longer than this before abandoning a book, unless the writing was truly awful, which is not the case here.

I picked the book up because I loved the title, the cover and the premise.

The title, 'Reluctantly Home' has multiple meanings: the reluctant return to a home you thought you'd left behind you when you became an adult and took charge of your life, the dissonance that can be created because 'home' show more and the person that you were when you lived at home, never quite leaves you, even when your newly launched life is under full sail, the sense that home is something you reluctantly settle for when you accept that you can never escape its gravity well, and perhaps, if your lucky, it becomes a place that, despite your reluctance, where you feel you belong and want to stay.

The cover grabbed me because it's simple but evocative which gave me hope that the novel would also be simple but evocative.

The premise appealed in a couple of ways: I like the idea of women with high potential whose lives have been derailed by the events they can't control, helping each other to find the resilience and optimism to bring joy back into their lives.

So, how come I'm abandoning this book so quickly?

The main reason was that I struggled to empathise with either of the women. I understand that Pip Appleby is traumatised by the fatal accident she was involved in but I found her lack of introspection and self-knowledge difficult to reconcile with someone who has had the intelligence and drive to make a career for herself as a prominent Human Rights lawyer. To me, she came across as someone who ran away from her old life and invented a new one that was all shine and no depth. It's not that I can't imagine someone like her. It's just that, when I do imagine them, I have no sympathy with them. Evelyn Mountcastle, an actress on the brink of success when fate intervened and changed her plans, is another woman who had sold herself a fairytale but couldn't produce a happily ever after. To me, she seemed very naïve, which is not a fault but is a little hard to credit in an actress who is years into her career.

Imogen Clark's style of storytelling didn't help me become invested in these two women. It was too arms-length for me. I never got inside either woman's head. I felt I got dialogue, plot and stage directions but no intimacy.

Maybe the rest of the book works differently, once the characters and their situations are established but I have too many other books calling to me, to spend the time to find out if I'm wrong about this one. show less

The sprawling Bliss family revels in the kind of chaos you’d expect when you have four characterful siblings, a wordy, slightly feckless father and a doughty Irish mother. The children have, with varying amounts of grace, embraced the roles thrust on them by their order of birth: Miriam, the eldest, the organiser; Sebastian, the unexpected baby, coddled and charming; Anna, the cherished, spoiled favourite, who has been supported no matter what she does. And then Clare, the second child: show more troubled, troublesome and fractious. As we follow the Bliss siblings through their lives, we gradually come to understand them better and to grasp the complicated network of allegiances and obligations that binds them together when we first meet them, as adults, standing around the grave of their mother. But Dorothy Bliss, deceased, has one final surprise to levy upon her children...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2019/10/30/the-thing-about-clare-imogen-clark/ show less

Because of an accident, Pip has come home to recover herself. While home Pip works at a charity shop where a box of books is delivered which has a diary in it. Pip takes the diary and learns it belongs to Evelyn Mountcastle, an actress who grew up in the same village and returned home in the late 70's because of a scandal. As Pip reads the diary, she has questions she wants answered. She decides she will return the diary to Evelyn. Will Evelyn let her in? Will Pip share her tragedy? Will show more either heal?

I enjoyed this story. Evelyn's 1979 story is cliched but the 2019 story of both Pip and Evelyn is interesting from how they meet and how they share. I liked both ladies. They are both stronger than they think for the things they went through and survived. There are a lot of similarities between the women. Both are guarded but both take a chance with each other. When they open up to each other, so many good things happen. I was glad that each was able to see themselves as they were and how they have changed and grown. Both were stuck but trusting each other, they are able to move on from their pasts.

This is worth reading. A few kleenex will be needed but this is such a good story, you don't want to miss it. show less

I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. They say not to judge a book by its cover, and while the front cover of this is just gorgeous, I was less than wowed by the back cover narrative. And I wasn't super enthused by the first chapter either. However, much to my pleasant surprise, this is a lovely story of hope and love and loss and moving on. I can't tell you why I liked it without spoiling it for you, however, if you're looking for a heart-warming, life-affirming beach-read, then show more definitely pick this one up! It might make you cry a bit, but it just might make you smile too! show less