Audio Review: The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain

Steeped in history and filled with heart-wrenching twists, The Stolen Marriage is an emotionally captivating novel of secrets, betrayals, prejudice, and forgiveness. It showcases Diane Chamberlain at the top of her talent.

One mistake, one fateful night, and Tess DeMello’s life is changed forever.

It is 1944. Pregnant, alone, and riddled with guilt, twenty-three-year-old Tess DeMello abruptly gives up her budding career as a nurse and ends her engagement to the love of her life, unable to live a lie. Instead, she turns to the baby’s father for help and agrees to marry him, moving to the small, rural town of Hickory, North Carolina. Tess’s new husband, Henry Kraft, is a secretive man who often stays out all night, hides money from his new wife, and shows her no affection. Tess quickly realizes she’s trapped in a strange and loveless marriage with no way out.

The people of Hickory love and respect Henry but see Tess as an outsider, treating her with suspicion and disdain. When one of the town’s golden girls dies in a terrible accident, everyone holds Tess responsible. But Henry keeps his secrets even closer now, though it seems that everyone knows something about him that Tess does not.

When a sudden polio epidemic strikes Hickory, the townspeople band together to build a polio hospital. Tess knows she is needed and defies Henry’s wishes to begin working at there. Through this work, she begins to find purpose and meaning. Yet at home, Henry’s actions grow more alarming by the day. As Tess works to save the lives of her patients, can she untangle the truth behind her husband’s mysterious behavior and find the love—and the life—she was meant to have? 

Hardcover, 376 pages

Published October 3rd 2017

 by St. Martin's Press

3.5/5 stars

Diane Chamberlain had me at The Midwife's Confession and I haven't looked back.  This is my 7th book and I still have a ways to go with her backlist.  Her books are usually 4/5 stars, which is why she is an auto read author.  Somehow I missed The Stolen Marriage and grabbed the audio when it was a deal over at Chirp.

This one has the historical aspect that I love.  The polio epidemic of 1945 was new for me, I found it not just educational but heartbreaking as well.  The treatment and isolation for that time seems so primitive now, thank goodness for the advancements made.

Tess's story was interesting enough serving as a set up for the last half of the book.  It wasn't as captivating as I'd hoped or come to expect in a Chamberlain book.  Whether listening verse reading played a part I am not sure.  I found the story slow moving and while Henry's actions were mysterious some parts were predictable.

While this isn't my favourite Diane Chamberlain book she remains an auto read and author I recommend.

Audio Review: The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell

Melody Browne can remember nothing before her ninth birthday. Now in her early thirties, Melody lives in the middle of London with her seventeen-year-old son. She hasn’t seen her parents since she left home at fifteen, but Melody doesn't mind. She’s better off on her own.

And then fragments of her past start to come back. At first her memories mean nothing to her but slowly, day by day, she begins to piece together the real story of her childhood.

But with every mystery she solves another one materialises, with every question she answers another appears. And Melody begins to wonder if she'll ever know the truth about her past ... 

Paperback, 377 pages

Published January 7th 2010

 by Arrow Books

3/5 stars

I have been a fan of Lisa Jewell for a number of years, she is a go-to author and now I am slowly making my way through her back list. Originally published in 2009 this book was re-released last month. I grabbed the audio from Chirp and did a combo read/listen.

The blurb above paints an interesting story with great potential.  Melody Brown is a book about a dysfunctional family that at times reminding me of The Family Upstairs.  Present day Melody is 33 years old with a 17 year old son, I liked the relationship, especially giving birth so young.  The story alternates between the past, though at times I was confused as to whether this was the past or Melody's memories resurfacing - that sounds similar but it does make a difference here.

For me this book was a bit of a struggle and I don't think it mattered the format.  It was hard to connect to the characters and just felt a little too choppy. Some parts were predictable and the ending was okay, but a little too neat and tidy.

This might not be one of my favourite Jewell books, it won't swayed me from continuing  my quest to read her previous books.

This book was part of my 2021 Reading off My Shelf Challenge.  

Audio Review: The Making of Us by Lisa Jewell

In a hospice in Bury St Edmunds, a man called Daniel is slowly fading away. His friend Maggie sits with him every day; she holds his hand and she listens to the story of his life, to his regrets and to his secrets. And then he tells her about the children he has never met and never will. He talks of them wistfully. His legacy, he calls them. 

Lydia, Dean and Robyn don't know each other. Yet. And they are all facing difficult changes. Lydia is still wearing the scars from her traumatic childhood and although she is wealthy and successful, her life is lonely and disjointed. Dean is a young man, burdened with unexpected responsibility, whose life is going nowhere. And Robyn wants to be a doctor, just like her father - a man she's never met. But is her whole life built on an illusion?

Three people leading three very different lives. All lost. All looking for something. But when they slowly find their way into each other's lives, everything starts to change ...

Published June 5th 2018 by Dreamscape Media LLC

Unabridged, Audiobook

Narrated by: Helen Duff

Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins

2.5/5 stars

In my quest to read Lisa Jewell's back list I purchased this audio from Chirp - to give them a try and it was too good a deal to pass up.  While I found the Chirp app and service great my thoughts in the audio sadly did not yield the same results.

I'll start with the fact I am a big Lisa Jewell fan, her latest books have been favourites of mine - dark and twisty, mysterious and kept me guessing.  Her earlier books are more chicklit/women's fiction, which are always nice to read.  However, in this case it just didn't work for me like it did for others.  Maybe if I had read the book verses listening it might be different but sadly I doubt it.

The Making of Us has multiple POVs with the narrator changing her voice for each. Each character is unique, their own story to share and while I understood the connection I wasn't drawn to any of them. Part I think was the narrators voices which helped to define a character trait that I'm not sure was the authors intent. 

I get having flawed and unlikable characters but when the story line doesn't interest me, well there is a problem.  Parts of the story were okay but it was drawn out too long for my liking and the voices just took away from the story, to be honest I'm surprised I finished this one.

Will I continue to read Lisa Jewell?  ABSOLUTELY!  She has a new book coming on later on in the year, The Night She Disappeared (that's Aug 5th for the UK and Sept for us in North America)