Today is my stop on the Blackthorn Winter blog tour.
The book begins in the New Forest in 1845 where eight year
old James Thorne lives with his Grandmother and siblings.
When they fall upon hard times, the family must cope with
the workhouse and soon as they grown older, James takes a position in the navy
and travels the world. However, as much as he enjoys visiting new places there
is nowhere for him quite like the New Forest and he feels the need for trees in
his life. Th novel takes you through James’ whole life and by the end of the
book you feel like you know him so well.
Blackthorn Winter is beautifully written and compelling. The
scenes in the workhouse and later describing life in the navy are so vivid, it’s
almost like you are there with the characters. I also loved the way that the
superstition of the blackthorn tree is interwoven in this novel – for some it
is bad luck, whilst others see it as a symbol of hope.
If you like historical fiction and sagas this is definitely
a book for you. It’s a book full of hope, loss and love that spans a lifetime.
I really enjoyed following James’ life and I was quite sad once
the novel had finished. I look forward to reading more from this author.
I received a copy of this book as part of the Random Things
blog tour.
4 stars
