THE HOUSE ON BELLEVUE GARDENS by RACHEL HORE

THE HOUSE ON BELLEVUE GARDENS

BY RACHEL HORE

THE BLURB:-

Bellevue Gardens is a tranquil London square, tucked away behind a busy street. You might pass it without knowing it's there.

Here, through the imposing front door of Number 11, is a place of peace, of sanctuary and of secrets. It is home to Leonie; once a model in the sixties, she came to the house to escape a destructive marriage and now, out of gratitude, she opens her house to others in need.

Rosa, Stef and Rick are running from their own problems. They have all found a way to Leonie's home, each seeking a refuge and searching for a new start.

But then Leonie discovers that the house which has provided sanctuary for so many is under threat. Can she rescue the place that saved her all those years ago?

THE REALITY:-

Turn the key to enter Rachel Hore's most compelling novel yet... said the remainder of the blurb... But I have to admit that I probably found this book her least compelling yet, and I've read all of her novels.

Maybe I'm being unfair as, although this story comes across as of the light, bright and trite variety, the beauty is in the subtlety; the way the characters develop and react to the situations dished out to them. I'm going to be reading this novel again as I read it during the week I was on holiday and I want to recapture that mood. I will also keep it in my collection, in the “research” pile, as I intend to make a character in my next novel (entitled “Lydia Darling”) a model, and will use this book to refer to for inspiration (even though Leonie is a model in the 1960s and Lydia will be a 1980s/1990s model).

I liked that this book was set in London, so I could relate to some of the areas the characters find themselves moving in, but was also surprised that King's Lynn, the town I grew up in got a mention. I spent a bit of time trying to figure out exactly where it was that the author had used as inspiration for the street where Michal's safe house is situated, but decided that that part of the descriptive is probably purely fictional!

I loved the sensitive way in which Leonie's marriage breakdown was detailed and also Stef's story, which has its similarities and shows just how something good can turn sour as someone maybe a bit vulnerable gets manipulated until they find their self esteem and leave. I think we can all relate to that- I certainly can, unfortunately.  Michal and Rosa's story was a modern take on the sadder, sleazier side to immigration, and it's horrible that that kind of thing goes on. Again, another example of vulnerable people being manipulated, which appears to be a bit of a theme throughout this book. This was definitely a novel about good guys versus bad guys and all of the characters sat either on one side of the fence or the other.

I liked that fashion got a big mention, from Leonie's career to Stef's passion for design as the latter was once such a big part of my life.  I don't envy this character following a career in fashion, though.  Unless she ends up self employed she will end up unemployed, so good luck with that.  Yep, the story was capable of arousing emotion within me!

A big shame for me was that the novel didn't come to any kind of conclusion. We never did get to find out whether Leonie's painting was valuable enough to make a considerable dent in the asking price for the renewal of the house lease, when a big part of the story revolved around the security the house had brought to its residents. A nice novel that has its merits- the ending not being one of them.