THE MISINTERPRETATION OF TARA JUPP by EVA RICE

THE MISINTERPRETATION OF TARA JUPP

BY EVA RICE

THE BLURB:-

1962, Cornwall. Tara Jupp- vicar's daughter, occasional thief, expert rider and second fiddle to her sister 'the beauty' Lucy- sings at a wedding and is spotted by a record producer.

With the spotlight suddenly, thrillingly, shining on her alone, the roots of Tara's country existence are shaken free and she is propelled to Swinging Sixties London.

Plunged into a dazzling new world of fashion, music and heartache, in a city where skirts are being hitched up as fast as the past is being pulled down, can Tara hold the limelight and hold on to who she really is?

THE REALITY:-

I haven't posted a book review since July, and the reason for this is simple- I've had too much on! It was exactly the same this time last year. As well as work, I also had holiday to take, so I spent a bit of time in Blackpool and seemed to do more sightseeing than reading and chilling. In a week we managed to visit: the Sealife Centre, the Blackpool Dungeons, Madame Tussauds Blackpool, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, the Tower and Ballroom, Blackpool Zoo, the Pleasure Beach, Sandcastle Waterpark, Fleetwood Market, all three piers, the light show projected onto the front of the tower, the shops and also several bars, as well as taking in the wonderful illuminations.  I've also had some fantastic days out in, or within spitting distance of, London, including: Broadstairs, Margate, Ramsgate, Southend, Painshill Park (twice), Hampton Court, Kew Gardens, The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, The London Aquarium and Madame Tussauds. I've also done a little soul searching and have put in place my exit plan from my current (rotten) job, and my future plans to decorate my flat and enrol on to a Master's degree in creative writing.

But... back to the novel... This came across as a bit of a middle and upper class kind of romp, but you do see poorer unfortunates featured here. It strikes me that the Sixties was all about giving talented people a chance, whatever their background, and that sense that anything was possible. I wish that attitude still existed nowadays, as we seemed more hidebound by class, social status and personal, influential contacts than ever before, with the added gripe of inherited celebrity guaranteeing mediocrity achieving success, whilst talented people lie on the sidelines, wasted. And don't get me started on that!

This book was very interesting, with a variety of fun characters who came across as completely real. Being into art and history, I liked the locations and the big houses which fascinated Raoul and Lucy so. No expense has been spared in creating descriptions which brought these things to life. It was engrossing to see how all the characters developed, and how the scenes 'panned out' and the author is very good at picking out the zeitgeist of the era and making you feel as if you are really living inside the story, and are part 'of the moment' yourself. I also learnt some new writing tricks from this novel, as the writer seems to drop a fact- or point- into the prose from left field, which leaves you hungry to turn the pages, searching for an explanation.

Fact is interwoven into this novel, and we find ourselves at The Rolling Stones' first ever proper gig, at the Marquee, without finding out it was them until later. The tragic Brian Jones takes quite a lead role, as he involves himself with one of our fictional characters, although you don't know it is actually him until the end.

This wasn't so much a novel about Tara, our heroine, as a whole group of people; all of whom having faults and failings as well as pluses. Every positive has a negative, and our more aesthetically gifted characters certainly had their share of issues and drawbacks. With the kind of ending that was unpredictable but quite pleasant, I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to more good reads from this author.