AMBITIONS by AUDREY HOWARD

AMBITIONS

BY AUDREY HOWARD

THE BLURB:-

They founded an empire together, but at a terrible cost to themselves.

Lacy Hemingway and Rose O'Malley could not have had more different origins- Lacy's full of privilege, as befitted the daughter of Liverpool's richest shipping magnate; Rose's as difficult as only the life of poor Irish immigrants could be.

Their friendship was as powerful as it was unlikely. From the early days of childhood, they faced a sometimes hostile world together. It was their strength that helped them build a business empire that was a model to the world of men they challenged.

But, ultimately, their empire and their friendship were brought to the point of destruction by the love each of them had for the same man.

THE REALITY:-

Wow and waheeey!!!! A tome!!!! And I do love tomes- nowadays writers are supposed to fit into the box of producing a 400 page commercial novel- that and definitely no longer. But in the 1980s, when this novel was published, tomes were not frowned upon. People are not stupid, you know, and do have the intellect and endurance to finish a 669 page novel, and one in small print at that. And, in today's busy world, some of us also make the time to pursue our hobbies, such as reading, as self-love and nurturing is really important- as opposed to life being about 'all work and no play'.

Rant over, now for the story. 'Ambitions' was incredibly well researched, digging into periods of history and lifestyles that I am not an expert on; such at the finer details of the American Civil War, the Crimean War and also the ins and outs of the world of shipping magnates in the 19^th century. Of course, all of this can be lifted from books on those subjects, but the writer has also examined the finer details, such as the turns of phrases/workaday language, fashions and mannerisms used during those times. The world of the characters came alive with clever scenic descriptions of both town and country, and the social codes of the day were well explored. You also get to see the very stark contrast between the world of the rich and the world of the poor, with likeable and loathsome characters on both sides and immense depictions that enlighten every one of your senses. When Rose goes to visit her childhood home, you can almost smell the stench of poverty and taste her wariness of her rancid stepfather. Talking of the latter, it was good to see 'Lancer' McGhee get his just desserts and laugh out loud funny that his nickname came from him having a very large penis- and also quite horrid too... Do read the book and find out why.  The writer has a very good grasp of the English language and I managed to learn some new words, which is always a bonus for me.  I like to broaden my intellect.

The story itself is really enthralling, with so much depth that it's hard not to engross yourself into the core of it. Would I prefer to be Lacy or Rose (our heroines), fighting for credibility in a man's world? Neither. They were successful, but both had real tragedies happen to them in their lives. Here comes a spoiler alert- Lacy, with her illegal backstreet abortion nearly killing her and leaving her unable to have children, and Rose, with her horrible, poverty stricken and dangerous early life.  The latter's enduring love for James stopped her from forming a relationship with any other man. I could, unfortunately, relate to Lacy's teenage feelings with regard to being abandoned both by the father she loved and the man she had fallen in love with. It's difficult when those you look up to and really believe will look after you neglect to do so. Lacy, with the help of Rose, was strong enough to move on. It took me longer, maybe because I didn't have a much-needed 'Rose' in my life, and couldn't confide in my mother.  I did have one gripe, however, and that is that the end of the novel did start to seem predictable, the further you got into the book.

It is pleasing that Audrey Howard is not a young writer- I believe she was 52 when her first novel was published, and has gone on to have a very prolific career, with an impressive back list. This makes me feel a bit guilty for not pressing on with my second novel, but something else always seems to get in the way. At the moment it's flat redecorating/ finding people do to the jobs that require a professional and job hunting (as I do not like my stupid day job). But I plain to save so that I can leave it behind. Then I can devote all of my time to, firstly, redecorating, and secondly, working on my next book. I was never much good at a multitasking lifestyle, me!  And don't get me started on that- I have never met a person who can multitask, despite many people boasting to the contrary.