THE SNOW ANGEL by LULU TAYLOR

THE SNOW ANGEL

BY LULU TAYLOR

THE BLURB:-

Cressida Fellbridge is living the high life as a debutante in 1960s London society when she is courted by a friend of her brother's and is set to marry. To mark the occasion, her father decrees that she must have her portrait painted. But as soon as Cressie meets the painter Ralph Few, she knows her life will never be the same again. She falls deeply in love with Ralph but he is still married to Catherine. As Cressie is drawn into a strange, triangular relationship, Catherine's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, so Ralph and Cressie escape to Cressie's family home in Cumbria. But Catherine will not give up Ralph that easily...

In the present day, Emily Conway has everything she could wish for: a huge house, two beautiful children and a successful husband, Will. But as they drive to a party one night, Will reveals that he has been betrayed by his business partner. And then, in one shocking move, their perfect life together ends. When Emily wakes from her injuries, she is told of a mysterious legacy: a house in Cumbria, left to her by a woman she has never met. Could this be the chance to start anew? Or does this house have more secrets than answers?

THE REALITY:-

What a pleasure it was to read a good novel, after having to wade through two previous boring books. When I was typing the back blurb for this blog, I do believe I came to another of those 'did the person who wrote the blurb actually read the novel?' scenarios, as I don't recall Cressie's portrait being commissioned to make her engagement. Yes, she had a suitor but the relationship didn't appear to have gone that far. Sigh. I'm pretty sure this is my first foray into the work of Lulu Taylor, but it won't be the last. Yes, the book was too lacking in depth for it to become a bookcase fixture, but the story was a typical, nice page-turner. 'Pure indulgence and perfect reading for a dull January evening,' said one inside leaf review, and I get where they're coming from. I read this book approaching Christmastime, so could easily relate to the cold weather and the atmosphere of December House.

Both lifestyles and eras- the 1960s and present day- are brought to life throughout a very readable novel which contains a good mix of characters. Mental illness features in the shape of both Catherine and Tom, although I did question why the latter had to be in the story at all. Oh well, I suppose his lifestyle experiences added some interest- he just seemed superfluous to requirements. I've met men like Will before (and the women who covet them) and they almost always come up as lacking. There is more to life than money and status, you know. Sure, cold hard cash is important, but anything over the basics needed to live okay is an added bonus. He was another character who 'lost it', and I can sure as hell understand Emily wanting him dead. I'm glad she received another chance in the form of her most interesting legacy and I enjoyed reading how she solved the mystery surrounding (spoiler alert!) her aunt Cressie.

I had a (another spoiler alert!) spoiler of my own when the book accidentally fell open at a later page, telling me that Catherine Few was actually Ralph's sister. Oh well, I wasn't far behind anyway. It's hard to work out Catherine's motives but I think we can safely say that she was totally bonkers.  Maybe we are led to question how mental illness was treated fifty years ago compared to today? Possibly.

I'm glad both Emily and Cressie got happy endings and I'll certainly check out the work of William Orpen, the artist whom Ralph's work is based upon. A happy read.