THE BEEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER by SANTA MONTEFIORE

THE BEEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER

BY SANTA MONTEFIORE

THE BLURB:-

A family rocked by tragedy, a love that lives through time, a story that will stay in your heart...

Dorset, 1933: Grace Hamblin is an only child, daughter of the beekeeper on a large country estate. When her father dies unexpectedly she is left alone, with only the man she loves, whom she knows she can never have.

Massachusets, 1973: Grace's daughter Trixie is in love. Jasper is a singer in a band on the brink of stardom, but then tragedy strikes and he must return to his home in England. He promises to come back to Trixie one day, if only she will wait for him.

Weighed down by memories, both mother and daughter are searching for lost love. To find what they are longing for they must confront the past, and unravel the lies told long ago...

THE REALITY:-

I'd been meaning to read a book by Santa Montefiore (sister of sadly deceased 1990s 'it' girl Tara Palmer-Tomkinson) for quite some time as her work looked right up my street. Country manors, lost loves, history, family secrets, ghosts and interesting characters who develop (sometimes surprisingly) are all part of the recipe that has me hooked. It's escapism in its finest form. I think this was another find at the second-hand book section at the Kenneth More Theatre, Ilford, and it didn't disappoint. In fact, I'm already gripped by the preview of the next novel she wrote, which is at the back of this book, and will check it out. I took this along as a holiday read- but then didn't really have the time to read it. Not gripping as such, it was easy to put down and pick up upon (indeed, I read another book then went back to this!) It was, however, a great little read.

After having to suffer masonry bees in my wall a couple of years ago (I had them annihilated- bees are welcome to live a long and productive life, just away from me!) the title gripped me.  I also learned a lot about beekeeping and you know me- I love to learn!😄  The depictions worked for me and I got a good sense of both of the locations; Massachusets and Dorset, which were brought lovingly to life. I adored some of the author's descriptives: 'feeling as light as confectioner's sugar' and 'large fluffy flakes floated down from a white sky as if God was emptying the contents of his pillow and covering the world in goose feathers' were carefully placed and ingenious, picking up on the glowing, happy moods of the moment. I did, however, pick up on a discrepancy- towards the beginning and in the middle Trixie is referred to as an only child; near the end there is reference to Freddie addressing his 'youngest daughter'. Hmm.

This is also a lesson in reality. However enticing a lost love may seem, if you're no longer together, then maybe they were not the one for you. Both Grace and Trixie were forced to question their actions regarding their former paramours and the men seemed to come up as very wanting. It is also a lesson in vital communication- we must never assume anything, or what anyone's feelings towards us really are without knowing the full facts.  I liked the family connection and events that made you question whether coincidence is happening, or simply connections causing people to meet in an (at first) seemingly unexpected way.

I'm glad there were happy endings, although I did feel the (spoiler alert!) incidence of Trixie's pregnancy slightly predictable- but Jasper's final response enlightening, and perhaps a sign of the modern times in which we live; and the options denied the former generation. Read it and you'll see what I mean.

Like I said, I will keep my eyes peeled for more by this author.