Soundings S.
3 primary works
Book 1671
Petra came into the close village community of Mindon when she was unexpectedly left a cottage there by an old friend of her mother's. She was lonely and unsettled - her parents had been killed in a car accident, her boyfriend had decided to go back to his wife, and as a painter she led a solitary life in her North Yorkshire home town. But she felt immediately at home in the gracious stone house that had been bequeathed to her, and was made welcome by the local residents - in particular, by the members of the Mindon Amateur Dramatic Society (somewhat appropriately known as MADS) presided over by the formidable Ursula. Ursula liked to run things her way, and brooked no opposition when the ambitious decision was made (largely by herself) to put on "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as their next production. Petra, to her surprise and pleasure, was put in charge of the wardrobe. Rivalries, squabbles, love affairs and seething resentments threatened to scupper the production, and all Ursula's managerial skills were needed to prevent disaster. But Petra had more pressing things on her mind than the costumes for the cast.
A mystery from her past began to haunt her - and the answer to that mystery might solve the puzzle of why she had been left such a beautiful house by a total stranger.
A mystery from her past began to haunt her - and the answer to that mystery might solve the puzzle of why she had been left such a beautiful house by a total stranger.
Book 1829
Poppy's family is gathering to celebrate her eightieth birthday. Her children, grandchildren and even one great-grandchild are converging on her Sussex home. As she prepares to welcome them all, her mind goes back over her life - to her tough childhood in Yorkshire, to her mother, who scrimped and saved to bring her up decently, to her three husbands and to Alun, the great love of her life who was taken from her by the war. Yes, she has had a full life - a lot fuller than her family realises. As they toast their beloved matriarch, little do they know what an extraordinary and often shocking life she has led...
Book 2805
When the village prepares to welcome their new vicar, they are in for a shock. oung, attractive, a widow with a ten-year-old daughter - Venus Stanton was certainly not the vicar which the traditional parish of Thurston had been expecting. She had to endure curiosity, misunderstandings and even downright hostility. But she also found warmth and friendship - sometimes from the most unexpected quarters. There were times when Venus began to think that perhaps the doubters were right. But the local doctor thought otherwise, and so did many others who came to regard her not only as their priest but also their friend.