Thursday 30 July 2015

Secrets of the pomegranate



SECRETS OF THE POMEGRANATE
 BY BARBARA LAMPLUGH



Contemporary Women’s fiction/ Reading Group fiction
Release Date: 23/4/2015
Publisher:  SilverWood
Passionate, free-spirited Deborah has finally found peace and a fulfilling relationship in her adopted city of Granada - but when she is seriously injured in the Madrid train bombings of 2004, it is her sister Alice who is forced to face the consequences of a deception they have maintained for ten years. At Deborah's home in Granada, Alice waits, ever more fearful. Will her sister live or die? And how long should she stay when each day brings the risk of what she most dreads, a confrontation with Deborah's Moroccan ex-lover, Hassan? At stake is all she holds dear... '
Secrets of the Pomegranate deals with topical themes such as inter-cultural relationships and the moral dilemmas around truth and lies – whether personal or political. It explores, with compassion, sensitivity and - despite the tragic events - humour, the complicated ties between sisters, between mothers and sons and between lovers, set against a background of cultural difference and prejudices rooted in Granada's long history of Muslim-Christian struggles for power.
“Lamplugh does a great job of unveiling a little at a time – but still maintaining tension until the surprise of the final revelation.” Rebecca Foster, Bookbag



Buy Links

About the Author


Barbara Lamplugh has been writing since the 1970s. Her love of adventure and travel took her first on an overland journey to Kathmandu, which inspired her to write Kathmandu by Truck (1976) and then on the Trans-Siberian railway, by boat to Japan and around SE Asia, which led to her second book, Trans-Siberia by Rail (1979). Becoming a mother put a stop to such long travels but not to writing. She turned instead to fiction, inspired by the often fascinating and unexpected stories of ordinary people she came across in her work in the community. She also wrote occasional articles for magazines and newspapers, including The Guardian and Times Educational Supplement. In 1999, with her two children now independent, she moved to Granada in Spain, where Secrets of the Pomegranate is set. Her encounters and experiences of life in Granada provide her with abundant inspiration. For several years she worked as a features writer for Living Spain magazine, contributing around a hundred articles on topics ranging from Olive Oil to Machismo to Spanish names. Alongside her writing, she teaches English, edits and translates. With two children and five grandchildren in the UK, she makes regular visits there. Other passions include cycling, dancing, travel, jazz and reading.

Author Links

GIVEAWAY
A SIGNED COPY OF THE BOOK (Open Internationally)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Review

This book has one of the best openings I’ve read in a long while and immediately grabbed my attention. Add a long-held family secret to the mix and this is compulsive reading. Although I guessed Deborah’s secret long before we were told, there were sufficient hints after all and it didn’t spoil my enjoyment, despite the fact that it would have been very difficult to actually pull it off.
The author captures the real Grenada with all its undercurrents, racism, mistrust and kindness too. This deals with relationships on all levels, between sisters, mother and son, inter-racial and I enjoyed every minute of this book despite knowing that I was also going to shed a few tears. Very moving, well-written and has put Grenada to the top of my ‘to visit’ list.


5/5 

No comments:

Post a Comment