Annie Hall (1)

(A copy was provided to read and review.)

One evening when Rosie's husband finally comes home from work, he dumps a bombshell on her. He has been having an affair since two month now with a collegue from work.
Icecold he informs his wife, he is leaving her and their baby son, to start a new life with Karen in Hong Kong. In his opinion everything has been taken care of and he isn't prepared to discuss matters any further and packs his stuff there and then and moves out.
What a sleazebag.

Understandably, Rosie is in shock, but she is also quite dependent on her hubby, because she has stopped working and can't afford the house they live in without Mr. I-coudn't-care-less-about-my-little-boy.
As a result Rosie is prepared to totally humiliate herself and she visits her husband the next day at work to try and sort things out. An attempt which ends how you would expect, considering how careless and egoistical her "better" half has treated her so far, she is marched out of the building by security.

Her friends and family aren't the most helpful characters in poor Rosie's life either.
They seem to mostly prefer someone who does function and not cause their own lives any interruption of their daily routine. At least Rosie's sister is helpful and suggests she moves to Lucknow, a place they know very well, since they were young.

A small town in the middle of nowhere is sure to be quite different from her luxury life in Sydney, but in Lucknow Rosie has the chance for a fresh start. She works in the local charity shop and makes new friends. There's also a new man in her life, or better there are two and that's a new problem. Now, Rosie has to decide for herself, if Irish artist Seamus or wealthy Hugo offer her a better future.

I really loved the setting, particularly Lucknow, and how the author describes the various Australian landscapes. Rosie tried her best to cope with what life did throw at her, but I would have like her a bit more independent. I can't help it, but Irish artist Seamus, who is into booze and lives in a place he built himself, is for me quite typecast.
The conversations I found sometimes a bit stilted, but I always wanted to keep reading. The story held my interest throughout and I enjoyed reading Lucknow. The ending offers the chance for a sequel, some things were for me left unexplained.… (plus d'informations)

Lucknow by Annie Hall

Nick, Rosie’s husband, was a selfish good-for-nothing waste of a man. He came home one night, told Rosie he was moving on, packed his bags and walked out leaving her with their son and no anchor to keep her grounded. What did she do? She went to live in Lucknow at the suggestion of her sister and then…once again she let others take over her life…until she wised up and decided to do what was best for her.

Rosie was pursued by two men that were complete opposites. One was much like her ex-husband – a good earner, down-to-earth, sure of what he wanted for himself and his life…even if it wasn’t exactly what Rosie envisioned. The other man was a transplant to Australia from Ireland, enjoyed his drink, had an artist’s soul, was passionate and able to feel…his vision for them couldn’t have been more different than her other admirer.

Which man will she choose? Will she follow her heart? Will she opt for love or stability or can she have both?

Reading this made me think about what it would be like to live in a small town. It made me think about how family may want what is best for you but what they want may not really be in your best interest. It made me feel and care and wonder…and I enjoyed the story. It was a book of choices and change and finding love in unexpected places.

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read other books by this author? Yes
Do I recommend this book? Definitely

I do wonder about Rosie’s friend, Eloise, and wonder if she will star in a future book and I also wonder if this is a one-off story or if Lucknow might star in future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Three Kookaburras for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars… (plus d'informations)