Books and Films
Sarah's Vignettes: The Last Day by Claire Dyer
Introducing Sarah Swan who has a passion for reading books, books and more books, and enjoys a healthy bit of rambling about life too!
Sarah has been reading books from a very early age and before she could read, she was always flicking through picture books. Sarah is convinced that she was born with a book in her hand!
Sarah reads a wide range of genres and is willing to try most genres once, but she does keep going back to both contemporary and historical fiction more than anything else. She also loves taking her own photographs and sharing them with friends and family.
Books are a big part of Sarah's life and as well as running her own blog so she can share her love for books, Sarah will be sharing her top reads on The Riviera Woman.
"If you would like to use any of my photographs, you can contact me and also if there is a book you would like me to read and review, let's talk."
www.sarahsvignettes.wordpress.com
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Book Review: The Last Day by Claire Dyer
~ Publisher’s description ~
They say three’s a crowd but when Boyd moves back into the family home with his now amicably estranged wife, Vita, accompanied by his impossibly beautiful twenty-seven-year-old girlfriend, Honey, it seems the perfect solution: Boyd can get his finances back on track while he deals with his difficult, ailing mother; Honey can keep herself safe from her secret, troubled past; and Vita can carry on painting portraits of the pets she dislikes and telling herself she no longer minds her marriage is over.
But the house in Albert Terrace is small and full of memories, and living together is unsettling.
For Vita, Boyd and Honey love proves to be a surprising, dangerous thing and, one year on, their lives are changed forever.
~ My Thoughts ~
Author: Claire Dyer
The Last Day is an intelligent and compelling story about life, love, loss, and relationships. It is also a clever observation of human nature during certain situations.
When Boyd and his young girlfriend, Honey move into the marital home he shared with Vita and where Vita still lives, it makes for an interesting dynamic. It’s a dynamic which allows for dormant thoughts and feelings for each of them to rise to the surface. The story is told from the points of view of these three brilliantly crafted characters and it is a reflective story. This by no means means it is slow paced. The pace is just right to allow for each character to get under the reader’s skin and to live their journeys with them. It is evident that Claire Dyer has lived and breathed these characters to write with such insight to their inner thoughts and emotions and to draw the reader in this way.
The front cover and the title are spot on! I really liked the cover when I first saw it and I loved it upon finishing the book. It has so much meaning and the designer has captured the story superbly. The Last Day as a title is perfect. When I read the synopsis, I was curious to see how the story would fit with the title. Now that I’ve read it, it is ideal. I won’t go into too much detail for fear of giving away the plot but suffice to say that each of us have lived last days of a life we once knew. It is how we rise back up from it and learn to live with the new beginnings and the changes within ourselves which is important. Claire Dyer has explored this intimately and woven together each characters journey so precisely, that the crescendo of an ending is the right one.
I don’t think I’ve ever knowingly read a novel written by a poet but Claire Dyer’s experience as a poet is evident in these pages through her use of language and precision. Her writing is beautiful and in parts, melodic. I will be seeking out her other novels because if they are as cultivated as The Last Day, I can’t wait!
From its sophisticated front cover through to the very last page of exquisite prose, The Last Day is perfection. I feel so honoured to have had the opportunity to read it ahead of publication.
The Last Day was a pleasure to read and I shall be watching with interest how well it does because it deserves to fly. This is definitely a book to watch out for in 2018 and I highly recommend it!!!
~ Where to find The Last Day ~
The Last Day was published by The Dome Press on 15 February 2018 and is available via the following links: