THIS time-shifting thriller slips in and out of the 1970s and the present day seamlessly. The Wayward Girls by Amanda Mason is published in hardback by Zaffre, priced £12.99 (ebook £4.07) But two forbidden romances and occasional flashes of danger keep things ticking along nicely. The novel can feel at points like a vehicle for facts about Hampshire history, embroidery, and bell-ringing. Tracy Chevalier offers an interesting insight into these women, though much like their lives it is sometimes hard to tell whether anything is going to happen. Part of the 'surplus generation' of single women, Violet is still trying to carve out a life for herself in the shadow of the First World War. After moving to Winchester, unmarried typist Violet Speedwell joins a group of women embroidering cushions for the cathedral. And perhaps I'm just as soppy as I was at 22 after all.Ī Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier is published in hardback by HarperCollins, priced £14.99 (ebook £9.99)Ī SINGLE Thread is a cosy slice of English life in the 1930s, with an emotional complexity that keeps it safely outside the realms of cliche. Perhaps it's the realness and simplicity of Ahern's writing and observations that make it so impactful. In emotion, it picks up exactly where Ahern left off – the book, like the first, spoke straight to my heart. In timeline, Postscript picks up a few years down the line. It's a hefty wedge of a book and I can report that yes, I sobbed. Holly finds herself drawn back into a new phase of grief. Although reluctant at first, Holly is unable to resist, and the PS, I Love You Club is born. Then, after agreeing to do a podcast interview about her experience of grief, she's approached with a proposition: To help other dying people write letters for the loved ones they'll be leaving behind.

Holly now has a new partner and has moved on with her life. I start Postscript half expecting to be slightly disappointed. Would it have the same impact as the first book? What if the intervening decade-and-a-half have turned me a bit hard and cynical and I'm just not as moved by this one? (Yes, a lot of over-thinking – but this book really touched me).

So, learning that, 15 years later, Ahern has released a sequel was both exciting and slightly frightening. The notes took Holly on an emotional journey, and it was impossible not to be pulled along with her.

She discovers that while dying from a brain tumour, he'd written a series of notes (each ending with 'PS, I love you') for Holly to discover after he'd gone. It followed young widow Holly as she grieved for her husband Gerry. Postscript by Cecelia Ahern is published in hardback by HarperCollins, priced £16.99 (ebook £8.99)ĭO YOU remember when PS, I Love You – Cecilia Ahern's heart-shattering debut novel was published? It was 2004 and Ahern was just 22 (as was I).

Cecelia ahern postscript