Walking in the Rain
Jess happily marries the love of her life She wants to feel safe, secure and loved. But gradually it becomes clear that her beloved husband is not the man she thought him to be. She survived civil war and injury in Africa, but can she now survive the biggest challenge of her life?
Walking in the Rain purchase Link : Amazon
My review....
I don't know where to begin to describe this book but I will say that I read most of it in a state of complete shock and anger with an internal monologue stating 'wow this is good writing' whirling on a loop in my head. Julia has done it again.....created an incredible, albeit jaw dropping book that I inhaled in one sitting as I couldn't bring myself to avert my eyes even for one moment.
I've previously talked about Jess and her bravery and courage, well I'm unsure how she didn't crack in this book. The level of hardship she endured raised the bar tenfold. I am aware that the time scales of this book span across the 60s to the 80s but you do forget how patriarchal the law was back then to the point of Victorian in nature. The plot covered many difficult topics and Julia's level of knowledge and careful craftsmanship worked together to create an outstanding piece of work. I'm still reeling from what I've just read and I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive Simon, fictional character or not he really did cross a line. I won't discuss the plot any further for fear of spoiling the reading experience but all I will say is.....you simply have to read this book.
Walking in the Rain is a far cry from the cultural rhythms of Ghana that we witnessed in book one. But the echoes of Africa are lingering on the edges of this story.....are they calling her back I wonder? This trilogy is an absolute revelation and I can't wait to dive straight into the final installment to conclude this outstanding body of work.
Author Bio –
Award-winning author Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and concepts of time travel. She read English at Keele University, England (after a turbulent but exciting gap year in Ghana, West Africa) specialising in medieval language, literature and history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. She wrote her first novel at 10 years of age, but became a school teacher, then a university lecturer and researcher. Finding Jess (2018) is her sixth book and the last of the Drumbeats trilogy (which begins and ends in Ghana). Apart from insatiable reading, she loves travelling the world, singing in choirs, swimming, yoga and walking in the countryside in England and Madeira where she and her husband divide their time.
Acclaimed author of:
Drumbeats (2015), the first of the trilogy set in 1960s Ghana: sometimes you have to escape to find yourself.
Walking in the Rain (2016), the second in the trilogy set in 1970s and 1980s England: never give up on your dreams.
Finding Jess (2018), the last of the trilogy set in 1990s England and Ghana: can the past ever be left behind?
Also by Julia Ibbotson:
A Shape on the Air (2017): historical (Dark Ages/early medieval) time-slip romance. Two women 1,500 years apart, with one aim: to reclaim their dreams and fight the dangers that threaten them both across the ages …
The Old Rectory: Escape to a Country Kitchen, (first published 2011, rereleased 2017) a feel-good story of the renovation of a Victorian rectory interwoven with period recipes to feed the soul, all from the rectory kitchen.
S.C.A.R.S (first published 2012, rereleased 2016) (children’s novel): a troubled boy slips through a tear in the fabric of the universe into a parallel medieval fantasy world of knights, dragons, and a quest for the triumph of Good over Evil. But can he save himself?
