The story of a family in crisis and a father at the end of his tether
Devotion
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Review
'Beautifully written, Devotion is detailed and free-flowing, reminding us just how close chaos can be to the surface. '
-- Easy Living
'Infusing domestic events with a creepily obscure expectation of danger is one of Leyshon's great strengths' -- Time Out
'It's beautifully written in her terse...taking the reader through a tale that can only end in tragedy. -- Daily Echo
'Nell Leyshon's second novel is as original as her first widely praised story Black Dirt with an equally explosive denouement.' -- Daily Echo
-- Easy Living
'Infusing domestic events with a creepily obscure expectation of danger is one of Leyshon's great strengths' -- Time Out
'It's beautifully written in her terse...taking the reader through a tale that can only end in tragedy. -- Daily Echo
'Nell Leyshon's second novel is as original as her first widely praised story Black Dirt with an equally explosive denouement.' -- Daily Echo
Book Description
YOU THINK YOU HAVE EVERYTHING. A HAPPY MARRIAGE. CHILDREN YOU LOVE. A JOB YOU ENJOY. A HOUSE YOU'VE MADE INTO A HOME. THEN, ALMOST IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, YOU LOSE IT. ALL. When Rachel decides things aren’t working and asks Andrew to move out, she thinks she knows what she’s doing; thinks she knows how it will be, how Andrew will react, how the children will cope. After all, relationships end all the time, and everyone survives – don’t they? But Rachel is wrong, and her decision has consequences no one could have foreseen. Rich in detail and atmosphere, and telling the story of a family break-up and a father’s breakdown, Nell Leyshon’s second novel is uncompromising in its reminder of how easily the life we thought we had can slip through our fingers. At the same time, however, it reminds us that if chaos lurks close to the surface, then so too – sometimes – does the possibility of repair and redemption.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A moving, empathetic and illuminating protrayal of marital and personal breakdown
7 Nov 2008
Format:Hardcover
I loved this novel, and am intrigued to know what the previous reviewer 'saw coming' without finishing the it, as I found the end both shocking and moving. The author depicted the unravelling of a marriage with heartbreaking clarity, and the breakdown in personal identity that all too often goes with it. Despite bleak subject matter, I found it full of warmth and human understanding. I won't give away the plot, but it IS well worth a read.
By F. M. M. Stott
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I loved this book, and am amazed that it hasn't received more glowing (Amazon) reviews than it has.
A relatively slight novel (in size), it none the less packs a punch as a sensitively-told tale of a family which is going through the traumas of a very recent separation. It is told in the first person in alternating chapters by the couple - Rachel and Andrew - and their two daughter, fifteen-year-old Grace and six-year-old Tilly. I have recently read two other novels written in the voices of children (a difficult feat to pull off successfully), and neither works as well as this one. The author manages to avoid the trap of being too sentimental or "twee" with the younger child, and the adolescent Grace is very well captured.
In fact all four of the protagonists are sympathetic characters, even though (and this would be my one niggle) Rachel takes a lover almost immediately (would she really do this?), showing little regard for the feelings of her children. But apart from this, I found the story gripping and believable, and as the novel moved towards its desperate conclusion, I was totally absorbed by it. What reader could ask for more?
Altogether, highly recommended.
A relatively slight novel (in size), it none the less packs a punch as a sensitively-told tale of a family which is going through the traumas of a very recent separation. It is told in the first person in alternating chapters by the couple - Rachel and Andrew - and their two daughter, fifteen-year-old Grace and six-year-old Tilly. I have recently read two other novels written in the voices of children (a difficult feat to pull off successfully), and neither works as well as this one. The author manages to avoid the trap of being too sentimental or "twee" with the younger child, and the adolescent Grace is very well captured.
In fact all four of the protagonists are sympathetic characters, even though (and this would be my one niggle) Rachel takes a lover almost immediately (would she really do this?), showing little regard for the feelings of her children. But apart from this, I found the story gripping and believable, and as the novel moved towards its desperate conclusion, I was totally absorbed by it. What reader could ask for more?
Altogether, highly recommended.
By hippychick
Format:Paperback
I found this book difficult to put down and read it in two sittings. The story of what happens when a mother decides to do something for purely selfish reasons and a very weak individual of a father left we feeling heartbroken for the children. Not sure about the other thread in the story about the man and his mother though.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
A family cast adrift...
Does the splitting apart of a family have to be such a heart-breaking, anxiety-ridden and fraught business? Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2010 by Eileen Shaw
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not really that interesting!
was really disappointed with this read, in fact not finished it, got a bit bored. could see where this storyline is heading right from the start, which is really not good. Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2008 by M. bean
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