Lovers and Liars
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Product Description
Review
Its focus on the darker side of relationships and the shocking twists make this brilliant and sensitively written novel a winner (***** Closer )
A sensitively written portrayal of psychological abuse and how families survive it (Daily Telegraph )
Dramatic . . . daringly scandalous! (Star magazine )
A sensitively written portrayal of psychological abuse and how families survive it (Daily Telegraph )
Dramatic . . . daringly scandalous! (Star magazine )
Book Description
Can you ever really save a woman from the wrong man?
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read and loved Nina Bell's other books, The Inheritance and Sister's in Law, I was looking forward to the latest book. Lovers and Liars has a tight and very well constructed storyline with a darker theme of psycholoigical abuse at it centre; it kept me gripped as the author has created characters I really cared about. There are suprises and twists and while the subject is serious the writing keeps the plot and characters real and growing within the story so that by the end they have changed. Great stuff, such a joy to find a writer willing to tackle this subject within this genre. It certainly had me thinking about the dynanics within my family.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was sent a copy of this book professionally and opened it with misgivings.The cover and the title both give the impression that this is a sex and shopping tale about snappily dressed young women who go around with necklaces dangling down their backs, ie not for me.
Stuck for a read on a train, I gave it a try. It is an understatement to say I was pleasantly surprised. Lovers and Liars isn't churned out shlock, it is a well-researched and sensitively written story which explores why women get sucked into, and stay in, marriages which are not overtly abusive, but become so because because a thousand tiny slights, demands, shows of temper and belittlements gradually wear down the self-respect. Of course, not only women undermine ther partners, as Bell acknowledges.
Bell is a born story teller who soon lures you into caring about her characters. Family life is her canvas and she paints a vivid picture of parent child relationships as well as those between husband and wife. She is also astute about the subtle, unacknowledged, alcoholism that underlies many comfortable lives, the homes where the first response to stress or celebration, company or loneliness, is to reach for a bottle.
This a book that could help many people understand the mechanisms dogging their own unhappiness. But it is also first-class entertainment, for Bell is never loses her sense of the comic side of even grim situations. I hope that other readers find their way past the glitz of the cover to the gold within.
Stuck for a read on a train, I gave it a try. It is an understatement to say I was pleasantly surprised. Lovers and Liars isn't churned out shlock, it is a well-researched and sensitively written story which explores why women get sucked into, and stay in, marriages which are not overtly abusive, but become so because because a thousand tiny slights, demands, shows of temper and belittlements gradually wear down the self-respect. Of course, not only women undermine ther partners, as Bell acknowledges.
Bell is a born story teller who soon lures you into caring about her characters. Family life is her canvas and she paints a vivid picture of parent child relationships as well as those between husband and wife. She is also astute about the subtle, unacknowledged, alcoholism that underlies many comfortable lives, the homes where the first response to stress or celebration, company or loneliness, is to reach for a bottle.
This a book that could help many people understand the mechanisms dogging their own unhappiness. But it is also first-class entertainment, for Bell is never loses her sense of the comic side of even grim situations. I hope that other readers find their way past the glitz of the cover to the gold within.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book tackles the pretty difficult issue of domestic abuse, and the story becomes more apparent as the book progresses. This means the book isn't light reading at all, it can be pretty difficult to read at times because of the nature of the storyline, but it is so well written and the issue is very well approached that you don't mind so much that the topic is difficult, and I feel Bell has done a great job in tackling this issue. I can imagine that if you have been affected by domestic abuse yourself this may well be a topic you will want to avoid, but I found I had a real curiosity about how Paige was eventually going to handle her situation and whether or not things would work out okay in the end.
The characters are all extremely well written, and although I found 2 of them very unlikeable, they added an element of realism to the story and added another dimension to it. Sophie, the elder daughter of Paige and Bill, is a very spoilt child, and I was shocked at how she sided with her father against her mother all the time, and it did cause me to get quite angry and frustrated of her because she couldn't see what was in front of her eyes, but that was the whole point really. She wasn't at all likeable, I didn't agree with any of her actions and hated her almost as much as the easily detestable Bill.
I found Paige, the woman at the end of the domestic abuse, quite difficult to like at first. I didn't understand why she reacted as she did, but it soon becomes clear and I felt very sorry for her by the end of the book. It really puts across what a terrible thing domestic abuse is and how the people stuck inside the situation can't see what is going on. It's very sad in parts to read, especially as things fall apart for Paige, but it's very realistic and that is what I enjoy about Nina Bell's books. The other character I really liked was Jess, although again she was a very naive character damaged by the relationship with her father.
I expect that Bell did a lot of research when she began to write this book as you get that feeling as you read more and more of the book, and it comes across in the confident way she writes about the issues. Yes, it is uncomfortable to read in parts because we can see as a reader exactly how Paige is being manipulated by her bully of a husband and she can't, and while it can be frustrating, it is also terribly sad. It certainly makes you realise how lucky you are to be in a stable home unit, and makes you think of those unlucky enough to be trapped like Paige is and ruled by her husband, usually unwittingly so. It is a very well written and crafted book that isn't easy reading, but is compulsive and gripping none the less. There's drama, emotion and a great story, what more could you ask for? Simply brilliant.
The characters are all extremely well written, and although I found 2 of them very unlikeable, they added an element of realism to the story and added another dimension to it. Sophie, the elder daughter of Paige and Bill, is a very spoilt child, and I was shocked at how she sided with her father against her mother all the time, and it did cause me to get quite angry and frustrated of her because she couldn't see what was in front of her eyes, but that was the whole point really. She wasn't at all likeable, I didn't agree with any of her actions and hated her almost as much as the easily detestable Bill.
I found Paige, the woman at the end of the domestic abuse, quite difficult to like at first. I didn't understand why she reacted as she did, but it soon becomes clear and I felt very sorry for her by the end of the book. It really puts across what a terrible thing domestic abuse is and how the people stuck inside the situation can't see what is going on. It's very sad in parts to read, especially as things fall apart for Paige, but it's very realistic and that is what I enjoy about Nina Bell's books. The other character I really liked was Jess, although again she was a very naive character damaged by the relationship with her father.
I expect that Bell did a lot of research when she began to write this book as you get that feeling as you read more and more of the book, and it comes across in the confident way she writes about the issues. Yes, it is uncomfortable to read in parts because we can see as a reader exactly how Paige is being manipulated by her bully of a husband and she can't, and while it can be frustrating, it is also terribly sad. It certainly makes you realise how lucky you are to be in a stable home unit, and makes you think of those unlucky enough to be trapped like Paige is and ruled by her husband, usually unwittingly so. It is a very well written and crafted book that isn't easy reading, but is compulsive and gripping none the less. There's drama, emotion and a great story, what more could you ask for? Simply brilliant.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Never judge a book by it's cover . . . . .
..... and NEVER trust a man who uses denial, minimisation and blame to avoid taking responsibility for who he is! Read more
Published 10 months ago by Cas59
Got better as it went along
I found the second half of this book better than the first.
That said, it's finishing chapters were as good as other Nina Bell's books. Read more
That said, it's finishing chapters were as good as other Nina Bell's books. Read more
Published 16 months ago by J. Charlton
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