Customer Reviews

The Restaurant @ The Mill

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you fancy a quiet afternoon in the sun (or curled up in a cosy armchair) this is a book I would recommend you choose for company. I warmed immediately to the characters and quite simply knew I wouldn't be distracted (not even by my inner-guilt gene telling me I should be doing something else!).

Exploring the lives and loves of six very different couples, linked by The Restaurant @ the Mill, I couldn't help wondering whether the author had set herself a bit of a challenge. She had - but pulled it off beautifully. I started reading and immediately wanted to see how the individual stories panned out. I was particularly impressed at how believable the characters were, from Charlotte and Sadie, just embarking on love's young dream, through more mellow middle-aged love, to a couple scared their relationship might not survive retirement, and beyond, each character was unique and totally relatable to. We have the heartbreak of separation and loss, people damaged by life and love, people just dealing with life - all wrapped up in a beautiful cover. The ghost was a nice touch.

Go on, indulge.

Full of detail characters were exciting and believable. Some of the issues I could relate to personally. I felt that the end was a bit abrupt. Almost like the target number of words had been achieved. I wanted to know more. Too many loose ends.
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I loved this book! It's a story about the relationships of the owners and the customers of The Restaurant @ The Mill. You will be drawn into all their lives by Linn Halton's wonderful writing. Dealing with love, relationships, spiritualism, retirement, death, divorce, the characters are well-rounded and instantly likeable. Sections of the book are told in different points of view and this worked well and was seamlessly woven together. Another great read!

I was immediately interested in the idea of this novel; different couples, different stories, all being told by the characters dining in a restaurant. It works really well. I really felt like I was part of it all, sitting at a table in The Restaurant @ The Mill, owned by Hilary Marks and Ben Adams, having a delicious meal and drinking in the wine and the atmosphere. The first person view point that the author has chosen is crucial in my opinion, to the success of this wonderful novel, as it is cleverly done - being both indepth and emotive. It's as if each character is personally telling you their unique story. You will care about these people, who by the end of the novel will have become your friends. Highly recommended.

I struggled to get into the story to begin with but I'm not sure if that was the books fault or because I had just returned from holiday, either way it didn't last long and I was soon hooked by the characters and each of their personal stories, which were told through the seasons.

Hilary was a lovely character who was always there for others, she definitely gave off a caring agony aunt vibe. She knew that Ben wasn't telling her everything about himself and yet she still didn't push him to open up, instead waiting for him to share when he felt ready. It took me a while to figure Ben out, he was very quiet and reserved and this just made me want to know his secrets more!

I absolutely loved Sadie, even after a family tragedy she was still a happy and bubbly character and this made her really likeable to me. I enjoyed watching her grow in confidence throughout the book as she came to some firm decisions about what she wanted out of life.

Thomas was a shrewd businessman but wasn't so good with his personal life, the reasons behind this were something that I hadn't expected and I liked that I hadn't been able to figure it out before.

At times I found Charlotte and Nick's story difficult to read but only because I felt so worried for them, they were struggling with their life together and I found myself really hoping things would turn out for the best between them.

Grace was an amazing character, tales from her past made me feel so sad and later on when things were starting to go right for her she received some devastating news that brought tears to my eyes.

I really enjoyed reading about Isobel's first steps into writing fiction, it was fascinating to find out about the thought processes that go along with writing a book. When she met Lionel I had a feeling that it would only end in disaster especially with David being around so much after his retirement.

On top of all these characters was the addition of a spirit called Sarah, she was a fabulous twist to the story and her tale was as interesting as the rest. The epilogue was great, it was very different and really left me smiling!

This book covered some very difficult issues (bereavement, family rifts and an unplanned pregnancy to name just a few) but I felt that they were written well and with care, I feel confident that most people would be able to relate to at least one character and that is what makes this book so readable for me.

I loved how the individual stories tied together and made me feel personally involved with them all, also the descriptions of the mill and it's surroundings enabled me to picture everything so easily.

This is a thought-provoking book that has everything from romance to ghosts, definitely worth a read!