FRIENDS OF BOOKENDS | COMING HOME TO WINTER ISLAND BY JO THOMAS

Wrap up warm and explore the breath-taking beauty of a remote Scottish island and an old house waiting to unlock enchanting family secrets.

Francine

 

Jo Thomas writes for an audience who wants a cosy comfortable read with a few hiccups along the way but with a reassuring satisfactory ending.

 

I found Ruby, the main character selfish and self centred. Determined to made a success of her singing, when she has to abandon her plans, she acts as a spoilt child.

 

When she reaches Winter Island she is suspecious of Lachlan , who clearly carers for Hector, just as it appears Isla is suspecious of Ruby.

 

From the start you know where this is heading but key elements makes it worth continuing.

 

The introduction of singing in relation to dementia is topical, though Ruby’s voice does come and go when it seems convenient.

So too is the the production of gin which is highly popular at the moment.

 

With her extension of her enforced stay, Ruby attitudes soften towards the island and Lachlan. She forms a bond with her estranged grandfather before the obvious outcome happens.

 

The descriptions of the island dies create a vivid image of the magical island which adds realisation and enhances the story

Having all issues are revolved, the reader is left satisfied. An easy to read follow up to her previous novels, fans will not be disappointed, but for me it’s a little bit predictable.

 

A successful venture and romance is assured in this light, cosy story.

 

Jen

 

The definition of a good book is one which when you are forced to put it down, you are just waiting for the moment you can pick it up again.

 

This is such a book and a lovely story movingly told in a quiet peaceful, yet entertaining  way. The pace of the story is perfect, not hurried and is all the better for that, arriving at a very satisfactory conclusion.

 

Jo Thomas has hit her stride again and written a book where the reader cares about the characters.

 

It is quite a shock to read of Ruby who loses her voice at a crucial time in her career. While attempting to rest and fulfil the dreams of her boyfriend, she learns from the family solicitor that the grandfather she has never known has dementia and needs to leave his dilapidated home on Winter Island. He has been a whisky and gin maker but needs a care home placement  now that his health is failing.

 

This care is currently being provided by Lachlan, the sitting tenant, who stands in the way of Ruby selling the ancestral home. Lachlan has all the skills to restore the house and business, but Ruby suspects his motives. She regards him as a much resented obstacle to allowing her to return to life as a singer in a band far away from the Scottish Island.

 

The story is about the development of a business, the love of family, friends and community and the importance of being true to oneself and one’s roots.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed it and was disappointed to finish the story.

 

I do hope there is a sequel very soon!

 

Angela

 

Jo Thomas is a very reliable writer: I  know when I pick up her books I will be entertained by a feel-good story; in a
fantastic location; with a rugged leading man and…that I will frequently feel hungry whilst reading! Coming Home to
Winter Island has all of these things, in spades.

Singer Ruby has lost her voice but, before she can head to Tenerife to a healing retreat, she must visit her father’s
former home: Winter Island off the coast of Scotland to decide the future of her long-lost Grandfather. At the ‘big hoos’
she finds her Grandfather suffering with dementia, and an unexpected lodger (the aforemention rugged leading man.)

What follows is a heart-warming winter tale of the meaning of family; the healing power of music; a gin-related mystery
and the power of living in the moment. I found Ruby to be an adequate protagonist, although at times I felt I was more
concerned about her voice than she was; so keen was she to rush out into heavy storms and shout above the wind! As always,
I enjoyed the mouth-watering descriptions of food, and the lush landscape Jo Thomas creats. My imagination looks forward
to Thomas’ next offering…My stomach and my waistline – they need to wait a while!

 

Linda

 

I’ve long been a fan of Jo Thomas’s writing and so it was with some trepidation that I began Coming Home to Winter Island because I didn’t want to be disappointed. I most certainly wasn’t. In fact, I think Coming Home to Winter Island is one of the author’s most perfect books and I adored it.

 

It almost goes without saying that Jo Thomas transports her reader to what ever setting she has chosen. This time it is the gorgeous Scottish Island setting where Teach Mhor house is situated where the author’s descriptions of weather, flora and fauna give such a vivid sense of place. Those wonderfully created moments with the stags or streams and on the beach, for example, add both warmth and depth to the story as well as a glorious sense of place.

 

I loved the quality of research that has gone into the gin making aspects of the book. I think it’s because it feels comfortable knowing that there won’t be any glaring errors in the methodology to distract from the enjoyment of the read.

 

I found all the characters so real in Coming Home to Winter Island and although Ruby may not initially agree, I was in love with Lachlan from the very first moment I met him. However, it was Hector’s predicament that really touched me. The concept of ageing and what is best physically and emotionally for a person are considerations that resonated so deeply that I found Coming Home to Winter Island quite an emotional reading experience. Indeed, the themes of identity as Ruby finds out what is truly important to her, community, love and friendship are beautifully presented here so that Coming Home to Winter Island affords an opportunity for reflection at the same time as being a wonderfully entertaining story.

 

All the hallmarks of a Jo Thomas book are present in Coming Home to Winter Island, from warm, flawed and believable characters through a captivating plot in a brilliantly described setting, encompassing romance and challenge. I loved every word. It’s a glorious book to savour.

 

 

Buy your copy of COMING HOME TO WINTER ISLAND by Jo Thomas here!