Monday, June 7, 2010

Book Review: A Spring Affair by Milly Johnson


Pocket Books
2009
482 pages
Long gone is the outrageous girl who once dreamed up wild plans with her best friend Deb. Now Lou is a lonely, picked-on woman who no longer realises when she's being taken advantage of - whether by her never-satisfied mother or unfaithful husband Phil.
Then one day she picks up a dog eared magazine and spots an article about clearing clutter, little realising how it will change her life. What begins as an earnest spring-clean soon spirals out of control. The more Lou lets go of, the more light and air can get to those painful, closed-up places at the centre of her heart.
When she meets hunky local man, Tom Broom, she sees her philandering husband in a very different light. But, even with Tom's help, can Lou Winter manage to put the spring back into her step? And who knows where her newfound zest for the stripped back life will take her next?
-Back cover blurb
I happened to read this book just as I was packing up my own things and moving house. It made me realize how tied we can be to material things, especially if there's any sentiment involved. Lou's life is weighed down by her clutter. And as the story evolves, it's nice to see her detach from her current miserable life with every load she throws into the skip.
It's a story that many women can relate to- myself included- where you get bogged down by an unhappy marriage and soon, you no longer recognize the person you've become. You can't help but cheer Lou on as she puts her foot down to her circumstances and the people who clearly take advantage of her. Lou's a likable sort- you'll see yourself or your best friend in her. One endearing trait she has is that she butchers sayings and words, but you know what she means.
All the characters in this book are well drawn. Her husband, Phil is such a cad and bounder that you'll love to hate him. I kept looking forward to his scenes because I wanted to see what the sneak was up to. Tom Broom provides a great contrast to Phil as the sensitive, thoughtful skip man with a sense of humor who sweeps (sorry, pun intended) Lou off of her feet.
One thing the author does really well is provide multiple points of view in the same scene. Knowing how difficult this is, I must tip my hat off to Milly Johnson for making it fluid and seemingly effortless.
A definite feel good book.
4/5

No comments:

Post a Comment