The House Of Hopes And Dreams by Trisha Ashley

Thank goodness for Trisha Ashley!  Admittedly there is always a measure of trepidation when picking up a new novel by this author as I have the lingering sense that maybe this will be the one that disappoints.  You would think I would know better by now, but as a died in the wool pessimist I always expect the worst.  Fortunately Ms Ashley usually only manages to deliver the best.

As with most of her books there is a very definite theme around the whole book, a jumping off point that is used to tie the whole together - in this case women in the creation of stained glass windows.  We have Angelique in the now and Jesse from the past whose lives become interwoven through the rather elegant Mossby Manor.  Instead of excerpts from Skint Old Northern Woman magazine we have extracts from Jesse's diary and these blend the old to the new quite expertly.  There is also an astonishing amount of research gone in to the book and it made me want to investigate more about the time honoured tradition of stained glass (especially as I am lucky enough to have a home with the original late victorian stained glass interior doors).

With a mix of characters both old and new the book does not fail to entertain.  What is astonishing is that all the characters feel so real and although inhabiting the fictional realm of Half Hidden you feel sure that they are really out there, quietly living their incredibly artistic lives whilst us mere mortals plod along in the every day.  Nobody is too attractive or too wealthy and many have their own foibles and financial issues, in short making them reassuringly normal and every day.  It is the way that the author gets under the skin of people and brings out their best attributes whilst also displaying their worst.

The plot is almost incidental to the story.  A strange thing to say but it is the people and their interactions that make Trisha Ashley's books such a joy to read.  You know that despite everything things will work out for Carey and Angel so you can just give yourself over to enjoying them getting there.  The dialogue is spot on and reads like genuine overheard conversations.  I really liked the sinister character of Mrs Parry too, nice touch of the demented for a town with a Ghost Walk.

The only thing that I found missing was a proper resolution to the Nat / Angel battle.  Nat just seems to drift off with his tale between his legs and he is such a despicable, grasping little oik that I am sure he would not have gone so silently in to the night.

This is a warm and comforting tale that gives you back some hope in the human condition.  I just hope that when I finally drift in to senility I can move to Half Hidden or the neighbouring Mosses, I am sure I will fit in so well there; after all I am getting to know the populace very well by now.