Beneath the Rainbow

This week has been unusually wet and cold here on the Côte d'Azur and I think even my cat has caught a cold. The poor thing has been sneezing and sleeping more than usual. I do feel sorry for him, but we both rather like this new cat that just wants to crawl on your lap and cuddle. I'm sure he'll be soon back to tearing the wallpaper of the wall and putting his teeth into anything that moves.
So with this Clicquot needing less attention, I've been motoring on with reading books and here is the next 5 star review:

Beneath the Rainbow by Lisa Shambrook 

If I stuck to my usual genre, I would have missed this little gem. I’m so glad my review group took me out of my comfort zone. I just started reading this book without knowing anything about it because I was asked to do a review, and I’m so glad I did.

The author did not pick an easy topic. The death of a young child and its aftermath has been handled with great sensitivity and Lisa Shambrook has managed to create a beautiful story that brought a few tears to my eyes. But I wouldn’t say this is a depressing book, far from it. This is a story about living through difficult times but eventually letting go and embracing life again with the help of remembering the joyful times.

I can tell that the author is a keen gardener by the knowledgeable descriptions of the many flowers in the story, which are so important to the young road accident victim Freya and her mother. I thought the bluebell illustration at the start of each chapter was a lovely touch.

I also think faith is very important to this writer as she places Freya in heaven to look down on her grief stricken family, but I wouldn’t class this as a religious book. That said, I don’t think this book would look out of place in a Christian book shop or school. I highly recommend this book to readers of all persuasions.