Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publishing Date: 29th September 2021

Source:  Received from the publisher via NetGalley, thank you!

Number of pages: 400

Genre: General Fiction (Adult)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

A remote yet beautiful village. A tiny kitchen lunch club. The perfect place to start again.

Anna moves to Crovie, a tiny fishing village on the Moray Firth, for a fresh start. But when she arrives, she realises her new home is really no more than a shed, and the village itself sits beneath a cliff right on the edge of the sea, in constant danger of storms and landslides. Has she made a terrible mistake?

Yet as she begins to learn about the Scottish coast and its people, something she thought she'd lost reawakens in her. She rediscovers her love of cooking, and turns her kitchen into a pop-up lunch club. But not all the locals are delighted about her arrival, and some are keen to see her plans fail.

Will Anna really be able to put down roots in this remote and wild village? Or will her fragile new beginning start to crumble with the cliffs . . . ?

Beautiful, moving and utterly absorbing, The House Beneath the Cliffs is a novel of friendship and food, storms and secrets, and the beauty of second chances.

 

Rating:

 

Anna has just moved to Crovie, a small coastal village in Scotland, leaving behind her long – term abusive relationship with a well – known chef, Geoff Rowcliffe. They were together for 20 years but it's only now that she has dared herself for this step. Her first impression of the village, neighbours and then the „house" that she has purchased without seeing it is not as promising as she'd like, though. What now? The plan is to stay for a day or two… then for a week or two… Is the village and its inhabitants growing on her? She finally starts to feel like a part of community and can spread her wings, being an excellent chef herself and starting her pop - up lunch club, an idea that will turn out very popular. But as soon as Anna feels she has found her place and her people, something happens – something that can destroy everything she has worked for.

I absolutely adored the characters. They were so well drawn and they felt like living and breathing people. There was so much warmth in them all, this book was actually filled with good people, people who wanted to help and who were there for you no matter what. Yes, maybe it sounds cheesy, but the book didn't feel like this at all, on the contrary, it was lovely, sometimes it's all you need – to see and feel kindness, and this time it was really all I needed, the book made me feel warm inside and optimistic and I simply loved it.
Our main character might not see like this at the first glance, but she was feisty, quirky and had a sharp tongue and I loved it about her. She was down to earth and not too serious about herself and I so liked to see how she was all the time growing in confidence and regaining her faith in herself again.
The villagers are so friendly portrayed and you immediately feel like a part of their tight – knit community – they were welcoming and so open and it was lovely to see them welcoming Anna with their open arms. Not all of them, of course, it would be too nice probably, but this was also a great subplot in this book, interesting and well developed.

I must admit, I've googled Crovie. As much as I loved the descriptions, I couldn't imagine the village, so I've turned to Google, yes, and wow, Crovie is real and it's so gorgeous! It's truly so remote, and set on a narrow street, right by the sea, and now that I can see it better I can even more appreciate the author's descriptions. What I need now is only a photo with an arrow showing to Anna's Cottage, The Fishergirl's Luck. I am now even more captivated by this place, knowing it exists and is real.

What I also loved in this book is that the author doesn't only show that life is a bed of roses but also the harsh sides of it. Living so beautifully, so close to see is a dream come true for some, but there is also the reality of nature that sometimes can be brutal and dangerous, and the author has portrayed it brilliantly. I think that the setting was a huge part of the story, always there in the background, featuring so often yet I couldn't have enough of those descriptions of the cliff and the sea and the dolphins. Somehow, the place brought the characters even more together, I think, there was no time for misunderstandings and pettiness when the storm was coming.

It doesn't happen often that the story flows by itself and doesn't feel like reading at all, it feels like a part of life, and it was like this with „The House Beneath the Cliffs". It was written with such ease, it feels human and close to life and it's full of heart and it makes the reading experience so great. It was a tad predictable, but not in a bad way, and there were still some surprising twists and turns. Altogether, it was a brilliant, warm, and uplifting story about hope, second chances and starting over, filled with relatable and well drawn characters, set in a beautiful place and brilliantly capturing the atmosphere of the place. Humorous and poignant, with best one – liners, it reminds us that friendship and being a part of community is important and that it's never too late to start again. And the descriptions of Anna's food were absolutely mouth – watering – even if I'm not so into seafood, it still made me feel hungry. Highly recommended, a perfect escapist read!

 

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