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The Birthday Gift
A moment in time caught between a grandfather and grandson, lost in utter joy at the end of a late summer’s day. Click. Soon, devastation follows; the old man loses his fight to live, but leaves an extraordinary gift for his beloved grandson – a gift that will cause much heartache and cause decisions to be made that will put lives on the line.
Noah Spearing is a young man teaching in St Ives, Cornwall, when his life is changed forever after the death of his beloved grandad. A gift left for him from the man he loved more than anyone else turns out to be a poisoned chalice that he must deal with in the best way that he can.
All this comes at a time when the girl he wants is set to marry another man, and Noah must decide not only what to do with the gift from his grandfather, but also his love for Flora Trembath...
The Birthday Gift is a novel that sweeps through issues of love, of hope, of sorrow and of destiny. It spans across Europe, from Cornwall to London to France to Germany and then to Poland. The book is a gripping combination of thriller and romance, revolving around the painting central to the book which featured heavily in the recent Hollywood blockbuster, The Monuments Men, written and directed by George Clooney.
Noah Spearing is a young man teaching in St Ives, Cornwall, when his life is changed forever after the death of his beloved grandad. A gift left for him from the man he loved more than anyone else turns out to be a poisoned chalice that he must deal with in the best way that he can.
All this comes at a time when the girl he wants is set to marry another man, and Noah must decide not only what to do with the gift from his grandfather, but also his love for Flora Trembath...
The Birthday Gift is a novel that sweeps through issues of love, of hope, of sorrow and of destiny. It spans across Europe, from Cornwall to London to France to Germany and then to Poland. The book is a gripping combination of thriller and romance, revolving around the painting central to the book which featured heavily in the recent Hollywood blockbuster, The Monuments Men, written and directed by George Clooney.
352 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 10, 2015
A gripping balanced combination of thriller and romance that’s a real page turner, but ultimately a little unfulfilling.
Noah lives in St Ives with his mother Tess, grandfather Joshua, and Flora, the girl he loves. His relationship with Flora underpins the story as she is about to marry Jake.
Now this is sounding like a classic romance novel, but it isn’t. As the action moves from Cornwall to London to France to Germany and then to Poland where there’s a final flashback to World War 2 as Joshua discovers the history of “The Birthday Gift”.
I really enjoyed the descriptions in this book. Cornwall and St Ives come across as idyllic places (which of course they are). The writing style is rich, which made the relationships between the characters more believable and compelling.
I loved this book right up until the end when it finished....very suddenly and with too many loose ends…a real shame which is why it gets 4 stars instead of 5.
Noah lives in St Ives with his mother Tess, grandfather Joshua, and Flora, the girl he loves. His relationship with Flora underpins the story as she is about to marry Jake.
Now this is sounding like a classic romance novel, but it isn’t. As the action moves from Cornwall to London to France to Germany and then to Poland where there’s a final flashback to World War 2 as Joshua discovers the history of “The Birthday Gift”.
I really enjoyed the descriptions in this book. Cornwall and St Ives come across as idyllic places (which of course they are). The writing style is rich, which made the relationships between the characters more believable and compelling.
I loved this book right up until the end when it finished....very suddenly and with too many loose ends…a real shame which is why it gets 4 stars instead of 5.
February 26, 2015
Noah receives a gift from his grandfather Joshua who is celebrating his 85th birthday. He promises to open it after his grandfather dies. Less than a year later, Joshua dies. When Noah opens the gift, he has a beautiful painting that nearly gets him killed. The second story line is Noah's best friend Flora, is set to marry another man and Noah has realized she is the love of his life. A mystery that dates back to WWII, Russian family members and a love story all wrapped up into one wonderful story that you can't stop reading.
March 29, 2015
My thanks to the Publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
Noah Spearing's grandfather leaves him a gift which he must only open after his grandfather has passed away. Every family has its own secrets and skeletons in closets and Noah's family is no different. His grandfather has a past that Noah knows very little about, all that is about to change when he opens the gift.
Noah must decide to do what he thinks is best with the gift. Are his choices the best for all concerned? As his puts into action what he has planned to do with the gift, events suddenly take a very sinister turn. Putting not just himself but other family members in danger.
I really enjoyed this book and stayed up into the early hours of the morning to finish it off as I was dying to find out what happened to them all.
I found it well written and I will be looking out for other books by this Author. I feel that it would make quite a good reading group read due to the content of it and found it to be very thought provoking.
Noah Spearing's grandfather leaves him a gift which he must only open after his grandfather has passed away. Every family has its own secrets and skeletons in closets and Noah's family is no different. His grandfather has a past that Noah knows very little about, all that is about to change when he opens the gift.
Noah must decide to do what he thinks is best with the gift. Are his choices the best for all concerned? As his puts into action what he has planned to do with the gift, events suddenly take a very sinister turn. Putting not just himself but other family members in danger.
I really enjoyed this book and stayed up into the early hours of the morning to finish it off as I was dying to find out what happened to them all.
I found it well written and I will be looking out for other books by this Author. I feel that it would make quite a good reading group read due to the content of it and found it to be very thought provoking.
maybe
March 9, 2015Wait for more ratings to pour in
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews