Other Lives

by Sarah Woodhouse

'Woodhouse's prose is calm and intelligent, and she has a comic's eye and ear for good timing and contrast.' - THE TIMES 'The addictive quality of the author's writing is her ability to combine nostalgia, tenderness and longing with loving realism.' - SUNDAY TIMES At sixty-three a woman is not supposed to cause a nuisance. When Lucy Flecker, the widow of a distinguished don, is left a house on an unspoilt coast of Greece by famous archaeologist Oliver Lussom, her family assume she will sell it, not use it. Her children expect her to be there for them, listening to their problems, making motherly noises. But Lucy remembers Oliver Lussom's smile - she was nineteen, he much older. It's time, she thinks, that she did something...ruthless.

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Sarah Woodhouse was born on 1950 in Birmingham, England, UK. She grew up in Cambridgeshire and attended St Mary's convent school before studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Medieval English at Reading University.

Sarah is the author of numerous short stories, many of which were published in 19 magazine in the 1970s, and 9 romance novels from 1984 to 2000. In 1989, her novel The Peacock's Feather won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.

Reviews

[Debbie Robson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the passages set in Greece in the 1950s with the unwanted and unloved main character as a nineteen year old but when the action shifted to the present day, I found the viewpoints very muddled.
I do know that this was partly the writer's intention to show how chaotic the life of a mother is but some sections were the thoughts of a character (presented quite dramatically) who actually wasn't even on the page. It often made for a very confusing read. A careful edit would have made all the difference and I'm disappointed because I really loved "Meeting Lily".

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good winter get-away read.

[Kwoomac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Woman inherits a Greek piazza from an old love. She reflects on her life, while her children and grandchildren reevaluate their own lives.