Simmering Season in Aussie Readers

Dec 28, 2013 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, sent-by-publisher, 2014-release, contemporary-fiction, arc, own-read

Maggie Lindeman had returned to Calingarry Crossing with her teenage son Noah the minute she heard her beloved father had become too ill to continue running the family pub; the Rev, as everyone affectionately called him, had finally succumbed to dementia – a fact which saddened Maggie immensely – so Maggie needed to sell the pub, make sure her Dad was settled, and then return to their lives in Sydney. Brian, her husband and Noah’s dad, had refused to come with them, stating the music industry an Maggie Lindeman had returned to Calingarry Crossing with her teenage son Noah the minute she heard her beloved father had become too ill to continue running the family pub; the Rev, as everyone affectionately called him, had finally succumbed to dementia – a fact which saddened Maggie immensely – so Maggie needed to sell the pub, make sure her Dad was settled, and then return to their lives in Sydney. Brian, her husband and Noah’s dad, had refused to come with them, stating the music industry and his “big break” was much more important – he couldn’t afford the time away from his burgeoning career.

But life had a way of straying from the path everyone had chosen; the funeral of a beloved friend from their old school days had Sara and Maggie forming a close friendship. It had been more than twenty years since they had all known each other at Calingarry School; now Sara was married to Will and living in Calingarry Crossing, happier than she had ever been, and Maggie had returned; but even though her plans weren’t permanent the old place was beginning to feel like home again. As time moved on, she found it harder to contemplate a return to her Sydney life…

With preparations for the upcoming school reunion in full swing, and Maggie finding herself (as publican) busier than ever, her mind wouldn’t stop straying to a certain Dan Ireland – she had had a crush on bad boy Dan many, many years ago, and part of her was hoping he would turn up at the reunion, and another part was hoping he wouldn’t. But when a spoilt and petulant young woman by the name of Fiona Bailey-Blair arrived, the fragile lives of many began to fracture. Suddenly the secrets and lies from years past were being exposed – with the simmering heat, the threatening storms and the school reunion all set to collide, would there be any survivors in life’s perfect storm?

Aussie author Jenn J McLeod has done it again! But this one, her second novel, is even better than her first, in my opinion – and I loved her first book, House for all Seasons. The plot was intriguing, with a couple of unexpected twists; the story was emotional and had me in tears a number of times - all in all a fabulous read, and one I have no hesitation in recommending highly.

With thanks to the publisher for my copy to read and review.
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Jan 30, 2014 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: provided-by-publisher, aussie-author, arc-are

Those who have read Jenn J McLeod's debut, House for all Seasons, will be delighted to reunite with some of the characters met in the small Australian country town of Calingarry's Crossing. It is however a minor character, Maggie Lindeman, that takes the lead in Jenn McLeod's loosely linked sequel, Simmering Season.

When Maggie's father fell ill, she and her teenage son, Noah, reluctantly left husband, and father, Brian, in Sydney with plans to sell the family pub in Calingarry Crossing and reuni
Those who have read Jenn J McLeod's debut, House for all Seasons, will be delighted to reunite with some of the characters met in the small Australian country town of Calingarry's Crossing. It is however a minor character, Maggie Lindeman, that takes the lead in Jenn McLeod's loosely linked sequel, Simmering Season.

When Maggie's father fell ill, she and her teenage son, Noah, reluctantly left husband, and father, Brian, in Sydney with plans to sell the family pub in Calingarry Crossing and reunite in a few months. But two years on, with no-one showing interest in the motel, Maggie is warming to the idea of making the move permanent, if only Brian, obsessed with chasing fame, would agree to join them. Frustrated by Brian's excuses to remain separated from his family, Maggie's loyalty to her errant husband is tested when her teenage crush, Dan Ireland, returns to Calingarry Crossing for the school reunion. But Dan's return isn't the only thing troubling Maggie, her son is growing restless, Amber's headstrong daughter, Fiona, is her guest for the summer, and as the season wears on, simmering secrets begin bubbling to the surface.

While I thought things were a little slow to heat up in the Simmering Season as the author establishes the back story for the three main characters, Maggie, Fiona and Dan, once the school reunion gets underway, the story begins to move forward with surprising revelations and some dramatic moments, prompting the characters to make decisions about their future.

As in the House For All Seasons, the major themes of this novel examines the need to make peace with the past in order to move forward and the importance of knowing what you need, and want, to be happy within yourself.

In trying to accommodate what Maggie thinks her husband and son wants from her, instead of what she needs, Maggie has grown increasingly resentful, but is unwilling to admit it. At times I was frustrated by Maggie, while her sense of loyalty to her husband is admirable, it is so clearly misplaced that her angst was a little wearying and in protecting her son from Brian's failures, she made herself a martyr. It took her a while but I was relieved when Maggie began to recognise her worth as the events that unfolded during Simmering Season forced her to reassess her priorities.

Dan has been punishing himself for years for the part he played in a fatal accident. Returning to Calingarry Crossing is difficult for him but he has to decide to let go of the things he can't change, and do something about those he can including dealing with his high stress job as a police car accident investigator, reuniting with his father and pursuing Maggie.

I most admired Fiona's growth during the story, a spoilt, spiteful princess with a (not entirely unwarranted) chip on her shoulder to begin with, she learns some hard lessons about the value of family and responsibility. Fiona is affected the most by the secrets her mother, Amber, kept and when they are revealed, she is finally able to make peace with her past and move on.

An appealing novel about self discovery and second chances, I enjoyed Simmering Season and I look forward to revisiting Calingarry Crossing again next year in the Season of Shadow and Light.

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Apr 23, 2014 Kathryn rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, reading-list-2015, australian-authors

I liked this more than the first book, A House For All Seasons, although it was also an enjoyable read. I liked the way some difficult topics were tackled, and I especially liked the author’s acknowledgement at the end that these issues are reality for some people, with some phone numbers and websites for places to get help, if people have been affected.

I'm giving this 3.5 stars and looking forward to Season of Shadow and Light. ...more

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Mar 03, 2014 Tango rated it liked it

Simmering Season is an entertaining and enjoyable read. The strength of this book is the characters and their relationships. From marriage to father/daughter, mother/son, father/son relationships, alongside friendship, McLeod examines the importance of relationships in our lives. The story follows the lives of Maggie and her son Noah, and the friends and family whose lives intersect with theirs, over one storm season in the small country town of Calingarry Crossing. Maggie was a likeable, if inf ...more

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