Retro Reviewer: Wrapped Up In You.
2/3/2012 12:07:17 PM
I was eighteen the last time I wrote a book review.
It would have been for English A’ level and it was quite probably The Wife Of Bath’s Prologue and Tale. I remember a woman getting married in a red dress and young Janekin with his long legs. My English teacher was so enthusiastic about the book, I couldn’t help but get caught up in it.
Today, I am writing about Wrapped Up In You a book by Carole Matthews.
It is the story of thirty-something Janie Johnson, a hairdresser from the Home Counties, whose lack of love-life is of great interest to her clients and colleagues.
A spontaneous holiday to the Maasai Mara and a connection with Dominic, her tour guide and Maasai warrior, throws her whole world upside down. The feeling is mutual, but Janie must return home to her fearsome cat, Archie and her lovely neighbour, Mike, who is always nearby to offer a helping hand.
Janie is desperate to get back to Dominic, but with the distance between them, geographically and socially, will anything come of their attraction?
Having lost years not reading Carole’s books, I’m now playing catch up. Wrapped Up In You is my second, the first being The Only Way Is Up. I have several in my To Be Read pile and here are the reasons why:
Instantly, I am transported to the characters worlds. I have never been to the Maasai Mara, but Carole is such an accomplished writer, I could visualise the landscape and hear the night time noises clearly.
I enjoy the way in which the male characters bond – there are moments in Wrapped Up In You and The Only Way Is Up that had me shedding a tear. On both occasions, it was to do with the way in which two male characters demonstrate a manly warmth for one another. I found the interactions very moving.
Observation appears to be the key. I am in love with Archibald the Aggressive, Janie’s wonderfully alpha male cat. As a pet lover and carer to two cats, I thought Archie’s behaviour and personality was spot on. His antics and unswerving hopefulness for food made me laugh. Many times.
Finally, I enjoyed the feel of Wrapped Up In You. There is an air of melancholy at the beginning, which helped me empathise with the main character. I could feel her mood and understand her actions. As the reader, I was guided smoothly from one emotion to another, the mood changing throughout the story. It took me with it. When I turned the last page, I wasn’t quite ready to come back.
If you have not read any of Carole Matthews’s books, I urge you to. You have twenty from which to choose.
I will be reading them all.
Carole Matthews’s new book, Summer Daydreams is out now.
My Christmas Find Out Friday was with the lovely Carole Matthews and can be read on my Blog page.
Another hard working author will be with me in next week’s Find Out Friday.