I Found You, Lisa Jewell, Atria Books, 2016, 342 pp
This was a perfectly entertaining read for a hot summer day. I finished it in two sittings. With a bit of romance, a mystery, and a quirky single mom who was just right for my tastes, it took me away from all the heavy issues of our current times.
Most of the story takes place in a British seaside town. Alice Lake, whose free-wheeling lifestyle has left her with three children all from different fathers, creates art out of old maps to support her family. She also collects people who seem to need her, despite the concerns of her best friend. When she finds a man on the beach one morning who has no idea who he is or how he got there, she takes him in.
Over two decades earlier, in the same town, a young girl was lost at sea while her father died trying to rescue her. As the amnesiac staying with Alice begins to recover some memories, it appears he could be connected to that unsolved drowning.
Though I did think I had figured out who he was before it was fully revealed, I remained in doubt until the very end because the clues could have led to another man, also gone missing. Now that is a good mystery if you ask me.
I had never heard of this author until my Bookie Babes reading group picked the book. Lisa Jewell has been writing popular romantic and mystery fiction since 1999! Fourteen of them, with a new one, Then She Was Gone, coming next spring. I have found a new author to turn to for light reading.
(I Found You is available in various formats by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
Ooo, this book sounds like a delightful read!! A perfect for the summer as you've said.
ReplyDeleteI am glad I got that across! Because it was.
DeleteAnd, goodness knows, we all need some light reading these days!
ReplyDeleteI like the premise of this book. I'm familiar with the author's name, not her works.
ReplyDeleteHow did you hear about her?
DeleteI typically see her books on my Amazon page.
DeleteThanks Carmen. It is so varied and interesting the ways we find out about authors.
DeleteThank goodness for light reads occasionally, yes! We can't always read Faulkner's Absalom Absalom by the campfire, lol. This one sounded enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI am beginning to think I should look for more light reads. My reading so far this year has strengthened me but left me exhausted. Let's face it. It has been an exhausting year.
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