‘A story for everyone who has loved and lost’
Fionnuala Kearney is a writer whose work I haven’t read before, but I can now quite categorically state that I am a fan…a huge fan.
The Book of Love is her latest novel, due for release with Harper Collins on 25th October and, as Fionnuala Kearney has said, it is a story of ‘enduring love’.
I received an advance copy from Harper Collins Ireland and have my unbiased and as always voluntary thoughts for you all today..
About The Book:
Two people. Twenty years. One love.
Erin and Dom. Dom and Erin. Everyone said it wouldn’t last. They loved each other too much, too quickly but they knew their love would last.
And it does.
A wedding present – a notebook – brings them together and sees them through the good times and the bad times.
It’s the pages of their love and their life.
They write down what they can’t always say – the secrets, the devotion, the heartbreak, the highs and lows of living and loving.
And this is where their story begins…
My Review:
The Book of Love is a book that caught me by surprise. The story of Erin and Dom, Dom and Erin, is, indeed, a very special one.
It’s the 1990s and Dom’s sister, Lydia, has a new flat mate, Erin Fitzpatrick.
‘She was dancing, a hippy thing where her body just swayed, and she reminded me of a tree – tall with long, coppery hair, longer limbs, slender fingers. I called her “Tree-Girl”
From that initial moment Erin and Dom became a couple and, within a few months, Erin was pregnant. Very soon after, they were promising to love each other forever, as they tied the knot in the local registry office, followed by a small reception in the back room of The KIng’s Arms. This was never the magical, white wedding that Erin had imagined but she loved Dom, she truly did, and their love would continue to take them on a very emotional journey, filled with the many ups and downs of life.
Erin’s dad gave the couple a very unusual gift, a notebook. His wish was for them to use it’s pages as a place to express their thoughts and feelings with each other, a place for honesty and a place for truth.
‘What am I?
I am The Book of Love
The pages of truth with its light and shade
I am Love
And if real, I will never fade.’
Initially, Erin was quite skeptical of the premise behind the notebook but as the years pass it became a very important part of their marriage, a refuge for their feelings.
All couples strive to be truthful with each other, as with this truth comes strength and love, and hope that this love will endure through the difficult times. For some marriages it can be hard for one party to speak up, to be brave, for fear of what their other half may think, so writing down thoughts and feelings can be a cathartic experience. For Dom and Erin, it proves to be an extraordinary experience. And for the reader, it is a very emotional journey.
.
Fionnuala Kearney has written a powerfully, moving novel that quite literally left me breathless and shaken. The writing is exquisite and as I journeyed through life with Dom and Erin, I felt like I was walking beside them.
The Book of Love IS a book about love and the enduring power of true love. Every relationship has it’s moments of hardship, those times when a relationship may stagger and falter, when the truest of love can be challenged. Fionnuala Kearney takes these moments and captures the essence of every thought and feeling with her captivating narrative and her incredible insight into the human psyche.
I’m not going to lie folks, I cried while reading this book. It brought all my own emotions to the surface and I just was unable to hold back the flow. I tweeted after finishing this novel that I was bereft and drained, and I was…I still am. Something about this book really touched me deeply.
The Book of Love is a testament to enduring love. It is both uplifting and gut-wrenchingly sad. The expression, a book-hangover, would be familiar to many of you – THAT is what I experienced on finishing this stunningly beautiful, poignant and enchanting work from Fionnuala Kearney.
The Book of Love will enthrall. If you believe in love, if you believe in the power of it being forever, if you perhaps hesitate over the existence of an enduring love, whatever your belief, trust me, you will not regret picking up a copy of this truly special book.
‘I am Love…..And if real, I will never fade’
Mesmerising. Emotional. Eloquent…..Enduring
Purchase Link ~ The Book of Love
About Fionnuala Kearney
Fionnuala Kearney lives in Ascot with her husband. They have two grown-up daughters (both with deliberately simple monosyllabic names).
One of seven children, Fionnuala likes to write about the nuances and subtle layers of human relationships, peeling them away to see what’s really going on beneath.
Website ~ https://www.fionnualakearney.com/
Twitter ~ @fionnualatweets
I love Fionnuala’s books, can’t wait to read this one!
O Joanne …it is so breathtaking..beautiful beautiful book.