The Vintage Teacup club

 

A few weeks ago I was asked by the Little Brown Book group if I was interested in reviewing the first novel of writer Vanessa Greene, called The Vintage Teacup Club.

Most of the time I kindly reject offers to post advertisements on my blog, but this request was different. Not only because I am a keen reader, but also because I like to encourage first time writers. I can't tell you how happy I was I enjoyed the book :-)!

The description on the back sounded promising. When I spotted the words 'car boot sale',  'vintage tea set' and 'friendship', I knew it was the sort of book that would appeal to you too :-).

On a lazy summer afternoon in the sleepy market town of Charlesworth, three women's eyes fix on one delicate, vintage tea service in the same instant. Each wants it desperately. Maggie, the owner of a successful fliristry business, is working on the most important commission of her career - for a bridezilla, whose perfectionism knows no bounds. Fierceley ambitious, Maggie knows that if things go well, this could be her chance to prove herself - and to give the company that step up it needs to hit the big time.

Jenny can't wait to marry her long-term boyfriend Dan. They work so well together - lives intertwined over  years since meeting in the first week of uni, she can't imagine any other future. The one essential ingredient in her carefully nurtured vision for the perfect (low-budget) wedding is an abundance of vintage crockery.  But as wedding planning reaches fever pitch, her emotions receive a sharp knock when she hears from the one person who has the power to cast a black cloud over everything, and dangerous questions start forming in  her mind....

Alison seems to have it all. She is married to her childhood sweetheart, with two gorgeous daughters and a flourishing business making candles out of vintage china teacups. But as tensions mount among friends and family, she is pushed to breaking point.

Following the highs and lows of these three women's lives, this debut novel is escapism at its best. Vanessa Greene has a descriptive way of writing and manages to capture your attention from the very start. The plot is good, the characters are engaging and face genuine dilemma's. It's the perfect novel to snuggle up with on a rainy autumn day!

I am off to the couch one more.

Wish you a happy weekend!

LOVE,

Madelief x

photo 1 to/incl. 8 were taken at Bed & Breakfast Tower House in Tenterden, UK