A Year of Marvellous Ways: The Richard and Judy Bestseller

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Who sits by a creek waiting for her last adventure, she had plenty of them though but she is still waiting for the latest. Prior to Drake’s appearance she has been busily cleaning out the old boathouse where she can tend to Drake. Further Reading: As well as When God Was A Rabbit, we recommend The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis and/or Nine Days by Toni Jordan if you enjoy immersing in some engaging characters.

The tale does not flow at the start and I can understand how some have found this hard to stick with and given up. I was attracted to this book straight away by it's beautiful cover, it really is lovely and it doesn't stop there, what's inside is even lovelier.

When the perspective shifts to Francis Drake (yes, that’s his name), the novel finds a firm footing in realism, at least for the moment.

Her first lover was a woman, but rather than dwelling upon trying to define sexuality its refreshing how she moves from that to relationships with men without ponderous reflection or attributing any meaning to it. One that seeps right into your soul, like the water from Marvellous' creek running over your welly boots, and makes you feel as squelchy as the mud she sinks down into when collecting cockles. Without a doubt, my favourite thing about being part of the RMS Book Club has been the huge variety in the stories that it has brought into my world. With characters named Marvellous Ways; Francis Drake; Paper Jack; Peace, amongst others, the scene is set for some magical realism with stars and glow bugs lighting the stage. The plot had more coincidences and unexpected relations than Jane Eyre and most of them I found to be unnecessary.There is strong theme of the cycle of life; love, death and grief are all relived throughout the novel. At first, I thought this book was a bit slow but as I got further into the book, I realised that the pace was one of its charms. Marvellous and Drake strike up an unlikely friendship which feels something like the pairing in the film Harold and Maude. This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. It is a book of magical realism, beautifully penned, but I have to confess I found it hard to engage with until three quarters of the way through when the characters of Marvellous, Drake and Peace converge.