Lesley Pearse

Back in 1995 I was working in Sheffield city centre. The bookshops were a magnet to me and I visited them several times a week. At the top of the escalator in WHSmith were three chunky books by an author new to me: Lesley Pearse. They immediately caught my eye and I couldn't resist giving them a go. I read Charity first, Lesley's third book, and then went back and read Georgia and Tara. I was absolutely absorbed in the ups and downs (perhaps rather more of the latter) of the eponymous characters and went on to devour every book this wonderful author has produced. Now, over thirty years since Georgia was published, Lesley Pearse has written her autobiography and it's instantly clear where so much of her inspiration has come from.

The Long and Winding Road is utterly compelling reading, as gripping as Lesley's novels. It takes us back first of all to the 1940s and the tragic death of her mother. After a stint in an orphanage she was able to return home but the remainder of her childhood was never easy and she escaped as soon as she could. I was astonished at the volume and variety of all the jobs and homes Lesley had. I think she moved more times than I had hot dinners! She was so courageous though, picking herself up and dusting herself down after each setback and letdown, bringing up her family and eventually becoming the bestselling novelist loved by so many readers.

I enjoyed this book so much. It's quite conversational in tone which made it easy to read and it's a tour through the music and fashion of the decades from the point of view of a woman who never let herself be held back. It was so wonderful to read about the life of one of my all-time favourite writers, the heartbreak and the joy, the sadness and the fun, culminating in a beautiful and heartwarming final chapter. It's a fabulous read.… (meer)

Some will point out that this isn't my usual fare of crime fiction, but there are a number of crimes described, and it is based around mystery.

Angus Tweedy's claim to be her father, and to have been gaoled for bigamy with her mother at first upsets Alice Kent, but then sets her off on a quest to learn as much about her mother's life as she can. She tracks down former friends of her mother and manages to piece together answers to many questions.

What Alice finds out is interspersed with a third person narrative which details episodes in her mother's life from when Sally was a small child.

An interesting novel which also reminds us of how the world has changed in the last 80 or so years.I will certainly read more by this author.… (meer)

Lesley Pearse is an accomplished author with over 30 titles in 30 years to her credit.

At the same time, however, as feeling some empathy for Amelia, the central character who discovers a body on a rubbish heap during a strike by London's sanitation collectors, I also found her to be a bit gullible and pliable. She is a little too willing to be thrust into the role of investigative journalist by her exploitative editor. As it is, she is very lucky to have some people on the look out for her welfare.

The story was full of twists and turns, leading us first down one path and then another.… (meer)