This book is about ... hmm. By around half way through the book, I was wondering just what it was about. Part of it is set in 1973-4 in Brighton. And part of it is in the present day. There are a cast of characters who — Billie and Imelda aside — didn't interest me all that much. No. Actually, Treasure was a wonderful character. I really felt for him when he was a child.

Billie was a Foundlings baby. She was left in Imelda's booth (Madame Burova, fortune teller) as a baby, and Imelda had Billie adopted. Now her parents have both died, and she wants to find out who her biological parents were. Billie follows the clues and winds up at Madame Burova's booth once more. Imelda knows who Billie's mother is. The cards have told her. And the cards never lie. But she is not sure about Billie's father.

Over the years, Imelda has heard everyone's secrets, and she has kept them to herself. She has also had her heart broken when the love of her life, the daring motorcycle rider, Killean Burns, dies. At the same time, Imelda loses her own baby, and then Billie is left in her booth. It's a lot to deal with. In addition, she wonders whether Killean is the father of Billie.

There is some mystery regarding who the father (and mother) is. The dogs (Grecia and Mabel) are fabulous. But, on the whole, I just didn't engage with the characters or the story. I know there are many people out there who loved this. It just wasn't for me.

I'm not sure. People who are looking for a quick, beach read, I guess.

The dogs. They are so cute.

The writing. It felt flat and, about half way through, I almost gave up. I was bored, and it wasn't holding my interest all that well.

Read something exciting with a killer plot.

Bored.

Ruth Hogan. From Amazon: I was brought up in a house full of books, and grew up with an unsurprising passion for reading and writing. I also loved (and still do) dogs and ponies, seaside piers (particularly the Palace Pier in Brighton) snow globes and cemeteries. And potatoes. So of course, I was going to be a vet, show jumper, or gravedigger. Or potato farmer.

Or maybe a writer...

I studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths College, University of London where I hennaed my hair, wore dungarees, had aspirations to be the fourth member of Bananarama and generally had an amazing time. And then I got a proper job. For ten years I had a successful if uninspiring career in local government before a car accident left me unable to work full-time and was the kick up the butt I needed to start writing seriously.

It was all going well, but then in 2012 I got cancer, which was very inconvenient but precipitated an exciting hair journey from bald to a peroxide blonde Annie Lennox crop. When chemo kept me up all night I passed the time writing and the eventual result was THE KEEPER OF LOST THINGS, my bestselling debut novel, which was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. Since then I have had two further novels published, THE WISDOM OF SALLY RED SHOES and QUEENIE MALONE'S PARADISE HOTEL and for my fourth, MADAME BUROVA, I learnt to read Tarot cards and developed a hankering for a traditional vardo and pony. THE PHOENIX BALLROOM was inspired by my childhood ballroom dancing lessons and my love of old, abandoned buildings. It is also a love song to my hometown of Bedford and in particular its beautiful Victorian Embankment.

I live in a chaotic Victorian house with an assortment of rescue dogs and my long-suffering husband. I am a magpie; always collecting treasures (or 'junk' depending on your point of view), a huge John Betjeman fan and I would very much like a full-size galloping horses carousel in my back garden.

As a full-time author I am living the dream, and I'm so grateful to all my readers for making that possible. I love hearing from you, so please feel free to drop me a line on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Even after publishing five books, I've never come across a single person reading any of my books in public, but I live in hope...

A lot of people enjoyed this book. I read a lot of reviews from people saying the book is beautiful.

I didn't find it beautiful. I found it boring.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of Madame Burova: the new novel from the author of The Keeper of Lost Things   from Amazon.Com!

Created Feb 10, 2025 at 6:02am • Submit your own review...