All The Fun of the Fair: Review & Author Guest Post

Today I’m excited to share my review on the latest book by Lynda Page ‘All the Fun of the Fair’ in addition to sharing an exclusive guest post written by the author herself!

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My Review

All the Fun of the Fair was an interesting story about the lives of the fair folk of Grundy’s Traveling Fair. I enjoyed the dynamics of the relationships between the fair folk and there was plenty of drama and a bit of chaos throughout the novel. One of the things I most enjoyed was reading about the drastically different characters that came to life within this book.

Solly was an interesting character and was a great example of how some people waste their own opportunities and life. An interesting concept was that some people react so poorly to being hurt by the rejection of another, that they spend their entire life working towards revenge and retaliation. A young happy man rejected by someone he thought could be the love of his life, turned into a sour and deeply unhappy man whose mission in life became to cheat people over.

Donny and Ren had an interesting relationship and I loved the idea that although beauty might win someone over in the beginning, true love will always find a way. Some people ruin their lives and opportunity for happiness by always looking for a better life and better situation. Greed and dishonesty is an ugly look on even the most beautiful face.

One of the mysterious yet charming characters was a wonderful example of what being true to yourself looks like, no matter what. It’s a tragedy to love someone and not be able to be with them because you can’t be your true self with them but it’s a blessing to find friends that accept you for who you are.

Gem went against her family’s wealthy upbringing to marry a fair worker and went on to live an honest life as a fair workers wife. Although Sonny married a wonderful woman, he also had to live with the negativity that his brother Solly pushed his way (unknowingly to Sonny) because Sonny was able to do something Solly wasn’t, have the woman he loved love him back enough to live a fair life.

One of my favorite aspects of the story was the close bond these fair folk had with one another; strong fierce friendships, paired with loyalty and companionship. These individuals stuck together when things get tough and never left anyone behind. The combination of characters and events throughout the story made for an interesting adventure and I was happy to be along for the ride.

My Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

I received a complimentary review copy from the author. My review reflects my own opinion and I was not paid to review this, nor does receiving a free copy affect my review opinion or rating.

Guest Post by Author Lynda Page

Novelists have easy, charmed lives don’t they. Their books make them riches and they live in their grand abodes, rising whatever time they wish and after a leisurely breakfast wander into their office and after checking their emails, write for a couple of hours, then spend the rest of the day exhaustedly prostrate on the sofa, drinking tea and eating expensive chocolates, after six the tea turns to vodka and tonic which is served to them by an employee, who also takes care of all the rest of their needs.

Well that’s what I used to believe and I know I’m not on my own either, until that was, I became a writer myself. I am privileged to know many successful writers and very few of them have become wealthy from writing their books. Most I know don’t actually have an office for that matter, if they do then it’s a converted cupboard under the stairs, unused box room, or shed down the bottom of the garden. Most of us write on whatever space we can find big enough for our laptops or computers, some even typewriters, usually on a corner of the kitchen table. I know of one writer that hand wrote her novels locked in her bathroom as that was the only place she could find peace and quiet to do so in her home. Most of us don’t have the luxury of getting up when we want to as we have families to look after and also for the majority a full time job to get to. We don’t have writing routines as such, we write when we can, early morning before the rest of the family rise or late at night when they’ve gone to bed.

For those of us who do write full time, we don’t work nine to five, we can work from dawn until the early hours of the next morning without hardly a break in-between. As for weekends of leisure or bank holidays, well what are those? While we are labouring over our novels we have no time for a social life. The only dates we are aware of are those of looming deadlines. When we finally get to bed our sleep is usually disrupted by worries over our plots or characters that are not coming out quite the way we want them too and of keeping our stories fresh and original. We constantly suffer a variety of emotions especially that of self doubt that we are being arrogant enough to feel that we can compete on the book shelves with all those talented writer’s out there.

So next time you read a novel, whether you have enjoyed it or not, please spare just a little thought for the writer of it who has laboured hard, shed sweat and tears and gone through emotional agony to write that story. We chose to suffer all this because we love what we do but most importantly our hope that we bring a few hours of pleasure to anyone who reads our work.

About the Book:

Title: All the Fun of the Fair

Author: Lynda Page

Published: February 19, 2018

Blurb:

The unmissable new saga from bestselling author Lynda Page

It’s the 1950s and Grundy’s Travelling Fair arrives in town with a bang.

When night falls, the local town is drawn to the Fair. But when the fairgoers head home, the Grundys are left behind. Hours are long and the work back-breaking. But family and friends hold things together.

Gemma married into the lifestyle, her reliable husband Solomon making the work worthwhile. Solly’s Dad Samson is still the boss, but his other son, known as Sonny, is getting a reputation…

Times are changing. Can the family – and the fair – survive?

A saga with a twist, join the Grundy family in a gritty but heartwarming novel of love, friendship and secrets. Perfect for fans of Kitty Neale, Lyn Andrews and Rosie Goodwin.

About the Author

Author Bio:

Bestselling author Lynda Page has written over thirty books, and is a well-loved and critically acclaimed saga author. Born and raised in Leicester, where many of her novels take place, she began her prolific writing career in her forty-five minute lunch breaks. Best known for her Jolly’s Holiday Camp series, Lynda is writing a new series exploring life at a travelling fair in the 1950s for Canelo, with the first book, All the Fun of the Fair, out in February 2018.