I thought this was even better than The Keeper of Lost Things, very enjoyable read. I cared about the characters and the way the past unfolded was captivating.

I must start by saying I love Ruth Hogan’s books, this is no one exemption. It is slightly slower than her other titles but the characters are quirky and very likeable, it also gives an insight into the holiday camps of the 50’s and 60’s. I was surprised by the end, which is always good.

Madame (Imelda) Burova is a tarot reader, palmist and clairvoyant who has spent her life keeping other people's secrets. After 50 years of working on the Brighton seafront, Imelda is retiring and decides now is the time to fulfil a promise she made a long time ago.

Billie meanwhile has lost her job, her marriage and it seems now even her identity is in question. Her search for answers leads her to Imelda and the events at a holiday park 50 years ago. Will Imelda ever get closure? And will Billie ever discover the real truth behind her parentage?

The story was a little confusing at the beginning with a large cast of characters being introduced. I found myself struggling to remember how everyone was connected to each other but these associations did become clearer as the story unravelled. There was no big drama or tension, the only real intrigue being Billie's parentage, but that didn't matter to me. This is a character driven story and their interactions and stories are what make this novel work.

Overall I really enjoyed Madame Burova and I'm looking forward to reading more of Ruth Hogan's novels.

You can find my full review at https://mmbbookblog.com/madame-burova-by-ruth-hogan-book-review/

Madame Burova is Ruth Hogan's fourth novel and it won't disappoint her fans. The story bounces between the early 1970s and the present day, and focuses on the secrets and confidences kept by clairvoyant, tarot reader and palmist Madame Burova who lived and worked on the seafront in Brighton. The storyline weaves the lives of the many characters in and out without giving too much away too soon and I remained hooked until the very end when the final mystery is solved. I especially loved the characters Hogan created - particularly Billie, one of the main characters in the story, Clive, a 'super recogniser' and Treasure, through whom the issues of race discrimination in the 1970s are explored. This book drew me into its world - definitely one of my top reads of 2021.
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

Ruth Hogan has done it again. Another engaging story with some great characters. I always feel a bit bereft at the end of a Hogan novel as I know I shall miss the characters for quite a while. Four solid stars. And thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC of this title.

Madame Burova is a pleasant enough story, with a cast of lovely characters but sadly, once again, a story written so many times, it is hard to add anything to it to make it fresh.
Tragic young love, infant abandonment, a quest of finding one's roots, new beginnings, new friendships - if that sounds up your alley, then I am sure you'll enjoy this.

Many thanks for the opportunity to read this.

Madame Burova, by Ruth Hogan

I was so excited to receive an advance copy of the text for Madame Burova and must admit to already having a sense of what to expect with this book, having read Hogan’s previous books with great enjoyment. This could, of course, have set the stage for quite a disappointment: mercifully, this was not the case.

This split-time narrative, set in both the 1970s and the present day, is distinguished ably and the switch between timelines is supported by the canine cast of the book, who are developed with equal depth to the human characters, helping us to comfortably switch between Madame Burova’s past and present as the mystery of Billie’s background is explored and unravelled.

This book, like much of Hogan’s writing, abounds with warmth. Even in the darker, more painful moments of the tale, levity and comfort are found in the rich, but never insipid, warmth of the supporting characters in the story, each of whom is characterised wonderfully so that by the end of the book they feel much like old friends, who you are then sad to say goodbye to.

Sustaining this warmth does mean that some of the more challenging themes in the book are given something of a light touch - the racism, sexism, animal abuse and maternal abandonment are handled softly and necessitate oversimplification of the perpetrators in order to preserve the main narrative threads and sustain pace - this may frustrate some readers who want to see such strong themes and those involved explored with greater nuance and depth. To do so, however, would change the overall ‘feel’ of the book, and this would be a significant loss, as there is something slightly magical about the worlds Ruth Hogan creates, which are suffused with a goodness and sense of human connection that overcomes the tragedies of her tales. This ‘magic’ is elevated within Madame Burova as it leans elegantly into the mystical - something I greatly enjoyed - through our titular character.

I love the nostalgic way that Hogan evokes and explores mysteries of the past - the perfectly pitched observations about time and place, the webbed interconnectedness of people through their stories, their families and their locales - her passion for the bygone and for the background stories of everyday people underpins and is woven throughout each of her stories, bringing them to life.

This was a warm, wonderful and immersive read for this rainy, Mother’s Day Sunday, and one which I am sure I’ll pick up in paper copy to read again. Delightful.

(Also - I’m hoping the publishers/editors caught the slip on page 330 in which Star is named as being present alongside Billie and Treasure in the current day, rather than Sparrow. Oops!)

Such a lovely warm novel with quirky well-drawn characters and a gentle teasing plot - absolutely loved it, it was a pleasure to spend time with the heartwarming cast and locations.

I really, really enjoyed this lovely book, with its cast of wonderful characters that you cannot help but adore. Imelda, a recently retired fortune teller, is just lovely and full of mystery whilst still being so relatable and I absolutely adored her parents - every appearance from her mother made me chuckle heartily. I loved the Larkins crew (mostly) and Henry and Clive - they were all just wonderful. Then we have Billie, looking to find out about a past that she has only just found out about...
I could almost imagine myself by the sea in Brighton too.

This was a great read, pacey and full of character, humanity and heart - Loved it!

Ruth Hogan’s characters are always brimming with life, quirky and full of colour, like a Beryl Cook painting. Madame Burova is no exception with its cast of entertainers and cafe-owners amongst others. I loved this dual-timelined mystery of the parentage of Billie that explored Brighton in the 70s and London now. Delightful, too short, another great read.

This is the second book I have read by Ruth Hogan and I am now an avid fan of her work. As before the descriptive writing really sets a scene or character and this, as well as unusual and superlative story telling, is what sets these books apart. Not only do you become invested in the people but also phrases such as “soprano notes duetting with the baritone of the waves booming onto the beach‘ set a scene that you can almost hear and smell. After finishing the book I also read ‘A few thoughts and more than a few thanks’ where I found that in addition to being a very good writer and storyteller Ruth Hogan is also a very thorough researcher, this is my pet love, as an academic librarian I am always delighted to see solid research going into anyone’s work. Thank you Netgalley, publisher and especially Ruth for the opportunity to read this delightful story in exchange for an honest review.

Told in two timelines, one in the 1970’s and centring on opening of a Butlins-like holiday park; the other timeline is contemporary where Billy, recently bereaved and searching for her birth parents. Madame Burova of the title features in both. The start of this book was fairly overwhelming with so many seemingly unconnected characters introduced all at once.

I really wanted to love this book, the premise was interesting and the character of Madame Burova had such potential but unfortunately it fell a bit short for me. I never really connected with any of the characters so instead of being unable to put it down, I started becoming reluctant to pick it up as I just didn’t care. It may well have been because there were just too many characters over two timelines.

I felt that she was using some unusual vocabulary at times, why use sobriquet when nickname would do, and why use libidinous when there are so many common use words having the same meaning (horny, randy etc.). This distracted from the story.

The ending on the other hand was good, it ties up everything and connects things we never knew we needed connecting and meant that I could forgive much that had gone before.
It didn’t quite do it for me. Too many characters and ultimately I didn’t really care what happened to any of them.

This is a really unusual book which focuses on clairvoyant Madame Imelda Burova both now that she has decided to retire and back in the early seventies when she got caught up with characters and life at the local holiday park. Also in the now we meet Billie, who is grieving the recent loss of her remaining parent when secrets that are revealed to her that send her into a whirl and cause her life to cross with Imelda. This is without a doubt a very character led book and there are plenty characters within it, the story itself is very gently paced with no major surprises in honesty but the characters more than make up for that.

I really like Ruth Hogan's books and this one does it for me too. "Madame Burova" is just full of charm, likeable characters and the simple story of a girl trying to find out who her real parents are. Just charming.

This was a pleasant enough read and certainly brought to life by the many and varied characters, some warm and homely, some fun and friendly and others down right cringy and creepy. The plot moved from a 1970s holiday camp typical of the time to the present day, which is fine but I did feel that it flitted about at times and confused me.
Not an exciting page turner but a nice enough read.

Every now and again a book comes along that is so extraordinarily enjoyable and this is one. The life Ruth Hogan breathes into her novels and the vibrant and colourful characters she creates are simply wonderful.

Madame Imelda Burova is a tarot reader, palmist and fortune teller. She is also a keeper of the secrets shared with her in her booth. The delightful Billie has just learned, after the death of her beloved parents, that she was adopted. It seems that Madame Burova could help her uncover the mystery of her identity, so she heads off to Brighton to meet her.

The story unfolds between 1972 and the present. The setting in the 70s is primarily a holiday camp where Imelda is supplementing the income from her booth. We meet a host of colourful characters including: Jeanie, a talented singer; her aloof friend Vivienne; Cillian, a dare devil stuntman; a trio of mermaids and Imelda's charmingly eccentric parents. There are also Treasure, a delightful young boy who loves dogs but suffers bullying at school because of his colour and Marty, the lecherous manager of the holiday camp. The book does not shy away from the themes of racism and sexism, so prevalent at that time.

In the present day, Billie soon establishes a close community of friends including a grown up Treasure, the mysterious MI5 Clive, the pianist Henry and Imelda herself. Armed only with a photo which may include her father Billie sets out to discover her roots.

This is such a lovely novel, full of wit, fun, humour and, of course, dogs. I fell in love with nearly all the characters and I was willing Billie on to uncover her truth. The author is so skilled as a story teller and a depicter of human relationships.This was a stunning and totally immersive read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Two Roads Books for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Ruth Hogan writes great feel good novels and while this isn’t my favourite it’s still well worth a read. Following the characters in both the 1970s and the present day the fortune telling Madame Burova helps Billie, the baby who was abandoned on her doorstep 40 years before, find out about the past she was totally unaware of until she read the letter her adoptive father had left with his solicitor to be read after his death. A whole host of lovely characters but my favourite had to be Madame Burova’s dog!

I really liked this book. The story of Madame Burova flits between the early 70s and the present day, tying together the story of Imelda aka Madame Burova, a fortune teller and clairvoyant in Brighton, and Billie, who has just discovered that her deceased parents were not her real parents.
Madame Burova is described at the beginning of the book as someone who keeps everyone's secrets, so of course, Billie meets her and hopes to find out who her birth parents were.
I read Ruth Hogan's first book - The Keeper of Lost Things - and quite enjoyed it but I have to say I liked this more.
My only two criticisms would be:
1) Considering Billie finds out something rather life-shattering, she doesn't go on much of a personal journey in this book. I don't get much of her emotions on finding out she's adopted or on discovering who her real parents were.
2) There were a few too many characters for me - it was sometimes hard to keep track between the three sisters, all named after gemstones, the entertainers at the holiday park, friends of Billie's, friends of Imelda's and so on.

A pleasant read with delightful characters. I love Ruth Hogans books and this one did not disappoint. A constant page turner with split timelines. Would definitely recommend

TW: unwanted pregnancy; mention of abortion; mention of miscarriage; experiences of racism; sexual harassment; death.

I have been a fan of Ruth Hogan for some time, The Keeper of Lost Things is a favourite comfort read of mine, so I was very excited to be approved for this proof! Thank you, NetGalley and John Murray Press!

For me, this was an interesting blend of a comfortable read but also dealt with some serious topics. The book follows two narratives, that of Madame Burova in the 70s and Billie in the present day who is meeting the older Madame Burova and uncovering the mystery of her birth parents. Most of the aforementioned trigger warnings mainly occur in the 70s narrative which depicts the sexism and racism that was sadly prevalent during the time period.

The plot felt somewhat chaotic to me, sometimes I wasn't sure if I was coming or going. The two narratives were easy to follow but something about the line of the plot felt a bit random. The ending felt somewhat far fetched and I definitely didn't feel contented by it. However, the characters were definitely a major positive! Hogan has a gift for creating wonderfully layered and complex characters where even the supporting cast have their own personalities and are genuinely fleshed out. There is also some decent LGBT rep. The characters are definitely the highlight of this novel and make it worth the read.

Overall, the book did feel like it was missing something, a certain magic that I just didn't feel. Hogan's books are worth reading for her characterisation skills and I definitely recommend this if you fancy a read that's on the lighter side!