I nearly gave up on this about a quarter of the way through. I found the frequent jumps in time from 1939 to the 1960s very confusing. Something had happened in the lives of Cecily and her sister Rose. However it was only when, during a flash-back we learned more about their mother, Agnes and Aunt Kitty, her sister, that I began to follow the plot more clearly.

The character of Cecily is very well crafted. I really liked the way the complex inter-relationships between her and her family were explored and unwrapped.

It was also informing to read a novel which explored the attitudes towards German and Italian people at the outbreak of the war.

I am so glad that I persevered with this story, it certainly grew on me. There are twists and turns aplenty.
Whilst reading this I was reminded of the Johnny Nash lyric ' the more I find out the less I know'. Eventually most of the loose ends fall into place. A book which makes you ask the question 'who can you trust'?

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Gallic Books for a copy in exchange for a review.

3.5 stars

For me, this book was very slow and VERY confusing at the beginning and then I realized that I wasn't supposed to know how Rose was killed. That was the story and the mystery of the whole book. However, I do have to say that this book felt as though it was translated from another language and not done very well. There were many parts of it that I did not understand. I did get the gist of it, but there were many times I wasn't sure if it was just filler, if I should be getting something out of it or if it was just over my head. A lot of it didn't relate to anything.

There was also the fact that the story would jump around a whole lot. I would be reading thirty years ahead and all of a sudden it would jump thirty years back or vice versa without any warning or heads up. That was confusing at times. While all the questions to the mysteries were answered, I'm going to say the stuff that I did not understand was fluff meaning this book could have been told in a much shorter version and would have made for a much better book.

I would like to thank Gallic Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this entertaining e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Please see blog

A genuinely beautifully written book.

Although this book takes a while to get going, stick with it. Roma Tearne writes in a style that I can only describe as part poetry, part cinematic. Her style does take some getting used to but once you have you are led on a stream of imagery and narrative that defy definition.

The story is set on the cusp of Britain’s entry into World War 2 and is told from the view of 13 year old Cecily Maudsley. She lives in an idyllic house on the Suffolk coast with her family and all seems relatively “normal” with her rivalry with her older sister and her friendship with the local Italian family. However, as the story progresses the opaqueness of Cecily’s view of life becomes more transparent as she begins to discover hidden secrets and the family experience a devastating tragedy.

Although not my normal style of book I really liked this and would highly recommend.

Cecily is thirteen years old the summer that World War 2 is threatening. She lives in a lovely house with her family, Joe her brother, who will be going off to war if it happens and Rose her sister who is 3 years older and very glamorous and no longer wanting to spend time with Cecily.

They are all friends with the Italian family who run the ice cream parlour and she is discovering that that she has deeper feelings for Carlo, but like all the young men he only has eyes for Rose. Cecily also spends most of her summer eavesdropping on all adult conversations to find out what is happening everywhere

The story keeps going from 1939 to the sixties when Cecily returns to her family home she is the only member of the family still alive and is trying to come to terms with the events of that summer.

It is a good storyline but I struggled with the contstant jumping from one place to another and in the beginning especially I found it very confusing as to what was happening and who the characters were

This time switch mystery set in WW2 and present day was an intriguing read. The author's style was a little hard to get used to at first, with lots of jumping around and twists and turns within the plot that could be very confusing. At times it did require quite a lot of persistence to stick with this book, but eventually all of the pieces of the story fell into place to create an overall satisfying read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book .It was for me a real page turner I couldn't wait to find out what was happening next .The story spans over 29 years and I felt I was living it with the characters .

This book paints a poignant and tragic picture of coastal Suffolk, England on the eve of World War II . As seen through the eyes of a young teenager, Cecily, we see an interesting cast of characters in her extended family as well as other townsfolk such as an endearing Italian family who are the victims of prejudice and tragedy when war breaks out. The novel kept me turning the pages through the end of the book to piece together the puzzle of what happened. The description of pre-war life in this rural corner of Britain is lyrical.

Published in April 2015, at the time of writing this review (September 2015_ I’m surprised at how little notice this wonderful book has received. Only 9 reviews on Amazon, and only 16 on Goodreads. And yet it deserves far more acclaim than that. Roma Tearne is a very talented storyteller and all her skills are in evidence in this her latest book. It’s the story of 2 families whose lives are forever intertwined, and it’s an unforgettable tale. A dual time narrative, we are introduced to the families in 1939 just before the outbreak of warand then look back on the events of that fateful year when the adult Cecily Maudsley returns to her childhood home to try and make sense of what happened. The Maudsleys are Suffolk farmers, the Marinellos Italian immigrants. There are secrets to discover, tragedies that unfold, sorrows that are never assuaged. Well-written, well-paced and marvellously atmospheric, with a sure touch for both characterisation and dialogue, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Read it – but keep some tissues close by.

I truly loved The Last Pier and Roma Tearne’s writing style. The plot can be a little hard to follow as the storyline jumps back and forth through time, but reading it from the main character’s point of view allows the reader to discover the secrets at the same time as Cecily does in the book.

With WWII rapidly approaching England, Cecily, her family, and their village are torn between preparing for war and living as if there would be no war. When Cecily’s older sister, Rose, suddenly dies, Cecily tries to make sense of her death and the events leading up to it. Cecily feels incredibly guilty, but at thirteen years old, doesn’t understand why or what really happened to Rose. Instead, she is sent to live with her aunt. As Cecily struggles to piece everything together, you will learn together the tragedies that WWII brought upon families and their loved ones.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.