It is never easy to face the fact that a man you once loved passionately has found the girl of his dreams as Alice discovers when Joe introduces her to his new girlfriend Ginny. Jealous, Alice is repelled by Giny - an ethereal beauty with a sinister group of friends.

Then Alice finds an old diary hidden away in Ginny's room and reads about Daniel Holmes and his friend Robert and the mysterious woman who bewitched them both - Rosemary Virgina Ashley, buried in Grantchester churchyard half a century ago - buried but far from forgotten.

As the stories intertwine, past and present are merged into one; Alice comes to realize that her instinctive hatred of Joes' new girlfriend may not just be due to jealousy as she's plunged into a nightmare world of obsession, revenge, seduction and blood

This was the first of Harris's books and one that she thought long since buried - it was pressure from the fans who got it republished.

Very much a different style from the later books she is more famous for, I struggled to read it, and not in a "it's a harris book not like chocolat" whine. I gave up trying to work out the chapter headings (never getting above the number "two") and I'm sure there's a reason somewhere. The story flips between several different voices, from the late 1948s via a diary read in the current time when Alice comes across Joe's new girlfriend and the similarity with the girl apparently buried in the corner of the local graveyard.

UK Bookring!

Ray Rules

1) Everybody should leave a journal entry when receiving the book and after the read! Please let us all know what you think about it...
2) Also PM the next person on the list for a mailing address and when that person doesn't answer (within 7 days MAX!) please PM the one after...Please check the list to make sure it hasnt changed
3) Everybody should also try to read the book soon (< 2 months)
4) You can send the book via surface mail or airmail - that is completely up to you.
5) If you find you don't have the time to read it when it's your turn please PM and I'll do my best to move you to a later slot. This is an international Ray, so it may not come to a place near you again!
6) I'll attempt to include new members as possible, based on shipping prefs and location, but may have to refuse if impossible to get in or out!


Current Ray participents

fluffy-owl
Inver
jonniboi
Nu-Knees
turnpages
BokOrm09

juliako (Skipped as not responding - putting to end of list to try again)

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Off in the post on the start of the ray - I hope you enjoy!

Received in the post today, looking forward to reading it.

I quite enjoyed this. It's an easy book to read (hence why I've read it in less than a week since it arrived!) and I did find myself being caught up in the plot. It's not as good as Harris' later work, but it passed some time quite nicely. I'm from Cambridge, and know Grantchester and the church where some action takes place - may look at it differently in the future!

Now posting off to Inver, hope it travels well and arrives safely.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posting off to Inver, travel well!

Book hurtled through my letter box this morning safe and sound. I will get to this one immediately as, for a change, no more bookrings on the go only reading my own book!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

8/7/09 ~ Well I have to say I have had very mixed feelings about this book. I almost gave up on it. At times I found it too discriptive and very confusing the way it was jumping back and forward. I also found it difficult to who was narating at times. Lots of characters to try and keep track of. However I persevered with it trying to work out the plot and by half way through I knew I had to finish it. It did pick up and I thought I had it worked out but then lost my way again. Have to say by the end of it I was still confused. Not the Joanne Harris I am used to reading and am glad I didn't read this one first or I may not have picked up anymore to read....thank goodness I started with 'Chocolat'!

I have Jonniboi's address and will post it today.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

On it's way to next in the bookray.

I've just received it and I'm very intrigued as the blurb (back of the book) makes it sound really good! I shall read it when I have finished my other books that are in bookrings/rays

I really enjoyed this book, and I am really happy that I signed up to this bookray. I have decided to add all of her other books to my wishlist, because I really want to read the others now, so thank you. I'm pretty sure I have already contacted the next person in line, but I shall try again and see if I get any luck!

I contacted juliako but I haven't got a reply so I tried again and still no reply, I have waited between 1-2 weeks and no reply, so I have contacted Nu-Knees and shall send to that person if that's ok?

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I have sent this book to the next person in line which is : Nu-Knees, I hope she enjoys this book and I'm sad to see it go as I really enjoyed this book to the extent that I'm going to buy it myself soon!

Glad to report that this has arrived safely in Knaresborough, thank you very much, but was disappointed to find the paperbackbookswap enclosures in the front. As I never take part in any form of chains whatsoever, I'll just ignore that bit and pass the information on untouched! I do, however, look forward to reading the book which has been on my Wish List for a while, having read just about everything else Joanne Harris has published (except the recipes!).

It's interesting to go back and read her pre-Chocolat novels - I found Sleep, Pale Sister decidedly weird and it looks like this is in the same vein!

I've read it already! I received it on Friday, started it yesterday and finished it this morning. I was too fascinated to put it down but too wimpey to read it after dark, especially as I was in the house on my own. Otherwise I'd have started and finished it on the same day, not something I do often!

It was both interesting and confusing to read the Author's Note at the beginning. I was particularly interested to read why she felt she needed to resurrect it and confused by her explanation of her Ones and Twos. "I headed all the chapters, One and Two alternately, to distinguish between the two time frames; one being the present day, the other being just after the Second World War" (p11) I took that to mean that One was the present (or the late '80s when it was presumably first written, first published in 1992) and Two the past - but it's actually the other way round and they're by no means alternate because sometimes consecutive chapters don't change time. Then of course there's the rather odd single Three (p63), unidentified, unnamed, undated... In many of her later books she uses symbols to identify which narrative voice is speaking in which chapter but I still found it slightly surprising that she'd settled on the device so early in her writing career. It's one that obviously works for her!

Thank you for the opportunity to read it. It's added another dimension to my understanding of her later novels. I've never liked fairgrounds, always finding something threatening and uncongenial about their atmosphere, so it was good to have my prejudices confirmed!

I have an address for turnpages but with the current strike action by the Royal Mail I think I'll wait for a few days before posting this. I already have one BookRing languishing in a warehouse somewhere and don't want to be worrying about a second one as well!

The post seems to be moving so, although I still haven't heard that my previous Bookray's arrived at its destination, I've entrusted this to the tender care of the post office and the intermittent Royal Mail strikers. Good luck and safe journey, little book!

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25.5.12: I've now decided to release the copy I acquired for my keeper shelves.

Despite Nu-Knees worries the book arrived safely this morning. I am really looking forward to reading this.
Thank you for the Ray and for sending the book...

I have now finished reading this book and I fully agree with what some of you have been saying. I also have very mixed feelings about this book and nearly gave up on it. At the beginning I found the story captivating, but then somehow the pace slowed down and there were too many descriptions of hallucinations in my opinion. For me, the ending was particularly disappointing, as it leaves the reader with the feeling that Alice is haunted, obsessed and
somewhat disturbed...

The book will be travelling on to its next reader today!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

The book is now travelling to its next reader....
Have fun!

Arrived in this morning's post and I've already started reading it. Thanks to turnpages for sending it on so quickly and to nordie for organising this ring. Will try and get it read and off to the next person as promptly :)

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

An enjoyable read. The prose swapped time periods seemlessly, although I can understand the comments about the random chapter 3.

Sent on to Juliako in the lunchtime post.

Received recently-ish. Thanks!

19th August 2010

Update:

I read this book on holiday and enjoyed it. I did not find the plot particularly confusing and thought that it mostly kept you fairly well hooked. (I tend to get bored with fight scenes in anything.) I thought it was a good first novel and I am glad I read it.

Going on Holiday to Poland with juliako, and taking the book, which we will both read and then release.

You can see some of the threads of where Joanne will go as an author... descriptive and sensual, mystical elements, charismatic and 'dangerous' characters. Concepts of 'The other' and elements of spirituality. I could follow the plot but it didn't seem to flow or hang together without having to go back and work out what was happening.

Released on Monte Cassino. (Main street where cafe's and bars etc are)

If you have found this book I hope you enjoy it. You might like to write a little about what you thought about it by making a Journal Entry and then pass it on, or leave for some other lucky reader to find…. If you make release notes then previous readers can get to know where you left it. Register with bookcrossing and then you can follow its journey…..

hey,
I found your book. :) May I read it? I hope it's ok and nobody is waiting for it.
Greetings from Poland :)