My Review (4 stars out of 5)
Eighteen-year-old Edwin lives with his grandfather – a man who appears not to like his grandson, though the reasons are unclear. Haunted by memories of a mysterious girl and a sycamore tree, Edwin is grateful when the old man allows him to escape to Yorkshire to stay with an aunt. On his return, Edwin seeks out the girl and the tree and so begins a strange relationship…
This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it has an intriguing premise – a mysterious woman and an equally mysterious tree that influences the life of the hero, Edwin. The woman and the tree are somehow inextricably linked, with her appearance coinciding with the changing of the seasons. Over the years, Edwin becomes entangled in a strange relationship that challenges his own relationship with his grandfather.
The author has a talent for language and her descriptions of nature and the seasons are at times quite lovely. Having said that, the story itself felt a little slow—spanning as it does, most of the 20th century—and I found myself flicking ahead in the book to find out what happened next. I did enjoy the final section, which surprised me (in a nice way) and left me with a nice warm feeling inside.
A thoughtful and gentle read.
Author Bio
Elisabeth’s writing career began in 2013 when she entered Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest and it turned out she could. She writes romantic Historical fiction as Elisabeth Hobbes and Historical folklore/fantasy inspired romance as Elisabeth J. Hobbes.
She teaches Primary school but would rather write full time because unlike five year olds her characters generally do what she tells them. She spends most of her spare time reading and is a pro at cooking one-handed while holding a book.
She lives in Cheshire because the car broke down there in 1999 and she never left. Elisabeth has two almost grown kids, two cats, two dogs and a husband. The whole family are on the autistic spectrum and that probably includes the pets! She dreams of having a tidy house one day.
Social Media Links
NB This post first appeared as part of the blog tour for The Promise Tree, via Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources
Colin Garrow 
Hi Colin, I like the sound of this ‘gentle’ read.
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Yes, it’s a bit different to my usual fare.
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