Untying the Knot - Reviews

An excerpt from a longer review by Sue Magee of The Bookbag:

"Right – you understand that this is probably the best book bargain that you'll get all year? Good. I had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and evening for less than the cost of a glass of decent wine – and I've still got the book to read again, because that's one of the joys of Linda's books. You read them once to enjoy the story and then again to see how she did it. And if you're thinking that this is chicklit, think again.

Yes – there's a romance in there, but it's about how people cope when the situation they're in is intolerable, about what it's like to live with the knowledge that death – or the death of the person who is your life – is around the corner. Tragedy can happen to anyone, but there are some people who live permanently at the front of the queue. It's about the fact that there's an aftermath to all this – for the people we expect to keep us safe and their families. I found myself thinking about things which I'd never really considered before."



A 5-star review on Amazon by Gillian Philip, best-selling author of FIREBRAND:

"It's impossible not to ache for the hero and heroine in this stunning novel. In a classic can't-live-with-him-can't-live-without-him situation - but with a heartrending extra dimension in Magnus's PTSD - Fay and Magnus have been the saving of each other, literally and metaphorically, yet life together seems impossible. Fay has divorced Magnus, unable to cope with the very thing that has restored his sanity after being invalided out of the army: Tullibardine Tower, a ruin he has devoted all his energy to restoring.

Magnus is a magnificent hero: courageous, troubled, vulnerable and impulsive (all my favourites). His struggles with PTSD - the nightmares, the flashbacks, the hallucinations and the paranoia - only serve to make him more humanly heroic. Fay is gutsy, intelligent, and no pushover: I loved her preparations for the trauma that is Magnus's engagement party to another woman. And she has a terrific sense of humour: there is one passage, told in the first person by Fay, that made me genuinely laugh out loud. There was nothing I wanted more than to see these two damaged people back together; yet I didn't see how it was possible.

Linda Gillard does not shy away from difficult subjects, and Magnus does something to Fay that makes the reader reel; yet for all his faults, I never once stopped liking him. The denouement is absolutely gripping.

I'm not one of those who has lost faith in traditional publishing - which makes me all the more bewildered that this brave, timely novel did not find a home with a big publishing house. Come on, somebody: grab it. It's not too late."



An excerpt from another long review on web designer Bill Marshall's blog, ENIGMA VARIATIONS:

"The scene for much of the important action is a once ruined Scottish tower house which Magnus has rebuilt, and as events unfold and we get sections of past storyline – something that the author handles seamlessly and better than any other I’ve read – we gradually see her talent in using the house’s symbolism, connecting interwoven plotlines through it, and connecting it to the past events which have shaped the characters’ lives and brought them to where they are.

As is the case with all of her books, this one has a couple of unexpected twists which serve to absorb the reader ever more deeply in the story and to shed much more light on the characters than could have been done by any form of exposition. We come to understand them and appreciate the reasons for their mistakes even as we pray that they won’t make them. We feel their yearnings, we cry with them when things look black and impossible, and we feel the shiver running down our spine when the tension becomes unbearable. (You’ll know what I mean when you read it!)"



An excerpt from a review by Jill Broderick on the US book blog RhapsodyinBooks

"I especially appreciated how the author shows what PTSD would look like after 25 or 30 years, rather than only portraying the situation immediately after a soldier returns. And though it’s central, it’s also not central, in that it’s just something that affects the relationship of the main characters, rather than An Issue about which the author wants to browbeat us.

The characters are all endearing, flaws and all, and moreover, one can’t help falling for Magnus, with his appealing mix of reputed good looks, sexual prowess, vulnerability and heroism... This author is funny, smart, sensitive, and has a great feel for romance, and it all comes out in her work. Highly recommended!"

A very personal view of UNTYING THE KNOT

This review and personal account by Jan Marlowe of her involvement with the writing of UNTYING THE KNOT first appeared on the textiles blog, Isisjem - The Creative Life & Times.

I was really excited this morning to find that Linda Gillard's new book UNTYING THE KNOT is now available for Kindle. I first got to know of Linda's work through Bookcrossing.com. When I was making my hexagon charm quilt Linda, a fellow quilter, was kind enough to send me some fabric from her stash to include.

Just over a year ago a chance comment on Linda Gillard's Facebook fan page, in response to her posting the first chapter of a new novel, resulted in her offering to email me the draft text of UTK for me to read.

I confess if any other author had offered me a novel of theirs, which I would have had to read via my old lap top, I may have been reluctant. Spending so much time at work in front of a computer did little to endear me to reading for pleasure on a screen. However, I'd found all of Linda's previous books hard to put down and having read the opening few lines already, I knew this was too good an opportunity to pass up. In fact had she offered to have sent me this story written in crayon on rolls of Andrex I'd have said YES PLEASE!

I still remember when the novel arrived in my inbox. I thought I'd just read a bit, however once I'd started I couldn't stop. When I finished I emailed Linda to tell her the reason I'd not acknowledged safe receipt of the novel was because I'd been caught up with reading it. Linda replied to say: "Wow! You already finished it?!!"

You see, UNTYING THE KNOT spoke to me on so many levels. The story centres around the relationship between Fay, who makes art quilts and Magnus the war hero husband she's divorced. Their relationship, like so many Military relationships has broken down after years of Magnus suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and channelling his energies into restoring a ruined 16th century Tower House in the wild, but beautiful Scottish Countryside, became the final straw for Fay.

When their daughter Emily announces she's marrying, it becomes clear to Fay why this is an unsuitable match. Magnus too is getting remarried, forcing Fay to confront her history with Magnus and her feelings, before she can fully move into the future...

It's hard for me to tell you more about this novel as I don't want to give too much away. In this story you will find romance, psychological drama, laugh-out-loud moments and characters you feel you've known always and care about; all set in an evocative and at times haunting Scottish backdrop.

P.S. You know how you often open up a book and see thank yous to people from the author? You probably wonder who they are and what they contributed? Well, I get a thank you in this book! I now have my name in print!!! It's probably the nearest I will ever get to being 'published' ! All because the story of a quilter and her soldier love spoke to me...

JAN MARLOWE

(If you'd like to read more about the making of this textile panel, see Jan's blog where she describes her creative process.)