Hello and welcome to my Monday blog.
In the last year I have read 65 books and written one myself! As I promised to write about some of my favourite authors, today it's all about Diane Chamberlain.
A friend of mine suggested I read one of Diane's books when I had exhausted the stories from my other favourite authors.
Diane is an American author who has been telling great stories for over twenty years. Now I'm often easily put off my American writers purely because of the colloquial way that some write. Not so with Diane. Her books tend to be set around the Virginia / North Carolina area and each story really 'takes you there' completely sucking you in to the atmosphere and the time in which the book is set. Some compare her style to that of Jodi Picoult. However, as I have never read any of her books I couldn't comment. I think Diane writes in the style of Diane Chamberlain - to me she's a bit of a one off - perhaps because her style is slightly different to anything I usually read.
In the past three months I have galloped through several of her books and started with The Bay At Midnight which was absolutely 'un-put-downable'! Since then I have read two parts of the Keeper Of The Light trilogy and several others, The Good Father being a particular favourite. Diane's characters are so real you feel you know them. The stories are complex, often involving family secrets and intrigue and I have not once guessed the twist or the way that the story is likely to end. Of the Keeper trilogy I have read Keeper of The Light and Kiss River and will soon be adding Her Mothers Shadow to my kindle. Characterisation in both stories is really strong and although you are reading about the same family, you continue to learn about each character throughout the story - they are completely three dimensional.
I'll end by saying that I have just finished reading The Lost Daughter and out of all Diane's books that I have read so far I would recommend you read this one first. It's an absolute cracker and it keeps you hooked from beginning to end. Diane Chamberlain - what a creative and clever lady :o)
Julesy x
I have read nearly all the Jodi Picoult books and really enjoyed them so will definitely try reading Dianes books. I have a book on the go at the mo but I'll try one of hers next. Thanks for the recommendation Jules x
ReplyDeleteSo pleased you are enjoying my recommendation!
ReplyDeleteDiane was a psychotherapist and I think that this background is what makes her stories so enjoyable and different to authors from a similar genre. They have so many twists and turns that like you, I have never been able to work out the ending before getting there!
I have family in North Carolina so this makes her books an added bonus as I have visited many of the places she writes about.
Good work with the blog Jules
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