Wendy Mewes

i just received this book in the mail yesterday. i started it this morning and i couldn't put it down until i finished it. the setting of brittany, france could be considered a character in itself. ms. mewes does a wonderful job evoking the atmosphere of this celtic region. i felt like i was there experiencing the cycle of the seasons, i could vividly imagine the forests and the landscape of this tiny little town, i could see the standing stones. i also love how she wove the tarot into her story, that becoming another character as well.

zena decides to move from her home of bath, england to a tiny village called la folle (the madwoman) after a year of wasting away in the aftermath of the breakup of her five year relationship. she decides a new setting is what she needs to make a fresh start. she sets up shop in a tiny one room cottage practically in the middle of nowhere. she has taken a six month leave from her boring administrative job. zena has been commissioned to do card designs for a company so she decides to pick up and move to the awe-inspiring land of brittany. zena possesses a great artistic talent but has never followed up on any of the opportunities presented to her in the past. but this time she is determined to see this through and pull herself up from her prolonged depression and get over lucas once and for all. during the course of the story she meets up with ian, an englishman, who is writing a book about the stone legends. other interesting characters she meets along the way: erin, the welsh expat who creates beautiful handmade silver jewelry and also reads the tarot; jean-yves, her crazy next door neighbor who is constantly intruding at the most awkward of times; and laure, her first real friend in the town. all the characters' stories are woven together to create a rich and compelling tapestry.

i love stories about characters moving to foreign lands and finding their own strength and forging their own path. i love a story that reads easily and sucks me in. i love a story that paints vivid characters i can sink my teeth into. this book does all that.… (altro)

Rufus is newly separated. He has moved from London in the hope his wife will miss him and come chasing after him. He has given up his beloved bookshop and has been offered a position covering for the manager of a local book shop.

He finds himself in Creech, the not-so-proud owner of Mean Cottage, after a drunken appearance at an auction ... is it a mistake?

Well ...

Wendy Mewes has written a wonderful book intertwining modern relationships, old (cunning) craft and modern wicca with some very deft handling.

Rufus is a likeable sort, and the people he meets are almost instantly recognisable from real life encounters a reader might have. Even if the book is a little too predictable in its essentials (one just knows where its all going to end), it is still a very charming read and one that meant I did not put it down from cover to cover.

Truly enjoyable.… (altro)

An inspiring book from the author of The Moon Garden. This novel follows 39 year old Zena after a significant break-up with the man she thought was her last chance at having a family and children. She moves to Brittany to try to rebuild her life by painting and exploring the sacred sites there, even though she deliverately moves to an area that has strong associations with her ex.

Whilst living in Brittany she meets a cast of characters with very human strengths and weaknesses (in some cases their weaknesses become their strengths). Erin and her brother Llewellyn are perhaps two of the most interesting. Hints about their past and upbringing are provided but no real information so you are left to draw your own conclusions as to why they deal with life in two very different ways. The calm yet very reserved Erin reads tarot on the side (more psychology based than future telling) of her jewellry making and Zena visits her a number of times for advice and guidance. The questions remains, can Zena truely move on and follow her own path and leave behind the tarot card The Five of Cups.

The most enjoyable parts of this book were the very real characters and the scenery Mewes describes. I wanted happy endings for everyone, especially Zena. I was holding my breath near the end and was pleasantly surprised! Her books appeal to everyone of all ages who has been in love or been loved. If you don't know this author you should definately go and read her books which can be found at Amazon.co.uk and direct from the publishers at Red Dog Books.

***** out of 5… (altro)

A very well written look at love, relationships, magic, mystery and a charming insight into the love lives of goats... The book follows Rufus as he seems to bumble through life. A complete and unexpected change of circumstances and scenery leads him to re-evaluate his life and his priorities.

To say this book is a merely a romance novel or tale of relationships is to do it an injustice. It looks more at how humans react to change and loss, to how they manage to make the best of a bad situation which is a human trait often overlooked. It covers psychology, magic, myth and fantasy elements whilst still remaining very true to life and realistic (non of the Hollywood special effects).

The main character Rufus comes across as extremely likeable and I think most people know someone like him. The supporting characters were also well written and again came across as very realistic and like real, three dimensional people with warts and all. I particularly liked Cate (the eccentric village witch) and Tara (the hormonal gothic teenager). Perhaps it was because both characters strongly reminded me of people I know.

There is a magical theme throughout this book regarding the Moon Garden and several of the main characters. This makes it an excellent read for anyone following a more spiritual path or lifestyle, however I could happily recommend this both to my mother who follows a more mainstream religious path. To be honest that was one of the aspects I enjoyed most about this novel, there were magical aspects but they were not pushed too much and were dealt with in a very subtle way.

I would recommend this novel to anyone of any background and of any age. It was very hard to put down once started and I feel it would be universally enjoyed by all. I look forward to reading more from Wendy.… (altro)