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23/07/2017

#BlogTour: The Ludlow Ladies' Society by Ann O'Loughlin @annolwriter @bwpublishing @FMcMAssociates

Published by Black and White Publishing on 20th July 2017. My thanks to Sophie at FMcM Associates for the review copy and having me on the blog tour.

Connie Carter has lost everyone and everything dear to her. Leaving her home in Manhattan, she moves to Wicklow, Ireland hoping to heal her broken heart, and in search of answers: why did her husband plough all their money into the dilapidated Ludlow Hall before he died?

Although Connie initially avoids the villagers, she meets local women Eve and Hetty, who introduce her to the Ludlow Ladies' Society, a crafts group in need of a permanent home.

Eve Brannigan is also struggling with pain from her past. After her husband's suicide, it become clear the he had bankrupted them, and her beloved home Ludlow Hall was repossessed. Now, seeing the American Connie living there, the hurt of losing her house is renewed. But as she and Hetty begin stitching memory quilts in order to remember those they've lost, can she let go of her past and allow herself some happiness? And can Connie ever recover from the death of her much-loved daughter Molly?

My Thoughts:

The Ludlow Ladies' Society is a book that came along at the right time for me, and was a much needed change from all of the crime books I have been reading lately. It was full of warmth and compassion, and sucked me up into it, like being wrapped up in one of the infamous quilts the ladies of the society produce. 

In this story the ladies have known loss, but they have each other. Some are at transitional stages in life particularly Connie who has moved to Ludlow Hall from America. She is in a strange place, coping with her grief and not sure how she is going to fit in to the village. 

Ludlow Hall is wonderfully and descriptively written about, I could imagine that I was standing outside. There is a great sense of place here and the author manages to draw the reader in. 

The Ludlow Ladies' society is not a story all about threads and quilts though. There is real grief amongst the ladies and at times it is palpable as it threatens to overwhelm the ladies. Unusually all of the characters were all likeable and I enjoyed spending time with them all. 

Ultimately this a story of friendship and compassion, a group of ladies that support each other come what may. I found it to be absorbing, warm, witty and very moving. 

Much like the patches on a quilt, lives are made up of various moments and memories to create a jumble of the good and the bad. Friendships that stand the test of time are those that make it through the good and the bad. 

A really great read!





About the Author: 

A leading journalist in Ireland for nearly thirty years, Ann O’Loughlin has covered all major news events of the last three decades. Ann spent most of her career with independent newspapers where she was Security Correspondent at the height of The Troubles, and was a senior journalist on the Irish Independent and Evening Herald. She is currently a senior journalist with the Irish Examiner newspaper covering legal issues. Ann has also lived and worked in India. Originally from the west of Ireland she now lives on the east coast in Co. Wicklow with her husband and two children. Her debut novel The Ballroom CafĂ© was a bestseller, with over 250,000 copies sold in eBook. Her second novel The Judge’s Wife was an Irish bestseller for 5 weeks and was shortlisted for a Romantic Novel Award (RoNA) in February 2017. 

You can find the Author on Twitter: @annolwriter

Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour.





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