NHSontheRun editorial staff are abuzz this week. Surprisingly, despite the fact that we are hotly on the trail of an emerging travel exclusive filled with hilarious anecdotes from our current island hopping in Croatia, this is not about us. No, this is extremely left field for a retirement based grumpy old peoples blog about life and stuff.
None the less it does fit in with our brief to document our transition from health care professionals to the next steps in our lives, and those around us.
And this is a complete surprise. We've been honoured with literally the first opportunity to read a brand new book. Unpublished and unheralded. Our friend Frances Dolan is super talented, that we knew. But when she nonchalantly opened her bag took out a copy and said, I've written a book we were literally floored. Not a clue, eighteen months of work without a word being uttered. And this is someone so incredibly close to us. We have copy three of three published so far. Proof reading.
And here is my personal review with no further introduction:
"Wild Pursuits - An exceptional aura" is a story for all ages, of hope and change. It's romantic fiction.
Drawing from a wealth of epic sources Dolan cleverly forges a new way of seeing the world. Despite subtle nods to Wind in the Willows, Watership Down, and The Hobbit she forges her own style which is highly accessible and wonderfully inspirational.
Not since Harry Potter has there been a new novel that will allow both adults and older children to identify, empathise and be empowered by a story.
Visual and compelling it lifts off the page like a colourful Disney movie.
In an almost Tolkienesque way, we embark on a tale of generational legacy. Observing nature with all its good and bad from the standpoint of a peaceful and rather idyllic, but conservative and inward looking woodland community. The characters come to life and the author enbues them with a vibrancy that makes their society seem wonderful, safe and as it should be.
The peace is devastated by the arrival of a new and threatening creature. How this situation develops is frighteningly well observed.
Love is central to the narrative. The role and importance of family, legacy and belonging are powerfully interwoven. And yet the lust for adventure and looking outside the community overrides.
But the narrative still guides us to reflect and question deeply our modern cultural norms.
As a reader I was drawn in, caring deeply about the characters, scared for their safety, frustrated by their isolationism, uplifted and concerned for their environment. I laughed aloud and was saddened to the point of tears.
But more so I was compelled to read what feels like the start of an epic tale. I found myself second guessing the author who hints constantly at the future.
Im left trusting that the tantalising offer of an epic adventure still to come, can be fully realised by Frances Dolan's trilogy.
So you've either given up and declared us mad, or you are intrigued.
The book will be published on Amazon on 13/11/2024 - please support this wonderful new young author with her first novel.
Follow her @francesdolanauthor on instagram
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