Book review: Miss Marley + competition

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By Vanessa Lafaye with Rebecca Mascull
Published by HQ

 Synopsis: Orphans Clara and Jacob Marley live by their wits, scavenging for scraps in the poorest alleyways of London, in the shadow of the workhouse. Every night, Jake promises his little sister ‘tomorrow will be better’ and when the chance to escape poverty comes their way, he seizes it despite the terrible price.

 And so Jacob Marley is set on a path that leads to his infamous partnership with Ebenezer Scrooge. As Jacob builds a fortress of wealth to keep the world out, only Clara can warn him of the hideous fate that awaits him if he refuses to let love and kindness into his heart…

 How did this book end up in my hands? I received a gorgeous proof copy from the publisher in exchange of my honest opinion. And I am so glad I did.

 Was it a page-turner? With age, I have sadly lost the ability to stay up late with a book, no matter how much I am loving it. It was with great sadness that I put this novel down to sleep but I didn’t want my drooping eyelids to spoil the beauty of it.

 Having read the synopsis, did the book meet my expectations? The only thing I wasn’t expecting was the book to be under 200 pages. For some reason, I had imagined a big, heavy tome to land on my doorstep!

 Did I like the ending? [no spoilers] Yes, even though we know what fate awaits Jacob Marley and the fate that awaits Miss Marley is also easy to predict. This is a prequel to A Christmas Carol after all!

 Three words to describe it. Evocative. Victorian. Christmassy.

 Do I like the cover? I adore the cover! It is rich and simple, warm and wintery… it is perfect.

 Have I read any other books by the same author? The book was left unfinished by the late Vanessa Lafaye and completed by Rebecca Mascull. I haven’t read any of their previous work but I certainly will be catching up soon.

 Will I be recommending this book? Yes, it is the perfect Christmas read and a great inspiration to pick up Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, which I myself will be reading this year for the first time. This novel is a feast for word-lovers and so atmospheric that I can see it becoming a yearly tradition for many readers.

 Anything else? Yes! The publisher has kindly offered one copy of Miss Marley to go to a lucky reader! All you have to do is follow me on Twitter and retweet the competition post by 24/01/2019. UK only. All comments left below will count as extra entries (one per person). Good luck!

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