I have long been a fan of Jane Cable. I loved her two previous books The Cheesemaker’s House and The Faerie Tree. Each book she has written has had an interesting premise and Another You is no exception. Jane’s debut novel The Cheesemaker’s House had a strong voice and was written with incredible talent and each book since then has just got even better. It is fascinating to see how each novel sets its location and theme so well.
Jane Cable writes for this magazine and that is no accident. She is talented beyond measure. Her books are always riveting and easy to read. Not all books which are good are easy to read. It is her excellent pacing, but is also how she drives the story forward. She uses every word well.
Another You is set in Dorset and focuses on Marie Johnson who is trapped in an abusive marriage and a job as a chef in the family pub. It is the 60th Anniversary of D-Day exercises and Marie bumps into a soldier on the beach. Little does she know this chance meeting will change her entire life. Another you blends military history, PTSD, romance and family dynamic all into one novel. It is an entertaining novel that leaves you guessing and has a fair amount of twists. I highly recommend this well researched and enjoyable novel. It is yet another triumph.
Sometimes the hardest person to save is yourself…
Marie Johnson is trapped by her job as a chef in a Dorset pub and by her increasingly poisonous marriage to its landlord.
Worn down by his string of affairs she has no self-confidence, no self-respect and the only thing that keeps her going is watching her son, Jude, turn into a talented artist.
But the 60th anniversary of a D-Day exercise triggers chance meetings which prove unlikely catalysts for change.
First there’s Corbin, the American soldier who she runs into as she’s walking on the cliffs. He is charming and has a quaintness about him, calling her an ‘English rose’.
Then there’s George the war veteran, who comes to dine at the pub, and his son Mark. George fascinates Marie with his first-hand accounts of the war, whilst Mark proves helpful in making sense of the pub’s financial situation.
And there’s Paxton. Another American soldier with an uncanny resemblance to Corbin. Young, fit and very attractive, Marie finds him hard to resist. But little does she know Paxton is also battling some inner demons.
As the heat of the summer intensifies, so do the issues in Marie’s life.
Why is Corbin so elusive? Why is the pub struggling to make ends meet? Why has Jude suddenly become so withdrawn and unhappy?
Can she help Paxton open up and begin to deal with his pain?
Or will she be shackled to the pub and her increasingly spiteful husband forever?
But as events unfold, Marie finally realises that she is not trapped, but stuck, and that it is down to her to get her life moving again.
Perfectly blending the complexities of twenty-first century life with the dramatic history of World War Two, Another You is a charming tale that will warm your heart.
Another You is available here.
