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Dear friends. Today's book spotlight features the latest novel by much loved contemporary writer Amanda Prowse.
Swimming to Lundy was inspired by the tragic and sudden death in 2022 of Amanda's brother Simon, aged 52, after a family lunch.
She says the new book was written to help herself and others come to terms with loss.
It's my turn on the blog tour for Swimming to Lundy.
Publisher's Description
Tawrie Gunn feels stuck. She’s spent her whole life in the same seaside town with her beloved Nana and grief-stricken mum, all of them still reeling in different ways from the tragic loss of Tawrie’s dad at sea.
Desperate for a change, she challenges herself to take up wild swimming—every morning, no excuses, from March till September.
Daring to take the plunge with the ‘Peacock Swimmers’, Tawrie feels alive in a way she’s never known. Suddenly it seems she might be able to step outside her comfort zone after all and let life surprise her—perhaps even dream of a future beyond the shores of Ilfracombe? Especially when, one day, she spots a man in a pink linen shirt who seems as eager for a new start as she does.
Harriet Stratton has uprooted her family and moved them from the familiar to a totally new setting in desperate pursuit of a fresh start. After discovering her husband Hugo’s infidelity, Harriet hopes that the separation from what came before will allow them to rebuild their marriage and a happy home for their two young children, Dilly and Bear.
But, over time, Harriet comes to realise that she can’t be responsible for fixing something that she didn’t break, no matter how much she would like to make everything better.
As the two women’s stories move through time and place to finally connect, so too do Tawrie and Harriet find their way through grief and loss, and back to happiness.
My Thoughts
Amanda Prowse excels in writing contemporary fiction with believable situations and characters. Swimming to Lundy is an ambitious study of three generations of women living together and all suffering from the effects of grief.
Tawrie has put her ambitions on hold, staying in the same seaside North Devon village all her life and feeling she has to be there for Nana and her alcoholic mother.
She decides to challenge herself by swimming in the sea every day with a local club.
I imagined Tawrie would then set herself the challenge of swimming to Lundy. The story is less about a swimming challenge than Tawrie’s need to go there to reframe her grief.
The character who fascinated me most was her mother. We saw her, in a double timeline, as a young married woman, happy and carefree. And then in the present day, making an exhibition of herself in the pub and sleeping with random men. I thought the handling of her life and future was very sensitively handled.
A heart warming and uplifting read. Amanda Prowse has done it again!
About the Author
Amanda Prowse is a multi-million bestselling author who has published more than 30 novels and one of the most prolific writers of contemporary fiction in the UK today.
Crowned ‘the queen of family drama’ by the Daily Mail, she writes about life’s challenges – from heartbreak and loss to dysfunctional family dynamics – but also about the pockets of delight that can be found in our relationships with others, often when we need them most.
Amanda is known for her relatable characters, emotionally compelling plots, and the sense of connection that readers feel with her stories.
She is an ambassador for The Reading Agency and feels passionately about supporting other women, spending as much time as possible outdoors (preferably by the sea!) and her family.
Praise for Amanda Prowse
My thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours, the author and the publishers for the advance copy of Swimming to Lundy in return for an honest review.
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That sounds like such a good story!
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