Book Tour and Review: Loose Ends by Ninette Hartley

BOOK DESCRIPTION

It’s March 1941 at the shirt factory in Ridley, Yorkshire. Ness is a typist in the office, and her friend Eileen works as a seamstress on the shop floor. Nobody could have imagined the consequences when as a result of a prank Eileen plays on her friend, Ness’s name and address ends up in the pockets of two shirts destined for Royal Navy personnel on active service.
The fallout from Eileen’s action takes Ness on a challenging, life-changing journey where she must develop her talent for dressmaking and acquire the skills needed to run a business. It is not easy during wartime, when money is short, clothes rationing is widespread and negative attitudes prevail. Can she win through? Or will a painful secret she must conceal destroy her chances?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ninette Hartley is a writer, mother, grandmother, wife and teacher. She has followed many paths – from acting and dancing to magazine publishing, and even driving a pony and trap – but she has always come back to storytelling.

Ninette has an MA in creative writing and has been published in three short story collections. Her first memoir Dear Tosh, published in May 2021 was shortlisted in the Selfies Book Awards and long-listed in the Dorchester Literary Festival Writing Prize 2022. From 2008 -2016 she lived in Italy on an olive farm, returning to the UK to live in Dorset for eight years. Never one to stay in one place for long, she has recently moved to France where she plans to continue writing more works of fiction and poetry.

Loose Ends is her debut novel. You can read more about her on her website: www.ninettehartley.com and you can also follow her on social media.

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BOOK REVIEW

This thought-provoking novel shows how an innocent prank can change lives forever. Ness’s friend Eileen is just trying to introduce some new men into her life, but when Ness’s address is slipped into the shirt pockets of two unknown men who are going off to war, Ness’s life will never be the same. Both of the men have life-changing impact on her, and it is not all positive. This puts Ness in a complicated situation, and her response helps her build a new life. I liked the plot as a whole. My only criticism concerns the villain in this story, who did not quite face the justice they deserved. The characters are well-written, especially Alf, and I liked the multiple points of view. This is contemplative historical fiction that shows how much each person’s every action, innocent or not, can drastically affect the lives of others. Recommend.

Thank you to Zooloo’s Book Tours for a free copy of this book. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

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