Changes

Then Tansy learns a shocking secret which pretty much destroys any feelings she has for Justin. She goes to live with Nancy, who is becoming increasingly frail. She makes plans to turn the general shoe shop into a specialist wedding shoe shop, and finds herself on bad terms with her new neighbour Ivo, who - by startling coincidence - is an old flame of hers. He has recently lost his wife and seems to be plunged into the depths of despair.

It took me a few days to get into this book; there's rather a lot of background information given directly rather than in flashback, which made me feel a bit overloaded. Writing books tell authors to 'show' rather than 'tell' - in the first few chapters this is not followed, and I found myself unable to become interested in anyone. However, the pace soon picks up, and there is a lot more direct action and dialogue once Tansy has moved. Indeed, by the time I was half-way through, I was becoming more and more interested in the people, warming strongly to Tansy and her many friends.