Review & Giveaway: The Dandelion Years by Erica James

Ashcombe was the most beautiful house Saskia had ever seen as a little girl. A rambling pink cottage on the edge of the Suffolk village of Melbury Green, its enchanting garden provided a fairy-tale playground of seclusion, a perfect sanctuary to hide from the tragedy which shattered her childhood.

Now an adult, Saskia is still living at Ashcombe and as a book restorer devotes her days tending to the broken, battered books that find their way to her, daydreaming about the people who had once turned their pages. When she discovers a notebook carefully concealed in an old Bible - and realising someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to hide a story of their own - Saskia finds herself drawn into a heart-rending tale of wartime love...

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Review

After a family tragedy Saskia moves into Ashcombe together with her father and two grandfathers. They try to rebuild their lives and to find as much happiness as they can. When Saskia was still a child this solution was absolutely perfect, but now she's in her thirties and she's still living with her family. She even works from home. She's a book restorer and she helps her father who has a second hand bookshop. He's an expert when it comes to valuable and precious books. When he gives Saskia an old bible to restore she finds a hidden diary inside. She starts reading and discovers a beautiful love story about a man who worked at Bletchley Park during World War II. Soon she finds out that the diary belongs to someone her age. She's only just met him and she doesn't know what to think of him. Will she be able to find out what happened to the writer of the diary and what will come of her own life? She can't live with her family forever, or can she?

 I enjoyed reading The Dandelion Years very much. There are two stories. One is about Saskia and the people around her and the other is about Jacob, the man who has written the diary. His story is a beautiful love story. I could imagine why Saskia couldn't stay away from it, I wanted to keep on reading as well. Saskia is an unusual woman. She isn't outgoing and social and lives a life in relative solitude. There have been friends and boyfriends, but she likes being on her own. It takes a while before she lets anyone in. The same goes for her father. They're kind and heartwarming people and that was what made this story so perfect. Something has to change for both of them as nobody will live forever and the grandfathers are already quite old.

I liked the combination of old and young people as the main characters of the book, it works really well. I wanted everyone to be healthy and happy, but that isn't how life works. Erica James knows how to use both joy and tragedy in her stories, they're always moving and beautiful. I love Erica James's books and have read quite a few. This one is my absolute favorite, it's brilliant.

 Giveaway

Enter the giveaway to win a paperback copy of The Dandelion Years and dandelion earrings made in Australia. Good luck!

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 I will contact the winner on twitter or via email. If I don't get a reply within 60 hours the prize will go to someone else. All of my giveaways are international.