book club – The Review Studio

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Emily is rich. Well her husband Mark is, working for an investment bank and Emily is very happy spending his money. That is, until something happens and Mark has to admit that their lifestyle has to change and Emily isn’t going to like it.

The story picks up their move to The Algarve, with frequent visits from their son Alex and several unintended adventures along the way. We see how both Mark and Emily have to adjust as well as how their social lives, bank balances, family dynamics and even Mark’s tennis game changes over time, and all because of a tiny tax problem Mark didn’t foresee.

With little hints about how the economy in the UK has been affected in the last 2 years (remember all the Prime Minister changes last year?) this light hearted holiday read really takes you out of rainy Britain and into the heart of The Algarve and the ex-pat community. Although it might be described as ‘chick lit’, the characters are well defined, the storyline flows and there’s a lovely style about it which makes each of the characters likeable; even Mark!

Throughout the novel there are some merry moments and thankfully, for a holiday read, there are no maudlin or heavy plots which get you down. Towards the end there are some great plot twists which are hinted at very subtly earlier in the book, but not obvious until the end. I found myself liking all of the characters, based on Emily and her family and friends, and the story was fun to watch unfold. If you live in London, especially in any of the Chelsea squares or work in City finance, you’ll recognise some of the characters and especially some of the tax legalities! You may well have friends or acquaintances who are in the same position as Emily and Mark and can empathise with. How will it end though? And I bet you didn’t think it would end in that way, did you?

Emily’s Algarve Escape is just that – the escape from Britain’s dreary summer this year and an adventure to sunnier climes with Emily and Mark making the mistakes for you along the way.

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Salama was born and raised in Syria with her brother, who was newly married to her best friend. The Syrian war breaks out and changes everything Salama knew about, including her job. Originally a pharmacist, we soon learn that her one year education suddenly propels her to becoming a surgeon in the local hospital. To us this sounds like a bizarre promotion, but during war, needs must.

The book is beautifully written by new author Zoulfa Katouh. Although she is Canadian, Zoulfa has Syrian roots, which really shows in the detail she goes to to describe life in Syria at the time of the war newly breaking out. The language is descriptive and gentle even if some of the scenes are not, and the story flows as the characters develop.

Part of the character of the book is how it so far removed from our own Western lives as you could imagine. Becoming an unqualified surgeon at age 18? Living without water and electricity whilst the only city you have ever known in the country you love is ripped apart by war? Losing all the members of your close family at such a young age and having to look after your pregnant sister in law? The cultural differences are an education but the emotional side of what the Syrians had to go through are heart breaking, touching and so thought provoking.

The book is a modern classic, with attention-grabbing plot twists and soothing language that rarely find in anything but best sellers, especially not in the storytelling of a first time novelist. I loved sitting down to read this book, delighting in the imagery and not able to guess what was going to happen next, and that wasn’t just because I was unfamiliar with the culture and enjoyed learning about it. For anyone who commutes, this is also a good book because the chapters are bite size and the text is easy to follow if you get disturbed. It’s a long book at 464 pages but it’s an easy read.

You’ll want to find out more about Syria when you read til the end. You’ll also learn a lot about the war and about what the Syrian people went through and in some cases, are still going through. It’s a book that will stay with you for a long time and one which you can read again and again.

Available from £8.99 at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/As-Long-Lemon-Trees-Grow/dp/1526648547/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3S6JBT0GHUHXM&keywords=as+long+as+the+lemon+trees+grow&qid=1689759690&sprefix=as+long+as+the+l%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-1

Tag: book club

Emily’s Algarve Escape by DCR Bond – book

As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow – book by Zoulfa Katouh