Review ‘The Things You Do For Love’ by Rachel Crowther

‘A wonderful
page-turner of a novel about the complexity of female life, by a new writer who

– Fay Weldon

An elite surgeon with a brilliant but philandering husband, Flora Macintyre has
always defined herself by her success in juggling her career and her marriage.
Until, all at once, she finds herself with neither.

Retired and widowed in the space of a few months, Flora is left untethered. In
a moment of madness, she realizes there’s nothing to stop her running away to
France.

But back home her two daughters – the family she’s always loved, but never had
the time to nurture – are struggling. Lou is balancing pregnancy with a
crumbling relationship, while her younger sister, Kitty, begins to realize she
may have to choose between love and her growing passion for music.

And even as the family try to pull together, one dark secret could still tear
them all apart…

My Review:

A view weeks ago I received an email about ‘The Things You
Do For Love’. After I read the book description I was really curious about this
book. Especially as a Nurse, the whole surgeon part sounded very interesting
and I couldn’t wait to start reading.

When I started ‘The Things You Do For Love’ I sort of
expected to read a real romance novel. But this book is definitely not just a ‘romance’
novel. ‘The Things You Do For Love’ is the story about three woman, a mom and
her two grown up daughters. The woman need to find a way to go on with their
life after their husband and father suddenly dies. And this is not easy,
especially since their relationship with each other is bumpy to say the least.

‘The Things You Do For Love’ is written through the point
of view of the three main characters Flora, Lou and Kitty. I definitely enjoyed
reading this book through all three point of views. I really felt like I got to
know this family. I also liked that the story went from the present time, to
the past and never got confusing. Rachel Crowther definitely did a great job
with this book.

What did bother me a little was the way the main
character Flora reacted at moments. I found her reactions a little frustrating
at times. As a surgeon your supposed to be tough. As a woman especially, I
think, because you constantly need to prove that you’re as good as the ‘man’.
But at times I wondered if Flora’s character really fitted that of a surgeon.
But maybe that is because all the woman surgeons I know, are strong independent
and tough. It didn’t bother me so much I stopped liking the book, but it was a
down point for me.

Although this book was different than I expected it to
be, I truly enjoyed it. ‘The Things You Do For Love’ is definitely worth your
reading time, especially if you like books with an underlying message. 

To read a Q&A session with Rachel Crowther, please visit my July post. 

My Rating:

About the Author: 

Rachel Crowther qualified as a doctor and worked in the
NHS for twenty years before succumbing to a lifelong yearning to write fiction,
previously indulged during successive bouts of maternity leave. She has an MA
in Creative Writing with distinction from Oxford Brookes, and a string of
prizes for her short fiction.

Her first novel, ‘The Partridge and the Pelican’, was published in 2011 and was
a Tatler ‘sizzling summer read’. ‘The Things You Do For Love’ is published in
August 2016 and has been called ‘a delight of a read’ by Fay Weldon, ‘the very
best sort of fiction’ by Juliet Nicolson (A House Full of Daughters) and ‘a
richly textured tale of life and love’ by Richard Mason (The Drowning People).

Rachel has five children, two mad dogs and an abiding passion for music, art,
cooking and travel, both in Britain and further afield. She currently lives in
Surrey.

For more information about Rachel Crowther please visit
her website. Or visit her on Facebook and Amazon.
 

I
received this book from Bonnier
Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

 

Maureen Bakker

Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always!  Facebook | Instagram