Learning To Swim

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We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. She manages to do this by describing emotions and a sense of place efficiently without over-describing and for me, balances this perfectly with the amount of dialogue. The Radley’s were extraordinary, captivating creatures transplanted from a bohemian corner of North London to outer suburbia, and the young Abigail found herself drawn into their magic circle: the eccentric Frances, her new best friend; Frances’ mother, the liberated, headstrong Lexi; and of course the brilliant, beautiful Rad.

Clare Chambers's writing reads so effortlessly, it's like you're reading something you wrote yourself, as she adds some thoughts about life that you'll probably identify with.And some of the cultural references seemed not to match the time setting: I assume the first part of the story was set in the 1970s but some of it seemed more typical of the 1950s/60s. Added to that the story features many ideas that she's used in other novels, an unusual family, an affair, a long lost lover etc. Was concerned my second experience with “Learning to Swim “ would not be as satisfying , but it too earned five stars . It starts with a present situation and then goes back in time for most of the book until everything is explained and you get back to where you started. This is a wonderful exploration of family, of growing up and imagining other families are more cool/interesting/fun/less troubled than your own, only beneath the surface, everywhere are secrets and tragedy lurks.

The party was being given by a girl at school, and in recognition of the shortage of available males we had all been instructed to “bring a boy. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. You never know what goes on behind closed doors, and never has this been more true than in the story of Abigail Jex (née Onions) and her memories of her childhood friend Frances Radley.I enjoyed it, although I found it rather long and it had what would now probably be described as a bit of a YA feel to it. Perfect holiday reading, but I don't mean by that to disparage the writing or brand it as merely lightweight. And then it seemed slightly unbelievable that Abigail would have had so little luck in love between the ages of 18 and 31.

It is a great examination of how the decisions we made, and the people we meet, in our teenage years can shape our future (and of how things don't always turn out as we expect).It’s about love, friendship, and different types of family dynamics and how people chose to hide their feelings or try to ignore them.

On the other hand certain episodes seemed unlikely to me, even for the Radleys, in particular the scene which causes Rad to be so angry with Abigail. She has a talent for creating characters who are not only lifelike and eccentric, but immensely believable, and who have stayed with me long after I closed the book.One thing I didn't love was the excessive dramatism and tragedy; I know what their goal was but I don't think it was necessary to go to such lengths. Always sad when I come to the end of one of Clare’s books but luckily this time I have another ready to read (In a Good Light). I was surprised when I found out this book had originally been published in 1998 as it felt like it could have been written this year - always the sign of a good read!