What a beautiful book. This is a new author to me whom I stumbled across at my bookclub. The characters are real, the warmth and passion of the village reverberates throughout the book. Without be being a soap saga, the books covers day to day realities such as death, chocolate, love for humans and animals, marital problems and personal conflict - all with a soft touch of the author which never hides the complexities of living.I wait in anticipation for the new book out in July.