May 2018 Book of the Month
Sixteen-year old Tamsin envies the life of the Davenports up in the Cliff House. Life is hard for her widowed mother supporting an unemployed brother and a dying grandfather. She craves the life of the rich family she spies on. Unknown to her they are highly dysfunctional. She develops a friendship with the daughter of a similar age and all is good. Of course it is not, and an unfortunate series of events blows their friendship apart. It does sound a bit light and fluffy but actually this is a gripping human drama which deals with real and tragic situations. There is no happy ending, no magic wand to make it all better, no perfect solution but what there is is a well-written page-turner. The flow of the story is well paced and very readable. The characters are damaged and needy but you can understand and sympathise with them. They are real people coping with grief and loss and failing. A very sad, yet thrilling read, highly recommended.
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
| Recommendations: |
Devastating and deliciously dark, The Cliff House is less wish-fulfilment and more of a clever and disturbing reminder that things are rarely (if ever) how they appear on the surface.
What starts as a heady summer of escape and friendship on the North Cornwall coast soon takes a decidedly darker turn, one as black as the swimming pool around which much of the action takes place, in this novel of contrasts.
Tamsyn and Edie’s families illustrate the conflicting interests: locals looking for work and affordable housing in a place that daily reminds them of what they’ve lost; and holiday home owners longing for escape in an enviable property out of reach to most people, especially locals, while bringing seasonal work and spending power.
The Cliff House is the story of a place as much as the two families it brings together and Amanda Jennings makes its presence felt by breathing life into the house and the stretch of coast it sits on.
She also cleverly shows the light and... Read Full Review
A superb thrilling exciting book that gives you that creepy someone is watching you feeling as you are reading.
First class story with excellent descriptions of all characters and the lovely Cornish coast which makes the reader feel as if they are part of the drama as the story unfolds.
A genuinely fantastic novel that makes each page turn exciting to see what happens next. The story starts off light and fresh but as the reader gets deeper into the book so do their senses as they are caught up in the intriguing story itself. Innocence turning into an eerie disturbing obsession which never seems ending with buried thoughts attempting to turn the fantasy into reality. Superbly written and a brilliant story line.
This is one book that once you start to read you don't want to put down to the very last page.... Read Full Review
There are twists and turns throughout with unexpected events, revelations and relationship.
From page 1 you're intrigued to find out more about each character. The descriptive writing engages you, painting a picture of the turmoils, relationship and the Cornish landscape that plays such a central part in the story telling. You feel you're there with Tamsyn, seeing it through her eyes, as the story unfolds. It's a story of complex relationships, unrequited love and memories of happier times.
From the beginning, there's an underlying tension of something dark and sinister that could be about to happen, in the intertwined relationship between the various characters.... Read Full Review
