Number 11, Dukes Square, looks just like the other houses on the Brighton seafront: a Regency terrace with elegant sash windows, a winding staircase, and post piled up in the hall for its tenants. It might be part of the city's history, but it's also a place of brand new beginnings.
Georgie has followed her childhood sweetheart to Brighton but is determined to carve out a career for herself in journalism. Throwing herself into the city's delights is fun and exciting, but before she knows it, she's sliding into all kinds of trouble . . .
Charlotte's in the city for a new start, hoping to keep her head down and somehow get over the heartbreaking loss she's suffered in the past. But Margot, the stylish old lady on the top floor, has other ideas. Like it or not, Charlotte must confront the outside world, and the possibilities it still holds.
A terrible revelation sent Rosa running from London to start again as a sous chef. The work is gruelling and thankless but it's a distraction at least . . . until she comes up against the stroppy teenager next door who challenges her on her lifestyle choices. What if Rosa's passion for food could lead her to more interesting places?
As the three tenants find each other, it's as if a whole new chapter of their lives has begun. The House of New Beginnings is a moving and uplifting novel from bestselling author Lucy Diamond.
Review: I have noticed that Lucy Diamond has a trend in her books for giving characters new beginnings and so the title of her latest novel is very apt! This is a story about the tenants of a wonderfully powerful sounding house, split into flats in Brighton. I love a book set in Brighton, I think there is something truly unique about it and so I really love being transported there from time to time. Although the overall theme of this book is new beginnings, this is very definitely a book about people and very much a character driven novel.
I really enjoyed getting to know the residents of the house of new beginnings. They have all been dealt a tough hand in life, for many different reasons and yet they are all trying to make the best of it and trying to overcome that adversity. I listened to this on audible and so I did have a few issues with Georgie's Yorkshire accent (being Yorkshire myself) but I loved her as a character. She definitely embodies the strong Yorkshire lass and I loved the way she developed as the book went on. You can also tell that she is northern because of her ability to strike up a conversation with anyone any where!
Charlotte was an interesting character to get to know. She is the kind of person you would meet and think to be cold to begin with, but once her shell began to crack and her story began to unravel, I found a new respect for her and could definitely identify with her as much as with Georgie in this one. Rosa is definitely someone that any reader will grow to love, she has the motherly role in the house, even though she might not have met all of her neighbours, they know that too. I really liked the way she found her true calling as the book progressed and settled into her role as the glue that holds things together.
Some of the things that are thrown at these characters are a lot to deal with, but if you think about your own group of friends, think about the things they have had to or are dealing with and you will see that a group of people such as this are likely to have an array of issues that need sorting. There is definitely something here that anyone will be able to identify with and that is what made this an entertaining read.
I have to admit that I had a bit of trouble working out who was who in the beginning, I think this may have been easier if I was reading a physical copy of the book and not listening to an audio book. Once I worked out where everyone was coming from though, I really enjoyed the way the story was told from multiple points of view! If you are a fan of Lucy Diamond then you will definitely love her latest novel and if this is your first Lucy Diamond read then you will definitely enjoy the journey towards her very definite theme of new beginnings!
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