Truly marvelous, Eleanor. My heart has been with Tessa because of her vulnerability and her survival instincts in the face of her illness while the machinations of others unraveled. The complexity of the deceits held me throughout. A brave write, a solid conclusion. Your writing, along with your friendship has been gift indeed. Love, Mary
It's almost scary how easy it is to loose myself in almost each one of the heroes, especially the main ones-Tessa, Clare, and Ros. It's either a great writing-or a strange reader. Then, it might be "both are true".
I though feel the most pain for Brian, and for the kids, and for the kids the grown ups once were, and those that are constantly back to some ward, or never leaving it.
I'm so touched that you mentioned Brian, and the kids and the kids the grown ups once were, and those in the ward. They are all the unheard - intentionally in the novel so as to make the point, - and in real life. I'm so glad you loved it, and that you saw them.
This was a truly beautiful read - we've already recommended it to a local writers group that we're part of as it's the first serialised fiction that got us to go back to the start of the posting history and read through systematically! Your work is such a good way for other people to explore serialised fiction on substack (travel tip - becasue every post comes as an email...we read this on a plane journey with all the chapter ready and waiting, downloaded to our inbox. It made the Ryanair experience much more pleasant) Your characters are memorable, real people to us now. Even Ros. A difficult one to love, sure - but you made her understandable, and there's very human depths in her complicated pain.
Bethany & James, it means a huge amount to me to hear this. And thanks for the recommendation to a writers group! Please let them know, if they'd like a zoom q&a with me once they finish the novel, I'll be happy to connect. And very glad to be your gateway into the serialised form here. There's so many great writers turning their hand to it, I'm loving being part of this renaissance. 😊
ooooo yes ok will do! And I saw your idea for some kind of chat/symposium with other serial fiction writers and I'd be interested in tuning into that as well!
So, so, so good, Eleanor. I'm happy I waited to read it in some quiet.
This seems to me the biggest lesson for us: "She had her own peace to make, and she wasn’t the one taking hostages, human shields to the demons inside." How can we make our own peace despite the problems that surround us? Such rich characters. Such a lifting experience despite the heaviness of the subject.
On a side note, did I imagine it or did you share that we can also order this book? I would love to, so please share the link with all of us again. Or if I made this up, consider it encouragement to do so! :)
It'll be coming out in October, (lovely dream!) but no links for preorder yet. As soon as I have them, I'll share. And thank you. I really want to make a song & dance about this novel when it hits the big wide world, so all trumpet blowing will be gratefully received. And yes, I appreciate your careful reading of the greater subject of this book, it's a question I leave hanging, we each have our answers.
A rewarding ending to a brilliant novel. I'm feeling the joy of having read such a good book mixed with the sadness at the loss of it. I wasn't perhaps sure beforehand that a serialised novel would work for me, but this was a magnificent affirmative to that question.
Reading that dazzling last sentence felt like watching a ballerina who has one more sequence of fouettés left, and the audience is no longer thinking anxiously, Can she do it? but instead sitting back and watching her carry it off in gorgeous style. Brava!👏
Oh, thanks so much, Jeff. It felt exactly like that, hoping that those hours of practice would pay off, my legs would carry me, my feet would know what to do. Nerve wracking. 🩰 So glad it landed.
I'd had a sense of this reverse resolution a few weeks ago after the party chapter. I said something and you liked but didn’t reply, and I thought hmm, either I got it all wrong and Eleanor is being kind or I'm right and she's staying mum. :)
Of course, I couldn't forsee all the details. It's a very satisfying ending, hopeful yet real. Interesting to compare, too, two different kinds of dysfunction, one that acts out intending no harm (even though it may), with Tess, and the other, Ros, who acts out only in forms of hurting others, though she would never acknowledge it.
Congratulations on one more completed work on Substack!
Jay, I really appreciate how well you've understood what I've tried to do, the comparisons of these dysfunctions is at the heart of it. I've witnessed it so much in the life around me, in the stories of friends, the terrible injustice of such double-standard, how such hypocrisy plays out in their treatment, and as I say in the acknowledgements, this novel was always a love letter to one friend in particular, a shout on her behalf. Meanwhile, to your insightful comment on the party chapter, yes as you now know it was the latter; you were spot on and I was staying mum....
So in addition to the splendid act of creation, the novel is an act of friendship and love. And I see you have your interviewer now and more readers still in progress, with others still to begin. It goes on.
I just let out the biggest sigh. Really, what an absolutely perfect ending (though it doesn’t feel like an ending at all as these characters of yours are so firmly real in my mind now that I’ll continue to think of them and wonder what they’re up to for years to come—not to mention that now it’s finished, I get to indulge by going back to the beginning and binge reading the entire thing beginning to end while I sit eating pastries in the garden). I cannot tell you how much I’ve appreciated this work of yours, E. From the entertainment aspect, to the way that you’ve captured the chaos of suffering with a depth and a lightness which is almost supernatural. Truly, it’s been such a ride. (Btw, I played Elvira in the school play, and did a stint in The Priory for a couple of months in my twenties, so there’s been moments where memory and novel merged into a dreamlike haze).
And that’s a long way of saying, thank you, you are truly brilliant.
Oh Chloe. Life is a marvel, isn't it? How it entwines. We will talk about this one day, eat pastries in your garden together, and compare notes. Thank you so much. x
An ending to a great read always is going to leave a reader wanting more. I am very much looking forward to reading it as a book, which will be a different experience. And to read whatever you write next.
Like a tornado, Ros couldn't stay, had to keep moving once she spun out all her damage.
To me she was your most electric character. She had to be in order to cause all that havoc. As much as I liked all the chapters and as much as you allowed us to inhabit the mind of Tess and to get to know the other characters as well, Ros was the center of gravity, a black hole perhaps. It was endlessly fascinating to be in the mind of a narcissist deploying her beauty and her charm as weapons. You kept her "on stage" as long as you possibly could. But did I want to go to Santa Monica and see her blow things up there? Absolutrely!
Most of all, thank you so much for this reading experience.
Thank you, for your close and generous reading. Your observations as we've gone along have made me want to burst out of the tight-lipped author role and tell all, to discuss and compare; I'm hoping to find someone with enough tech savvy and interest to host some sort of live q&a for me - I'm going to put out a call to all my subscribers next week to see if anyone's up for the job. I want to talk about it! And I want to hear how it's been to read it as a serialised novel. And yes, to hold it in your hands will be a different experience again. It's only just over 60,000 words, short in comparison to a lot of current fiction, but I always wanted to keep it tight. And ending's are tough, for the writer and reader for different reasons, so I really hope it left you wanting more for all the right ones.
Thank you! I enjoyed your story very much. I loved the sense of place you described of the English countryside-farm roads and fields and hedges, the smell of a horse barn and of mud, the hay bits carried into a car, and an old, well-worn kitchen…….and yes, a good ending -lots of hope.
Truly marvelous, Eleanor. My heart has been with Tessa because of her vulnerability and her survival instincts in the face of her illness while the machinations of others unraveled. The complexity of the deceits held me throughout. A brave write, a solid conclusion. Your writing, along with your friendship has been gift indeed. Love, Mary
Thanks so much, Mary. You too x
....I loved reading it
It's almost scary how easy it is to loose myself in almost each one of the heroes, especially the main ones-Tessa, Clare, and Ros. It's either a great writing-or a strange reader. Then, it might be "both are true".
I though feel the most pain for Brian, and for the kids, and for the kids the grown ups once were, and those that are constantly back to some ward, or never leaving it.
Thank you.
I'm so touched that you mentioned Brian, and the kids and the kids the grown ups once were, and those in the ward. They are all the unheard - intentionally in the novel so as to make the point, - and in real life. I'm so glad you loved it, and that you saw them.
Well done darling. A great read. Masterfully done. Standing ovation and all the flowers! 💐💐💐
Thanks, my love! So happy it's getting its day in the sun. ☀️ xx
Looking forward to reading it a second time, in print x
😊🙌📖
This was a truly beautiful read - we've already recommended it to a local writers group that we're part of as it's the first serialised fiction that got us to go back to the start of the posting history and read through systematically! Your work is such a good way for other people to explore serialised fiction on substack (travel tip - becasue every post comes as an email...we read this on a plane journey with all the chapter ready and waiting, downloaded to our inbox. It made the Ryanair experience much more pleasant) Your characters are memorable, real people to us now. Even Ros. A difficult one to love, sure - but you made her understandable, and there's very human depths in her complicated pain.
Bethany & James, it means a huge amount to me to hear this. And thanks for the recommendation to a writers group! Please let them know, if they'd like a zoom q&a with me once they finish the novel, I'll be happy to connect. And very glad to be your gateway into the serialised form here. There's so many great writers turning their hand to it, I'm loving being part of this renaissance. 😊
ooooo yes ok will do! And I saw your idea for some kind of chat/symposium with other serial fiction writers and I'd be interested in tuning into that as well!
Marvellous. And if we manage to get a panel discussion going I'll be sure to let you know.
So, so, so good, Eleanor. I'm happy I waited to read it in some quiet.
This seems to me the biggest lesson for us: "She had her own peace to make, and she wasn’t the one taking hostages, human shields to the demons inside." How can we make our own peace despite the problems that surround us? Such rich characters. Such a lifting experience despite the heaviness of the subject.
On a side note, did I imagine it or did you share that we can also order this book? I would love to, so please share the link with all of us again. Or if I made this up, consider it encouragement to do so! :)
It'll be coming out in October, (lovely dream!) but no links for preorder yet. As soon as I have them, I'll share. And thank you. I really want to make a song & dance about this novel when it hits the big wide world, so all trumpet blowing will be gratefully received. And yes, I appreciate your careful reading of the greater subject of this book, it's a question I leave hanging, we each have our answers.
A rewarding ending to a brilliant novel. I'm feeling the joy of having read such a good book mixed with the sadness at the loss of it. I wasn't perhaps sure beforehand that a serialised novel would work for me, but this was a magnificent affirmative to that question.
Reading that dazzling last sentence felt like watching a ballerina who has one more sequence of fouettés left, and the audience is no longer thinking anxiously, Can she do it? but instead sitting back and watching her carry it off in gorgeous style. Brava!👏
Oh, thanks so much, Jeff. It felt exactly like that, hoping that those hours of practice would pay off, my legs would carry me, my feet would know what to do. Nerve wracking. 🩰 So glad it landed.
I'd had a sense of this reverse resolution a few weeks ago after the party chapter. I said something and you liked but didn’t reply, and I thought hmm, either I got it all wrong and Eleanor is being kind or I'm right and she's staying mum. :)
Of course, I couldn't forsee all the details. It's a very satisfying ending, hopeful yet real. Interesting to compare, too, two different kinds of dysfunction, one that acts out intending no harm (even though it may), with Tess, and the other, Ros, who acts out only in forms of hurting others, though she would never acknowledge it.
Congratulations on one more completed work on Substack!
Jay, I really appreciate how well you've understood what I've tried to do, the comparisons of these dysfunctions is at the heart of it. I've witnessed it so much in the life around me, in the stories of friends, the terrible injustice of such double-standard, how such hypocrisy plays out in their treatment, and as I say in the acknowledgements, this novel was always a love letter to one friend in particular, a shout on her behalf. Meanwhile, to your insightful comment on the party chapter, yes as you now know it was the latter; you were spot on and I was staying mum....
So in addition to the splendid act of creation, the novel is an act of friendship and love. And I see you have your interviewer now and more readers still in progress, with others still to begin. It goes on.
It goes on! And yes, thrillingly, Kimberly has messaged.
I just let out the biggest sigh. Really, what an absolutely perfect ending (though it doesn’t feel like an ending at all as these characters of yours are so firmly real in my mind now that I’ll continue to think of them and wonder what they’re up to for years to come—not to mention that now it’s finished, I get to indulge by going back to the beginning and binge reading the entire thing beginning to end while I sit eating pastries in the garden). I cannot tell you how much I’ve appreciated this work of yours, E. From the entertainment aspect, to the way that you’ve captured the chaos of suffering with a depth and a lightness which is almost supernatural. Truly, it’s been such a ride. (Btw, I played Elvira in the school play, and did a stint in The Priory for a couple of months in my twenties, so there’s been moments where memory and novel merged into a dreamlike haze).
And that’s a long way of saying, thank you, you are truly brilliant.
Oh Chloe. Life is a marvel, isn't it? How it entwines. We will talk about this one day, eat pastries in your garden together, and compare notes. Thank you so much. x
Eleanor,
An ending to a great read always is going to leave a reader wanting more. I am very much looking forward to reading it as a book, which will be a different experience. And to read whatever you write next.
Like a tornado, Ros couldn't stay, had to keep moving once she spun out all her damage.
To me she was your most electric character. She had to be in order to cause all that havoc. As much as I liked all the chapters and as much as you allowed us to inhabit the mind of Tess and to get to know the other characters as well, Ros was the center of gravity, a black hole perhaps. It was endlessly fascinating to be in the mind of a narcissist deploying her beauty and her charm as weapons. You kept her "on stage" as long as you possibly could. But did I want to go to Santa Monica and see her blow things up there? Absolutrely!
Most of all, thank you so much for this reading experience.
David,
Thank you, for your close and generous reading. Your observations as we've gone along have made me want to burst out of the tight-lipped author role and tell all, to discuss and compare; I'm hoping to find someone with enough tech savvy and interest to host some sort of live q&a for me - I'm going to put out a call to all my subscribers next week to see if anyone's up for the job. I want to talk about it! And I want to hear how it's been to read it as a serialised novel. And yes, to hold it in your hands will be a different experience again. It's only just over 60,000 words, short in comparison to a lot of current fiction, but I always wanted to keep it tight. And ending's are tough, for the writer and reader for different reasons, so I really hope it left you wanting more for all the right ones.
Looking forward to that very much.
Thank you! I enjoyed your story very much. I loved the sense of place you described of the English countryside-farm roads and fields and hedges, the smell of a horse barn and of mud, the hay bits carried into a car, and an old, well-worn kitchen…….and yes, a good ending -lots of hope.
I look forward to reading your next story.
Thanks, Anne!
Stunning and so true about narcissists vs everyone else. I'm excited to have this as a book.
❤️
What a perfect way to wrap it all up. I have enjoyed reading this so much and I can't wait to start the next one!
Thanks, Jodie! I appreciate you saying that. Endings are so important, so nerve-wracking....
Thank you 🙏🙏😍
❤️xxx
❤️❤️ xxxxx
yes? approve?!