Love, Revenge and Buttered Scones by Bobbie Darbyshire - From my Goodreads account

Love, Revenge & Buttered Scones by Bobbie Darbyshire

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Just finished this and I'm happy to be able to report that I enjoyed it. Happy because I know that Bobbie Darbyshire is a GoodReads author but also because I met her at a book signing and she it was that talked me into reading it. Well to be fair she wasn't as pushy as that sounds but she did describe it in a way that I felt interested in trying it. She is under the impression I think, that I decided not to buy it but had a change of heart and returned. In fact it was more that I wanted straight away to buy it but took myself outside to try and talk myself out of it. For one thing L,R & B S has jumped a queue of several hundred "ToBeReads" on shelves and just in heaps here. I was actually in town for an air-show but couldn't resist a bookshop browse even without, on this occasion, any need or desire to buy...

Anyway back to Love and Scones, I had the impression that it would be a lightweight, quick, amusing interlude to fit between the dark post-war world of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther and the latest vast breeze-block installment in G.R.R. Martin's Ice and thingummy fantasy saga. I got much more than I was expecting though and found it was one of those books to which I actually looked forward to returning each evening. Love and revenge are strong themes running through the book which takes us from England to Scotland with side excursions to World War II France and the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. For the most part the narration alternates by dropping into the point of view and thought processes of three of the main characters: one appearing in a rather "stream of consciousness" impressionistic style in keeping with, and illuminating, his personality. For me, seeing the plot unfold through these different eyes worked very well and made this trio very real.

I won't reveal too much of the plot, which involves several twists and turns and some shocking revelations about these three, their relationships and their interaction with a number of new and intriguing acquaintances in Inverness. The three independently set off in search of something life-changing and in the end they get it but not exactly in the way they were expecting. Along the way it takes a very humane look at love, loneliness, and guilt but manages it with a light humourous touch as well as some very dramatic set-pieces. I think I can't sum up my own opinion better than in the words of book-blogger David Hebblethwaite of Follow the Thread "...A fast, fun read but not a superficial one" and that I was not expecting the latter aspect is what made this read a particular pleasure.



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