It’s my turn to post for the blog tour of Brown Eyes by Frances Ive on behalf of Rachel’s Random Resources. Thanks to both Rachel and The author for the copy of the book.
A watchful eye as a marriage falls apart. The phone call, the rows, and the split are all observed by the family Labrador. He knows the habits and senses the moods of his beloved family members. Seeing them unhappy and hurting each other is unbearable. Where did his perfect life go?
Her marriage to Phil in crisis, two children at the challenging teenage stage, and a close friend in peril, Meriel’s world is falling apart. She finds solace in the arms of another man, but is this the answer for her? It is her stubbornness that threatens the family’s future together, until a major loss has a life-changing effect on her. A sliver of hope returns.
Like a fly on the wall, Benji the dog sees it all.
Narrated by both the dog and Meriel, Brown Eyes is a novella (a short read) written by the author of Finding Jo and Give and Take with a Capital G & T.
A novella that gives us a unique insight into how the family dog, Benji, the labrador, sees family life and relationships. I enjoyed reading this story, which is told from two viewpoints, Benji and the woman whose marriage is falling apart. These two narrators together create an emotional view of family life and all that is a part of it.
To say I wasn’t sure about reading this book is a fair statement to make. As I began reading, I found Benji and his viewpoint so engaging. Maybe because I am a dog owner, I may be a little biased. I looked forward to his chapters more and more as the story unfolded.
Frances Ive has depicted family life and the issues that come with it in a poignant way through Benji’s eyes. There is also humour, too, which made me smile too. The characters, including Benji, made me feel for them. I have to say I loved Benji’s view the best, but I empathised with Meriel on various levels as she faced challenges in her life.
A book that I doubted at the start but made me fall in love with yet another dog! I surprised myself with how much I wanted to know how everything was going to work out for everyone, including Benji. A great short read.
Purchase Links
UK Kindle – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09Q3N3D15
UK Paperback – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1739976800
US Kindle – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q3N3D1
US Paperback – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1739976800
Author Bio
Frances Ive: A career as a journalist/PR led to health writing for UK nationals newspapers and consumer mags. Out of the blue I was inspired to write my first novel, Finding Jo, which I self-published in January 2021. Brown Eyes is my 2nd novel, written a few years ago. It was inspired by our black Labrador Benji. Before Finding Jo, I previously had only non-fiction books published, including One Step Ahead of Osteoarthritis (2019), a positive approach to staying mobile.
Social Media Links
@healthysouluk
https://www.facebook.com/FindingJoFrancesIve
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/fivewrite/.
Website for books
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 