Jill Treseder – Blackthorn Winter @RandomTTours @Jill_Treseder @SilverWoodBooks#BlackthorneWinter #RandomThingsTours

I am on the tour for Blackthorn Winter by Jill Treseder on behalf of Random Things Tours. Thanks to Silverwood Books and Anne Cater for the copy of the book to take part.

It’s 1845. Eight-year old James Thorne is growing up in the New Forest. His life takes him far from his roots – first to the workhouse, next as a seaman in the Royal Navy, then to the respectable confines of urban life in 19th century Portsmouth. But he never relinquishes his joy in the Forest and the yearning for the presence of trees in his life.

This family saga traces James’s path from boy to grandfather – a story of light and shade, love and loss. For some, blackthorn is an emblem of bad luck. And in a ‘blackthorn winter’, spring blossom is blighted by snow and ice. But for others – especially his childhood sweetheart, Kitty – the white owers bursting from black branches are a symbol of hope…

Blackthorn Winter is a family saga set in the 1800s. I have always enjoyed historical fiction and when it’s blended so well into a family saga it makes a thoroughly captivating read for me.

We meet James Thorne, eight years old, growing up up in the New Forest. Living with his Grandmother and siblings, nothing is easy in 1945 for them. He loves the forest and spends as much time as possible there. He makes an unlikely ally after seeing something he should never have been witness to.

We follow him through his lifetime as he finds himself far away from his home and his favourite tree. His journey begins in the workhouse after his grandmother dies. He goes into the Navy and travels the world, seeing terrible sights as he is on a ship tasked with intercepting slave trader ships as they transport people they have stolen, to sell them on in different countries. He is taken into war too, witnessing so much loss and brutality over his lifetime.

The novel takes us through his hopes, dreams, loves and losses, of which there are many throughout his lifetime. We see James mature, and go through the decades.

Jill Treseder has written Blackthorn Winter in such a way,that as soon as I read a page or two, I was so interested in how James and his family fared over time. Her characters are well developed to the point that I was as upset forJames and his siblings as they were, by being sent to the workhouse and split up. I cared about his life and what happened to him.

A novel that has been well researched, I almost felt like I was there. Each setting James found himself in was described perfectly, the Workhouse, the ships he worked on, Portsmouth. I loved seeing how he grew in himself as the book developed.

I enjoyed being ensconced with James over the decades that I joined him for. In fact I enjoyed it so much I am already looking at the other book of Jill Treseder has written, about the generations after Blackthorne Winter. If you love historical fiction that interweaves with a coming of age story, pick this book up, you could be as captivated as I was.

Author Bio

I began my writing career late in life, although I always knew I wanted to write – since the age of seven.
But first I studied German, qualified as a social worker with children and families, moved on into Management Development Consultancy and gained a PhD for the work I did in the area of personal development and well-being at work.
Now free to write fiction, I have published five full length novels and two novellas. Recurrent themes are identity and secrets, trust, betrayal and forgiveness.
I am fortunate to live in Devon with my husband and a wonderful view.