The Snow Globe (Book Review and Giveaway)

Disclosure:  I received a copy of The Snow Globe by Judith Kinghorn, at no cost to me, for review purposes.

Inside the glass orb was a miniature garden and a house. If she stared long enough, she could almost see the people inside. But whether they were trapped there, or kept safe, in that miniscule snowbound world, she couldn't have said... 

Christmas 1926 holds bright promise for nineteen-year-old Daisy Forbes, with celebrations under way at Eden Hall, her family's country estate in Surrey, England. But when Daisy, the youngest of three daughters, discovers that her adored father, Howard, has been leading a double life, her illusions of perfection are shattered. Worse, his current mistress, introduced as a family friend, is joining them for the holidays. As Daisy wrestles with the truth, she blossoms in her own right, receiving a marriage proposal from one man, a declaration of love from another, and her first kiss from a third. Meanwhile, her mother, Mabel, manages these social complications with outward calm, while privately reviewing her life and contemplating significant changes. And among those below stairs, Nancy, the housekeeper, and Mrs. Jessop, the cook, find that their long-held secrets are slowly beginning to surface...

As the seasons unfold in the new year, and Daisy moves to London, desires, fortunes, and loyalties will shift during this tumultuous time after the Great War. The Forbes family and those who serve them will follow their hearts down unexpected paths that always return to where they began...Eden Hall.

Daisy's snow globe is an apt metaphor for her sheltered life.  Everything changes when she discovers that her father is unfaithful to her mother.  As she tries to reconcile this with what she had always believed about her father, she struggles with decisions about her future.

Maybe it's the setting--England in 1926-1927--that demanded people keep their private thoughts to themselves.  I don't think one character in this book is completely transparent.  It's not what I would like in real life, but it makes an interesting story.  Just trying to keep track of who knew which secret and when was, at times, a challenge.  Some questions are not answered, even for the reader, until much later in the book.

The Snow Globe is fiction that requires some attention to read; it's not fluffy.  I like that.  The characters are multi-dimensional, interesting, and sometimes funny.  I also like that the story has many twists and turns that kept me guessing.  Just when I thought I had it figured out, the whole picture changed completely.

Note that The Snow Globe is not Christian fiction.  The themes are mature, at least two scenes are very suggestive, and profanity is used here and there.

Links for more information:

• Website of author Judith Kinghorn
• Author Judith Kinghorn on Facebook
• Author Judith Kinghorn on Twitter
• The Snow Globe on Amazon.com (not an affiliate link)
• The Snow Globe on Amazon.com (my affiliate link*)

[* If you click through my affiliate link and complete a purchase, I will receive a small commission.  Thank you!]

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