‘Bridge to Eternity’ by Romola Farr is part ghost story, part family saga, part romance novel and much more. Published by Wildmoor Press, the story tells of a warm, friendly, hopeful widow who takes on a bleak, deserted – and possibly haunted – boarding school. The house has a tragic past, full of secrets involving all of its neighbours. New owner Audrey hopes to uncover its mysteries and give the building a bright future.
Audrey is recently widowed and has left her comfortable home and life in the south of England to move in to an old school boarding house on the edge of a moor.
The shady property developers, who have grand plans for the school site, make plans to convince Audrey to sell.
The guilt-ridden estate agent believes local folklore about a boy who never went home, and fears for Audrey’s safety.
The villagers are wary of the old building, and the newcomer who seems so delighted to own it.
Only widower Malcolm seems concerned with helping Audrey to be happy – until his own sadness is revealed.
“ ‘Bridge to Eternity’ takes you across a fast-flowing river to a place where emotions run deep, desires are rekindle, and long forgotten sins remembered.”
What I thought of the book
When I initially picked up ‘Bridge to Eternity’, I thought I was going to be reading a feel-good story about a retired widow moving to a new town, being brave enough to take on a supposedly haunted house and finding happiness – and romance – there. Although there were elements of this in the story, it was also so much more.
The novel is ambitious and wide-ranging. Alongside ghost story, family saga and romance, there are elements of chick-lit; thriller; crime drama and fictional diary, with some humorous moments added for good measure. At times, I felt there were attempts at too many genres within the book. Ideas and action popped up in the story but remained frustratingly unexplored or unexplained. At other times, Romola Farr managed to gather all of the strands and balance them to create twists, turns, shocks and surprises – some light-hearted and some distinctly darker.
Throughout ‘Bridge to Eternity’, I was more strongly drawn to the characters who live in Hawksmead – the village at the centre of the novel – and to the village itself. The cast of the novel is large, but I felt as if I got to know many of them as the story progressed, through descriptions of their working and social lives & relationships. True to life, some of the characters are friends; some are foes; some I wanted to read more about and some seemed to have nothing to recommend them as people – although even the ‘bad guys’ make an intriguing read! Every character had a full part to play in the life of the village – and in the novel.
The locations in Hawksmead are so pivotal to this story that they also became like characters with their own parts to play. Romola’s descriptions of the old boarding school; the bridge from the book title and the river it crosses; the pub and tea room which are the heart of village life and the area surrounding the village are vivid and authentic. I imagined myself sitting in the window of the café listening to the local gossip, driving around the village and standing on the creaky stairs in the school. Through all her descriptions of people and place, Romola cleverly builds a very real-seeming village in her fictional world. This meant that I felt completely immersed in the story, so I was able to keep up with the numerous characters and the lightning speed of the plot and gasped at each new shock along the way.
As ‘Bridge to Eternity’ is a novel full of drama and suspense, I don’t want to say very much about the plot, for fear of spoiling the read. The book is scary, but not too scary, and not for the sake of it; romantic, but not mushy; thrilling, but not just a thriller. With people at its core, it is bound to make you think more than twice, and be full of contradictions. This means that it can give you chills, whilst simultaneously warming your heart – no mean feat for one book to achieve.
How much is the book and how can you buy it?
The paperback retails for £7.99. You can buy a copy here. The Kindle version is currently on offer via the same link, reduced from £7.99 to £2.99
About the author
Romola Farr is a nom de plume. The author first trod the boards on the West End stage aged sixteen and continued to work for the next eighteen years in theatre, TV and film – and as a photographic model. A trip to Hollywood led to the sale of her first screenplay and a successful change of direction as a screenwriter and playwright. Bridge To Eternity is her debut novel.
About the book
Title: Bridge to Eternity
Publisher: Wildmoor Press – www.wildmoorpress.com
ISBN: 9781527236486
Trim Size: 12.9 x 19.8 cm
Pages: 355
Review by: Sharon Corbally
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* We were given a copy of the book in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.
20 comments
This sounds like a great book! I love me a good ghost story with a romantic hint to it! Is it for YA?
Yes it was, as it had so many different elements to it
I’m making it a point to devote more time to reading. Bridge to Eternity sounds like a book I’d enjoy.
Glad to hear that, reading is something so wonderful and more people should do it
I’ve never heard of this book before nor its author. It really seems like a good book to read.
It is nice to find out about new authors and books to add to your collection
I think it sounds like quite an interesting book. Not particularly into chic lit but this sounds like it’s so much more than that with the family saga and the ghost story going on as well. I will have to check it out at the library.
Yes please do, or you can purchase a copy via the link we have provided on our website
Thank you for the referral. I needed something new to read.
Your welcome, we love to share about good books which we read
I think it sounds like a great Fall read. Too bad she didn’t make it a trilogy to develop the characters more.
Thank you for stopping by and your comments Valerie
This sounds like a lovely story and one I’d like to read. I’ll look out for this in the book store 🙂
Hope you do, otherwise the link is on the blog
Sounds like a very interesting and captivating read! I’m always on the lookout for new book suggestions…thanks for sharing!
Your welcome, so glad you enjoyed reading our review of it
It sounds like a really interesting book! I haven’t heard of it before but for only 7.99 I might have to check it out based on your review!
Thank you, yes please do, it is surely an interesting read
I can tell it’s an amazing book! I have not yet read it but that is a good price.
Yes a good book to read if you are wondering what titles to add to your selection