"Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is a long way from Hollywood. And that's exactly how Cilla McGowan likes it." "Cilla, a former child star, has found a more satisfying life working with her hands to restore homes from floor to ceiling - and has come here to her grandmother's farm-house, tools at her side, to rescue it from ruin. Sadly, no one had been able to save her grandmother, the legendary Janet Hardy. An actress with a golden voice and a tumultuous life, Janet entertained glamorous guests and engaged in decadent affairs - but died of an overdose in this very house more than thirty years ago. To this day, Janet haunts Cilla's dreams. And during her waking hours, Cilla is haunted by her melodramatic, five-times-married mother, who carried on in the public spotlight and never gave her a chance at a normal childhood. By coming to the East Coast, rolling up her sleeves, and rehabbing this wreck of a house, Cilla intends to take a shot at finding some kind of normalcy for herself." "Cilla has her work cut out for her - the house, once a place of comfort and simple rural beauty, is long neglected, crumbling, the grounds choked by weeds. Plunging into the project with gusto, she's almost too busy and exhausted to notice her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyer - but his lanky form, green eyes, and easy, unflappable humor (not to mention his delightfully ugly dog, Spock) are hard to ignore. Determined not to carry on the family tradition of ill-fated romances, Cilla steels herself against Ford's quirky charm, but she can't help indulging in a little fantasy." "But love and a peaceful life may not be in the cards for Cilla. In the house's cluttered attic, she has found a cache of unsigned letters, tied with a faded red ribbon, suggesting that Janet Hardy was pregnant when she died - and that the father of her child was a local married man. Cilla can't help but wonder what really happened all those years ago. The mystery only deepens with a series of cruel and intimidating acts and a frightening, violent assault. And if Cilla and Ford are unable to sort out who is targeting her and why, she may, like her world-famous grandmother, be cut down in the prime of her life."--Book jacket.
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Ein Haus zum Träumen: Roman
By Nora Roberts, Margarethe van Pée
"Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is a long way from Hollywood. And that's exactly how Cilla McGowan likes it." "Cilla, a former child star, has found a more satisfying life working with her hands to restore homes from floor to ceiling - and has come here to her grandmother's farm-house, tools at her side, to rescue it from ruin. Sadly, no one had been able to save her grandmother, the legendary Janet Hardy. An actress with a golden voice and a tumultuous life, Janet entertained glamorous guests and engaged in decadent affairs - but died of an overdose in this very house more than thirty years ago. To this day, Janet haunts Cilla's dreams. And during her waking hours, Cilla is haunted by her melodramatic, five-times-married mother, who carried on in the public spotlight and never gave her a chance at a normal childhood. By coming to the East Coast, rolling up her sleeves, and rehabbing this wreck of a house, Cilla intends to take a shot at finding some kind of normalcy for herself." "Cilla has her work cut out for her - the house, once a place of comfort and simple rural beauty, is long neglected, crumbling, the grounds choked by weeds. Plunging into the project with gusto, she's almost too busy and exhausted to notice her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyer - but his lanky form, green eyes, and easy, unflappable humor (not to mention his delightfully ugly dog, Spock) are hard to ignore. Determined not to carry on the family tradition of ill-fated romances, Cilla steels herself against Ford's quirky charm, but she can't help indulging in a little fantasy." "But love and a peaceful life may not be in the cards for Cilla. In the house's cluttered attic, she has found a cache of unsigned letters, tied with a faded red ribbon, suggesting that Janet Hardy was pregnant when she died - and that the father of her child was a local married man. Cilla can't help but wonder what really happened all those years ago. The mystery only deepens with a series of cruel and intimidating acts and a frightening, violent assault. And if Cilla and Ford are unable to sort out who is targeting her and why, she may, like her world-famous grandmother, be cut down in the prime of her life."--Book jacket.
Popular Reviews(1)
Reviewed by 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫Ich habe das Buch nicht ganz bis zum Ende gelesen, weil mir auf den letzten hundert Seiten ein wenig die Motivation gefehlt hat, es zu beenden. Für mich hat es sich an dieser Stelle etwas in die Länge gezogen. Trotzdem würde ich dem Buch insgesamt 3 von 5 Sternen geben, weil mir besonders die sommerliche und heimelige Stimmung sehr gefallen hat. Ich konnte mich gut in den Ort und die Umgebung hineinversetzen – die Atmosphäre war für mich einer der stärksten Aspekte des Romans.Ich mochte auch, dass die Beziehung zwischen den beiden Hauptcharakteren nicht komplett im Mittelpunkt stand. Zwar hätte ich mir gewünscht, dass es hierzu noch mehr Beschreibungen gegeben hätte, damit man sich als Leser ein klareres Bild von der Beziehung machen kann, aber mir hat sehr gefallen, dass es in der Beziehung nicht vorrangig um das Körperliche ging. Für mich ging es eher um echte Liebe – und das fand ich sehr schön. Trotzdem konnte ich mich nicht in die Figuren hineinversetzen. Es fiel mir schwer, eine emotionale Verbindung zu ihnen aufzubauen. Das lag zum einen daran, dass mir tiefere Beschreibungen gefehlt haben, um ihre Gedanken und Gefühle besser zu verstehen. Zum anderen waren ihre Lebenssituationen sehr anders als meine eigenen – ich habe darin einfach keine persönlichen Erfahrungen wiedergefunden. Insgesamt hat mir die Geschichte an sich gefallen, besonders auch der Teil mit der Großmutter. Ich hätte mir aber gewünscht, dass manche Beschreibungen tiefgründiger gewesen wären, damit man als Leserin noch mehr in die Figuren eintauchen kann. Trotzdem hat mir das Buch auf eine gewisse Weise auch die Augen geöffnet – vor allem, weil ich gemerkt habe, wie schön ich die Vorstellung finde, an einem ruhigen Ort zu leben, auf einer Farm oder in einer Villa mit Garten und Wiese. Diese Bilder fand ich sehr inspirierend.