Monday 22 January 2018

Read in 2018 - 2: The Visitor

The Visitor
by Chris Simpson

Like my first read in 2018, this book was a Christmas gift from my sister. It was a real Christmas read, too - never mind I read it now, almost a month after the holiday! It is very much a winter story and therefore still fitting for January.

Jos and Emily are an elderly couple living on a farm in the Yorkshire Dales. Farming has always been their life; Jos' family has been on the same land for centuries, and the two of them are deeply rooted in a way of life that is slowly disappearing.

Emily is ill, very ill. Jos is afraid she won't bear up much longer, and then what will become of him? He worries that he won't want to stay on the farm on his own, and then what will become of his cattle and his sheep, of his fields and woods, and last but not least, of Walter and Laura, who work the farm and the house with and for him?

Then his nephew, who he has never met since his sister emigrated to South Africa decades ago, writes to announce his visit just in time for Christmas.
Jos and Emily are excited at the prospect of finally meeting their young relative. Little do they know that the visitor arriving at their door step in the middle of heavy snowfall will bring about a change in their lives they could never have foreseen.

I loved everything about this book - its small size, beautiful cover design, good writing style, setting of the story and the general atmosphere. Similar to "Elmet" (the book I read before this one), the reader can guess something decisive will happen, but it is not leading to something terrible. When I finished the book, I wanted to know more about the people I'd "met" within its pages, even though our acquaintance was brief (it is not a very long story).

The author is another „first“ for me. According to the book cover, Chris Simpson was born in Harrogate and lives on a narrowboat with his wife on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. He is a musician (his acoustic group Magna Carta has released 23 albums and sold over 8 million records) and travels a lot. Occasionally, he also works as a lecturer, speaker and radio presenter.

Let me quote from the back of the cover what two famous readers have said about the book:
„The Visitor is a moving, evocative story that touches on the many aspects of my own experience, those childhood memories of Christmas at my home in the West Riding of Yorkshire.“ (Patrick Stewart, actor)
„Chris Simpson is a master storyteller from the heartlands of the Dales. This tale will take you there and will touch your heart.“ (James Herriot, author)

Thank you, sister, for giving me two very good reads to start the year with!

12 comments:

  1. How lovely! Your sister seems to have had the right idea and also knows what you enjoy. So often people do not take the receiver’s taste into consideration when they buy presents. A thoughtful present is the best not matter if it isn’t expensive or flashy.
    It sounds like a lovely feel-good story, the sort of thing I enjoy very much at the moment.

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    1. My sister knows me so well - after all, she's known me for almost 50 years now :-) Yes, she really made a good choice in giving me the two books I read first this year.
      I could imagine you enjoying this one, too.

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  2. I've not heard of this author but from your description it sounds like a good book!

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    1. He has also published some non-fiction books, I think. I could not find a homepage for himself but found information from his publisher's.

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  3. Well, if James Herriot thought he was good, that is good enough for me!
    (You know I love the books by him, have you ever read them yet?)
    Interesting to learn about the band, Magna Carta! Richard knew of them, but I had never heard of them!

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    1. I had never heard of Magna Carta, either, Kay, but I knew you were going to react to the James Herriot quote :-)
      So far, I've not yet read any of the Herriot books, but as you know, I've been to the original house where the family lived and where the surgery was.

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  4. This sounds like something I really want to read and would never have heard of without your blog, Meike!

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    1. I am sure you'll enjoy it when/if you read it, Kristi.

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  5. Thanks for your excellent guide to a miracle of the encounter.

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    1. Thank you for commenting, crane, but I'm afraid I do not quite understand what you mean by miracle of the encounter, and guide?

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  6. This might be my suggestion for my book club's December read at the end of the year. Thank you!

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    1. You are welcome, Jennifer! Keep in mind that it is a small and relatively short book; I don't know how big/long your book club's choices usually are.

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