The themes and plots of the tales are fine, often featuring disorientated female protagonists, their incredulous male partners and well-dressed ghosts. Each premise had potential but these were unfortunately fumbled by uneven plotting and strange cut-offs. I only hope that Hannah puts more thought into her terrestrial mysteries. Is he being too optimistic about their intentions? Can he imagine a scenario in which they do not leave, for example? In which they take over land, water and sky? What if Gordon is right about these visitors? Could he be?’ It’s 1923, and seven years since Esme Nicholls lost her husband Alec in the Great War. Their time together was brief, but it was an extraordinary love affair – her great sadness at his loss and her status of widowhood is central to her being – and also forced changes in her circumstances, first working as gardener and then as live-in housekeeper and companion, also writing a newspaper column as their nature correspondent. She finds herself spending the summer in Cornwall, staying with her employer’s brother and the group of damaged ex-soldiers who have made Espérance their home – and, as her husband was originally from Penzance, it also offers her the opportunity to feel closer to the landscape that shaped him, and to find out more about his childhood. It is 1788 and some strange "canoes" appear at sea. A meeting of the elders of the seven local indigenous clans is called and the men or their representatives meet to discuss how they should respond. They share memories from previous generations who experienced a visit from these aliens. A decision must be made by consensus and the seven men waiver in what the best response should be. As the meeting progresses more and more of the "canoes" appear until there are 11 in total and one small canoe is launched and heads towards the shore.

Witty, tense, and gut-wrenching ... [it] pulled me inexorably towards a place of profound emotion' Grace Chan, author of Every Version of YouThe Last Boy to Leave – with a thorough edit, this tale of an exhausting children’s party might have earned its spooky twist. Ms Scott is a consummate storyteller, a painter of word pictures so vividly alive the images breathe, seduce and embroil. I often think it’s useful to see an extract of a book to get an idea of the writing style. Here is a brief extract so that you can see a sample of the writing yourself: There's a twist that comes about halfway through the story, and even though I saw it coming I still felt the impact. This is definitely a character-driven story (where Cornwall feels like another member of the cast of characters) full of self-discovery and the journeys we take to overcome grief and embrace life.

The location in Cornwall was idyllic and really helped highlight the healing qualities of being in nature. The interest in the story starts with the final scene. Until then it has been boringly routine - an attempt at a witty description of the scheming and bitchiness which goes on daily at some school gates, with hints of better things to follow. But the story is far too mumsy to be at all sinister. Sophie Hannah is the author of three brand new Agatha Christie novels, and being such a Christie fan, I am eagerly anticipating reading them. When the summer progresses, as Esme finds the location healing for her, her life is suddenly turned upside down by a betrayal that makes her question everything. Thoughtfully written, and meticulously researched, detailed aspects of the war come through in poignant snippets of a memoir written by Rory, a gentle soul, whose trauma runs deep and whose burgeoning friendship with Esme is sensitively expressed. Esme herself is quietly introspective, her sense of loss is palpable and yet, when needed, she shows such utter strength of character that it quite broke my heart to see her diminished by a set of circumstances she could never have imagined.This was a gorgeous post-World War I story about Esme Nicholls, a war widow and housekeeper who visits Cornwall with her employer for the summer and discovers a beautiful landscape, an eclectic group of veterans, and a possible future for herself.

From award-winning author and playwright Jane Harrison, The Visitors is an audacious, earthy, funny, gritty and powerful re-imagining of a crucial moment in Australia's history - and an unputdownable work of fiction. In the original series, the title refers to the "V for Victory" sign. In the 1983 V miniseries, a group of children are shown spray painting generic graffiti over the Visitors' propaganda posters, but are then shown how to spray the V over the posters by Abraham Bernstein, a Holocaust survivor, who explains the meaning of the sign to them as he defaces the first poster. In the 2009 reboot of the series, however, V is used within the show as an abbreviation for the Visitors. [2] [3] [4]Esme Nicholls is a war widow. With no money she secures a housekeeping job wit Fenella. They go to spend the summer in Cornwall, at the home of her employers’ brother, Gilbert. Not a usual household. It is made up of men who befriended one another while fighting for their country in World War 1. They all have different characteristics, which makes for enjoyable reading. Gilbert, who is the brother, is the one who got the men to all move into this rambling Cornish house. Sebastian, who does seem rather grouchy most of the time. Rory is understanding and he has written a book detailing his time in Flanders. It is through this that we learn a little about the men. Hal, is unable to speak brought on by the war. The time we are in Cornwall is written through the eyes of Esme.

The Visitors is a story set five years after the end of The Great War, it's about the lasting impact it had on the men who fought so bravely, many struggled mentally, and they couldn’t to return to work, and their marriages failed. Caroline Scott has a way of writing about WW I, that immediately grabs your attention and through her narrative, you feel and experience the burden of the war to end all wars. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK, brilliant, and five stars from me. Victoria comes from a big mansion in the country, a home which has a history, so why should this unnerve her so? But it does, and she refuses, saying that it is ridiculous. For many years, Kenneth Johnson tried to resurrect V as another television production. When his attempts failed, and Warner Bros (who own the television rights to the property) opted to remake the series instead, Johnson then tried to develop V as a feature film. However, his various attempts at this also failed to get off the ground. When we first meet Esme, she is a living a quiet life as a widow who is mourning her husband, their marital home and her imagined future. Spending time in a house with men who fought in the war, and are dealing with their personal battles is an eye opener. Set during the unrecorded year between the end of "The Final Battle" and "Liberation day", The Visitors, hidden in the everglade swamps, by hologram projection, kidnap human scientists to unwittingly aid them in their plan to create a human-reptilian hybrid to wipe out the resistance. Note: This novel was written before the writers guide was available, and so contradicts the TV series in some points.Catherine Burns has created a really twisted story in "The Visitors" that I thoroughly enjoyed and it will stay with me a long time (choosing rather inept moments to pop into my thoughts) - it's dark, quite disturbing and really rather evil and I'd happily recommend to readers who fancy a change to the fast paced and aggressive thrillers that are flooding the market at the minute. Loved it The characterisation in this book is quite exceptional. Esme herself is enveloped in her sadness – everything about her echoes her loss, the dark colours she wears, her attachment to convention, the solace she finds only in the beauty of nature – but there are glimpses of the independent and vibrant young woman she used to be. Through the course of the book and the unexpected twists and turns of the story, she shows extraordinary strength and resilience and slowly rediscovers that vibrancy and sense of fun – it was a sheer joy to see her blossom once more. But the individuals of Espérance are equally fascinating – their camaraderie forged through the most difficult of times, their separate fragilities hidden beneath their eccentricities, their air of bonhomie and their bohemian lives.