Synopsis
For Once In My Life is the first novel by British magazine columnist and editor, Marianne Kavanagh. For years, their friends have been telling them that they are ideal for each other, what with George s love for 1940s jazz music and Tess s preoccupation with vintage fashion. But while they almost encounter each other many times, something (a bout of gastro, a close friend s heartbreak, lost contact lenses) always prevents them from actually meeting. And anyway, Tess is happily settled with her logical, organised and totally gorgeous boyfriend Dominic, isn t she? And yet, neither George nor Tess feels their life is heading in quite the direction they had hoped: George s passion for jazz falls by the wayside as he marries ambitious lawyer, Stephanie and finds himself teaching small children to play the piano; renovating a flat in Penge with Dominic ensures that Tess s dream to own a vintage clothing shop remains just that. When they finally do meet, their joy at recognising their soul mate is tempered by the seemingly inextricable attachments they have made in their separate lives. Kavanagh has peopled her novel with characters recognisable from everyday life and faced them with common dilemmas. These eminently likeable (or in some cases, detestable) characters and some ten years of their lives are captured in some marvellously descriptive prose: ...the bewildering chaos that followed him around wherever he went lost keys, odd socks, off milk, bank cards that wouldn t work and passwords he couldn t remember, a seething, scuttling mass like cockroaches in a dark basement that you only see, for one horrified moment, when you turn on the light and Tess... now thought of money as risky and unreliable something that disappeared, without warning, into thin air. Fear of money wiggled through her life like a vein of thin blue mould in Stilton. The reader is treated to laugh-out-loud moments generated variously by witty dialogue, sit-com (meeting the French supplier) and almost slap-stick situations (the borrowed Paris flat); parts may well reduce the reader to tears; and many words of wisdom are spoken (often by unexpectedly astute individuals). Kavanagh explores several themes: degrees of separation; settling for second best; fighting for what you believe in; second chances in life; and the existence of a soul mate. Tess tells the reader Some people make it alone. But they re the rare ones. They re the ones made of steel. The rest of us need to find someone to love us and encourage us and keep us safe. Funny and heart-warming, this is a superb debut novel and readers will, without doubt, look forward to more from Marianne Kavanagh.
Review
'The subject of soulmates is close to every woman's heart and this author's lightness of touch masks her skill at skewering appalling people.'The Lady
'This book is fantastic. It's hilarious, poignant and profound by turns...Adorable.'Daily Mail
'Marianne Kavanagh's debut is a glorious, heart-warming romance...a read that is utterly compelling and page-turning.' We Love This Book
'Charming and summery first novel.' vogue.co.uk
'A sparkling romantic comedy...beautifully written, enlivened by witty and wise observation.' Sydney Morning Herald
'Witty, summer-fresh debut'. Independent
'Must read' --Marie Claire
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