A review by thebooktrail88
Her Last Promise by Kathryn Hughes

5.0

Visit the locations in the novel

if it’s a heartbreaking mystery you’re after then this is it! Imagine never knowing what happened to your mother or where she is now. Then you receive a key and letter explaining some of what you have always wondered. Next, you have to take a trip to Spain to find out the real and whole truth.

Prepare for some emotional upheaval with this read!

F you haven’t read a Kathryn Hughes novel up until now, you are in for a treat. Even if you have read one, you are in for a bigger treat than normal with this novel set in Spain.

The central crux of the novel is a woman searching for her mother. They were close and lived together before she disappeared and years later, Tara wonders what caused her mother to simply vanish. Why hasn’t she been in touch? Why has no-one found her? Then she receives a letter which could answer all of those deep burning questions and more…

This was a fascinating read for me. New beginnings, old secrets and more were mixed to perfection. Stories about families are always complex and this one more so than most. The relationship between mother and daughter is warm and inviting, her loss is devastating and the very idea that she may now be found….unthinkable. This is a story with heart and soul and with two timelines and voices which work well. Locations flit from London and Manchester and of course Spain.

The story flowed back and forth with a great buildup about Tara’s mum career as a singer. The story thread about the Amethyst Club was really interesting and evoked another time and place very well. So why should mum Violet then go missing? Imagine then having to go and live with your grandmother, and then receiving a letter from someone in Spain who says they have answers….

Talk about heartbreaking and heartrending! The writing here is full of compassion and empathy and draws you in from the start.

I did hope to find out more about Tara and Violet at the end as the ending felt vague compared to what the story had been built up to until then. It didn’t spoil what was a lovely and interesting story though. Plenty of time for reliving the lovely writing and scene setting and imagining it into your own conclusion though.

A final note – that cover is gorgeous!