Synopsis:
A warm slice of life, funny, feel-good, yet poignant. Introducing two eccentric ladies who form an unlikely friendship. Meet Mavis and Dot – two colourful, retired ladies who live in Worthington-on-Sea, where there are charity shops galore. Apart from bargain hunting, they manage to tangle themselves in escapades involving illegal immigrants, night clubs, nude modelling, errant toupees and more. And then there’s Mal, the lovable dog who nobody else wants. A gently humorous, often side-splitting, heart-warming snapshot of two memorable characters with past secrets and passions. Escape for a couple of hours into this snapshot of a faded, British seaside town. You’ll laugh and cry but probably laugh more. “This book is quirky and individual, and has great pathos…[it] will resonate with a lot of readers.” Gill Kaye – Editor of Ingenu(e). Written with a light touch in memory of a dear friend who passed away from ovarian cancer, Angela Petch’s seaside tale is a departure from her successful Tuscan novels.
All profits from the sale of the books will go towards research into the cure for cancer.
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mavis-Dot-Frolics-foibles-friendships-ebook/dp/B07JM3KJSB
US – https://www.amazon.com/Mavis-Dot-Frolics-foibles-friendships-ebook/dp/B07JM3KJSB
My Review:
Mavis and Dot is a departure from my usual read. For those of you that follow my blog you will know I review mainly fantasy, however, all profits from this book are going to cancer charities. This is a subject close to my heart having lost my dad to a very long battle with the disease in April. When the opportunity arose to read this book and help promote it I was more than happy to oblige.
Setting:
This book takes place in the sea-side town of Worthington-on-Sea. I loved the descriptions of the town, especially the tea shops. I’m a sucker for a good old fashioned tea shop. It reminded me of some of the seaside towns we used to go to as kids on holiday. Fish and chips would always feature heavily in these trips. Reading this book brought back lots of happy memories, it was just missing a reference to crazy golf.
Characters:
What a cast! Of course we have Mavis and Dot, a very unlikely pair that form an amazing friendship. Both have just moved to the town and meet at a disastrous bridge evening. Dot is very hard to warm to but as you discover her back story you realise why. As the story progresses you can’t help but be on her side, she is actually an incredibly caring person. She just has a funny way of showing it. I loved Mavis, I want to be her when I grow up. She has a bucket list of everything she wants to try in Worthing, this includes ballroom dancing and life modelling. She’s funny, warm and with a heart of gold.
There are a whole host of other side characters that are all brilliant. Lance provides moments of light relieve and some laugh out loud moments. Sidney, who clearly has a thing for Mavis and Humphrey who is a fantastic old school gentleman. Later we are introduced to Winston and Asha. This unlikely band of people form unbreakable bonds. This is essentially a story about friendship.
Final Thoughts:
I loved Mavis’ and Dot’s adventures, their charity shop hunting, Mavis’ ‘thing’ for Italian men and Dot’s need to save a couple she comes across one evening. There are little illustrations at the end of some chapters which brought the events to life. There aren’t enough illustrations in adult fiction if you ask me.
This isn’t a book I would normally pick up but I really enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun and a welcome break from the more serious reads I have recently read. This isn’t technically a Christmas book but it is a perfect holiday read as it’s easy to pick up and get drawn into. It does end with a Christmas scene so as far as I’m concerned that totally counts! Many thanks to Rachel at Rachels random resources for inviting me onto the tour and for a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Author Bio:
A prize-winning author, Angela Petch lives half the year in West Sussex and the summer months in a remote valley in the Tuscan Apennines. She recently signed a two-book deal with Bookouture for her Tuscan novels and “Mavis and Dot” is a temporary departure from her usual genre. She has travelled all her life: born in Germany, she spent six years as a child living in Rome, worked in Amsterdam after finishing her degree in Italian, moved to Italy for her job, then to Tanzania for three years. Her head is full of stories and she always carries a pen and note-book to capture more ideas.
In May 2017, Angela Petch won PRIMA’S monthly short story competition and recently had a dozen stories published by The People’s Friend magazine.
“Mavis and Dot” was written in memory of a dear friend who lost her battle with ovarian cancer. All profits from sales of the book will go towards research into a cure for cancer.
LINKS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaJaneClarePetch/
Twitter: @Angela_Petch
Website: https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com
TUSCAN NOVELS
“Tuscan Roots” (to be reissued by Bookouture in 2019) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tuscan-Roots-tangle-Italian-Apennines-ebook/dp/B01DDQDMDE/
“Now and Then in Tuscany” – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-Then-Tuscany-Italian-journeys-ebook/dp/B06Y8Y17MG
MAVIS AND DOT
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JM3KJSB
Thanks, Kirsty, for a fab review. I’m going to try and write a sequel when I have time. Sorry about your Dad. Let’s hope I can raise a few pounds by selling the antics of Mavis and Dot.