A Terrible Kindness: The Bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club Pick
Jo Browning Wroe
Jan 2022 · Faber & Faber
4.6star
19 reviewsreport
Ebook
320
Pages
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About this ebook
*A BOOK OF THE MONTH RADIO 2 STEVE WRIGHT IN THE AFTERNOON PICK*
*AN OBSERVER DEBUT OF 2022*
*AS FEATURED ON FRONT ROW*
When we go through something impossible, someone, or something, will help us, if we let them . . .
It is October 1966 and William Lavery is having the night of his life at his first black-tie do. But, as the evening unfolds, news hits of a landslide at a coal mine. It has buried a school: Aberfan.
William decides he must act, so he stands and volunteers to attend. It will be his first job as an embalmer, and it will be one he never forgets.
His work that night will force him to think about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to forget. But compassion can have surprising consequences, because - as William discovers - giving so much to others can sometimes help us heal ourselves.
'I LOVE IT! Utterly and completely brilliant.' JOANNA CANNON
'It's a long time since I've read a debut novel that moved me so much.' RACHEL JOYCE
'Extraordinary.' SOPHIE HANNAH
'A brave and tender novel.' JOANNA GLEN
What readers are saying:
'One stunning read to remember.'
'Beautifully written . . . I would recommend this book to all.'
'Utterly heartbreaking and uplifting . . . I loved it.'
'Tremendous.'
*AN OBSERVER DEBUT OF 2022*
*AS FEATURED ON FRONT ROW*
When we go through something impossible, someone, or something, will help us, if we let them . . .
It is October 1966 and William Lavery is having the night of his life at his first black-tie do. But, as the evening unfolds, news hits of a landslide at a coal mine. It has buried a school: Aberfan.
William decides he must act, so he stands and volunteers to attend. It will be his first job as an embalmer, and it will be one he never forgets.
His work that night will force him to think about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to forget. But compassion can have surprising consequences, because - as William discovers - giving so much to others can sometimes help us heal ourselves.
'I LOVE IT! Utterly and completely brilliant.' JOANNA CANNON
'It's a long time since I've read a debut novel that moved me so much.' RACHEL JOYCE
'Extraordinary.' SOPHIE HANNAH
'A brave and tender novel.' JOANNA GLEN
What readers are saying:
'One stunning read to remember.'
'Beautifully written . . . I would recommend this book to all.'
'Utterly heartbreaking and uplifting . . . I loved it.'
'Tremendous.'
Ratings and reviews
4.6
19 reviews
Samantha Markham
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February 15, 2022
A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe is based on the horrific disaster which occurred, in the coal mining village of Aberfan, Wales on 21 October 1966. Embalmers were the unsung heroes of Aberfan, with volunteers rushing to the small Welsh village to ensure that the 116 children and 28 adults who perished were cleaned, identified and embalmed to keep them from deteriorating and thus saving their loved ones from further distress. This book follows the fictitious character of William Lavery, from his young life as a chorister in Cambridge, through to him working for the family business as an embalmer which led him to Aberfan, right after he first qualified. The story jumps from 1966 and Aberfan, back to when William was a child and then forward again as he learns how to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy he witnessed and how it affected his life moving forward. It has been clear from the book, that Jo Browning Wroe has carried out a great deal of research on the role of the embalmers at Aberfan, and how many suffered from their mental health and the effects such a tragic disaster can have on a person but also on their friends and family surrounding them. I related personally to places in the book as, like the author, I grew up in Birmingham and I went on my holidays to South Wales every year, staying just outside Mumbles in a road just off Plunch Lane! Sensitively written, I can thoroughly recommend A Terrible Kindness to anyone who is interested in the role the embalmers had in Aberfan but also to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe.
Ri gaming
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February 10, 2023
Wonderfully engaging and beautifully written book. There are so many poignant moments that connect you deeply with the charachters. Very hard not to be moved by the sadness of the story but also how uplifting kindness carries us through in the hardest of times. Moved to tears.
Julie Godbolt
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February 26, 2023
A brilliant read - incredibly moving. I have since listened to both Myfanwy and Miserere and got quite emotional listening to them and imaging that dreadful day in Aberfan.
About the author
Jo Browning Wroe grew up in a crematorium in Birmingham. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and is now Creative Writing Supervisor at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. Her debut novel, A Terrible Kindness, was shortlisted for the Bridport Peggy Chapman-Andrews award. She has two adult daughters and lives with her husband in Cambridge.
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