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Oonagh's flowers

Oonagh's flowers

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow £8.99

I was puzzling over a selection that would take readers minds off the current pandemic situation - and thought that one of the best stories in British team sport over the past decade might just be the thing. How, exactly, did an unfashionable team from Devon emerge from obscurity to conquer the summit of English rugby? What makes them tick? What are their secrets? Exe Men is a compelling tale of regional pride, fierce rural identity, larger-than-life local I thought an uplifting feel good read of sheer entertainment would be a good recommendation for a January in lockdown; for fans of Pride and Prejudice this book will delight. Mary is the middle of the five Bennet girls and the plainest of them all, so what hope does she have? Prim and pious, with no redeeming features, she is unloved and seemingly unlovable. An introvert in a family of extroverts; a constant disappointment to her mother who values beauty above all else; fearful of her father’s sharp heroes, remarkable characters, epic resilience, big city snobbery, geographical separation, steepling ambition and personal sacrifice which will strike a chord with anyone who enjoys a classic underdog story. This is not just any old rugby book, it is the inside story of how a small-town club from the edge of nowhere became every neutral’s favourite team. ‘A beautifully-written, amusing and insightful book’ - Donald McRae ‘A quite brilliant combination of great story and great storyteller’ - Tom English, BBC Sport tongue; little in common with her siblings - is it any wonder she turns to books for both company and guidance?

Mary, it seems, is destined to remain single and live out her life at Longbourne, at least until her father dies and the house is bequeathed to the reviled Mr Collins. But she slowly discovers that perhaps there is hope for her, after all. Simultaneously a wonderfully warm homage to Jane Austen and a delightful new story in its own right, Janice Hadlow’s The Other Bennet Sister is, at its heart, a life-affirming tale of a young woman finding her place in the world.

Exe Men- The Extraordinary Rise of Exeter Chiefs by ROBERT KITSON £17.99

Witty and uplifting, it will make

Wayne

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