Tag Archives: clare ashton

Jess van Netten reviews Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton

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Poppy Jenkins is a refreshing lesbian romance with authentic characters and a wonderful sense of humour. Prior to reading this, I was at our local public library with my wife, whinging about how I wanted a whimsical Euro-romance in the style of Maeve Binchy or the more modern Cecilia Ahern. To my delight, I got all of the Welsh whimsy I could ever want in my reading of Poppy Jenkins.

Clare Ashton writes delightful, detailed characters throughout Poppy Jenkins. Both the protagonist, Poppy, and her childhood crush, Roslyn, are fleshed out (quite literally!) with strengths, weaknesses and character development and feel both realistic and romanticised. In fact, the physical descriptions craft a vivid, living mental image of moving body parts, the Welsh country side and small town communities. I felt all at once a spectator and part of the community as I laughed along with the local side stories that are littered throughout the novel. Poppy’s family, including her quirky mother, quick grandma and youthful little sister, interact naturally throughout the plot, adding depth and colour instead of just being placeholders.

I won’t speak much about the plot itself; girl meets childhood crush again later in life – will they spark up again? There is underlying current of chemistry between Poppy, the out lesbian, and Roslyn, the seemingly straight friend, that moves the story along at varying speeds. At times, it reaches fever pitch, with sexual innuendoes providing very funny conversations between the leads. I laughed out loud many a time, explaining little plot points to my wife as though talking about my friends.

I loved the lighthearted yet genuine plot and i devoured this book. It has been some time since I have read such a well written lesbian romance, that treats its characters as more then stereotypes or cliches. I have already sought out Clare Ashton’s other books and look forward to delving deep into her other worlds. Thank you Clare for your wonderful novel; for treating the lesbian leads as real characters and making the love scenes genuine. You have set a new standard for me to compare all other lesbian books to!

W. Davidson-Rhodes reviews Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton

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[Possible Spoilers Ahead]

I wouldn’t call this a retelling, but Poppy Jenkins is very reminiscent of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.  The setting is similar, a small community of good albeit sheltered people.  Far from the hustle and bustle of the big city life.  I could imagine the quaintness of it all.  The way author Clare Ashton describes it, I see the shire in my minds.  Old, rustic, charming.

The titular character, Poppy, is Ashton’s Elizabeth Bennett, and her love interest, Roselyn Thorn (I love name puns, by the way) is, in this case, Ms. Darcy.  A key difference is that Poppy and Roselyn were childhood friends who had a falling out as teens and reconnect fifteen years later.  I love the second chance at love romance trope, which made me excited to read this novel.

The more I read on, the more frustrated I got with the story and Poppy in particular.

Like Fitzwilliam Darcy, Roselyn isn’t thought well of by the small town she lived in.  The citizens of Wells found Roselyn (and her parents) to be snobbish interlopers who don’t fit into the the culture of the town.  Rosalyn was blamed for a lot juvenile trouble in the town, and was thought of badly by most townspeople–members of Poppy’s family included.  I didn’t understand why Poppy was so obtuse as to why Roselyn had such a negative feelings towards Wells.  It’s not necessarily a character flaw to call out bullcrap when you see it and to not take actions and people at face value.  I understood why Roselyn was reluctant to come out at such a young age and was miffed that Poppy didn’t get it.

Poppy’s entire life, or at least from what we’ve seen on page, has been relatively easy.  Everybody loved her, there wasn’t a mean thing to say amongst the townsfolk.  For the most part, Poppy being accepted as a lesbian was simple with very minimal negative reactions.  She’s never really had to fight for anything and that was made clear in both instances when she just let Roselyn go without much flare.  Poppy immediately thought the worst seeing Roselyn with her ex-girlfriend going off into the night.  Didn’t go investigate, didn’t go lay claim to the woman she loved.  Poppy just went home and had a pity party and at that point I was well and truly done with her.

I don’t want to say I didn’t like Poppy.  Her Disney princess schtick was cute at first, but her gullible optimism started to grate.  I know what’s it’s like to have pride in my hometown, where no one is allowed to talk bad about it (except me, and others from there).  But you can have pride in your town and call out the issues you see in it, not just be willfully ignorant because you don’t like what an ‘outsider’ is saying.

This story dragged on a bit too long.  Once the town’s crook got caught and Roselyn made her grand gesture, I just needed that happy ending.  I needed Poppy to get off it and see and accept all the good Roselyn did and KISS ALREADY.  And by the time I finally got to the end, I just wasn’t as satisfied.

Roselyn lowkey saved the town Poppy loved so much, saved the best friend’s wedding, uprooted her life, altered her career, provided Poppy a stage to expand her cafe business, provided a solid business plan to put roots down and settle, remodeled a house that the two could share together, and Poppy still was mistrustful.  But an apology (that personally I don’t think was needed) about a misunderstanding that happened fifteen years ago was what made Poppy take her head out of her behind?

By the end I was left wondering if Poppy Jenkins truly deserved a woman like Roselyn Thorn.

 

Poppy Jenkins was provided by the author via The Lesbrary for an honest review

Isabelle interviews author Clare Ashton

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I had never heard about Clare Ashton until I read the following review of her novel After Mrs Hamilton at C-Spot Reviews. I added the book to my Amazon wishlist and downloaded it to my iPad a few weeks later. I was hooked right from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. After Mrs Hamilton has also been nominated for a Goldie award!

Because I had really enjoyed it, I thought I’d contact Clare Ashton about an interview for my blog. She accepted immediately and emailed her answers back within a couple of days. She was also most patient with me when I asked further questions. I hope you will enjoy the interview and that it will encourage you to read her books.

Clare Ashton, can you introduce yourself in a few words?

I’m a UK writer who writes stories with suspense, romance, intrigue and humour and an awful lot of lesbians. I also add (not always intentionally) a dash of something darker that can make readers feel uncomfortable. I grew up in mid-Wales where sheep outnumber humans, so a significant countryside setting is never far away in my writing.

As a child and teenager what were the books that made an impression on you?

I read very widely as a kid from The Hobbit and Lord of Rings, Dune and other sci-fi to (later in my teens) Jane Austen classics and Anna Karenina. I think I had a higher standard of reading back then than I do now! Nothing better than curling up with a good trashy romance these days. I also stole books from my parents’ bookshelves by Tennessee Williams (The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone) and Françoise Sagan (Bonjour Tristesse) – wonderfully different tales of love that have stayed with me over the years.

Who are your favorite authors today and do you think their writings influence your own?

As an adult, I think the books that made their greatest impression were The Secret History (Donna Tartt), Fingersmith (Sarah Waters), The Blind Assassin (Margaret Atwood) and the Tales of the City series (Armistead Maupin) – all books with a great twisting story and that has definitely influenced the kind of story I like to write.

I always seem to add a surprise or two and sometimes have a little bit of an edge and darkness too. On the other hand I still re-read Jane Austen. A review of After Mrs Hamilton has some very un-Austen like elements), I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.

Who are your favorite lesbian authors?

Sarah Waters must come top. I usually find books that revel in their descriptive passages a bore, but she just does it sublimely and her writing makes me drool. She also has real, vivid and compelling characters and my favourite novels of hers have a brilliant twisting tale too. It’s wonderful that someone of her calibre writes lesbian novels.

I’m a sucker for a good romance too. And of the books I’ve read recently Chris Paynter’s Survived by Her Longtime Companion definitely had that kick to the gut, choke-you-up element in the Eleanor and Daphne storyline. I also love Diana Simmonds’ light romances written in her expert and witty style. She makes writing look like it’s the easiest thing in the world.

Is After Mrs Hamilton your first novel?

It’s the first novel for which I completed a first draft. It’s a complex tale and that draft had several problems with it that I didn’t know how to fix back then.

I moved on to a shorter tale (Pennance) to improve my writing skills. Pennance has a much simpler plot although still with a twist and turn. It’s more dominated by the atmosphere of its wintery setting in Cornwall and it’s been described as a modern gothic romance.

After I’d published Pennance I went back to rewrite After Mrs Hamilton. I was also very lucky to work with an editor (Diana Simmonds) and that was crucial for me sorting out that early draft and making it the story that I always wanted it to be.

What inspired you to write your first book?

After Mrs Hamilton was the kind of book that I wanted to read: a page-tuner, with twists and turns, fascinating lesbian characters and a great dollop of romance and sex. All tastefully done of course!

Would you say that you write lesbian fiction or novels where lesbians are the main characters?

After Mrs Hamilton is unapologetically a lesbian book, just by the sheer number of lesbian characters in there. Pennance I think is more a mainstream book, set in a remote rural setting with a broad range of heterosexual as well as lesbian characters.

Did you know right from the start that you wanted to write this sort of novels?

No, I didn’t. It’s only been recently that someone told me that I was writing intrigue-romances. I only set out to write an interesting story.

Does it make a difference to be a British and/or a European author?

I love the fantastic differences in regional flavour that you get between continents and indeed between regions in a country. One thing I think UK writers are particularly good at is literary works which appeal to the mainstream and have lesbian main characters (novels by Sarah Waters, Jeannette Winterson, Charlotte Mendelson, etc.).

It’s a pity that there is less lesbian genre publishing in the UK though. Most lesbian writers that I know of tend to be published by US publishers, and although I love their work (Cari Hunter’s excellent and gripping – Snowbound for example), I wonder if there would be more esoteric works available if there were more lesbian publishers here. It’s great to see other indie writers doing well in the UK, such as Kiki Archer and Rachel Dax, and I hope that indie writers extend the range of work available.

(I edit the uklesfic blog with Cari Hunter and you can find a list of all current UK lesbian authors here)

How did you conceive the plot forAfter Mrs Hamilton?

It started with a character, Clo, who works as a highly paid and sympathetic escort for older women. She was a character who had been kicking around my head for a while, and I’m very fond of her, and I wanted to give her the greatest romance and love.

She had an interesting background, but then I weaved in her best friend Laura’s background too. Laura was adopted and doesn’t know who her parents are and she is also on the cusp of a life-changing relationship. Combining those really made the story very interesting. It evolved from there over several weeks of outlining and living through scenes in my imagination – my favourite part of writing (daydreaming I suppose!)

Did you draw your inspiration for the main characters (i.e.Clo, Fran, Susan) from real life? Or did you totally invent them?

Clo was initially based on a couple of people I know very well, but as with all characters, the more I outlined and wrote the more she changed into a distinct character with her own voice, mannerisms and personality, so much so that I hope the original inspirations do not recognise her.

Fran, a fantasy older love interest, was based on gorgeous French actresses like Catherine Deneuve and Fanny Ardant with a bit of Kristin Scott-Thomas thrown in. But again, to me, she is unrecognisable now and is just Fran

Do you have a favourite character in this novel? Which one?

One of Clo or Fran. They are both real, damaged, attractive and fascinating. I love those two and they have the most deeply romantic history and relationship (albeit a little unconventional).

How has the novel been welcomed so far?

People have really liked the twisting tale, and like me, have found the complex characters of Clo and Fran intriguing. Some loved Fran, as an attractive but real older (mid-fifties) heroine, others liked the damaged, quirky and loving Clo.

Readers have also found the tale of Laura very thought-provoking and made them react very emotionally to her and Susan. After Mrs Hamilton is a very charged tale. It’s a collision of several people who didn’t know they were previously connected and the outcome is emotionally explosive and dramatic.

Most importantly someone said it was just “a bloody good read”. So I’m pretty pleased with that!

I noticed that food is mentioned in both novels and plays an important role in the bonding process between the characters. Is this how you see food?

Yes, I do see food, its preparation and eating together as important for bonding in various social situations. In the books I meant it to reflect the low emotional state of the characters when they eat poorly and then to show the support and love that is introduced into their lives by the character preparing the more nourishing food. Clo in After Mrs Hamilton is a giving and loving character and her expertise with patisserie and other cuisine reflects this. Her ability to choose perfect food for people reflects her versatility as an escort – she satisfies people’s very basic needs in a rich way.

Are you currently working on a new book? Would you mind telling us a little about it?

When I was writing After Mrs Hamilton, I kept having ideas for short stories, which was very distracting. There are a couple of those ideas that are still demanding to be written. No doubt I’ll start having ideas for novels as soon as I try to write them!

Thank you Clare for your availability and your time.

NB: Both novels have Kindle editions

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Art&Lies reviews Pennance by Clare Ashton

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Clare Ashton’s Pennance is set at the farthest reaches of southwest England, in the title’s eponymous village, which unfortunately turns out to be the most interesting feature of the book. We meet twenty-something Lucy in the midst of her breakdown over the death of her boyfriend, who we later find burned to death in a horrific car accident a number of months before. As with those of seemingly all postmodern protagonists, Lucy’s emotional state is fragmented and fragile, causing her to shy away from human interactions and neglect basic hygiene. She cries on the first page; she doesn’t stop crying, it seems, for the next 227.

Enter Karen: hot, recently divorced, older, and child-ridden neighbor. Karen becomes Lucy’s unlikely companion. They have nothing in common but Pennance and penance, and while both struggle with the guilt of their respective sins, we learn little of the types of people they are beyond their mutual attraction and grief.

The mood of the novel is a constant and dreary affair, matched to the English weather in consistency, and, unsurprisingly, Lucy herself. We are treated to poignant descriptions of the Devonian landscape: “The air was moist from the incessant drizzle and the clouds that crawled up the valley from the sea. The buildings looked like miserable animals today, all huddled around the village green with nothing better to do” (5). Even at her most excited and joyful, Lucy never seems to move past this plodding sort of melancholy. I very much wanted to root for Lucy’s happiness by the end, but she made it so difficult!

Also, the gayness. Lucy’s big moment of self-discovery comes at the heels of a greater realization connected to her dead boyfriend – one minute she’s straight, the next gay. Poof. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t think that everybody needs to have the Grand Epiphany of Gayness. I appreciate a laissez-faire attitude when it comes to sexuality. All the same, Lucy’s lack of care for her sudden love of vagina seems unrealistic and forced.

Stylistically, Pennance leaves something to be desired: an overabundance of simple sentences, although they do convey a certain staccato firing of thoughts by a disturbed narrator, fall flat. Aside from a few shining examples of figurative language, the story is told in the most stark, pared back of terms.

Pennance isn’t all doom and gloom. Ashton makes an honest attempt at a contemporary love story, and though she is not entirely successful, for a first novel it isn’t terrible. The novel shows real promise in terms of weaving together a mystery plot. With some work on character development and style, Ashton’s next novels could really take us places.

Reading Pennance is like taking a train ride to a familiar place of which you are not particularly fond, and must visit as a formality. You don’t necessarily hope to skip the trip altogether, but you would prefer to not pay for the ticket if you can avoid it.