Charcoal

When You Run Away, Sometimes You Have to Come Back

By: J.E. Rowney

Narrated by: Teresa-May Whittaker

"Jess is dead, and it's my fault".

Anna Macbeth has spent her whole life trying to escape from her past. She left the rural Yorkshire village where she grew up for life as a family lawyer in London, but what secrets did she take with her?

When a familiar voice telephones her with tragic news, Anna knows that running away is no longer an option, and that she has to return to face her demons.

What led Anna to flee from her home, and what is it that causes her to return?

Charcoal unfolds a dramatic sequence of events that demonstrate the consequences of desires.

©2012 JE Rowney (P)2020 JE Rowney

A beautiful but sad story

Charcoal is not a happy story. It found me at a time in my life when I was already feeling down, yet I wasn't able to stop listening to the audiobook. I wanted to know more. Which says a lot about the book, because the ending of the story is "spoiled" in the short synopsis, and still, I wanted to find out what lead to that point. Unlike many other stories, this one was not about a big twist at the end, it was more about the journeys of the characters that lead them there.
I'm still not sure how to feel about the characters. They had many flaws, but the author gave us enough reasons and explanations on why they acted in a certain way and why they kept making mistakes. And who are we to judge them, really?
All in all, I'd recommend this book to those who want a tough read instead of a light chic-lit and who are not afraid to feel a little heartbreak when the story is over.

A Wonderfully, Devastating Saga

Anna, Jess and Tim are forever locked in a devastating saga.

Anna came from a broken home. Her course in life was permanently altered from the beginning. She was a broken mess who wanted to protect herself from the home life she had known first.

Enter Jess. Jess is sweet, loving and full of life. Her family had become a safe haven for Anna. The girls were inseparable in everything and had even become blood sisters, though not with the big knife Anna had lead with.

As they grew, they began to change into their own women. One day, Tim enters the picture. Anna is on guard and has no trust for his "games". Jess is loves him, despite Anna's preconceptions.

Life goes it's own way and they all grew apart. Then they begin to grow together, in all the wrong ways. Some roads are easy to go down, but are impossible to reverse.

The story starts at the end and seamlessly wraps around to the to finish where it began. The devastation is beautifully craft and rends the heart in twain effortlessly.

The narrator does well, though it took a moment to adjust to her cadence.

I will never forget this book, it's details etched in to my memory forever. It is a beautiful story and is a definite one to listen to.

I received a free copy from the author in return for an honest review.

***spoiler alert***

As I've been cheated on, this made things hard for me to relate and connect with the characters. for me - nothing excuses cheating.
I felt the author touched both sides, and at times explained their reasonings, but I couldn't relate.
It's a good woman-fiction book, but it wasn't for me.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was a year jerker

What a story. It made me sad, happy & at times mad. What a horrible life that Anna had at first. Her poor mother, it was a wonder she survived. Then she had Jess. Her best friend that helped her through all the turmoil. Then Tim came a long. What a piece of crap he ended up being. Jess & Tim should have been happy but the anguish Jess created over not getting pregnant. made secrets & lies after pushing Tim to Anna. I hated Anna for it. The end as Jess took her life was a tragedy.

Consequences of decisions...

The story starts out with the heartbreaking outcome. Then we learn the complete story starting from when Anna and Jess are just young girls all the way through adulthood. A very realistic story that could hit very close to home for some people.

I was surprised at how well J.E. Rowney was able to bring out the full range of emotions with her writing. I knew from the opening paragraphs that there wasn’t going to be a happy ending, but I had a much stronger emotional response than I expected. Such a tragic story.

Teresa-May Whittaker did this story justice with her narration. I was so drawn into the performance, it was like I was watching the events unfold around me.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.