The House of Bradbury
Fiction
Sparkpress
May 10, 2016
Paperback
280
Publisher via BookSparks
Mia Gladwell's life is going nowhere. The media has skewered her debut novel, her fiance Carson, a successful Hollywood producer, has jumped ship, and now she's living in her sister's carriage house unattached, unemployed, and uninspired. Then she learns that the Los Angeles estate of iconic author Ray Bradbury is up for sale, and she feels an immediate urge to buy the wonky old house, convinced that moving into the late author's home will inspire her to create her best work yet. Life in the Bradbury house is not what Mia imagined, however. Soon after moving in, to fulfill a debt she owes to Carson, she agrees to take in a pill-popping young actress as a tenant, and suddenly she finds herself in a balancing act between her needy ex, an unpredictable starlet, and her disapproving sister, who's keeping a close eye on her. Add to this a series of mysterious sketches left at her doorstep by a stranger, and Mia's life is more complicated than ever. As she searches for clues though, Mia discovers insights into her own life. Maybe moving into Bradbury's house was a big mistake but maybe not.
My review:
After a couple of books that weren't really all that I had expected them to be, this one was a pleasant surprise. It had some interesting elements to it, the one being that the main character purchases a home once belonging to famous author Ray Bradbury. Kind of cool right? Add to that fun premise the addition of a whole cast of characters that I got caught up in, and this was a really good read. The writing was good, not literary award winning good, but entertaining story good. It flowed well, and there were not any spots that I found to drag. The protagonist has her share of problems, but most of them are believable (the sketch thing was a bit weird, but it was interesting to see where it went). This was a fast read, but one that hit the spot in an otherwise dismal week reading wise.
A lovely story with a great premise and an eclectic cast of characters. Great for a weekend read, with a nice flow and not too taxing on the brain.
Thanks to BookSparks for the copy of this book. This is one of their May reads for the Summer Reading Challenge. To find out more, or to read along, visit their page here. As always, my opinion is my own.
I really like the sound of this one and hadn't heard of it before. I think I'll mark this one for my summer reading pile.
It's a fairly fast read that sounds perfect for a summer read Kathy!
Hmm this appeals to me and always love a character that is an author and struggling plus house also appeals. And a good story that flows - often literary ones bore me, so this one sounds like I should put it on my wish list.
What a cool concept! This looks like a good, fun read to get into when you need to escape from the heavy stuff.
I hope you enjoy it if you end up picking this one up. It does make for a nice change of pace.