It's the policy of national newspapers not to review books sent in by small and independent publishers. Peer reviews on Amazon etc. provide views from readers - perhaps the most important indication of the value of a book. Here are some comments on SEXTET:
5* review of An elegant novel of illicit love
"I have not read a novel like this for some years (one thinks back to Anita Brookner). Sextet is Judy Jackson’s second novel, after The Camel Trail (2007), this one being wholly fictional. It is a story of illicit love, its drastic consequences and the coming to terms by each of the parties involved (mainly the four but ultimately six).
The secrecy and risks of the central affair provide electrical potential which powers the narrative and keeps the pages turning. The plot is elegantly designed as a triptique: the drastic events followed first by their antecedents and later by their subsequent working out.
The principal character is a concert pianist and his work provides a certain musical background to the story (unheard melodies are sweeter). Besides piano music, the plot takes us into the worlds of hotel bedroom art, Italian families and, in expert and feeling detail, the birth of extremely premature babies.
Judy Jackson writes with pleasing clarity and economy. She moves easily between the viewpoints of different characters, acutely conveying their reactions and states of mind through successive stages of the affair. The feel of background scenery (including various European cities) comes across with the well-spotted telling detail. Food is well observed, as one would expect from this author. With its many unexpected facets, the book is an enjoyable read." AG Haddenham, Bucks.
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"This is a story of complex human relationships, infidelity and deceit. The characters, like all of us, are less than perfect, and the unintended consequences of their actions emerge and fit together as the plot develops towards its moving climax. A riveting story, set in the real world and beautifully told." EP London.
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“I so admire the research into the medical aspects of hospital care and the careful reporting of the intense preparation by the musician for a concert performance.” JM New York.
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