The Secret Lives Of The Doyenne Of Didsbrook

 Comprehensive, Entertaining, Intriguing

Genre: Murder/Mystery/Contemporary Fiction
The Secret Lives Of The Doyenne Of Didsbrook 🎭📖
Jocelyn Robertshaw, nee Strand, was the last in a long line of a well-established family to inhabit the quiet, secluded, sleepy village of Didsbrook. A renowned actress in her youth, treading the boards with various theatre companies, and best known for her portrayal of Shakespeare’s Juliet. She was a strong, independent woman who was passionate about horses and, later in life, became a successful novelist. She dedicated much of her time to the village she loved and the people who lived there, especially those who shared her passions in life, such as acting and writing. However, Jocelyn led a colourful and diverse life, experimenting in various passions, one of which ultimately led her to make an ill-conceived decision at seventeen, which had a lasting impact on many people over 48 years later. Just how many, and to what extent, is revealed in a way the villagers would never have expected and would never forget.
I felt very privileged to be tasked to read through and write a review of Tessa Barrie’s second novel. I got to know her after reading her debut novel, Say It, and was privy to her plans for ‘The Doyenne’ from the start and eagerly awaited its release. I was certainly not disappointed, although I had not expected to be for a moment.
Tessa continues to write with warmth and confidence, instilling in the reader that they are in for a treat from the very first page. Filled with a multitude of plot lines and central players, the comprehensively and cleverly developed narrative utilises the central character, the wealthy heiress, Jocelyn, to build the stories of the other key characters, who all have their own very clearly defined characteristics. The camp thespian, the lesbians who have felt they had to maintain a pretence by sharing their lives with red-blooded males, and the young girl just starting on the road to a promising career, learning from those around her, who never gave up in her search to find out the truth.
The Secret Lives of the Doyenne of Didsbrook has all the ingredients for the perfect murder/mystery/women’s fiction crossover, with plenty of intrigue and surprises, plus a good dollop of humour and a dash of sadness.
‘Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.’ From Sir Walter Scott's 1808 poem, Marmion.

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