Author: Jenn J McLeod
ISBN: 9781925030280
RRP: $29.99
I have only heard good things about the Seasons Collection and Jenn’s debut House of all Seasons was one of our book club reads, one I unfortunately didn’t read but have got on my towering TBR to get to. After having read Season of Shadow and Light I am even more determined to go back and read the first two in the collection.
Season of Shadow and Light is a complex story filled with secrets which make for some intense mystery that kept me guessing, some of those guesses made room for some hairy situations had they come to pass. It is a story of family, of trust, of betrayal and most of all of healing. I loved it from the very first page to the very last.
We have multiple story tellers, three for the most part but then an extra joins the ranks late in the piece, for a broad perspective and a much more insightful story. This method allowed us to see deep inside the story, and understand motivations that we may not have otherwise while driving the mystery and sustaining suspense. Yes, there were some predictable outcomes but there were some that took quite a bit of working out and many is it or isn’t it moments all the while ensuring that not all the questions were answered.
Paige Turner has given herself a time out from her life and packed up her 6 year old daughter Matilda for a road trip. Perhaps a little rash, not completely thought out, but something she felt she had to do and when Alice couldn’t talk her out of it she decided to tag along. The plan was to head to small town Saddleton with some half baked idea to find out a little more about her history because she knows very little about her mothers roots.
The dynamics in Season of Shadow and Light are not so much new but not often explored, it is becoming much more common now but this was a family dynamic that I was new to in literature. Paige grew up with two mothers in a time that it was far from common, and even further from socially acceptable so the fact that her history goes back no further than her birth is not that hard to understand. Nancy was Paige’s birth mother, who passed away when she was a child, and Alice was her partner. After Nancy’s death Alice took on the role as Paige’s mother and that made life a little simpler.
The timeline jumps around a little which I did have trouble following at times because the characters seemed to wander off into their memories without notice, totally sidetracking a scene and there were times I wasn’t quite sure if we ended up getting to the end of the scene in the present because we got so caught up in the past. Except for the fact that it confused me at times this helped to drive the story because so much was rooted in the history of these characters.
The last couple of years haven’t been kind to Paige; after marrying her first love and thinking she had it all they pursued their career goals and then started working on their family. Robert Turner dotes on his darling Matilda but not so much on his wife anymore. Paige suffered the loss of a baby and then a post partum stroke which stole her sense of taste and smell, which in turn robbed her of her dream job as a professional food reviewer. The relationship between Paige and Robert is already strained but then news of a major betrayal comes to light and Paige’s wobbly personal life starts to topple. The perfect excuse to set off in search of Saddleton and information about a young Nancy.
Circumstance sees them land in Coolabah Tree Gully, not far from Saddleton but a world away from the life she’s always known. A place she finds a sense of peace, an affinity for horses she was previously unaware of and a simple country life experience for Matilda.
McLeod deftly explores same sex unions in a time when ‘that sort of lifestyle choice needs to be hidden for the benefit of the family’s reputation’. There are other things I would like to mention but in the interest of keeping this spoiler free I’m not sure what I should or shouldn’t say.
Trust and betrayal are huge themes in Season of Shadow and Light and they are portrayed from all angles, highlighting the shades of grey and absence of black and white. There are many forms of betrayal and a million ways for a trust to be broken. Where do you draw the line between betrayal and protecting your loved ones?
Season of Shadow and Light captures the head, the heart and the soul with it’s exploration of the importance in contrast. There can be no shadow without light, every yin needs its yang, and the choice is always there to love and heal, to grow and forgive as it is to fester in hate and bitterness. A fantastic introduction to Jenn J McLeod for me and a reading relationship I intend to fully explore.
Season of Shadow and Light is book #22 for the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge.
You can find Season of Shadow and Light in all good bookstores now, and at Simon & Schuster.
Jenn J McLeod can be followed on Twitter, Facebook and her Website.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Thanks so much for the opportunity to read Jenn J McLeod’s new novel, Season of Shadow and Light. Having recently rediscovered my love of fiction following a few sleepless and novel-less years of babies and studying, I was thrilled to discover a new (for me) Australian author.
I got into the story quite easily, and enjoyed getting to know all the characters and their quirks. One of my favourite things about the book is the rural setting. After growing up in the city, I moved to a small town a few years ago and just love the small community, would never go back, although I haven’t discovered any dark family secrets as yet! I also love road tripping through the outback so if Jenn’s other books are set in other fictionalised Aussie towns I reckon I’ll love them too.
I’m very impressed at how deftly the story was woven with many issues addressed with empathy and respect. I also relate to family dramas and the repercussions of various family members’ actions, from first hand experience!! It is good to know that all families that their peculiarities…
While some may say the story finished in too much of a ‘happy ever after’ ending, I personally loved the sense of resolution that gave me, everything tied up neatly.
I was very pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this book and look forward to more new discoveries in the future. Thanks Beauty and Lace and Jenn J McLeod.
My question is: what prompted you to give up a high flying big city career and make a break for the country life?
Forgot to mention, I’ve also recently joined a bookclub and we are looking out for good reads to put on the list. I think I’ve just found one!! What a great idea to have bookclub questions in the back!
Billyjean, good on you for saying so. If your book club would like me to answer other questions, I would be pleased to. Just contact me via my website. Cheers. (And now I have a Michael Jackson ear worm!!!!! Nice one 🙂
Huge congratulations to Jenn J McLeod for such an amazing book.
Season of Shadow and Light had me hooked from the start. A complex book full of unusual twists and turns. Sometimes I feel like I could predict what was going to happen and other times.. it was a complete surprise. As an aside…. I do love the name Paige Turner and initially I kept giggling at the name #immatureme. I adore her character and the way the plot unfolds for her.
I am really looking forward Jenn’s next book.
My question for Jenn – What sort of books do YOU enjoy reading? Do you even have time to read other authors?
Nicole, a good writer evokes a physical response from the reader and your writing (this post) had me giggling – your enjoyment coming thru loud and clear. Thank you. 🙂
I will admit I have had some trouble getting into this book. I found it a little hard to follow, in parts it got me hooked and then it lost me again.
The storyline is very intriguing and has some good plots it is just that sometimes it goes off track a little and I got a little lost. In saying this I did enjoy the book it had enough intrigue to have me keep reading . I did like the way the description of the areas was written I did actually feel like I could “see” the run down farms and the cow getting stuck and pulled out. It did have a good balance it was just the back and forth that frustrated me a little.
I did enjoy the book and was glad that it all worked out well…. but some part of me thought that perhaps it would not or that it would be too much to handle.
My question: at what point did you decide to go with the happy ending? The book lent itself to many different endings, just curious.
Teresa, there was a lot going on in that story, I admit. But great question. Thank you.
What a wonderful book, I had not read anything by this author before and was pleasantly surprised. I loved the way you gradually got to know the three main characters in alternating chapters, the author did a great job of letting you into their lives and thoughts over a period of time and circumstances. Paige is recovering from a devastating stillborn son and her husband’s infidelity and goes on a road trip with her ‘other mother’ Nana Alice who has kept a secret about Paige’s early life. When they get there they meet Aiden, who also has circumstances of his own to deal with. Throw into that a great description of life in a country town in NSW and the other characters within and you wont be disappointed. All is revealed by the end of the book, which I didn’t see coming, but I was very satisfied with the conclusion. Thank you Jenn for your wonderful words, and I really appreciated the care you took and the research you did with some of the elements in the book.
Thank you, Janine. Balancing fact with fiction can be tricky. I am glad you enjoyed the story.
Hi there
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Season of Shadow and Light.
Congratulations Jenn J McLeod on your clever writing style.
I loved the twists in the story and really appreciated how the concept of gay parenting was tackled.
I also enjoyed the humourous writing throughout the novel and especially loved the name “Paige Turner”! How clever!
Admittedly, I felt a bit lost in some parts of the novel but overall, I wanted to keep reading which is half the battle for an author so well done!
I really appreciate your lovely words. (Can’t believe the edtir let me get away with using Paige Turner!!!!)
It took me a little while to ‘get into’ Season of Shadow and Light – possibly as I had just finished a fast paced thriller. Once I got some time to sit and read without interruption, I found I could not put it down!
The characters were so relatable and I often found myself nodding along of thinking “exactly’ when Paige shared her thoughts – especially about men and relationships!
I love the descriptions of the scenery and the town and it’s characters, and through Jenn’s “way with words”, I found that Coolabah Tree Gully felt familiar, and I really enjoyed it. I have passed it on to Mum as I think she will love it.
My question to Jenn is have you lived in a town like Coolabah Tree Gully? having come from a small country town myself, I felt it was written about by someone who really knows what it’s like to live in a small town.
Kylie, with my brand driven by the phrase “Come home to the country” it means a lot that I managed to do that for you. Thank you.
First of all thank you for the opportunity to read and review ‘Season of Shadow and Light’. What an awesome author Jenn J McLeod is.
Although it took me a little while to get into this book, I loved it in the end and found it hard to put down.
Being born and bred in a small country town, I could really relate to this story.
I love how you get to know about the backgrounds of the main characters. I also like that it is based in Australia by an Australian author.
Hearing the characters different perceptives was great, especially Alice’s secrets.
The descriptions of the small country towns, really gave me vivid pictures, ie run down farms etc.
My question is: are the settings you write about known to you?
Sue, thank you. And if you love Aussie stories by Aussie authors, do you know there is a fabulous portal to about 30 authors. On 14 of this month they are doing a feature on my books. I’ll share it on Facebook – or you can search Australian Rural Romance.
Having also read ‘House For All Seasons’ in this series, I was very keen to begin my journey in exploring this one. I enjoy Jenn’s writing style as it keeps me thinking, guessing and constantly surprises me as I am never correct in my predictions of her stories.
i found this novel particularly interesting as I’ve not seen, read or heard of another quite like it in it’s storyline and characters.
The pages and chapters flowed one into the next and even though it was mostly based in the past and did drift in and out quite a bit through the different characters, I loved that as it gave me a better insight into the bigger picture being portrayed.
A thicker, longer book which I was still able to get through quite quickly without it dragging on as I was intrigued and hooked very early on in the book.
Highly recommend for those with an open mind and heart who like mystery and truth. A fantastic read!
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My question to Jenn is have you been to the places you write about in your novels and do they hold any special meaning to you?
“an open heart and mind” How wonderful. I hope you don’t mind if I pop that on Facebook because that is really lovely. Thank you, Candice.
Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive, how true this statement is in real life.
I love how the author alternates between Aiden, Paige and Alice and their past lives, full of secrets and dreams. Showing how the past often catches up with the present..
Sometimes I found the story to be a little drawn out but the suspense carried me through to the end.
I so loved the attraction between Paige and Aiden, coming from different backgrounds they still found a common bond and physical attraction. Paige’s husband didn’t give her the support she needed after her stroke, no wonder she began to have feelings for Aiden
who made her laugh again. I loved this part of the story.
What an interesting element to the story that Nancy and Alice had been lovers and had borne a child – Paige. It was sad that Nancy died and couldn’t see her child grow up to witness the beautiful woman she became.
Overall a really great read and the author has such a lovely way with words.
My question to the author is “at what age did you decide that writing novels was the path you wanted to go down”. Did you always have a natural gift for writing?
Katrina, that has always been a favourite saying. Thank you so much for your lovely words.