Lily is a determined and independent woman who is rebuilding her life after the tragic death of her husband and mother. She is living in a world where her opinions and abilities are not valued and are routinely overlooked. Captain Tom is difficult to understand. He seems all bad and naughty, but given the chance, he is a man seeking a purpose. Once he finds Lily, he also finds himself.
I found Cooper’s writing style slow, I believe it was purposely done to develop an interest in character motivations. I think there are two schools of thought on writing, one where characters are explained at the beginning, and another where we are told their actions and their motivations are hinted at. I guess I am just from the other school of thought. I like to understand what characters are doing and why, rather than making educated guesses.
Lily’s Leap is a short novel and focuses on a week in the lives of the characters. As such, Cooper’s writing is easy to read and vividly paints an image of the Australian bush as both charming and dangerous. I really enjoyed the images Cooper invokes through her skilled use of language. Overall, a well-written book by a talented writer. Sadly, I found the characters hard to relate to and at times shallow, especially Captain Tom. Most of the time, I didn’t have any idea what he was doing or thinking.
(3 Crowns – A Duchess of a Good Read)
(Reviewed by Countess Sarah)
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