Author: Kate Belle
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: March 2013
Pages: 326
Format: Paperback
Genre: Erotic/Literary Fiction
Source: Bought Copy
It’s 1978 in a country town and a dreamy fifteen year old girl’s world is turned upside down by the arrival of the substitute English teacher. Solomon Andrews is beautiful, inspiring and she wants him like nothing else she’s wanted in her short life.
Charismatic and unconventional, Solomon easily wins the hearts and minds of his third form English class. He notices the attention of one girl, his new neighbour, who has taken to watching him from her upstairs window. He assumes it a harmless teenage crush, until erotic love notes begin to arrive in his letterbox.
Solomon knows he must resist, but her sensual words stir him. He has longings of his own, although they have nothing to do with love, or so he believes. One afternoon, as he stands reading her latest offering in his driveway, she turns up unannounced. Each must make a choice, the consequences of which will haunt them until they meet again twenty years later. (Goodreads Synopsis)
I read The Yearning in one day, practically in one sitting. I loved every moment from the early awakenings of Eve's love to the harsh realities she faces towards the end.
Belle's prose is captivating and lyrical and I enjoyed the way she gave voice to both characters (and a third character later) so that we can see every point of view and experience all the varying emotions the characters go through.
This book spoke deeply to me and really caught my heart and my imagination. It expertly trends the fine line, managing not to slip into smut or tawdry dullness, and the levels of emotion are maintained from start to finish. This is not just standard erotic fiction - indeed I wouldn't even put it in that category; to me it's literary fiction that happens to have some steamy sex scenes.
I can highly recommend this read, but, given the content, only for those 18 years and over.
No comments:
Post a Comment