Caroline Montague

The Pieces of Us is a dual timeline story with a focus on an industry that I found really interesting to read about. The modern day storyline focuses on Marina and Hugh. Having suffered a terrible tragedy they leave Marina's native Italy to live at Thorncliffe Hall, Hugh's family seat in Staffordshire. Struggling to deal with her loss, Marina wants to find out more about a coffee pot which features a fox soaring through the air and which seems to have a link to Thorncliffe and Hugh's ancestors.

It was the idea of a family mystery and the history of the coffee pot that really intrigued me about this book and made me want to read it but it ended up being the historical storyline, set in 1925, which I found more absorbing, and which made up the greater part of the book. Without giving too much away, it follows a plucky young woman and delves into life in the potteries, the skills required, and the dangers of such work. I found myself really drawn into this strand and I very much liked and admired the protagonist with her interest in women's rights and her work as a potter.

The Pieces of Us is an engaging read which I became thoroughly engrossed in. The author has clearly researched the potteries and has weaved together a story that transported me to the working conditions of the 1920s alongside the opulence those of privilege enjoyed, all against the backdrop of those difficult post-First World War years. I enjoyed it very much.… (mais)