#MeetingLydia @LindaMac1 #BlogTour

About Meeting Lydia 

Now 46, when Marianne finds her charming husband in the kitchen talking to the glamorous Charmaine, her childhood insecurities resurface and their once-happy marriage begins to slide. Teenage daughter Holly persuades her to join Friends Reunited, which results in both fearful and nostalgic memories of prep school as Marianne wonders what has become of the bullies and of Edward Harvey. Frantic to repair her marriage, yet rendered snappy and temperamental by her plummeting hormones, her attempts towards reconciliation fail. The answer to all her problems could lie in finding Edward again...But what would happen if she found what she seeks? Meeting Lydia is a book about childhood bullying, midlife crises, obsession, jealousy and the ever-growing trend of internet relationships. It will appeal to fans of adult fiction and those interested in the dynamics and psychology of relationships. Author Linda is inspired by Margaret Atwood, Fay Weldon and David Lodge.

My review of Meeting Lydia

Meeting Lydia was an absolute delight to read. It was such a refreshing change to read a book with a female central character who was in her middle years. This is an emotional read, which deals with 'grown up' and mature worries surrounding the many issues that we have as we get older. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The book revolves around Marianne, and I had to like her in order for thus book to work. And, I did like her, very much. By the end of the book I really felt as if I knew Marianne. She has her faults, as we all do, but I couldn't help but like her because of them and her sheer thirst for life. Here is a character, who to me, was completely realistic, and who I rooted for. I wanted the absolute best for her.

The writing is beautiful and the narrative style easy to read. I particularly liked the way in which the past was discussed and the introduction of the infamous Lydia. The past blended beautifully with the present to complement the story as a whole. It was important that I understood Marianne's past and where she had come from, so that I could understand her present day state of mind and the choices that she made.

This book does deal with many serious issues. But all are tackled with sensitivity and kindness. Marianne is approaching the menopause, and all of life's nuances around this age ate talked about. That shifting stage in relationships and how we evolve as we grow older. This is expressed beautifully between Marianne and her husband. We also have themes of childhood bullying, mental health issues, and identity. Of how we change as we mature. I particularly liked the introduction of social media and of how Marianne used Friends Reunited to reconnect with her past.

Meeting Lydia is an incredibly refreshing read. It's a novel to be savoured, that will make you think about your own childhood and how your childhood helped to shape your present day life. It's a story about the fragility of human nature, but that at the end of the day, family and that sense of belonging are the only things that really matter.

Meeting Lydia can be found on Amazon here.

With thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the blog tour.

About the author 

Linda MacDonald is the author of four novels: Meeting Lydia and the stand-alone sequels, A Meeting of a Different Kind, The Alone Alternative and The Man in the Needlecord Jacket. All Linda's books are contemporary adult fiction, multi-themed, but with a focus on relationship issues.

After studying psychology at Goldsmiths', Linda trained as a secondary science and biology teacher. She taught these subjects for several years before moving to a sixth-form college to teach psychology. The first two novels took ten years in writing and publishing, using snatched moments in the evenings, weekends and holidays. In 2012, she gave up teaching to focus fully on writing.

Linda was born and brought up in Cockermouth, Cumbria and now lives in Beckenham in Kent.

Follow her on Twitter @LindaMac1

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