It's 1935. Tamar Fell has no family - or so she's been told - and she relies on the friends she makes as she's dragged from lodging house to lodging house by her mother - the reckless, beautiful Sadie. Then Tamar meets Anna Weissmann, exiled from her own family by European politics, and they forge a friendship that will last through bereavement, failed love affairs, internment, betrayal, and the dislocations of war.
Kathleen Jones is a biographer and poet whose short stories have won several awards including a Cosmopolitan fiction prize and a Fay Weldon award. Kathleen's biography of Catherine Cookson was in the top 10 best-seller racks in WH Smith for 8 weeks. This is her first novel. The Sun's Companion has been awarded the Awesome Indies Seal of Approval a guaranteed 'Good Read'.
What readers have said about The Sun's Companion:-
'Wartime North Shields and Cumbria are the well-wrought backgrounds to this compelling novel about two very different young women growing up through dramatic times. Poet and biographer Kathleen Jones's move into fiction should be celebrated by readers and writers alike.' Wendy Robertson, best-selling author of Sandie Shaw and the Millionth Marvel Cooker, Land of Our Possession, and Kitty Rainbow.
'I'm not entirely sure how to describe this novel other than to say I loved it! Not literary fiction, not genre fiction, almost the novelisation of a book of modern history, with characters I came to care about and scenes that were vivid and real. . . I don't think I've ever read anything that has immersed me so thoroughly in time and place. These people must be real and I'm sure if I go and visit the area, these farms will actually exist! Utterly gripping and I didn't want it to end.' Debbie Bennett, best-selling author of Hamelin'sChild and Edge of Dreams. IEBR Review.
'This is an extremely well-written book, and exceptionally enjoyable. It's difficult to put it down once started. Thank you for a refreshing, historical fiction book that is also entertaining.' Dawn Edwards, Kindle Book Review
'I found The Sun's Companion an engrossing read, hard to put down. If you like to "disappear" into the world of a book, you'll find this a satisfying read. Jones paints a comprehensive, moving (but never sentimental) picture of life in north east England during the early years of the war, achieving what only very good writers can do: she makes the familiar seem unfamiliar.' Linda Gillard, author of House of Silence, Emotional Geology, Untying the Knot.
'Full of drama, intrigue and heartbreak.' Natalie Braine, Orion
'Kathleen Jones really understands the art of story and how it works. Her effortless-seeming prose had me completely engaged.' Pauline Fisk, Goodreads
'It is written with such passion and attention to detail that I slipped away easily into the worlds of Tamar and Anna. ' Pink Fox.