NEW RELEASE
The Girls' Guide to Homemaking - Amy Bratley (2011)
Juliet has always wanted nothing more than a home to call her own. As a child, Juliet grew up in a broken home, raised only by her grandmother Violet. When she finally moves into her perfect flat with her perfect boyfriend, things don't go as planned and soon she feels that her new home is also broken. When Juliet learns that her long-time boyfriend, Simon, has been having an affair with their roommate, Hannah, she throws herself into her grandmother's old homemaking books. This is the only thing that gives Juliet any solace as her life crumbles around her. When she meets Dylan, a TV worker, through work, she feels an instant connection with him. But does he feel the same? More importantly, will Juliet only end up with heartbreak once again? (AS)
The Girls' Guide to Homemaking, by Amy Bratley, is about a woman who turns to 1950s homemaking guides for advice. The summary says: "On a mission to have the perfect home, with tweeting bluebirds and a white picket fence, Juliet hits a major stumbling block - reality. On the first night with her boyfriend in their new flat, Juliet discovers that Simon has been sleeping with her best friend. After growing up in a dysfunctional family with secrets that haunt her, there's no way she is prepared to build her nest on a broken branch. Heartbroken and seeking an escape from her troubles, Juliet retreats into the comforting world of her grandmother's 1950s homemaking manuals, discovering tips like 'put a ribbon in your hair to brighten your husband's day' and though Juliet knows that won't get her anywhere, she discovers that craft and homemaking are back in style. Taking control of her life, Juliet is determined to get her home with a heart. But who will win hers?" Bratley is a London freelance journalist. The Girls' Guide to Homemaking, her debut novel, is out in February.