Mavis and Dot by Angela Petch | Blog Tour | Book Review (@Angela_Petch @rararesources ) #MavisandDot

Published in Paperback by Chichester Publishing

Available in ebook and paperback (14 November 2018)

230 pages

Now that I’m feeling better, I’m playing catch up with reviews again!  My apologies to Rachel and Angela for the late posting of my blog tour review of Mavis and Dot and my thanks for the place on the tour.

|  About the Book   |

A warm slice of life, funny, feel-good, yet poignant. Introducing two eccentric ladies who form an unlikely friendship.Meet Mavis and Dot – two colourful, retired ladies who live in Worthington-on-Sea, where there are charity shops galore. Apart from bargain hunting, they manage to tangle themselves in escapades involving illegal immigrants, night clubs, nude modelling, errant toupees and more. And then there’s Mal, the lovable dog who nobody else wants. A gently humorous, often side-splitting, heart-warming snapshot of two memorable characters with past secrets and passions. Escape for a couple of hours into this snapshot of a faded, British seaside town. You’ll laugh and cry but probably laugh more.

“This book is quirky and individual, and has great pathos…[it] will resonate with a lot of readers.” Gill Kaye – Editor of Ingenu(e).

Written with a light touch in memory of a dear friend who passed away from ovarian cancer, Angela Petch’s seaside tale is a departure from her successful Tuscan novels.

All profits from the sale of the books will go towards research into the cure for cancer

|   My Thoughts   |

Mavis and Dot is a delightfully funny and charming read with two of the most eccentric characters I’ve come across. Both retired, they meet at a Bridge Club in the seaside town of Worthington–on-Sea whilst Mavis is working her way through her alphabetical bucket list. The bridge club doesn’t end well but despite being like chalk and cheese they strike up a friendship – their love of hunting for charity shop bargains bringing them together.

Mavis has a penchant for Italian men and has rather a racy side to her nature. Dot, by contrast, is far more reserved (perhaps a little bit more forthright and grumpy), and from a colonial family who hankers after the old days in her beloved Africa – indeed she prefers to sleep on cushions on the floor by the glass doors in order to emulate her African childhood.

There are a number of additional characters coming into their lives who add colour and humour to the story – old timer Humphrey, Lance the drag queen with his outrageous personality, Winston and Asha and a host of others, including Mal the dog; an unwanted mongrel who steals Dot’s heart.

Angela Petch has woven warmth and charm to this story however it does have its serious side too – the difficulties facing illegal immigrants, adoption and illness give the story an unexpected depth. One of the highlights for me was the coach trip to Tuscany – an idyllic location but with a myriad of characters – I have done a coach trip to Italy myself many years ago – thankfully my fellow passengers were far better behaved than those that poor coach driver Seamus had to cope with.

At just over 200 pages, Mavis and Dot is an uplifting and humorous read focusing on friendship, living life to the full and lending a helping hand. I really enjoyed it and would be very happy to see the ladies and their friends return.

|   About the Author   |

A prize-winning author, Angela Petch lives half the year in West Sussex and the summer months in a remote valley in the Tuscan Apennines. She recently signed a two-book deal with Bookouture for her Tuscan novels and “Mavis and Dot” is a temporary departure from her usual genre. She has travelled all her life: born in Germany, she spent six years as a child living in Rome, worked in Amsterdam after finishing her degree in Italian, moved to Italy for her job, then to Tanzania for three years. Her head is full of stories and she always carries a pen and note-book to capture more ideas.
In May 2017, Angela Petch won PRIMA’S monthly short story competition and recently had a dozen stories published by The People’s Friend magazine.
“Mavis and Dot” was written in memory of a dear friend who lost her battle with ovarian cancer. All profits from sales of the book will go towards research into a cure for cancer.

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