Great holiday reading. Some unexpected twists and turns. Great insight into how people might react to a traumatic sitution. Kept me interested til the end. ( )

This is the first book I have read by Lesley Pearse. ‘The House Across the Street’ is a slow build as Pearse takes time to build the characters and the Sixties setting. This is a difficult book to describe: part-mystery, part-romance, part-thriller.
The house of the title is in Bexhill-on-Sea. Twenty-three year old Katy Speed is fascinated by Gloria, her fashionable neighbour, who owns a dress shop in town. Katy is also fascinated by some odd comings and goings; a black car arrives, bringing women and sometimes children to the house. Katy’s mother Hilda disapproves of Gloria, thinking there may be something illegal going on. Then one night Gloria’s house burns down and Katy’s father Albert is arrested for murder. It is at this point that the story really takes off.
The 1965 setting is well portrayed. It is a time of social change. Katy and her friend Jilly dream of escaping boring Bexhill to live and work in London. Hilda is something of a mystery; moody, cold, traditional. Mother and daughter mirror the changing times and sexual freedoms of the time. The backbone of the story is domestic violence and the lack of help available for victims in the Sixties. ‘The House Across the Street’ is a novel sympathetic to the Sixties, showing the transition after World War Two as the older generation shaped by their war experiences clash with their children who want to grab their new freedoms. Pearse contrasts the awkward marriage of Hilda and Albert, and Katy’s new friendship with a barrister at her new job, to demonstrate the changing lives of women. Katy has more opportunities than her mother, but the laws protecting women remain inadequate. At the heart of the novel lays brutality but also kindness and a sense of justice.
The second half of the book flew by as Pearse expertly handles the increasing intrigue.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/ ( )

I don't think it would be fair of me to rate this book. It just wasn't for me. I did not like the writing style at all - way too much detail and not very sharp or concise. Might appeal to a particular age group but it just bored me and i found myself skimming. I just couldn't finish it. Sorry!

I'm a massive fan of Lesley Pearse's books so I couldn't wait to read The House Across the Street which seemed to have a really intriguing storyline.

Katy Speed is a lovely young woman, one whom her parents should be really proud of. Her father most definitely is, but her mother is rather unpleasant, disapproving and snipes all the time. Katy often finds herself looking out of the window at the house across the street where Gloria lives. Gloria owns a dress shop and is forward-thinking. Her views and feelings are quite different to most of the residents of sleepy Bexhill and Katy finds her quite fascinating.

When a tragedy occurs, Katy's lovely father, Albert is blamed for it and Katy desperately wants to find out who is really responsible. I must admit that I thought the story was going one way at this point that I thought seemed really obvious, but I was wrong. The direction it did take was even more thrilling and led to some shocking scenes. For this is, overall, a thriller, but it's also a story of domestic life and relationships.

I loved Katy. She's so strong, so mature for a 23 year old, so caring and kind. I was rooting for her to succeed in clearing her father's name, even though she was putting herself in incredible danger to do so. I also liked Albert, and Katy's best friend, Jilly, who is bubbly and fun. There's another character called Charles, who I thought was just wonderful in every way. I won't go into who he is as you can find that out for yourself. What I'm trying to say though is that all the characters are just so well-drawn. Lesley Pearse has a real way of writing characters to care about and love as well as ones to dislike or even hate.

I loved the story and the setting too. Katy's home in Bexhill is the epitome of 1960s suburbia, whereas London, where she finds herself later on in the story, is cosmopolitan and exciting. The contrast is marked and I thought very well-portrayed.

Lesley Pearse is a consummate storyteller, a weaver of the most addictive tales. This is her 26th novel and she's celebrating 25 years of being published. I hope for many more fabulous books from her in the years to come. I honestly can't get enough of them. She writes with such warmth and her stories and characters are so genuine. The House Across the Street comes highly recommended by me. I flew through it and enjoyed every minute I spent reading it. ( )