Madame Burova – Ruth Hogan

Hey Loves!

How are we all? I hope you’re as excited as I am that Spring is here and we have more light and more colour outside. 🌸☀️ It’s the time of year when everything starts to come alive again and we all start to feel a little better. Now I am on Easter break, I can wait to share more books with you and no doubt all more books to my ever increasing TBR pile. I’m hoping to sneak a few naps in at the same time! I’m absolutely shattered!

Today I want to share a book with you all that I finished just as the clock crept into this morning. I was lucky enough to get a preview copy of Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan. It’s out on Thursday 1st April so if you’re tempted, you’ve not got long to wait! It was my first time reading Hogan and I have to be honest, I really enjoyed it! I hope you do too. Also, it has a pretty cover. Superficial I know, but it just looks gorgeous on the shelf.

What’s it all about?
The narrative is split between now and 1972/3. Madame Burova or Imelda, is central to the plot. Her occupation of Tarot Reader, Palmist and Clairvoyant means that she knows the secrets of many; secrets she cannot possible divulge. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Imelda took her role seriously. After all, it is a gift she has been given and something which she doesn’t take lightly. However, she is getting older and there is a secret that she isn’t sure she can keep to herself much longer. Two envelopes. Two truths.

‘The envelopes held a secret that had troubled Madame Burova more than most, and now the time had come for her to open them and fulfil a promise made long ago.’

Once Madame Burova has made her decision, the narrative swaps back to 1972 where we see a much younger Imelda obtains a job at Larkins holiday park. She will give readings to the customers and guests amongst other eclectic and talented performers like Magic Melvin, Titus Marlow, Sara-Jade Virtue, Jeanie Rogers and Cillian Byrne. Cillian caught her eye and something stirred deep within. However Vivienne, a guest of the holiday park, also had her eyes on him. The performers become a family of sorts and easily fall into a routine of performances and daily schedules. Fast forward to now and we learn of Billie. Billie’s childhood was wonderful – she had two loving parents who adored her. However, once both passed away, she learns that things weren’t really as they seemed. She receives a letter…

‘As she read what was written on the pages it contained, her whole world washed away like the chalked hopscotch squares of her childhood in a sudden downpour of rain.’

The contents of this letter tell Billie that she was adopted as a baby. Her parents weren’t really her parents. Does this make the memories and her childhood any less valuable? Can she still call them her parents even if they’re not her biological ones? Amongst her inner turmoil, she sets off in the hope of finding some answers. She heads towards St Pancras station. Her and her father would often visit the statue of John Betjeman and rub his tummy for good luck. It was here that she heard the music call her from below. A piano was playing ‘Smile’ her dad’s favourite song. That song was the cure for everything. She moved closer and closer to the music, not realising she was crying. The pianist: Henry Hayward. She’s so angry that they didn’t tell her. Yet, this doesn’t make her life, her childhood, any less real or meaningful.

“Your childhood was happy, your parents loved you and you them. That was the past and none of that will change. But the important thing now is what you will do with your future?”

Billie decides to visit Madame Burova. She knows that she has some of the answers that she is so desperate for. However, she cannot tell her who her parents are, she can only give her two things that were left for her: a bank account and a photograph. That isn’t to say that if she learns the truth it would be denied. Madame Burova just cannot break the trust and the secret she obtained years ago. However, she does befriend Billie and introduces her to the local people who may be able to help like Treasure and Clive. Billie learns that her father kept in touch with Madame Burova after she saw the baby left behind. She left the baby in the safety of the authorities but became invested in her life. She wanted to know that she was safe and well. All the correspondence she had with Billie’s father was there on the table for her to see. Billie decides to stay and rent the space that Madame Burova has. She will do readings part time and Billie will open a little shop with seaside souvenirs.

“They didn’t need to be related to you to be the best parents you could have wished for. It takes more than blood to raise a child as well as they did.”

As the plot develops, the fate of the two women collide and their stories are eventually told. Besides all that, they become the closest of friends too. Each have plenty to learn. Billie learns who her biological parents are. She learns the truth about her life and now is able to plan for her incredibly bright future. Madame Burova learns that the man she was in love with, was in love with her back. It was just tragic circumstances that kept them apart. By the end of the novel I felt like my heart was full. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the ending provided the closure and resolution I needed. ♥️

“Because of you…he was the happiest man alive. I can’t tell you how much of a comfort that has been to me all these years.”

Final Thoughts
There’s much more to this book but I don’t want to spoil it for you. As I said in my conclusion, I found it truly uplifting. I have a lot of love for Madame Burova and I was captivated by her story just as much as Billie’s. This book is perfect for anyone who needs a little pick me up, a little hope and a good distraction.

I’ll see you all next time my loves. I’ve still got to share with you the book I read for my reading challenge this month and a roundup of this month too. Continue to take care and enjoy the light that this season brings. As I’m typing this, I can see a beautiful carpet of daffodils. 🌼

Big love all xxx